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Video card Died :( Need advice


EMT~SPARTA~
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All depends on what resolution you play on and how often you usually upgrade. If you tend to keep with current/semi-current cards, a 5850 will do you good for a while. If you're looking at holding onto the card for a few years, a 5870.

 

The heat and power envelope for the cards are also important, but I'm sure you've already considered that.

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I think the answer is a lot in ure wallet.

 

When 4850 and 4870 came out, 4850 showed to be the best bang for ure bucks, because the difference with the 4870 was not justifying the price that much.

 

Google some review from both cards and go with the one u feel more comfy with. Both are excellent choice and very powerful.

 

If you are planning for a crossfire config "on budget" u may prefer the option for a 5850 now, to get a second one later on at a better price.

If you r planning to expand your monitor set up to 3 using Eyefinity, 5850 does it, 5870 probably does it a bit better.

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im trying to figure out the difference between the two

 

$100 difference but the only thing you guys are telling me is that one will do 3 monitors better than the other one. I use dual monitors so 3 wont be in my future..

 

Also the 9800 gx2 always ran hot no matter what I did. So will 100 dollars more really that BIG of a difference.. Like, will I see every single extra dollar i put into the5870 and not in the 5850

 

I just like a 100 more dollars in my pocket if i am not going to see a significant difference between the 2

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Waiting for Nvidia's Fermi is a terrible idea, seeing as its been coming "soon" for months now. Compound that with the fact you're without a card at the moment and ATI's 5000 series is your best option.

 

There is a difference between to two cards, as shown here. The 5870 does perform better, but as you go up in resolution, the difference between the two shrinks.

 

If I am to suggest something, I would probably say the 5850. While the 5870 is a very nice card, its performance doesn't really sound like its worth the premium to you. Also, if you have the opportunity, get a card from XFX. Best warranty from all of the board partners

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AtI 5850? Or Ati 5870?

300$ 400$

...

 

Personally, I've had nothing but problems with ATI cards, including a brand new 5870 which simply refuses to work in my system. I know the card is good, since I put it in the new computer I built for my mother, and although it's true I could have returned the card, I'm enjoying the irony of fact that my mom has a $400 GPU to run Bejeweled, which is the most graphically demanding game/app she runs (eventually, when I build another system that it will run on, I'll remove the card from my mom's PC and let it run with the onboard video, and she'll be none the wiser).

 

Still, since I hope that most people don't experience these problems, I'd say the choice depends on screen real estate: if you run games at 1080p resolutions or greater, AND/OR if you're running multiple monitors, go with the 5870; by all accounts, it is a beast that actually justifies the $100 price difference. For a single monitor running at 1680x1050 or lower pixel counts, the 5950 would be perfectly adequate.

 

As for myself, because of the aforementioned problems with ATI products, I had to downgrade to a GT 250, and I'll hold off on purchasing a high-end next-gen card until Nvidia finally releases their next line of GPUs.

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thanks guys for all the help

 

 

I decided after much consideration from all of yall and my "needs" and "wants" to go with the ati 5870

 

Ive always been a fan of nvidia but since school is the most important and I stongly dislike watching my classes on my gf's tiny pink labtop, i am going with ati. My roomate said ati has had problems in the past but their 5000 seriers is supposed to be really good.

 

400$ down the drain :( but whats money if you dont spend it

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Solid choice, EMT. The 5870 is a really nice performing card and for me, well worth the investment. A word of caution; make sure that sucker will fit in your case. The 5870 is 11.2" long and the 5850 is 9.5" long... :o

 

The drivers have come a long way but coming from nVIDIA still takes some getting used to. I always uninstall my old drivers first using add/remove programs (type appwiz.cpl from the start -> run box). Take a minute to check out the CCC (catalyst control center) and familiarize yourself with the many options listed there. Also, although you may not need to, the overclocking features and fan control are listed inside the CCC.

 

Edit: the latest drivers really wake up the performance in the 5800 series. Be sure to download and use them instead of the driver disc. :-)

 

Cheers,

R

Edited by Rooster
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