Upgrading STI 4850, budget 200$

[lexman]

Hello. i have following configuration:

1 x CoolerMaster Elite 334, black, (W)187 x (H)421 x (L)485 mm, 6kg
1 x Napajanje CORSAIR 550W, VX Series CMPSU-550VXEU, 12cm vent., ATX
1 x Gigabyte MA790XT-UD4P, AMD 790X+SB750, S. AM3, 8xSATA RAID, DDR3
2 x DDR3 4GB (2x2GB) Corsair, 1600MHz, 9-9-9-24, COR-TW3X4G1600C9DHX
1 x Procesor AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition, socket AM3, BOX
1 x HDD WD 1Tb, 1001FALS , SATA II, 32Mb Cache, WD Caviar Black, 72
1 x DVD upisivač Pioneer DVR-117FBK, DVD±RW, 22x crn , ATA
1 x XFX HD4850 512MB DDR3 625MHz, Dual DVI, HDTV out, HDCP ready

For a long time I used Samsung 225BW monitor (22", 1680x1050), and recently I bought DELL U2311H monitor (23", 1920x1080). Currently, i use both. My graphics card can support it, but I would like to upgrade it because it's too noisy. Last few months I work much more on my desktop than on my laptop, and I can't stand the noise anymore. So, i would like a new graphic card which has to be much more quite than current one (I guess that's not so hard to achieve). Also, i would like it to be ATI again, preferably with DisplayPort output (but DP is not a "must"). Since I'm not playing very much (also, I like to play HoMM or FIFA here and there), my old card was enough for my Samsung monitor, but I don't have a clue how it would dealt with new one (Dell). I looked a little bit what is there on the market and it seems to me that ATI 5770 or even ATI 6850 could be a good choice to me, but I'm not sure. So, what's your advice? What card to buy, especially taking into consideration that I would like it to be considerably less noisy than current one.

Thanks in advance!

 

[rolli59]

Either card should work for you but the HD6850 is a bigger upgrade. Here is one with a quit cooler http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127576&SortField=0&SummaryType=0&PageSize=10&SelectedRating=-1&VideoOnlyMark=False&IsFeedbackTab=true#scrollFullInfo

 

[lexman]

Either card should work for you but the HD6850 is a bigger upgrade. Here is one with a quit cooler http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127576&SortField=0&SummaryType=0&PageSize=10&SelectedRating=-1&VideoOnlyMark=False&IsFeedbackTab=true#scrollFullInfo

I checked it out and it looks great. Unfortunately, it's not available in any local store in Croatia. If you or someone else have any other suggestion - I'll be happy to hear it .

 

[rolli59]

If you can post the cards that are available then it makes it easier for us to help you!

 

[lexman]

Most cards are available, but this particular one not. Actually, cheking at search engine for CRO shops I can see one shop have it on its list, but currently it's not available an noone knows when (and if) it will be. Cards on this link are available right now, and in target price range (6850 cards only).

 

[elias1995ish]

well , you won't see a lot of difference when upgrading from HD 4850 to HD 5770 , because the 5770 is on par with the 4870 and sometimes slower (because of the 128bits interface) but it still manages to get more bandwith than the 4850 thanks to GDDR5, well the HD 6850 seems like a good choice , get the HD 6850 or the GTX 460 1gb version its very fast and you can find for like 150$ on ebay or newegg (make sure you get the 1gb version not the 768mb because it has faster memory interface 256 vs 192) hope I helped

 

[computernugget]

from what it looks like, your best choices would be the xfx or the sapphire 6850's. the gtx460 1gb is also really good but its nvidia and i dont know whether you wanna go with that.

also the 6870 would be an even better upgrade.

if only i know how to read european languages (except spanish cuz i took spanish in school) i would go through the website and help out a bit.

 

[lexman]

well , you won't see a lot of difference when upgrading from HD 4850 to HD 5770 , because the 5770 is on par with the 4870 and sometimes slower (because of the 128bits interface) but it still manages to get more bandwith than the 4850 thanks to GDDR5, well the HD 6850 seems like a good choice , get the HD 6850 or the GTX 460 1gb version its very fast and you can find for like 150$ on ebay or newegg (make sure you get the 1gb version not the 768mb because it has faster memory interface 256 vs 192) hope I helped

Thanks. I guess I'll take HD 6850; the question is which exact model. Unfortunately, the one rolli59 advised me to take (MSI R6850 Cyclone PE Radeon HD 6850 1GB) is not available in Croatia, and I really, really don't want to make mistake and take model that is noisy like this one I already have.
Ebay is not an option; many ebay sellers don't want to send items in Croatia, and if they do, it's always lottery with our customs so.., I'd rather buy one in local store.
So, if anyone have recommendation for HD 6850 model besides the one mentioned above (MSI R6859 Cyclone PE...) which primarily have rather silent cooler - please say!

 

[lexman]

from what it looks like, your best choices would be the xfx or the sapphire 6850's. the gtx460 1gb is also really good but its nvidia and i dont know whether you wanna go with that.

also the 6870 would be an even better upgrade.

if only i know how to read european languages (except spanish cuz i took spanish in school) i would go through the website and help out a bit.

So, you think XFX and Sapphire are not noisy? because I currently have XFX 4850 and it tears my ears apart 🙁...

P.S. Yeah, our language is very complicated 🙁, but don't worry - you're helpful enough!

 

[computernugget]

well the new graphics cards, dont produce that much heat, and the cooling is vastly improved. xfx has several different cooling options, a card with dual fans and one with a big red fan in the middle. both have great cooling. sapphire is the same only they dont have a dual fan cooling solution, but Gigabyte does. and i know that those are really quiet as well.

and from what it looks like the gigabyte card they have there is the one with dual fans.

 

[bluesc]

Just to clear something up, the single fan version of the XFX 6870 sounds like a jet plane readying for takeoff when it goes above 35% fan speed, which is required in my computer when it comes to gaming, becuase it runs hot as hell. I've heard the same things about the XFX 6850.

I'd go for the sapphire version if it's available, or the dual fan XFX version.

 

[lexman]

Well, I''ll definitely skip single fan XFX. I'll check the others and make a decision. Thank you all for helping me!

 

[computernugget]

if pretty sure you'll really like the dual fan gigabyte card.

 

[Baralis]

+1 ^

I have the Gigabyte version and it is very quiet even at full load. The fans rarely go above 60% throttle.

I would also recommend them.

 

[lexman]

Great, thanks!

 

[lexman]

Hey! I just wanted to inform you all that found MSI HD6850 OC Cyclone, 1GB,DVI,HDMI,DX11 in local shop. After reading few online reviews I decided to take that one. In a day or two I will receive it.
Thank you all for helping me!

 

[computernugget]

no problem bro, hope you enjoy your new card.

 

[elias1995ish]

you're more than welcome 😀