GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)

wiredotter14 said:Your CPU might not fully unlock what that card can do—it’ll likely bottleneck it—but you're still going to see a massive difference.
It is very probable that you could run modern titles even with the 4400.

That said, I’d suggest either grabbing something cheaper or picking up a card you actually plan on migrating to a new build down the road.

Yeah, that's exactly where my head was at—maybe grab something more powerful now just so I can eventually transplant it into a new rig.

darkowl72 said:... I mean, come on, brightrider8 might scrape by, but even a 5200+ isn't going to properly feed a high-end GPU...

Look, the Radeon 4850 isn't exactly some monster flagship, right? You could probably pick one up for maybe $200 or $300 if you're looking at the right deals, wouldn't you agree?

😁 You can still play all the latest titles on an HD4850... no issues at all... I'm not saying those $4,000 GPUs aren't way more powerful, but if you aren't some obsessive FPS chaser or a total gearhead about every single frame, you can still run an HD4850, HD4830, or an 8800GT just fine...

It's not like game developers are idiots and would write code exclusively for cards costing over $2,000 😁 who would they even sell the games to then?

I've got a Radeon 4850 paired with an i7 920 in my current build.
My 4890 bit the dust—got my money back though, thank God.

The performance gap is definitely noticeable, but honestly, the 4850 still handles everything I could run on the 4890 just fine. That means basically everything ☕.

I'm looking to swap out my 8800 GTS 320 MB. I've been eyeing this GAINWARD ATI RADEON HD 4850 GLH with 512MB on it, but I'm not entirely sure what to expect from it. Does anyone here actually have one available in the US?

The Radeon 4850 is a remarkably capable card, and you’ll certainly notice a significant leap in performance compared to the 8800 GTS 320 MB, provided you aren't bottlenecking it with an underwhelming processor.

Hey everyone. I have a quick question for you all..

I'm currently torn between these two GPUs:

1.) Sapphire Radeon HD4890 2 GB Vapor-X ($400)
2.) ATI Sapphire Radeon HD5770 ($300)

My current build looks like this:
Intel Core 2 duo E6550 2.33GHz (4MB)
Fortron 400 W
4GB DDR2 RAM
24" Monitor (1920x1080)
Currently running an 8600GT 512MB

Here's what's on my mind: if I go with the HD5770, am I going to need to upgrade my power supply? Because if a new PSU is a requirement regardless, I’d much rather just grab the HD4890. In that case, how many watts should I be looking at for that card specifically!?

ps. I've set aside $400 for the graphics card. Is it worth dropping $400 to get the one that pulls more power, or is it smarter to stick with DirectX 11 and save both money and electricity🙂

I notice you're working with a high-resolution monitor, which inevitably demands a significant amount of graphical muscle if you actually intend to play anything.

While Fortron produces quite decent power supplies, for cards of this caliber—especially the 4890—it is generally recommended to have at least 500W on hand -> http://www.guru3d.com/article/radeon...review-test/11

Another issue that might make you hesitate regarding the 4890 2GB is your processor; frankly, I find it hard to believe it would be capable of extracting the absolute maximum performance from such a card.

My suggestion would be to opt for the 5770 1GB instead; it sits right in the same tier as the 4870, which means it is more than capable and won't leave you struggling during gameplay 👍

With those extra $100 dollars, you wouldn't be able to afford a better power supply anyway, but I still strongly advise addressing it, because no one can give you a definitive guarantee as to whether a 400 W unit will actually suffice or simply fail under load.

If you do decide to pick up a new power supply, just grab a reliable brand name unit (like Fortron or OCZ...) rated at 500W MINIMUM.

