New video card - ASUS EAH4890?

Gecko · Post by **Gecko** » 27 Oct 2009, 20:40

Hi all,

Just bought a Dell U2410 and I'm thinking of upgrading my vid card. Some research led me to the Ati 4890, this card in particular...

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121308

Any caveats before I make the purchase?

Thanks all...

Post by **Paradigm Shifter** » 27 Oct 2009, 21:51

Find some benchmarks of the 5770/5850 and see if they're as affordable, as they'll use a lot less power - and the 5850 will outperform that 4890, too. And the whole DX11/EyeFinity possibility...

Gecko · Post by **Gecko** » 27 Oct 2009, 22:00

Thanks Paradigm...was about to post this...

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121349

It's been a while since I upgraded, can you tell? :D So much bloody reading...I think I will spend the little bit extra and get the 5850.

Post by **Paradigm Shifter** » 27 Oct 2009, 22:38

Haha, yeah, if you slip with keeping up on new tech, it's a massive job to get back up to speed... :oops:

The 5850 sounds like the best bet. More performance than the 4890, less power draw, more future proof. (If 'future proof' is a good reason for buying... frequently I find it's just a good way to partially justify spending more than necessary - however the performance jump now is worth that extra $60, IMO. :))

Gecko · Post by **Gecko** » 27 Oct 2009, 23:35

Haha, yeah, if you slip with keeping up on new tech, it's a massive job to get back up to speed... :oops:

The 5850 sounds like the best bet. More performance than the 4890, less power draw, more future proof. (If 'future proof' is a good reason for buying... frequently I find it's just a good way to partially justify spending more than necessary - however the performance jump now is worth that extra $60, IMO. :))

Totally. I've already spent hours on the monitor thing, and a few on the vid card now. Necessary evil I suppose.

Agreed, it's got DX11, so that's good to know...as you can see I don't jump on a new vid card that often... :wink:

Thanks for the advice. Now if I can just find one in stock somewhere, they appear to be sold out on all the Canadian online retailers... :roll:

Gecko · Post by **Gecko** » 28 Oct 2009, 02:18

A final question...the 5870 is about $140 more than the 5850...think it's worth it?

Post by **Paradigm Shifter** » 28 Oct 2009, 21:25

For EyeFinity, where you're heavily GPU limited at 3x1920x1200, yes.

For single 1920x1200, I don't think the 50% price premium is worth the extra 10-15% performance.

Gecko · Post by **Gecko** » 28 Oct 2009, 22:18

Thanks, appreciated.

Gecko · Post by **Gecko** » 06 Nov 2009, 04:35

Done. I decided on a Diamond Radeon 5870, bought today. Gotta love new hardware... :wink:

Yui · Post by **Yui** » 06 Nov 2009, 06:53

Where did you buy the 5870? It is usually out of stock.

Anprionsa · Post by **Anprionsa** » 06 Nov 2009, 07:15

Where did you buy the 5870? It is usually out of stock.

Ditto!

Gecko · Post by **Gecko** » 09 Nov 2009, 18:12

Nevermind. :x

Unfortunately, the product(s) in question are currently out of stock
at all of our locations. Nevertheless, we will go ahead and special
order them for you from our suppliers. Please allow at least 3-5
business days for them to arrive at our warehouse. If the ETA extends
beyond this time frame you can check for updates under the 'Status'
tab of your order whenever you are logged into our website.

I had ordered from PCCyber.

I went a bit mental with upgrade fever though, and built a new system. :D Specs below.

Gecko · Post by **Gecko** » 20 Nov 2009, 15:20

@yui, koawinter - I ended up finding a card at http://www.canadacomputers.com/. Their online stock numbers are pretty accurate and updated often. I just kept checking until I saw one come up. They have a large network of stores in Ontario, so I called them and they transferred the card to my city. I just put a deposit on it.

Pic of the elusive beast... :wink:

whismerhill · Post by **whismerhill** » 20 Nov 2009, 16:25

nice job on getting one !
cheers mate ! ;)
and ... have fun with it :)

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