Tom's Hardware > Forum > Graphic & Displays > Graphics Cards > 4870 vs 9800gx2
Ask the community Add a reply
Word :    Username :           
 
FrantiX   08-01-2008 at 11:34:34 PM

I have a conundrum!

4870 or 9800gx2
both Newegg, 4870 is $285 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814102748
9800 gx2 is $285 as well http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814130338

I have googled extensively and have been met with mixed results. Some say the 9800gx2 is incredible and smokes the 4870. Others say the 9800gx2 has microstutter and scaling issues and the 4870 is superior. Also, my mobo does not support sli/cf so that is out of the question.

Please any experiences, opinions, recommendations,or insights will be greatly appreciated.

Add a reply
Sponsored Links
Register or log in to remove.
shaundwm   08-01-2008 at 11:41:29 PM
- 0 +

Same price?
GX2 - average of better framerates but certainly does not smoke the 4870

Higher power consumption and will not scale in all games (naturally of any multigpu card tho).

This time round tho the 9800 is a better deal

Reply to shaundwm
FrantiX   08-01-2008 at 11:48:14 PM
- 0 +

Of course!! ATI is soo much better. I should've listened to my friend and his wisdom. He was saying how I should get the 4870. I'm so thickheaded.

Reply to FrantiX
hhahaahyea   08-02-2008 at 12:00:56 AM
- 0 +

it really depends on what games you're playing.

a lot of numbers/benchmark results don't mean a lot. what's more important is actual frames per second in games.

it depends what resolutions you play at. 285 for a 9800GX2 is a really really good deal.

i personally have a 4850 and i love it. played crysis on very high (and on a pcie1.0 motherboard which creates a bottleneck) and i'm waiting to crossfire it. the 4800 series cards are great.

imo you should wait ~2 weeks for the 4870X2 to come out becuase it'll mess with the market and drop a bunch of prices.

Reply to hhahaahyea
grieve   08-02-2008 at 12:40:09 AM
- 0 +

I would go with a 4870.
Im not posting any data to support my decision! to lazy right now.

Reply to grieve
FrantiX   08-02-2008 at 01:27:57 AM
- 0 +

Hm, the issue of microstuttering is making me lean towards the 4870

Anyone here have first-hand experience with micro stuttering, is it very jarring?

Message quoted 1 times
Reply to FrantiX
dos1986   08-02-2008 at 01:41:40 AM
- 0 +

Stop looking at the numbers for a second and listening to people who have never used that card and base opinions off reviews.

Reviews might say 9800gx2 is better, but its not.

I had that card and it was horribile, it gave no advantage at all over the 8800gtx I sold to get it, performance on some games like Crysis was horribile, frame rates all over the place, tearing, glitching.

It was a mess.

I have the Gtx 260 2 weeks now and its 10 times the card the gx2 is, reviews you read might not say it, but it is.

HD4870 is even faster than my gtx260, so go for that.

Only a fool would go with 9800gx2 over HD4870



Reply to dos1986
Nik_I   08-02-2008 at 02:15:13 AM
- 0 +

the 4870 is a newer card, and it supports DX10.1 (even if that isn't all that useful). it also uses alot less power which means you may not need a new psu just to run a 9800GX2. plus, if you use your pc for media center functions, then the 4870 is the clear winner.

Reply to Nik_I
FrantiX   08-02-2008 at 05:28:55 AM
- 1 +

I think I have decided on the 4870. It seems as if all the problems of the 9800gx2 are not worth the power... even at that awesome price.

More input is, of course, always welcome.

Reply to FrantiX
Liderc   08-02-2008 at 06:09:27 AM
- 0 +

Really depends on what games you play to be honest. If you're playing games that don't scale well with dual gpus then go for the 4870. If you're playing Crysis the 9800gx2 would be better. The gx2 is a beast of a card, but just make sure it scales well with the games that you play, because that is what matters on your end.

Reply to Liderc
hhahaahyea   08-02-2008 at 07:05:25 AM
- 2 +

don't know what to make of this
http://www.nordichardware.com/news,7659.html

but the 4870 is an amazing card, obviously.
while i'm siding with ATI right now, i honestly think the 9800GX2 is going to be a better single slot option than the 4870.

http://media.bestofmicro.com/P/H/114965/original/cod1.png

http://media.bestofmicro.com/P/K/114968/original/crysis1.png

http://images.anandtech.com/graphs/atiradeonhd4870_062408145208/17130.png

http://images.anandtech.com/graphs/atiradeonhd4870_062408145208/17129.png

i can't really believe i'm saying it, but i think you should go with nvidias card in this case.
but i think what you really should do, is wait for the price drops the 4870X2 will bring.


edit: i'm having a similar issue but will have multi gpu capabilities, i'd appreciate input :D
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/ [...] 850-others


Message edited by hhahaahyea on 08-02-2008 at 07:20:25 AM
Reply to hhahaahyea
FrantiX   08-02-2008 at 05:53:48 PM
- -1 +

thanks for the charts, but the problem with the 9800gx2 is that even with the high FPS, microstuttering can make it look much choppier. I would rather have 35 smooth FPS than 48 choppy.

