Tom's Hardware > Forum > Graphic & Displays > Graphics Cards > Should I go with the HD 4870
Word :    Username :           
 

Hey guys I was wondering if I should go with a video card upgrade,

I'm gonna travel to the US tomorrow and it's a one chance opportunity to buy a bunch of stuff, so I was wondering if I should change my Nvidia 8800 GTS 640Mb for the new HD 4870. Consider that if I change the video card I would like to change the motherboard so it would be more compatible ( I own an nforce 680i sli ) and I would change it for a ASUS rampage formula X48.

What do you think? Worth the effort and money?

Sponsored Links
Register or log in to remove.

The card is, I wouldn't bother changing the mobo as it will cost unnecessary money unless you're planning to further change you system (crossfire, overclocking your cpu).
Your current mobo will run the 4870 just fine, make sure you get a good price for your old GTS =-)

Reply to shaundwm

What size is your monitor (people always leave out the biggest factor).

Reply to themyrmidon

themyrmidon wrote :

What size is your monitor (people always leave out the biggest factor).


It doesn't matter in this case. An aging g80 8800gts has trouble keeping up with the newest games even at a moderate 1280x1024 resolution, which basically all monitors can handle. It's time for an upgrade.

------------------------------ 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

Um, what? It isn't that far behind, especially not at 1280x1024. 1680x1050, sure, time for an upgrade, but not at 1440x900.

If you have a 680i you could almost get 2 GTX 260's in SLI at the same price of changing out your mobo to a X48 and getting a 4870.

Reply to themyrmidon

themyrmidon wrote :

Um, what? It isn't that far behind, especially not at 1280x1024. 1680x1050, sure, time for an upgrade, but not at 1440x900.

 

If you have a 680i you could almost get 2 GTX 260's in SLI at the same price of changing out your mobo to a X48 and getting a 4870.


It's pretty far behind. g80 8800gts perform about the same as 9600gt.
http://en.expreview.com/2008/04/02 [...] p/?page=10
It's a g80 card, not g92. They're actually a generation apart, despite the naming scheme. The gap is significant.
http://en.expreview.com/2008/04/02 [...] p/?page=13

 

If you're going to keep 680i, consider either dual sli two g92 8800gts, now costing as little as $120 ar, and will outperform a single gtx280, far outperform 4870. Or tri-sli 3 9800gtx. It doesn't scale as well, but still deliver better performance, and at as little as $150 each, is more cost effective than using the latest generation cards.

 

g92 8800gts and 9800gtx run on the same g92 gpu with 128 stream processors. 9800gtx support tri-sli, 8800gts does not.
http://en.expreview.com/2008/04/03 [...] review/12/

 

Also, the 9800gx2 dropped to $280, outperforms 280gtx, far outperforms 4870, and is now a good choice. It's slower than g92 8800gts sli due to slower core clock, but gives you the choice of quad sli at reasonable price/performance ratio.

------------------------------ 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

keep ur mobo and get 2 gtx260. 2 gtx260 will beat 1 4870 easily.

------------------------------ intel core 2 quad q6600 @3.2ghz msi p6n diamond (X-FI Extreme sound) 6gig of OCZ+CoRSAIR oc 900mhz Nvidia gtx 260 sli @ 730/1465/1250
Lite-On Blue-ray Western Digital 7200rpm 500gb Antec 500 Earthwatt Window vista 64-bit
Reply to invisik

dagger wrote :

It doesn't matter in this case. An aging g80 8800gts has trouble keeping up with the newest games even at a moderate 1280x1024 resolution, which basically all monitors can handle. It's time for an upgrade.





Uhm no it doesnt have trouble...my G80 gts 640 is still kicking butt and playing them just fine at 1920 x 1200 all high settings...cod4, frontlines and even runs crysis on high avg 24fps. I am moving to a gtx280 since the price drop now.

------------------------------ Phen 2 955 @ 4 GHZ MSI 790FX AM3 Gskill 8Gb DDR3 1333 ATI 5870 1 Gb 2 x Velociraptors 600Gb Gateway 24" 1920 x 1200 DVI 32 GB Iphone 3GS and Blu Ray...life is good!
Reply to soldier37

soldier37 wrote :

Uhm no it doesnt have trouble...my G80 gts 640 is still kicking butt and playing them just fine at 1920 x 1200 all high settings...cod4, frontlines and even runs crysis on high avg 24fps. I am moving to a gtx280 since the price drop now.


Most people would not consider average 24 fps playable. But that's a matter of opinion... :p

 

The point is, that old g80 8800gts has served its purpose. 3 generations is long enough to wait for an upgrade. The performance gap also justifies it. It's time.

------------------------------ 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

Thanks for the feedback, I'm planning on buying a 24'', will that change anything? So I have 3 different oppinions, buy another gts 640Mb, buy the 4870 or 2x260gtx (im thinking this could come out quite expensive) and the final thing on the motherboard is that I shouldnt change it? I was also considering changing Q6600 for Q9550, that's why I took into consideration the motherboard change !

Reply to IcHLL

Maybe posting your budget might help us...

