Any particular 4850 card I should buy?

[Aglet]

I'm completely new to the computer-building scene, and I was just wondering if there's any particular brand of HD4850 I should buy (e.g. XFX, HIS, etc.). Should I just go for the cheapest one, or are certain brands definitively better than others? Alternately, are there any brands I should avoid like the plague?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Onus]

I like the IceQ4 cooler on some of the HIS models. They are very quiet, and exhaust the heat from the card out of the case.

Edit: OTOH, Diamond has earned a place on my personal "Do Not Buy" list for buggy OEM drivers, incompetent tech support, useless web site, unrecognized hardware, etc. etc. With other perfectly good offerings out there, I have no reason to even consider Diamond. In addition to HIS, I've also bought Asus-labeled ATI cards and EVGA-labeled nVidia cards. EVGA has a 90-day "step-up" program that may interest you, especially if you aren't sure how powerful a card you need, or if you believe what you really want will be released within the next 90 days.

 

[buzznut]

I have a good experience with the ASUS Top HD4850. Quiet fan, slightly overclocked but not overpriced like most OC cards. I'd like to get a second, unfortunately my second PCI ex slot is blocked. doh.

 

[4lc4pon3]

i agree i have a HIS 4850 Turbo and i must say i love it. the iceq4 cooler works great. i have it boosted to 65% and i cannot hear it running.

 

[4lc4pon3]

i cannot recommend th 4850 tho. the his is 129.99 and a 4870 is around 144. id get the 4870 over the his. theres about a 20% performance increase in certain games

 

[OvrClkr]

I would get this :

XFX HD-485X-ZDFC Radeon HD 4850 1GB 256-bit GDDR3
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150351

And leave your worries behind......

or better yet spend 33 dollars more and get this :

XFX HD-487A-ZHFC Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150394

As far as price to performance and double lifetime warranty goes XFX is on top...

 

[ahslan]

^+1

 

[AdioKIP]

Whichever one you decide on make sure its a Dual slot design. I bought 2 4850's when they first came out, but being single slot and cards that tend to run hot they generate ALOT of heat inside of my case. With the dual slot design the hot air gets blown out the case...

 

[bishoplord]

I got the Powercolor AX4850 from Directron for $113 ( http://www.directron.com/ax48501gbd3ph.html ) This one has the HDMI connector on the card instead of an adapter, so you get both sound and video through one cable (if your monitor or TV has HDMI). Newegg has it on sale for $104 with rebate, but I live in California. So, you pay the regular price ($119.99) plus 9% tax plus shipping and THEN you get a $10 rebate and it's still more than $113 from Directron, which doesn't have internet tax to CA (but maybe to TX residents?) and the shipping, well, it was absorbed with the other stuff I bought.