GTX260 Core216 vs ATI Radeon 4870 which one is better?

[murdoc]

We all know that 4870 has been a leader ever since it's launch in terms of price / performance ratio but with Nvidia getting all worked up and tinkering at their new GTX 260 core 216 how does that match up to radeon 4870? I need to consider which card to get and here are my considerations:

1) Does it really matter if I pick Asus or saphhire or any brand performance wise?
2) Asus says if you buy ATI/Nvidia cards with Asus branding you get extra power saving on their mobo (which I have one)
3) Price / ratio comparison (again but this time with the new specs)
4) Which one is cooler? (less noise from fan + running cooler)
5) Power. Which one saves more power? (I only have a 500W PSU)

Thanks for your time.

 

[spathotan]

http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3415

1GB 4870. http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010380048%20106792627%201067940678%201068320729&bop=And&Order=PRICE

Also cheaper than the GTX 260 216 http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010380048%20106792634%201067940781%201369844342&bop=And&Order=PRICE

 

[-Fran-]

Spathotan, you forgot to add: "NUFF' SAID!" X'D

Now, regarding your questions OP:

1.- Just pick the one with the better cooling solution and/or warranty. Price can vary depending on that.
2.- Sure, you'll prolly save like 20c on you monthly electric bill overall
3.- Both are very close in performance, so i'd say focus on warranty, cooling solution, size, power, etc...
4.- Can't answer that myself, sorry
5.- Depends on the +12V lane your PSU has. It should provide like 14A for either card (the 4870 uses 2 rails: 8 and 6 pins, don't know the GTX260).

Hope it helped a little. I'm sure some else can add more info

Esop!

 

[spathotan]

Good points by Yuka. Wait until VisionTek puts up their 1GB 4870, Lifetime warranty. Or if you go with the GTX 260 then go EVGA for the step-up program, but I really dont know what youll be "upgrading" to anytime soon.

 

[-Fran-]

The GTX260 draws 182W from what i found, lol. That means, 15A on the 12V rail will cut it close. On the forums they say 36A combined on the 2 12V lanes it uses. I'd stick with the 36A combined just to be sure, but math tells me that it's when you have shared lanes.

Anyway, looks like the 4870 is less of a power whore by a margin, lol.

Esop!

 

[pulasky]

+ 4870

 

[murdoc]

well I'm using Asus mobo with EPU-6 which they claim their version of 4870 supports it. So I'm definitely considering that.

The difference in terms of cooling aren't significant since they all use that 2 slot cooler with that gigantic motor in the center. Would you say that I should opt for life time warranty? Or should opt for the engergy savings from Asus?

Also I'm on a 17" monitor (1280 x1024) which I MAY upgrade later to 22" (1680 x 1050)... do I really need the 1 GB?

 

[spathotan]

The energy savings crap is just that, crap. Youre talking pennies off your bills, if that. Its basically a marketing/green ploy. Lifetime warranty all the way.

As far as 512mb vs 1gb is concerned, normally I and maybe most people would say the 1GB isnt worth it. But its only 20-30$ more, and as you can see in the anand link the performance results were suprising, the 1GB really did make a difference, probably due to the superiority of GDDR5. I use a 22" wide at 1680 x 1050 with a 512mb 4870 and I run things like a dream, however I would rather have the 1GB version but im not about to sell/trade up.

 

[invisik]

both cards perform around the same level. look at benches and see which games u like to play and wat card does slightly better. ex. crysis runs better on nvidia cards and i believe ati works better with grid.

in my opinion i would get the old gtx260 which performs slightly less then those two but cost a whole lot less. u can find them as low as 215$ at newegg.

 

[murdoc]

Hmm.. it seems like availability isn't that great in Canada for 1 GB 4870 =/ Hopefully it'll arrive soon. I've seen 1 GB 4870 at ncix.com but the prices are pretty high compared to 512 MB (the prices were close to 400).

