4850 in crossfire

[wahjahka]

hello, so my friend is building his first pc and he asked me if 2 4850's in crossfire is a good deal (bang for your buck kinda thing)
i told him probably, so i figured i would ask the community, let me know what you guys think

*edit
i could be wrong but i believe he is looking at this one:
XFX Radeon HD 4850 1GB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150351

 

[pauldh]

Awesome bang for buck, especially two 512MB sub $100 cards for 24" or smaller monitors at high detail levels.

When you hit those two $125 cards though, you now need to consider the new new HD 5850 that will soon be available. http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10011218

Prior to this new generation release, 1GB HD 4850 crossfire / GTS 250 SLI were monster option's. Now I'm thinking I'd rather own one 5850 and have a system prepared for adding a second.

 

[wahjahka]

Awesome bang for buck, especially two 512MB sub $100 cards for 24" or smaller monitors at high detail levels.

When you hit those two $125 cards though, you now need to consider the new new HD 5850 that will soon be available. http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10011218

Prior to this new generation release, 1GB HD 4850 crossfire / GTS 250 SLI were monster option's. Now I'm thinking I'd rather own one 5850 and have a system prepared for adding a second.

i agree but im prob going to get the 5850 or 5870 in about 2-6 months maybe in even next year for christmas 😛, it takes me awhile to save up enough money, i also want to wait to see how it performs with dx11 games, however long that could take....

would gts 250 SLI out perform 1gb HD 4850 cf?????

 

[pauldh]

would gts 250 SLI out perform 1gb HD 4850 cf?????

Both can scale extremely well, just depends on the individual game which will do better.

If this friend already has an HD 4850 1GB, by all means recommend a second for his/her new build. But if starting from scratch, it's well worth pointing out the HD 5850 as it will practically be the same cost as two of those cards. Neither is a bad option.

BTW, here is a recent Tom's system with HD4850 crossfire. It did quite well in the game benchies:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/amd-gaming-pc,2424.html

 

[wahjahka]

Both can scale extremely well, just depends on the individual game which will do better.

If this friend already has an HD 4850 1GB, by all means recommend a second for his/her new build. But if starting from scratch, it's well worth pointing out the HD 5850 as it will practically be the same cost as two of those cards. Neither is a bad option.

BTW, here is a recent Tom's system with HD4850 crossfire. It did quite well in the game benchies:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/amd-gaming-pc,2424.html

im thinking about getting another gtx core 216 for SLI, i wonder how that would compare to a 4850 cf (assuming my friend decides to get 2 4850 for crossfire)

 

[pauldh]

im thinking about getting another gtx core 216 for SLI, i wonder how that would compare to a 4850 cf (assuming my friend decides to get 2 4850 for crossfire)

If given enough CPU power and pushed to a GPU limited situations, typically it will be measurably faster. Both rock and I'm sure the HD 4850's could score the occasional win.

What CPU and Power Supply are you using?

 

[wahjahka]

If given enough CPU power and pushed to a GPU limited situations, typically it will be measurably faster. Both rock and I'm sure the HD 4850's could score the occasional win.

What CPU and Power Supply are you using?

currently i have a q6600 at 3.6ghz and a crosair 750w psu but im getting a core i7 920 for my new build soon

 

[pauldh]

OK, you're good to go then. Didn't want you to buy a second GTX 260 while running a low-clocked dual core.

 

[wahjahka]

OK, you're good to go then. Didn't want you to buy a second GTX 260 while running a low-clocked dual core.

thanks for the concern 😛