4650 vs 4670 vs 4830

Gastrian · Jan 11, 2009, 02:24 PM

For the first time in four years I am looking to upgrade my graphics card slowly followed by the rest of the machine.

Currently I have:

AMD Athlon 64 3200+ (S939)
2GB Crucial DDR RAM
Gigabyte GA-K8NF-9(Rev 2.x) motherboard
gigabyte.com.tw/Products/Motherboard/Products_Overview.aspx?ProductID=2206
nVidia 128MB GeForce 6600GT
Arctic Power 500W PSU With PCI-E 2x SATA, 20+4 ATX12V 8pin +12V Connectors
Windows XP Pro SP3

I'm looking to upgrade the graphics card to play games like Dawn of war 2, Starcraft 2, Diablo 3 and similar. I'm not interested in FPS or driving sims. The card will also be going into a Media Centre/HTPC which will be playing ripped DVD and Blu-Ray movies from the hard drive so I would need it to be as quiet as possible and I will be buying on a budget so I don't really want to be spending over the odds for performance I won't use. I'm currently using a 15" LCD wth a max resolution of 1024x768 but will be plugging it into a HD 40"+ LCD or Plasma screen later in the year.

comp_ali · Jan 11, 2009, 02:44 PM

Welcome to Dh
First we would like to know your budget restriction(i,e price limit)
For the title I understanded you want a card with 110$ limit , The best of them of course are 4830 which is a shrinked 4850 . For 15 lcd monitor you can play most games on highest setting with 4670hd though,only crysis I am playing it on med with this card (sometimes high settings encounter few lags especially in explosions and rich enviroment missions)

**temeteus82** · Jan 11, 2009, 03:01 PM

Hi there!

I think that if you get one of those cards the CPU might be bottlenecking then a bit with the 40"+ screen. Other wise I would recommend you to get the cheapest card. Since for your current system they don't have so much difference in terms of performance.

Gastrian · Jan 11, 2009, 03:16 PM

Thanks, sorry I didn't make a bigger point of it. The card will only be in this machine temporarily as I will be updating/replacing the machine towards the end of the year with either a Core2 or Phenom/Phenom2 depending on price and that will be the media centre/HTPC I'll then slot the 6600GT back into my current machine and use it as a testbed for software before putting it onto the new PC.

Not sure how it translates into dollars but I'm looking at £100 being the absolute maximum.

How does the 4830 compare to a 4670 in noise levels and are there any models with a particulary good, low noise cooling solution?

**temeteus82** · Jan 11, 2009, 04:05 PM

Ah ok. Then the CPU issues are gone. Perhaps you should look the Phenom II review in here. I would recommend it to you. I don't have any info about the fan noises but some cards that I've seen haves same type of cooling fan that my 8800GT has and it's not so loud... One of the cards that I would recommend to you : link

comp_ali · Jan 11, 2009, 04:54 PM

I have 4670hd Powercolor and it has no noise at all even when increase fan speed to 100% still no noticable noise , I didn't try sappire "It is not avaliable in Egypt anyway" but It is by far A well-known company and one of the best as I heared .

Just note what resolution will you want to play on the 40" monitor If it is HD maybe the card will struggle in certain games . I don't know the possible requirements of the above games . May be will be released on time.

Judas · Jan 11, 2009, 06:42 PM

the 4670 would be the best paired with that machine.. the 4650 is noticeably less potent.

but if you were to say plan on replacing the other components at a later date a 4830 would be a nice card to use for the duration providing it can stretch it's leggs when you make the next upgrade without being stuck with a slower card.

**kris23** · Jan 11, 2009, 09:28 PM

if you plan to use the card in a new system, get the 4830

if you are just going to use it like a temporary card, get the 4670, its pretty close in performance to the 3870 but doesnt need all that juice to run.

Gastrian · Jan 12, 2009, 01:35 AM

Thanks for the comments. I'll look at prices on the 4830 and see if I can get a good deal and hopefully by the time I buy the CPU and everything to go with it the Phenom 2 will be down in price and AMD will finally have a motherboard where you can use the IGP for lower power consumption during usage (I read an article about it on Anandtech about a year ago).