Just because the box says you need at least 500W doesn't mean your power supply actually needs that much capacity, and I think 400 high-quality watts should be plenty. Manufacturers don't assume everyone is running an Enermax in their rig; a huge number of people are using MSI components instead.
Since you're running a large monitor, you'll need a decent amount of clean power to drive that resolution. The 4890 provides more of that than the 5770 does, so if I were you, I'd go with the 4890. I don't believe the processor will be an issue. Overclocking should be fine, especially since this test suggests most games don't really benefit from having three or more cores, meaning two should be perfectly sufficient.

@ Alex Harris32, look, putting a 4890 in that rig would max out at maybe 250-280W. That’s still 130W under a 400W limit—and let's be real, those Fortron 400 W units usually peak around 450W anyway 🙂
so there's zero reason to worry about the PSU... (I'm running a Phenom X4 and an HD5770 myself and haven't had a single hiccup, even with a quad-core instead of a C2D or X2)

Side note: if you aren't obsessed with DirectX 11 and all that nonsense, I'd just grab the 4890 2GB. It's way beefier than the 5770..
But hey, even the 5770 isn't a bad beast for $300 (new ones are going for $1200-$1300 these days) 🙂

Fine, you guys can keep acting like experts, but I’ve never had any faith in those power supplies myself. 😁

Regarding the CPU, I still suspect it’s just too weak to really push that 4890 to its limits. Personally, everything runs smoothly on my 4870 now that I’ve bumped it up to 3.4GHz; back when I was sitting at 2.8GHz with the multiplier at x3, it didn't exactly perform like it was supposed to, and I actually had to dial back my settings—things like AA and AF—just to keep things stable.
The other issue is that if someone actually intends to overclock, then fine, but the real question is whether they actually have the technical know-how to pull it off without breaking something. 🙂

Bryan Evans77 said:@ Alex Harris32, look, if you put a 4890 in that rig, you’re looking at a max draw of maybe 250-280W. That leaves plenty of breathing room since it's still 130W under the 400W mark—and let's be honest, those Fortron 400 W units usually hit a peak of around 450W anyway. 🙂
So, you really don't have anything to worry about when it comes to your power supply... (I'm running a Phenom X4 paired with an HD5770, and I've never run into a single issue, even if my CPU is a quad-core rather than a C2D or an X2).

Honestly? If you aren't obsessed with DirectX 11 or whatever other technical nonsense people are making a big deal about, I’d just go for the Sapphire Radeon HD4890 2 GB Vapor-X. It's still a significantly more powerful card than the HD5770.
Even an HD5770 wouldn't cut it. $300 It’s actually not a bad piece of hardware at all—especially considering the newer models are sitting in that $1,200–$1,300 range now. 🙂
You don't need to mess around with any of them...

Heh... yeah, I’m well aware of all that. To be honest, I'm not exactly losing sleep over DirectX 11 support. But my current power supply—that Fortron 400 W unit—just isn't going to cut it if I try to run an HD4890, let alone anything more demanding than that. $400 This would follow on from the 500—$200 Regarding the power supply situation... if I just went ahead and picked up an HD5770, my current unit should be able to handle it without any issues. That way, I wouldn't be looking at any extra costs. Plus, it’s pretty efficient—it won't hog much power or run hot. And honestly, on top of all that, I'd finally get access to DirectX 11. 🤷

Jason Lopez2 said:Hello there. I have a quick question...

I am currently torn between these two graphics cards:

1.)Sapphire Radeon HD4890 2 GB Vapor-X ($400)
2.)ATI Sapphire Radeon HD5770 ($300)

Just tell me, which store on earth did you manage to find that 4890 2GB—especially the Sapphire Vapor-X model—for only $400? 😲

I was scouring the shops just yesterday and could only find a single 1GB version priced at $250 or even more.

Check out these fuel consumption tests for the different configurations

Maybe you won't find it in stores 😁

Why are you worrying so much about the power supply? Bryan Evans77 explained pretty clearly that the Fortress unit will handle the Radeon HD 4890 just fine. And if you really want to buy a new PSU, an EVGA CX series would be plenty, which is $133.
It's true, the 5770 is a lot more efficient, but do you really want to play "some" game at native resolution with a freezing cold PC and 20fps, or with a slightly warmer PC and 35fps (slightly warmer because the Cooler Master really does run hot)? 😁

EDIT: Commenting on stormywolf39's link.

