Is it worth spending extra on ATI 4870 or just go for ATI RADEON 4850?

Question

Building a quad core Q660 system for a mate he wants a top end system for video editing and multimedia thats future proof for a couple of years . he is not a gamer so doesnt need crossfire.

All the same he says his kids play games so i should consider that when building pc.

What I want to know is is it worth him spending extra for higher end 4870.

Below are the specs for system would reallly appreciate it if anyone could see if there is anything wrong with my choice of componnent and what i can improve on .

thank you.

motherboard.....asus p5q deluxe

processor ........intel core2 quad q660

ram.....ocz reaper hyper x pc2- 8500 4 gig

hardrive ...750 gig samsumsung spinpoint 32 mb cache

cpu cooler ...ocz vendetta 2

case .....coolermaster cosmos s

2 x samsung lightscribe dvd writers

undecided items

power supply 600 watts brand undecided

graphics card undecided either radeon 4850 or 4870

operating sytem xp pr or vista ultimate undecided.

Answer 1

"he Cards: HD 4850 and 4870 by the numbers

ATI's new single-slot 4850 debuts with a core clock rate of 625MHz, 512MB of DDR3 clocked at 1GHz DDR (2GHz effective), and a 256-bit memory path. The 4870, meanwhile, is a dual-slot solution running at 750 MHz, and it carries 512MB of DDR5 running at a whopping 1.8GHz DDR (3.6GHz effective). Since both cards sport the same RV770 GPU, the differences between them boil down to core clock speed, the type of memory used (GDDR3 vs. GDDR5) and the type of cooling solution (single-slot vs. double-slot). "

Answer 2

for multimedia, get mac, not windows.

Answer 3

definatly the 4870, why??????

the 4850 is 40% than the 8800GT, but the 4870 is 20% better than the 4850. I have the 8800GT, great card but the 4870 is the card to get.

for the operating system get Vista ultimate/Home Premium 64 bit, Microsoft will stop supporting XP by 2014

and power supply get this one

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/134695

i have it and its great, plus its a modular

Answer 4

how old are the kids?

sounds like the gpu is pretty much for their use so their use should be what determines how much is put into it.

for youngsters, the 4850 is a fine choice. its got plenty of power for current games and is good for a bit of future proofing.

For older kids, who may want to play more cutting-edge stuff, then it may be worth going for the better gpu. Obviously its a lot cheaper to get a good one at the outset than for him to have to upgrade in 12 months time.

Really depends on their useage though. If they're playing scrabble and sudoku its a waste of money. if theyve got their eyes set on crysis, bioshock and cod4, then it may be worth doing....