3870x2 vs 4870 worth an upgrade?

[Aada]

Hi guys i've noticed the 4870s go for around 100-120 now am wondering if i would see much difference between that and my current 3870x2 is it worth an upgrade?

 

[TdC]

well there is the DX10 compatibility, but that depends on your OS and what games you play. When I first played Bioshock on my 4870 for example it was wtfpwn jaw-dropping awesome to look at

 

[Aada]

well there is the DX10 compatibility, but that depends on your OS and what games you play. When I first played Bioshock on my 4870 for example it was wtfpwn jaw-dropping awesome to look at

Well am getting Windows7 64bit when it's out, so you would recommend the upgrade?

btw what does the X2 bit actually mean on the 3870x2s?

 

[TdC]

iirc the x2 means the card has two GPU's on board.

in the light of your OS upgrade I would certainly recommend the upgrade, especially if you're on XP now or something like that. If it's a Vista you're running you should see an immediate difference in games that support DX10, especially in stuff like smoke and water effects. Also you should be able to bump up your AA and AF processing to another level of magnitude and/or enable HDR effects in games that support it.

 

[Aada]

iirc the x2 means the card has two GPU's on board.

in the light of your OS upgrade I would certainly recommend the upgrade, especially if you're on XP now or something like that. If it's a Vista you're running you should see an immediate difference in games that support DX10, especially in stuff like smoke and water effects. Also you should be able to bump up your AA and AF processing to another level of magnitude and/or enable HDR effects in games that support it.

Brilliant do you recommend any specific brand? Asus? Sapphire? or does it really matter?

 

[TdC]

hmm, well, if you're not into overclocking or require a specific interface to be on the card then it doesn't really matter, however not all 4870's are created equal: there will be (slight) differences in GPU and ram clocks, interfaces on the card, etc. The major differences will be the x2, and the 1 or 2 GB ram models.

What I would personally go for is a model with at least a gig of ram, and besides that, whichever one comes with the most freebie games

 

[Aada]

I was going to get a 1gb model, ty for the info.

 

[Aada]

Do you think this would be ok?

MSI HD 4870 1GB GDDR5 DVI HDMI VGA Out PCI-E Graphics Card - Ebuyer

Could i crossfire my 3870 with a 4870 ?

 

[TdC]

looks fine to me mate, but I'm certainly no expert. Kryten may be able to find you a better model or better deal: I'm not big on UK shops living on the continent as I do

I think that SLI or crossfire only works with identical cards, eg two 4870's. Also, your motherboard needs to support it. If your mobo can't do it, it will never work unless you get a different mobo.

 

[Aada]

Ok my MOBO is a ASUS M3A32-MVP DELUXE 790FX any ideas?

 

[TdC]

that looks like a nice mobo

according to google:

Based on the new AMD 790FX chipset this board is targeted to the AMD gaming platform “Spider”, featuring four PCI Express x16 slots allowing up to four video cards working in parallel thru the new CrossFireX interconnection mode.

you will be able to crossfire up to 4 cards. 2 cards will get you 2x16 PCI express lanes, and 4 will get you 4x8.

Please note that a 4870 card is very power hungry! Ati says here: ATI Radeon™ HD 4800 Series - System Requirements that you will need an extra 6 pin molex plugged into the back of each card you have installed in your system to power it. best to check inside your case if your PSU has such power connectors available to plug in to your new card.

 

[Aada]

I probably wouldn't even attempt at putting one in the most i can do is put RAM in and even then i get scared i'll mess something up ;/ will probably have to take it down to one of the local PC shops i usually go too.

My PSU is a 1000watt do you think it would have the pin?

If i had to take the case off what exactly would i be looking for to see if i had the connector?

 

[TdC]

very probable. most modern PSU's will have a couple, or you can get an adapter for it which shouldn't cost more than a quid or two.

with a 1000W PSU you should be able to run two cards with ease if you're so inclined. I'd say get one now to check it out, and consider a future upgrade of another card (same brand, same type) in a couple months or a year or so. They will only get cheaper after all.

edit: ofc, there is always the very real option of Ati or Nvidia releasing a new card that puts all previous models to shame, but a 4780 is still a very powerful card in all respects, and two of them...well...

 

[Aada]

very probable. most modern PSU's will have a couple, or you can get an adapter for it which shouldn't cost more than a quid or two.

with a 1000W PSU you should be able to run two cards with ease if you're so inclined. I'd say get one now to check it out, and consider a future upgrade of another card (same brand, same type) in a couple months or a year or so. They will only get cheaper after all.

edit: ofc, there is always the very real option of Ati or Nvidia releasing a new card that puts all previous models to shame, but a 4780 is still a very powerful card in all respects, and two of them...well...