Jan 11, 2009, 02:24 PM	#1
Gastrian HardwareHeaven Addict Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 259 Rep Power: 54	4650 vs 4670 vs 4830 For the first time in four years I am looking to upgrade my graphics card slowly followed by the rest of the machine. Currently I have: AMD Athlon 64 3200+ (S939) 2GB Crucial DDR RAM Gigabyte GA-K8NF-9(Rev 2.x) motherboard gigabyte.com.tw/Products/Motherboard/Products_Overview.aspx?ProductID=2206 nVidia 128MB GeForce 6600GT Arctic Power 500W PSU With PCI-E 2x SATA, 20+4 ATX12V 8pin +12V Connectors Windows XP Pro SP3 I'm looking to upgrade the graphics card to play games like Dawn of war 2, Starcraft 2, Diablo 3 and similar. I'm not interested in FPS or driving sims. The card will also be going into a Media Centre/HTPC which will be playing ripped DVD and Blu-Ray movies from the hard drive so I would need it to be as quiet as possible and I will be buying on a budget so I don't really want to be spending over the odds for performance I won't use. I'm currently using a 15" LCD wth a max resolution of 1024x768 but will be plugging it into a HD 40"+ LCD or Plasma screen later in the year.

Jan 11, 2009, 02:44 PM	#2
comp_ali Sniper Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Egypt Posts: 10,441 Rep Power: 331 System Specs	Re: 4650 vs 4670 vs 4830 Welcome to Dh First we would like to know your budget restriction(i,e price limit) For the title I understanded you want a card with 110$ limit , The best of them of course are 4830 which is a shrinked 4850 . For 15 lcd monitor you can play most games on highest setting with 4670hd though,only crysis I am playing it on med with this card (sometimes high settings encounter few lags especially in explosions and rich enviroment missions) __________________

Jan 11, 2009, 03:16 PM	Thread Starter #4
Gastrian HardwareHeaven Addict Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 259 Rep Power: 54	Re: 4650 vs 4670 vs 4830 Thanks, sorry I didn't make a bigger point of it. The card will only be in this machine temporarily as I will be updating/replacing the machine towards the end of the year with either a Core2 or Phenom/Phenom2 depending on price and that will be the media centre/HTPC I'll then slot the 6600GT back into my current machine and use it as a testbed for software before putting it onto the new PC. Not sure how it translates into dollars but I'm looking at £100 being the absolute maximum. How does the 4830 compare to a 4670 in noise levels and are there any models with a particulary good, low noise cooling solution?

Jan 11, 2009, 04:54 PM	#6
comp_ali Sniper Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Egypt Posts: 10,441 Rep Power: 331 System Specs	Re: 4650 vs 4670 vs 4830 I have 4670hd Powercolor and it has no noise at all even when increase fan speed to 100% still no noticable noise , I didn't try sappire "It is not avaliable in Egypt anyway" but It is by far A well-known company and one of the best as I heared . Just note what resolution will you want to play on the 40" monitor If it is HD maybe the card will struggle in certain games . I don't know the possible requirements of the above games . May be will be released on time. __________________

Jan 11, 2009, 09:28 PM	#8
kris23 Going Insane..... Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 5,990 Rep Power: 121 System Specs	Re: 4650 vs 4670 vs 4830 if you plan to use the card in a new system, get the 4830 if you are just going to use it like a temporary card, get the 4670, its pretty close in performance to the 3870 but doesnt need all that juice to run. __________________ Hardwareheaven Super-Moderator Building a new computer system and not sure where to start? Click Here! last updated (5/18/11) Rosewill FUTURE case replaces CM 690 II with its greater interior length. Building a PC: Step by Step Guide Written by Kristopher Pedemonte and Nathan Marks-Forder Edited by Allan Campbell Questions or Comments? feel free to post them in the forums!

Jan 12, 2009, 01:35 AM	Thread Starter #9
Gastrian HardwareHeaven Addict Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 259 Rep Power: 54	Re: 4650 vs 4670 vs 4830 Thanks for the comments. I'll look at prices on the 4830 and see if I can get a good deal and hopefully by the time I buy the CPU and everything to go with it the Phenom 2 will be down in price and AMD will finally have a motherboard where you can use the IGP for lower power consumption during usage (I read an article about it on Anandtech about a year ago).