OK..... I'm a (very overwhelmed) newbie. I'm trying to put together my first build with my son. I was originally all set to go with the 8800, but had been told in another thread that the 4850 is really the way to go. I had found a lot of supporting opinions to that effect in some other research that I had done....

Then, I saw this article about the GeForce 9800 GTX+ which will be coming out later this month:

http://www.firingsquad.com/hardwar [...] efault.asp

It looks to me like the 9800 GTX+ performs better and is roughly the same price. I figured it's a no-brainer.... but, like I said - I don't know anything.

Does anyone have any opinions that they would like to offer? I would really appreciate hearing them. Also, is there anything to be concerned about getting these things (graphics cards in general) as soon as they come out (i.e. is there a chance that they'll be buggy or have problems)?

Anyway, thanks in advance for your input!

Moez

the 4850 is more powerful then the 8800gt that is for sure. but unless someone has a 9800gtx+ then we will not know which is faster.

Please, check out the reviews here at Tom's Hardware.

http://www.tomshardware.com/review [...] ,1957.html

The 4870 article has the 4850 in it too:

http://www.tomshardware.com/review [...] ,1964.html

If you look around at many different review sites, you will see variations likely due to both testing variables and editor bias. Nevertheless, most sites show the HD 4850 performing on par with the 9800 GTX+ while still maintaining a lower price. See for yourself at Newegg.com, which, of course, is where I hope you are planning on buying parts for your son's build. This link is for both the 4850 and 9800 GTX on Newegg.com, sorted from lowest to highest in terms of price.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] rder=PRICE

The cheapest 4850 goes for $160 after mail-in rebate. The 9800 GTX is selling for $174.

Re-Read the posts, he states the 9800 GTX+, not the regular 65nm 9800 GTX.

From the benchmarks I've seen, its seems that the 9800 GTX+ performs generally better than the 4850 (the 4850 winning here and there). But I beleive the 9800 GTX+ is 100$ more, from prices I've seen, so the choice should still be the 4850.

100$ not worth 5-10 frames difference.

I'm glad to say buyers actually have a choice now. I think both of the cards will perform pretty well (9800GTX+ and 4850), and about even. That said, the 4850 is cheaper. I own a GF, but probably wouldn't had ATI not taken so long to catch up.

The biggest problem with early releases are usually the drivers. The 4850 is still having some issues with it's drivers and it's early release cooling solution. ATI have some beta drivers out to solve some of the problems with it's fan control. Since the 9800GTX+ hasn't been released, no one can really say (although there may be some engineering samples in the hands of testers)
Quite frankly the HD4850 is still a great card even with it's fairly minor early teething problems. It's probably the best choice at this moment. This HD4850 at $165
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814121253
2 cards that come close in performance to the HD4850 and are a good value are the 8800GTS 512 at $120 after rebate
http://fxvideocards.com/ZOTAC-GeFo [...] 16280.html
the PNY 9800GTX at $175 after rebate
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814133225
If you have time to wait i bet that once more HD4870s get into stock that you'll see the price of those start to drop

Actually an Overclocked 8800GT is faster than 4580. But if i personally would go with 9800GTX+, its faster than both 4850 and 8800GT, for 30 bucks more compared to 4850, its the better choice. and add another GTX+ when the price drops.

And an HD 4850 overclocked is muchhhhhhhhhhh better than this two (8800 and 9800 + cheap marketing)

4850

dude at stock speed 4850 already runs as hot as 92C! you overclock it it would run beyond 100C! i wouldnt recommend that to someone would you? you dont want to bake your PC components!

and if you suggest one to replace the cooler and get a decent one, wouldnt that make 4850 much more expensive than GTX+?
at stock speed GTX+ runs as hot as 60C, when overlclocked it wont run as hot as 70-75C, not to mention GTX+ has excellent stock cooler.

And overclocked 8800 GT won't beat a 8800 GTS 512, and the 9800 GTX regular is an OCed 8800 GTS 512.

the 4850 is faster than 8800 GT/GTS and the 9800 GTX(somestimes on par with). Thats a fact.

EDIT: So the 8800 GT is no longer in the competition with these cards. I'm starting to even doubt that its the best bang for the buck anymore

Thanks for the input guys. I didn't realize that the 4850 was going for $170. If the cards are a fairly close call, I think I'll put the extra $60 into another component.

One thing I was concerned about with the 4850 though, was the drivers. I had heard on another forum that they are a pain to get them all sorted out (compared to the GeForce). Have any of you guys had any experience with any of that? Keep in mind that I'm an old man with VERY limited experience with these kinds of things.

4850 (with rebate)

Drivers are fine - you don't need to worry about them. The people who are whinging are normally nvidia fanboys.

Great! Thanks to all that responded.

I really appreciate your help!

Moez