RallyMaster

I have read from this thread that dual 4850s are going to be more powerful than a single 4890 and the general consensus from what I've seen is that 4850s in CF beats a GTX280 to a bloody pulp which I would guess is around the level of a 4890. I do have a different problem however.

Currently, I own a Core 2 Duo E7200 box with an HD3850, an Intel P43 motherboard and a Corsair VX450 powering it all. I also own a Core 2 Quad Q6700 computer with a single HD4850, an Asus P5Q Pro (P45, so Crossfire capable) and a Corsair HX520 powering that one.

At the end of the summer, when my internship finishes, I'm going to have some money and I'll be flying back to the United States, where I'll be buying some...stuff. On the list is definitely a new pair of headphones, a Samsung 24" monitor (1920x1200) and maybe, just maybe...a new video card.

This is where your opinions are needed, OCN members.

The first choice is that I sell the HD3850, put the HD4850 into the C2D box and then get a HD4890.

The second choice is getting another HD4850 and running it in Crossfire with the other one. I do not intend on getting another PSU other than the HX520.

The last choice would be to just keep things as they are.

Please do chime in if you think there's a better way I can spend my money. Thanks in advance, folks.

EDIT: I forgot to note that the more powerful graphics solution will be going into my quad core which will be hooked up to the 24" monitor. The dual core box will be hooked up to a single 1280x1024 monitor. Please take this into consideration when voting and replying.

__________________
I will stop reading your post if I spot a grammatical or spelling error.

People who mindlessly recommend the Sennheiser HD555 need to be banned.

Open1Your1Eyes0

I vote for neither of those.

Get this and you won't regret it :

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102809

__________________

Tator Tot

Avoid wasting money.

Wait till DX11 GPU's and then decide. More so since more price drops should come with them.

And they'll probably be as long lasting as the first DX 10 GPU's (8800GTX/Ultra) or the first DX9 GPUs (Radeon 9800Xt)

__________________
Check Out My Sammich!
Aumotocnic"An unfortunate member of the overclock.net insomnia club"
Missouri Overclockers
The ß₤ứə Çřёώ
The Red Tide ATi Owners Unite
nVidia's Gr33N Machine

InsideTheCinema

I was actually in a similar situation when deciding on my next upgrade. Do you think an upgrade will really benefit you that much? But then again this is ocn, benefits < overkill system.

I personally decided to go with a single 4890 over the xf4850's, simply because it makes expanding in the future much easier.

The only thing I would be worried about is the PSU handling the xf4850s if you choose that. I'm sure the peak consumption would be lower, but take into account that PSU's generally degrade over time.

RallyMaster

Added this little bit to the original post.

__________________
I will stop reading your post if I spot a grammatical or spelling error.

People who mindlessly recommend the Sennheiser HD555 need to be banned.

BlackOmega

Since you're going to be upgrading to a larger monitor, I'd just get another 4850 and call it a day. And damn near everything utilizes SLI/crossfire whether its official or not.

And if thats not enough for you, it should hold you over till thanksgiving and black friday anyway. All the smokin deals are going to be on then.

__________________

clowdermilk89

If you want to upgrade now go with the 4890 for the simple reason that the game must support multiple GPUs. Therefore you will only notice a marginal performance increase on some games. Also, if you can't hold out till DX11 try to buy from a company that offers a step-up service that way you can upgrade your card for the exact price you paid for it not the retail price at the time of the upgrade.

RallyMaster

I am also worried about my HX520 handling the load of dual 4850s because my HX520 is at least two and a half years old.

Hmm...very interesting. It won't fit in any of my cases though, unfortunately.

Some sound reasoning indeed...

Alas, I do not intend on buying anything on Black Friday this year. However, I will take this suggestion into consideration...

That is true for some games. Man, this is getting tougher. I thought there would be a consensus here at OCN but the poll's tied at 3 votes each.

+REP to everybody who contributed.

__________________
I will stop reading your post if I spot a grammatical or spelling error.

People who mindlessly recommend the Sennheiser HD555 need to be banned.

BlackOmega

Step up programs are a scam. When you look at their MSRP you think you're getting a deal. But then look @ newegg and realize that for what you're about to pay for the new card, you could've bought the card you had AND the step up card and probably got like 2 or 3 free games with it.
Aside from that a4890 costs about 2-2.5x what a 4850 goes for.

__________________

mtbhrd

Definitely hold off!

AMD plans Price Cuts, 4800 series

__________________