Radeon HD 4890
2D ~260 W
Idle ~370 W
Furmark ~410 W

We can see that under full load, a configuration with a high-end motherboard, Intel Core i7 125W processor, and a 4890 pulls just north of 400W from the wall. Keep in mind that you don't have an i7, you have a Core 2 Duo, and this is the draw from the wall (take off another 15% or so), so what do we get? That a 400W Fortress unit will actually be more than enough for your setup with the 4890, since your actual consumption will stay well below 400W ^^

Even though the 5770 has fancy DX11 support, it'll be useless once you can't even run games effectively in a year or two due to performance issues.
4890 way to go 👍

James Morris4 said:Why are you sweating the power supply so much? Bryan Evans77 made a good point that the Fortress unit should handle the Radeon HD 4890 just fine. And if you actually need to pick up something new, an EVGA CX series would do the trick, which is $133.
Sure, the 5770 pulls way less juice, but do you really want to play "some" game at native resolution with a freezing cold PC and 20fps? Or would you rather deal with a slightly warmer rig and get 35fps (slightly warmer because that Cooler Master setup actually works)? 😁

I guess I'll listen to you guys... but if this PSU can't kick the Radeon HD 4890 into gear, one of you is buying it for me. 🤣

Big plus one to James Morris4's explanation...

Just grab the Radeon HD 4890 regardless. 🙂
It’ll still be a beast even after you upgrade your rig later on anyway...
And yeah, they say it pulls 410W at full tilt, but that's an Intel Core i7 we're talking about—that's peak load. I highly doubt you'll have both the card and your CPU pinned at max unless you're running FurMark. 🙂

Jason Lopez2 said:I guess I'll listen to you guys... but if this PSU can't handle the Radeon HD 4890, one of you is buying it for me! 🤣

If it doesn't work (which I seriously doubt), it's easy to flip that Fortress unit—you could probably snag $150-$67 for it no problem. Then just grab something slightly better for maybe $50-$33 more if it's really stressing you out. 🙂

Were these benchmarks done with all the peripherals included (DVD-ROM, keyboard, mouse, etc.), or just the case by itself? Thanks!

edit: that Card isn't the standard 1GB version—it's actually the Cooler Master model with 2GB... maybe it pulls a bit more power? Also, will I be able to overclock both the CPU and the Card together after a while? 😁

I ran tests using all the basics—one drive, DVD, RAM, plus I had to plug in a keyboard and mouse just to get into the benchmarks. This was all tested straight from a wall outlet. These power supplies hit about 85% efficiency, which means that 410W max draw from the wall is actually only about 350W for the components themselves. But let’s be realistic: you’re looking at a 65W CPU versus this Intel Core i7 125W, and there's no way this build is running on 4GB when it definitely has 6GB of RAM. Also, the Cooler Master model pulls less juice than the standard version because it's more efficient. There should still be enough headroom for some decent overclocking; I'm not talking anything insane, but you could probably push it up to 3GHz.

Jason Lopez2 said:Are these tests done with everything included—like the DVD-ROM, keyboard, mouse—or just the case by itself? Thanks!

edit: that card isn't the standard 1GB version, it's the Cooler Master with 2GB... maybe it draws a bit more power? And will I actually be able to overclock both the CPU and the GPU... after a while? 😁

I'm pretty sure all the tests include the full set of peripherals...
if you actually manage to make use of 2GB on that card with that processor, even Rihanna would give you a standing ovation... 🙂

either that, or just go buy a 5770 and save yourself the headache...

p.s. I hope the cards you're looking at come with a warranty, because betting on a component without one? Not exactly a smart move... $400