Reply to FrantiX
L1qu1d   08-03-2008 at 07:16:36 PM
- 1 +

yes thats true, but I have a Gx2 and I rarely see it. I play games like COD4, CSS, world of Conflct. I don't notice it, its only when I try to find the microstuttering, thats when I see it once in a while.

I don't know if other people are in the same boat as me, but really its minimal. And it doesn't impact gaming.

------------------------------ Folding@HOME Team: 163116
http://pid.us.playstation.com//user/L1qu1dat1on.jpg
Lapped CPU
http://valid.canardpc.com/cache/banner/501789.png
 Reply to L1qu1d
AntonSK   10-06-2008 at 02:05:39 PM
- 0 +

By looking at the recent post's I think that the Nvidia card could be alot better if the driver were a little more stable, so maybe holding out and trying the Nvidia drivers in a couple months might improve on the "glitches" its having. Then see if it has a better rate over the ATI card.

but then again it might not! :cry:

I will let you if I get any problems once i get my 9800GX2 :??:

Reply to AntonSK
Monsta   10-06-2008 at 02:33:18 PM
- 0 +

No probs here with the 9800GX2 either

Reply to Monsta
alex_oneill2006   10-06-2008 at 06:12:05 PM
- 2 +

For a single slot card. the 9800 GX2 is the best bet!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have recently purchased one.. and its performing graet. with the new driviers... which i realised that i did not install everything is now awesome!

Crysysis dx10 very high clear sky dx10 all high etc.. its amazing :)

So dont be worried about the 4870.. go to ebay so you can find a monster deal! tis what i did and got a 9800 GX2 for like £160!

Overclocked it and now im in love :) xxxxxxx

Reply to alex_oneill2006
gamerk316   10-06-2008 at 07:13:06 PM
- 2 +

FrantiX wrote :

Hm, the issue of microstuttering is making me lean towards the 4870

Anyone here have first-hand experience with micro stuttering, is it very jarring?



I've got a GX2, and have NEVER encountered microstuttering.

I can get around 45-55 FPS in Crysis with everything on (XP, DX9) running at 1280x1024. And according to most benchmarks I've seen, the GX2 actually beats the 280 in Crysis, and in fact matches the 280 in almost every game out there.

Message quoted 1 times
------------------------------ http://valid.canardpc.com/cache/banner/622598.png
 Reply to gamerk316
dagger   10-07-2008 at 12:38:48 AM
- 1 +

gamerk316 wrote :

I've got a GX2, and have NEVER encountered microstuttering.

I can get around 45-55 FPS in Crysis with everything on (XP, DX9) running at 1280x1024. And according to most benchmarks I've seen, the GX2 actually beats the 280 in Crysis, and in fact matches the 280 in almost every game out there.



Of course not. Most people tends to forget that microstuttering applies to both dual card setups and x2 cards equally. Yet people with the very common 8800gt sli and 4850 cf setups hardly ever complain of it, because it does not happen. The frequent microstuttering issue is fabricated by fanboys who don't actually run crossfire/sli setups or x2 cards. Unless you're afraid of getting hit by lighting, don't consider the basically nonexistent "microstuttering issue." Crossfire/sli setups, as well as X2 cards (3870x2, 9800gx2, 4870x2) will work just fine.

Performance level:
http://www.anandtech.com/video/sho [...] =3341&p=13
http://www.anandtech.com/video/sho [...] =3341&p=14
http://www.anandtech.com/video/sho [...] =3341&p=15
http://www.anandtech.com/video/sho [...] =3341&p=16
http://www.anandtech.com/video/sho [...] =3341&p=17
http://www.anandtech.com/video/sho [...] =3341&p=18
http://www.anandtech.com/video/sho [...] =3341&p=19

------------------------------ Q6600@3.6ghz, GA-EX38-DS4 motherboard, 8gb 800mhz ddr2 4-3-3-12, 8800GTS(g92)@780mhz, 1TB + 1.5TB hdds, 850watt psu
 Reply to dagger
Monsta   10-07-2008 at 01:18:32 AM
- 0 +

^+1
Well said , forget reading what they write, hear it from guys that actually own the cards/setup.

Reply to Monsta
Yuka   10-07-2008 at 01:52:26 AM
- 0 +

Keep in mind that the 9800GX2 requieres a little more power compared to the 4870, so check if your PSU can handle it.

 

http://www.anandtech.com/video/sho [...] =3341&p=22

 

If it does not, then you might want to stick with the 4870 or consider a GTX260 :P

 

Esop!

 

EDIT: Fixed thingy X'D


Message edited by Yuka on 10-07-2008 at 01:54:13 AM
Reply to Yuka
Ask the community Add a reply
Tom's Hardware > Forum > Graphic & Displays > Graphics Cards > 4870 vs 9800gx2
Go to:

There are 916 identified and unidentified users. To see the list of identified users, Click here.

Forum map
Bestofmedia Forum ©
2000-2009 Bestofmedia Group
Page generated in 0.438 seconds
Please mind

You are about to answer a thread that has been inactive for more than 6 months.
If you still wish to proceed, please ensure that your posting is original and does not duplicate or overlap any prior responses to this thread.

Add a reply Cancel
Sponsored links
  • Ask the community now
  • Publish
Ad
Related Topics
See all relatives topics
They won a badge
Join us in greeting them