Help me decide between 2 cards 4850 or 4870

[mazinyo]

Im just about to buy my new pc and i have 2 questions about the GPU i should get.
first im gonna say that im not a big gamer. i play only really good games that i like such as COD, fifa soccer, assassin creed, NFS and thats about it more or less and i dont wanna spend much on a card. for that i was thinking on buying the HD4850 of gigabyte that comes with the zalman cooler, but now that i think about it, with a thought to the future, maybe i should get the 4870 that will last me longer.
.
my screen is 19" and my case is going to be Antec 300.
so my questions are:

1. Is there a big or at least significant difference in performance between the 4850 and the 4870 that is worth the money difference (512MB)?

2. How is the 4870 is power consumption? and comparing to the 4850?

3. If i do decide to go on a 4870, and since i dont live in the USA my options are 2 models:
Power color or Saphire.
The saphire model costs a bit more, but non of them comes with a cooler (like with the zalman) and my concern is about noise and more importantly about heating.. which is preferred?

thanks a lot

 

[mazinyo]

someone?

 

[silvergo]

4870, more future proof but it is likely going to be 20-30 dollars more.but for the games your playing, assasin creed might be demanding and the safe way to go is the 4870 but if your on a budget you should get the 4850. but 4870 FTW

 

[Onus]

For 1440x900 resolution (common for 19" monitors), you would probably find the 4850 adequate. ATI recommends a 450W PSU for that one. The 4870 could be a good idea if, unlike the 4850, it exhausts its heat using a dual-slot cooler. The 4870 needs about 3.5A more (42W) than the 4850. ATI recommends a 500W PSU for a system with that card. Choose a PSU with full range Active PFC (no little red voltage switch) and 80+ certification. Antec, PC Power & Cooling, Corsair, Seasonic, and Enermax are among the better brands.

 

[mazinyo]

I was thinking about the HEC 500TE-2WX 500W.. would it be enough?

Also, should i be concerned about the 4870 heating issues in the sapphire model? i read on several places that the card temps can be high and i do not have the money to invest in a cooling system for the card.

 

[Onus]

HEC makes cheap PSUs that are often sold with cases, I think their brand is "Compucase." From a German-language site, I did see that the 500TE is 80+ certified and has the active PFC, so it may well be safe. To get the 80+ certification, it had to provide 100% of its labeled capacity, and do it efficiently, so it shouldn't blow when loaded.

 

[daship]

Ill sell you my 4870, cheap.

 

[mazinyo]

What about the card heating issues? should i be concerned?

 

[silvergo]

you got fans in your case? get one on the side and front

 

[mazinyo]

its antec 300.. 1 on the top and 1 on the back