Buying a new graphics card - (read first post)

Kyle Sanchez4 said:Honestly, Walter James, you don't even need 2GB with the resolution you're running at.

Well, I finally got my hands on the power supply. So, what's the final verdict here?

Go with the Corsair 400 CX and an HD4890

If that Corsair isn't available, try actually reading the top thread on power supplies...

Alright, thanks so much for everything! 👍

swiftfalcon14, there isn't much point in sticking with that 1GB card—it’s essentially the slowest memory tier paired with a sluggish GPU. If you're actually looking to push high resolutions with all those fine details turned up, you'll probably need to bite the bullet and upgrade to at least a Radeon HD 4870 with 1GB of GDDR5 memory.

No way am I playing all that at that resolution... I'd be lucky if I even hit medium settings at 1280x1040... I'll stick to the newer titles instead.

So, I’ve got a massive dilemma on my hands here, and I’m honestly hoping to get some of your thoughts on it... Here's how things stand... I have... So, I've been looking into the ATI Radeon HD 4770 lately. Honestly, it’s a bit of a mixed bag, I guess. Maybe it holds up better than people want to admit, but there are definitely some things that rub me the wrong way. It's just one of those cards where you have to weigh everything very carefully before making a move.I’ve got a brand new card arriving this July, and honestly, I’m torn. I’m looking at two different ways to pair it up with an additional ATI Radeon to round out my setup. $250 Or should I just pass on this one? I’ve been looking into the Sapphire HD 4890 Vapor-X lately, and honestly, I have some thoughts. It’s one of those cards that really makes you stop and think about how much things have changed, though maybe I'm just being nostalgic. I guess it depends on what you're looking for. There is something about the build quality of a Sapphire card that just feels different, even if it's just my imagination. Maybe. But when you look at the specs compared to something like a Radeon HD 4770, the difference is pretty hard to ignore. It’s a powerful little beast, but I wonder if it's still worth the headache of finding a decent unit these days. Just my two cents. I guess I should start by saying that I’ve been looking into this for a while now. It seems like things aren't quite adding up, though maybe I'm just overthinking it. I don't know. I really don't. But honestly? It's getting frustrating. Everything feels a bit off lately, and I can't be the only one feeling this way. It’s just one thing after another. Just... yeah. $230 Assuming I can manage to return this Radeon HD 4770 I’m currently stuck with... the bottom line is that I really don't want any other options besides these two specific choices. So, if you were in my shoes, which one would you pick? Honestly, I’m feeling pretty torn myself. In my opinion, going with dual Radeon HD 4770s might actually be the better move in terms of raw performance. Plus, they probably draw less power and won't be nearly as loud as a Radeon HD 4890—and I’m talking regardless of the model. Even if it were a high-end version like a Sapphire HD 4890 Vapor-X or something from the Toxic line, I still think the 4770 setup wins on noise and efficiency. No.So, my motherboard actually supports Crossfire, so that part isn't an issue for me... what would you guys go with?

I’d personally head over to CF. 🙂 Though, honestly, it’s such a tough call when you start weighing the options... if you take a quick look at the prices over at Best Buy, you can actually snag an HD 4770 for less than what you'd pay for the $250. 🙂

By the way, which motherboard are you running?

wiredmarlin5 said:I’d probably go with CF. 🙂 But honestly, it's a tough call on which one is actually better. Just look at the prices over at Best Buy; you can snag an HD 4770 for less than $250. 🙂

What motherboard are you running, by the way?

There aren't really many cheaper options out there, I guess. If it were me, I'd stick exclusively to Asus—either the standard models or the Formula series, since they have the best cooling solutions, especially the Formula. Maybe Sapphire too, though the price gap isn't much... anyway, the board is a Gigabyte 790XT-UD4P. I was thinking about grabbing a 4770 right now just to play games on medium settings, or maybe even some high settings if I'm lucky. I might just wait a month or two for prices to drop. Now that the 5000 series is out, I'm expecting the 4770 to get a lot cheaper...

If you’ve got as much patience as I do😂 then maybe just hold off for a bit, because prices are bound to drop as time goes on. Honestly though, my nerves are shot and I'm completely tapped out.🤣

I honestly suspect we’re looking at a massive price drop on those cards before they actually hit their end-of-life phase...

If there's nothing else left, you can at least live on hope. And just keep hoping you'll actually get to experience the American Dream firsthand.🙂

Heh, I see everyone here is feeling pretty "optimistic" regarding my theory about prices dropping😁

Anyway, let's just push that aside for a second and assume the price stays exactly where it is right now... I'm left choosing between one Sapphire HD 4890 for $690 or two Asus Radeon HD 4770 cards for $250... I guess I'm leaning toward CrossFire...

Kyle Sanchez4 said:Go ahead and grab that Corsair 400 CX power supply along with the Radeon HD 4890

If you can't find that specific Corsair model, honestly, just head over to the stickied PSU thread and take a look at what else is out there...

Oh, one more thing—could you do me a favor and double-check the exact full model name of that graphics card? From what I've noticed, there are actually quite a few different versions of the Radeon HD 4890 floating around, and I want to make sure we're looking at the right one.

Sapphire HD 4890 Vapor-X, 1GB GDDR5
or just a standard Sapphire model

Kyle Sanchez4 said:Sapphire HD 4890 Vapor-X, 1GB GDDR5
or just a standard Sapphire card

Alright, thanks so much! 👍

Kyle Sanchez4 said:Sapphire HD 4890 Vapor-X, 1GB GDDR5
or just a standard Sapphire card

So, I'm looking at these two and I can't tell if they're actually the same thing or if there's some catch I'm missing.
Which one should I pull the trigger on?

http://www.newegg.com/product_info.php?c...oducts_id=7305

http://www.newegg.com/product_info.php?c...oducts_id=6934

I honestly don't see the difference between them.
If you have a second, could you maybe drop a link to a better comparison or something?

The Vapor-X version offers superior cooling performance

Kyle Sanchez4 said:the vapor-x version actually has much better cooling performance

Ah, okay, thanks for clearing that up!

I know I might be coming off a bit nitpicky here, but I really don't want to end up dropping money on the wrong part, so I appreciate you looking out for me—and hey, if I run into any more snags down the road, I might have to bug you again.🙂
Anyway, thanks a ton!👍

It looks like I’ve picked the worst possible timing to finally build my PC. It seems like the HD4870 series isn't being manufactured anymore, and who knows if they'll ever show up on shelves again? Does anyone happen to have any inside info on this?

Walter James said:I might be getting a bit tedious, but I'd rather not end up buying the wrong thing right now. I'll probably have more questions down the road.🙂
Thanks. Much appreciated.👍

No problem. Ask away.

James Mendoza76 Asks:
So, I picked the absolute worst possible moment to build a PC. It seems like everything I actually want is nowhere to be found. The HD4870 series appears to be phased out of production entirely, and at this rate, who knows if they’ll ever see the light of day again. Does anyone here have any actual intel on this?

Production has officially ceased, but you can still snag one... at least until the remaining stock runs out.