4870HD vs GTX260 FTW/SSC?

[benjaminm580]

I'm ordering a new PC for Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning and I can't decide on a graphics card.

(NVIDA)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130373&Tpk=gtx%20260%20ssc
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130373

vs (one of these 3)

(ATI)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814261029
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814103064
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131117

Obviously brand can help in this decision since EVGA has such great customer service, but which of these cards really perform better? I'd also like to know which one will give the most performance for value.

Single card, 8 GB DDR2@1000, Vista 64, E8400, monitor will be between 19-21".

 

[Guest]

tbh probably the GTX 260

however I have a 4870 and i like it more...

I never thought I was a company fan boy... but this 4870 is changing my mind... the software alone makes me want to stay with them, also, I think the image quality is much better than my old 8800 gts 640....

i never realized that there was a quality difference... but its noticeably better

also if the driver crashes.... it recovers from it w/o requiring a re-boot... how nice is that?

I'm sorry but I recommend the 4870

and w/ a 4870 you'll maybe see a 1- 3 % difference in performance... not worth the crap software nvidia has in my opinion

also look into bundles that come with cards

I for one wanted a specific game, and I got it with my 4870

 

[themyrmidon]

SSC for $10 cheaper? Go for it!

 

[emp]

HD 4870 does AA better and usually ends on top when it comes into play, and its of better quality as well. For nvidia to match the quality it has to do 8QxAA for it to compare to regular 8x AA in ati cards, otherwise you'd be getting an inferior image quality (And sadly this is what 95% of the reviews out there don't realize when comparing them).

EDIT: This HD 4870 is the one with lifetime warranty:

VisionTek 900244 Radeon HD 4870 512MB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814129113

 

[Maziar]

+1 to what emp said.
ATI HD 48xx series perform very well and have a great price and they shine when u enable AA and AF

 

[Ycon]

GTX 260, but be sure to get the new one (GT200-103)

 

[benjaminm580]

Anyone else?

 

[Maziar]

Check out some benchmarks of HD 4870 and u will see its better than GTX 260 especially when AA and AF are enabled.

http://techreport.com/articles.x/14990
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-4870,1964.html
http://www.guru3d.com/article/radeon-hd-4870-review--asus/
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/video/display/ati-radeon-hd4800-games.html

 

[L1qu1d]

+1 for 4870, AA and AF can be your best friend. what will your res be? 19-20' can vary in Resolution

 

[benjaminm580]

Can the GTX 260 FTW not use AA/AF? Isn't there some equivalent from NIVIDA cards if not?

I hear that WAR looks great with AA/AF on so maybe that will be a factor.

 

[dagger]

Can the GTX 260 FTW not use AA/AF? Isn't there some equivalent from NIVIDA cards if not?

I hear that WAR looks great with AA/AF on so maybe that will be a factor.

Without AA, stock gtx260 perform about the same as 4870. With AA 4870 pulls ahead.
http://en.expreview.com/2008/06/24/first-review-hd-4870-and-hd-4850/19/

A factory oced gtx260 should easily outperform stock 4870, at least if ran without AA. Still, do it yourself oc is just as good as factory oc. You might as well buy stock gtx260 or 4870 for cheaper and oc it yourself. The extra cost of factory oced gtx260 is really not worth it.

Also, consider 9800gx2, the factory oced version only cost $280:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814133231

It outperforms gtx260 in a big way.
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3341&p=13
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3341&p=14
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3341&p=15
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3341&p=16
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3341&p=17
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3341&p=18
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3341&p=19

 

[emp]

Yes the nvidia cards can do the same high quality AA as the Ati cards if set to do so on the game options/nvidia control panel, however it takes an even bigger performance toll on the card than that shown at reviews.

 

[invisik]

both cards r very good offering similar amazing performance. which ever one is cheaper is the way to go.