If u plan on gettin almost a new rig, then build it with a P45 imo, keep the Q6600 and get 4Gb-6Gb of RAM (DDR3 is an expensive horse atm, so i'd say stick with DDR2). Also if u plan on going for a 24"+ display, get 2x4850 or a 4870X2 if budget allows.

Esop!


Message edited by Yuka on 08-26-2008 at 07:04:38 PM
------------------------------ - Athlon64 X2 4400+ @2.4Ghz
- DFI Lanparty UT NF4 SLI-D
- 2Gb (512Mbx4) Corsair XMS 2.5-3-3-7 @440Mhz
- Sapphire HD4850 @650Mhz 512MB GDDR3 @993Mhz (wasn't stable @680Mhz :( )
Reply to Yuka

IcHLL wrote :

Thanks for the feedback, I'm planning on buying a 24'', will that change anything? So I have 3 different oppinions, buy another gts 640Mb, buy the 4870 or 2x260gtx (im thinking this could come out quite expensive) and the final thing on the motherboard is that I shouldnt change it? I was also considering changing Q6600 for Q9550, that's why I took into consideration the motherboard change !



If value matters, you should look beyond just the latest generation cards like 4870, gtx260 and gtx280. 9800gx2 cost $280, far less than gtx280, same as 4870, but outperforms gtx280, and far outperforms 4870.
http://techreport.com/articles.x/15293/8
http://techreport.com/articles.x/15293/5
http://techreport.com/articles.x/15293/6

------------------------------ 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

Im suprised the GX2 is so low now, that is definetly the card to buy right now.

------------------------------ http://valid.canardpc.com/cache/banner/547515.png
Intel Xeon X3370 @3.6ghz Under Enzotech Extreme-X,EVGA GTX 285 SC, 4GB Mushkin Ascent eVCI @ 1066mhz, Gigabyte P45 UD3P
Reply to spathotan

spathotan wrote :

Im suprised the GX2 is so low now, that is definetly the card to buy right now.



Quad sli does not scale well. The 3rd and 4th gpu only add average 30% extra performance. For single card, it's the best value though.

------------------------------ 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

Not true at all, in CoD4 my frame rates doubled with the Second GX2. There were scaling problems, but most games get at least 30% increase from the second GX2, after running Crysis, I use to get 40 fps now I get 70 on Very with shadows on Med.

Although it does do alot heat.

Upgrading from the 8800 GTS 640, which is 30% slower than the 8800 GTX. I do beleive that it holds its own for current gen games. I would suggest an upgrade to ppl with the 8800 GTS 320, which still can hold its own.

Either way, I wouldn't suggest a multi GPU over a single GPU, but the GX2 is soo darn cheap now. ANd in Quad can best the 280 GTX in COD4. Althgoutht he 280 GTXs drivers are getting better and better.

9800 GX2 Quad> 280 GTX sli > 4870 X2 etc.


Message edited by L1qu1d on 08-27-2008 at 07:26:31 AM
------------------------------ PSN: L1qu1dat1on
Shenmue Source Mod:
http://steamcommunity.com/groups/ShenmueSource
http://valid.canardpc.com/cache/banner/861526.png
Reply to L1qu1d

I game at 1920 x 1200, and went from a 8800 GTS 640 to a 4870.

In games where it works, it absolutely flies - fantastic performance. However there are all too many games where it doesn't work properly - the driver support is poor - plus the card is noisier than my old GTS and also runs hot. You can cool it down, but then it just gets louder.

My system is designed to run quiet, so it is more noticeable than normal.

Think very carefully before pulling the trigger on a 4870. At the end of the day, they're cheap for a reason.

Reply to The_Abyss

If you are not a dB freak you can buy the 4870 with no problem. I have a CPU cooler running at 2500 RPM , a 25 cm side fan at 800 RMP , a 12 cm back fan at 1600 RPM, but the card at 45% fan speed (3100 RPM I think) is louder then all put together :D , but I still manage to sleep with that monster in the room, so you judge the dB volume. Under max load the card doesn't exceed 56 C :na:

------------------------------ Q6600 stock; GB-P35-DS3L; 4GB A-DATA Vitesta Extreme; Sapphire ATI 4870 760/1000; 1+ TB HDDs (Seagate + Maxtor + WD); OCZ StealthXtream 600W; ASUS VW222U 22"
Reply to hallowed_dragon

What to do when you want a multi-gpu setup and you have an Intel chipset mobo? Can you go SLI on an Intel mobo or is there not other way than choosing for crossfire, because Inetl supports it?

Reply to Nils

Nils wrote :

What to do when you want a multi-gpu setup and you have an Intel chipset mobo? Can you go SLI on an Intel mobo or is there not other way than choosing for crossfire, because Inetl supports it?



At the moment, only the top of the line Skulltrial motherboard support sli(actually both cf and sli), no other Intel boards do.

------------------------------ 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
Tom's Hardware > Forum > Graphic & Displays > Graphics Cards > Should I go with the HD 4870
Go to:

There are 521 identified and unidentified users. To see the list of identified users, Click here.

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
They won a badge
Join us in greeting them