I would probably only run 1 card 2 would just add extra heat which i don't want.

Am not really one for buying a new card when it releases paying £2-300 just makes me want to cry

 

[TdC]

sure. in my personal setup I have had a couple SLI rigs in the past, and imo it is simply not worth the effort unless you get a hardon from uber high 3Dmark scores or something. In fact, after last time I vowed to not do it again.

Today's cards are so hugely powerful that even a mid-range model will let you play most games. The most expensive cards I ever had were GForce cards from XFX at 570 euros each (oh god). My wallet still remembers the pain, and from the money I laid out for each card I could have built a complete PC! Never again

 

[Malecheon]

My wallet still remembers the pain, and from the money I laid out for each card I could have built a complete PC! Never again

Never mind new PC's, you could've spent it on beer and wimmins

 

[ECA]

sure. in my personal setup I have had a couple SLI rigs in the past, and imo it is simply not worth the effort unless you get a hardon from uber high 3Dmark scores or something. In fact, after last time I vowed to not do it again.

Today's cards are so hugely powerful that even a mid-range model will let you play most games. The most expensive cards I ever had were GForce cards from XFX at 570 euros each (oh god). My wallet still remembers the pain, and from the money I laid out for each card I could have built a complete PC! Never again

The benefit I get from 2x GPU isnt from SLI it's from multi monitor ownage.



And yes being able to run even new games at 1920x1200 on a new game at maxres on a midrange card is completely normal. These things are so damn powerful it's insane.

 

[Insane]

Pick up a new ATI HD5870 which runs cooler, lower power, and faster than a 4870 (or 4890)

fair enough it'll put you back over £300 currently, but you would have a dx11 card which you wouldnt need to upgrade for ages*

(*current market indicates an upgrade would be needed between 3 and 6 months after purchase)

 

[TdC]

The benefit I get from 2x GPU isnt from SLI it's from multi monitor ownage.

I have never had more than one monitor at home. Ok, I currently have a 24" one, but hey, there you go

 

[ECA]

You havn't lived until you run a good multi monitor setup.
eg I'm running Aion at 1920x1200 on my 28" at max FPS while posting in this thread on my 2nd 22" It's just so awesome not having to alt tab and being able to have like 5 things on your second monitor accessible/viewable w/o having to do anything.

 

[TdC]

that's about the only valid claim I can come up with, eg your set-up. doesn't a game claim mouse focus though? how do you swap focus, or does multi-monitor allow alt-tab to do it?

 

[ECA]

Some games let you move the mouse out of their window and click on something else without it spazzing out ( fullscreen windowed mode is awesome for this if they spazz out in fullscreen ). Most let you alt tab and maintain fullscreen and take focus away from them back to desktop or whatever you alt tabbed to.

 

[old.Osy]

tbh, stick with what you run now, and wait for october/november, when new cards come out. then ask again

 

[TdC]

yeah but waiting for the next best thing is the bad story of all things computerland

 

[old.Osy]

No TdC, this is not quite the case.

Going from an already powerful gfx solution to a bit more powerful one, which you know in 2 months will have a 50% off price is not smart. Not to mention DX10 card, with DX11 knocking on the door in the winter...

Best advice anyone could give the OP is to wait. Either way, you wait = you win. 4870 will drop in price, and if you decide to go with the new generation cards coming out - well..

 

[Furr]

I have the 4870X2,and yes Bioshock in DX10 = wow.

I'm so used to dual monitors that using single is too painfull these days..

 

[ECA]

No TdC, this is not quite the case.

Going from an already powerful gfx solution to a bit more powerful one, which you know in 2 months will have a 50% off price is not smart. Not to mention DX10 card, with DX11 knocking on the door in the winter...

Best advice anyone could give the OP is to wait. Either way, you wait = you win. 4870 will drop in price, and if you decide to go with the new generation cards coming out - well..

How many games are DX10 only and wont run on DX9? Worrying about DX11 is ridiculous you wont see DX11 only+ games for 3-5 years...... and as TDC already said these cards are already insanely powerful. Ofc if you wanna wait for the price drop ok but the other reasons dont make sense.

 

[Aada]

Is Ebuyer a good place to buy off btw?

Delivery good?

 

[Furr]

Never had a problem with them, check scan as well though as I've found them cheaper on most things.

 

[old.Osy]

Is Ebuyer a good place to buy off btw?

Delivery good?

Yeah, ebuyer is steep at some things - I remember checking it for parts for my sis, and it striked me as more expensive than other retailers.