Is the 4890 overkill for my new system or will it help...

[mitchelt]

1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing.

Primarily used for graphic/web design, digital photography and high def. video editing for the family (AVCHD files). OK...I guess the occasional FPS game (which I love) may be played in my limited spare time.

2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread

$1800

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.

USA - Newegg.com

4. IF YOU have a brand preference. That means, are you an Intel-Fanboy, AMD-Fanboy, ATI-Fanboy, nVidia-Fanboy, Seagate-Fanboy, WD-Fanboy, etc, etc, etc, you get the picture.

No preference

5. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.

No

6. IF YOU have searched and/or read similar threads.

Yes, but could not find anything on overkill for my tasks

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.

Default speed

8. WHEN do you plan to build it?

1-2 weeks

The system will be connected to a 19" HP LP1965 @ 1280 x 1024 which is great for my old eyes.

Will the 4890 be overkill for my resolution and the primary tasks which I will use this PC for or will it still help with non-game related tasks like Photoshop, Illustrator and rendering video (Pinnacle Studio, Sony Movie Maker and some Adobe Premiere)?

Antec P183 Case
Intel Core i7 920
ASUS P6T Deluxe V2 Motherboard
SAPPHIRE HD 4890 1GB Video Card
PC Power & Cooling S75QB 750W Power Supply
Mushkin 6GB DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
Vista Ultimate (if 64bit works with all my software I will buy 6GB more of ram, if 32bit then I guess I will be wasting 2GB...bummer!)
1ea. Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB (primary)
1ea. Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB (storage and rendering)
Sony SATA DVD-ROM
Sony Optiarc DVD Burner with LightScribe
Sunbeam CR-CCTF 120 mm Core-Contact Freezer CPU Cooler
Antec 75003 120mm Case Fan (extra)

Thank you in advance for any tips or advice.

Mitch

[gingerbee]

at that res a 4850 would be overkill

[mitchelt]

Originally Posted by gingerbee

at that res a 4850 would be overkill

Thanks.

But will the "extra-extra" horsepower help at all with the related graphic/video software?

[lcdguy]

not unless the programs are specifially designed to use the gpu for processing. and if that's the case a gaming card isn't the most ideal choice a desktop rendering card would be better something like the nvidia quadro, ati fire series, or some other desktop rendering cards (is oxygen still in business ? )

[gingerbee]

yes the extra horsepower could help if you are using software that will offload to the gpu but you are buying an i7 the chip is a monster.

Is this a work machine because if it's going to do a lot of rendering then yes a work station card would be better. if this is just a run of the mill i do web design on it then i would say the increased cost is not worth it. this is JMO ( have used very highend work stations that where not much better then a good gamers setup, mind you i don't do a lot of rendering just trans-coding and a lot of VR machine)

[Caldezar]

For your graphic design and editing software, there would be little, if any, difference between a 4850 and a 4890. The processor, solid MB, extra RAM, decent HDD, etc. contribute to your editing much more than the next step of video cards would. The bigger step for video would be between series. (38xx vs. 48xx vs. 58xx) And for gaming, a 4850 actually performs pretty solid; especially at the resolution you're playing in. I'd seriously consider saving the money on the graphics card, and investing in a second monitor. Dual monitors is EXTREMELY handy for photo/video editing. I hate flipping back and forth through windows all the time...

If you're bound a determined to get a high end video card, and you're not too concerned about the money, I'd buy a 4850 for now and replace it with a 58xx card when they're released in the near future.

[TopDogZero]

at that res a 4850 would be overkill

Agreed, I have a 4850 driving a 32" HDTV 1366x768 and plays almost anything at hi-settings (not Crysis LOL.)

[mitchelt]

Thanks for the info.

I do web/graphic work for my personal business and video editing just for fun/family so I think a workstation card is too expensive for me.

The only reason I was looking at the 4890 is because I only buy myself a PC every 4 or so years and I wanted something that will last a while and in case I ever buy another monitor.

My current Dell P4-2.5Ghz / ATI 9500 Pro / 1Gig of Ram (max) PC has been very faithful over the years and has done everything I ever needed including playing some FPS games at a reasonable resolution with some settings turned down. It is only because of the HD Video Editing that I want a new powerhouse PC because editing HD on my current PC takes forever.

I will check on the 4850...do you guys have any preferences?

Thanks.

[lcdguy]

if your looking at something that will last another 4 years you can either buy a lower end card now and upgrade to the next gen when it comes out or get a 4890xt right now. and upgrade when you replace your pc again. I have the 4890xt by XFX and love it to bit's it does a pretty decent job on my system which is a core2duo not i7 and it driving my 30" monitor. so you should be pretty safe.

[DrPepper]

Suggestion, the power supply is overkill for 1 video card, unless yo plan to CrossFire for the future, look for something at the 500-watt range. As for you designing purpose of your computer, why not look into a Quadro or FireGL? And by looking at your set-up, it will not be costing you $1800.