upgrading gpu to 5850?

[bigriggg]

i built my system new system about a year ago, and transfered over my 512 mb 8800gt ssc, and its been a champ for almost 3 years running now. i want to go another year on my 775 platform by just upgrading my gpu now. right now i have a q9550@3.8 air, 4 gb g skill ddr800,p5q pro asus, and a hx520 corsair psu..... would a 5850 be decent (when they are avail)? this way i wouldnt have to upgrade my psu, or could i get away with a 5870 on my psu? and keep it for another 1 year with my platform...any other suggestions without changing my board would be useful. im really just trying to keep my psu, board, and cpu for as long as i can, but get a very nice gpu to throw on it now or in decemberish. thanks. i play crysis, tf2, lfd2, crysis 2, and other intense fps.

 

[bigriggg]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-049-_-Product

 

[dguy6789]

You could use a 5870 with your PSU, but you may or may not be able to fit it in your case. The cards are available on and off, just check sites often and you'll find some eventually.

 

[faxon]

5870 would be just fine on your PSU without issues. the only reason people go with more is for noise reasons usually. i could have got an 850w 85+ instead of the 1050w i got but the thing is completely silent under full load, which makes me happy hehe

 

[bigriggg]

thanks guys...and also does anyone know the lengths of the 5850 and 5870, cant seem to find them anywhere? and in inches please...if it doesnt fix it my case, ill just cut out the side of my case, and let it hang out a little, ill do what it takes...

 

[FalseChristian]

It's between 1 inch and 20 inches long. I hope this helps.

 

[bigriggg]

It's between 1 inch and 20 inches long. I hope this helps.

ok yes, thank you, but that was too specific.

 

[GaiaHunter]

Form http://www.hardocp.com/article/2009/09/22/amds_ati_radeon_hd_5870_video_card_review/4

Here is the Radeon HD 5870 installed into our test system. You will want to watch out for clearance, this video card clocks in at a full 10.75" inches long to the edge of the red vents on the back. You can see a close-up of the top vents above, the air that escapes here is very hot and does exhaust into your case. If however, you have a side panel fan or fan on the back of the chassis near the expansion slots, it could potentially exhaust this hot air. Also worth noting is a mention of the "intake vents" on the rear edge of the card. When quizzed about the value of these, we got a very serious, "Because the look cool," answer. And we have to admit, yeah, the look pretty cool if you are into that sort of thing.

And 5850:

http://www.hardocp.com/article/2009/09/30/amds_ati_radeon_hd_5850_video_card_review/

The very first thing you will notice is that the ATI Radeon HD 5850 is thankfully shorter than the Radeon HD 5870. It is still double-slot, but it shouldn’t cause case clearance issues as it just came to the edge of our full size ATX motherboard. Length measures in at 9.5 inches right to the red "vents" sticking out. Length on the Radeon HD 5870 came to 10.75", so it is a big improvement in that area.

So 9.5 inches for the 5850 and 10.75 for the 5870.

 

[bigriggg]

thanks for the great pics and links GaiaHunter

 

[HarlanPepper]

what monitor resolution? Whatever the case, I think the 5850 would be a great purchase. I've had my Sapphire 5850 since launch day and couldn't be happier. But I'm just on an E8400 (from a 8800GTS to a 4830 o/c to the 5850). I haven't really found a game it can't crush. Mine just has a mild overclock and runs cool and quiet.

 

[bigriggg]

what monitor resolution? Whatever the case, I think the 5850 would be a great purchase. I've had my Sapphire 5850 since launch day and couldn't be happier. But I'm just on an E8400 (from a 8800GTS to a 4830 o/c to the 5850). I haven't really found a game it can't crush. Mine just has a mild overclock and runs cool and quiet.

I have a 1440x900 right now, but for christmas im prob getting a 1920x1080 (or 1200), but mor ethan likely 1080. I have an 8800gt that has done very well and can play crysis now on 2XAA, with max settings. Every other game does wonderful, even on 16XAA on some, but its time to upgrade, and another reason im choosing 5000 series is because of lower power consumption compared to 4000 series.

 

[jvroig]

5850 should be ok for 1920x1080/1200. I would get one myself, but vendors here can only say sourcing the cards might take 2-3 weeks, and they are not making promises that they can actually source any despite the products being listed in their pricelists. It's crazy, and then the price increase (according to AT) suddenly hits, emphasizing the production problems. I've practically resigned to just getting one after Christmas I hope you get better luck.

 

[bigriggg]

well it seems to run just as smooth as butter now that i got one last night, thanks for the advice guys, ended up getting an xfx 5850, with dirt 2 for free