 

[bobmitch]

Based on this article:

http://www.guru3d.com/article/evga-geforce-gtx-260-core-216-superclocked-review/

I would say that the 216 / Overclocked version gets very close to the 280 and does stand toe to toe, and also beat the 4870. I went with the exact card in the article...based on my track record with EVGA. I have never had any issues with the company...always top shelf one on one interaction and total satisfaction. I remember some years back of issues with ATI where I was without a video card for two months...and they were always a bit gnarly to deal with. Only one company that makes ATI cards offers lifetime warranty. 75% of all companies making Nvidia offer Lifetime warranties. Granted...who will be RMA'ing a card five years from now, but I can tell you this...EVGA goes to the matts to make customers satisfied.

Bob

 

[rangers]

know what, look up the benchmarks like every one else, im really sick of all the vs this vs that, use google or look through all the other post's that say vs this vs that

 

[customisbetter]

The guy asked a question rangers. If you don't want to answer it thats fine, but don't spam his thread.

On to the topic at hand. Don't believe the hype about power savings. ever.

The GTX tends to run cooler and quieter because the fan settings are correct from the factory. Although i hear that with tweaking, you can get the fan on the 4870 to work great and be quiet.
About power though, what power supply do you have? 500W doesn't say much. You need something by a reputable brand like Antec or Corsair that will actually live up to its advertised rating and efficiency.
Have fun!

 

[murdoc]

well I can wait 2 more weeks to see if the new 55nm GTXs are going to come out (althought they maybe out of my price range). I can't spent more than 300 CAD on my cards.

It's said that the new GTX with 216 cores run hotter so I'm considering that as well. I do notice that nvidia cards tend to run quiter and cooler than ATI (my sister had ATI X1650 AGP and Vs my 8800GT it's like a jet engine). I'm tempted to go with EVGA due to it's upgrade program because god knows Dec comes and they'll release another new card.

The pull factor from ATI is that it states it will work with a 500W PSU. My PSU is made by CoolMaster and does not have any energy efficency rating so it's not 80+. I'm considering getting a new PSU but that is for next year and I don't want to spend so much right now so I'm going to try to bare with it and not OC my card at all. My processor is E7200 OCed to 3.4 Ghz.

 

[customisbetter]

you don't need a new psu. If you were going crossfire of sli i would consider it, but unless you have 2 dozen harddrives, that psu has plenty of power for your rig. Manufactures really over state the requirements for power these days. Its kind of anti idiot protection. 500W at 70% efficiency is plenty.

i did a quick run through and put a few hardrives and cd drives with your rig and a 4870. 354 watts

http://extreme.outervision.com/PSUEngine

 

[krazyk12]

i just made a reply that i think could fit in with this. so here we go:

The GTX 280 IS in fact the highest performing card on the market. That doesn't mean its priced outrageously. i would not recommend buying it to anyone.

The GTX 260 is on par with the 4870, i dont care what everyone thinks, they trade blows in benchmarks.

The GTX 260 Core 216 / Max Core, or any other name for it is the 2nd highest in performance. The boost in cores gave it enough oomf to get ahead of the 4870, and at times i have seen it beat the GTX 280. And at a stock price tag of $300, and prolly lower with rebates. Thats a damn good deal.

All current gen cards run too hot for my preference. 90 at load.... is kinda ridiculous. The Nvidia cards run cooler, BY FAR. No matter what card you get, pump your fan speeds up. I have my sli 9600gt's at 80% (it gets hot where i live) and they rarely hit 60 degrees, and they are a single slot card, with a pretty **** stock cooler.

GTX 260 - $219 After rebates (Weekend Special, but will prolly be ~$250) - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130370

GTX 260 Core 216 - Lookin at $299 before $20 rebate - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130398

The Cheapest 4870 there is - $229 after $25 rebate - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125225


That 4870 is also only a 512, so the 1gb will be more expensive, putting it more toward the $300 range



With those prices in mind, i would easily recommend the GTX 260 Core 216 from EVGA. On par price with the 1GB 4870, with a better performance in most situations. (I say most because the 4870 could pass the original gtx 260 with some AA at 1900x1600 and higher.) While that might not still be the case, I haven't seen the bencies to say otherwise.

and another little note. the gtx 260's will run with a minimum 450w for a single card.

 

[spathotan]

The benchies that say the 1GB 4870 is better than the GTX260 216 are the in second post in the thread krazyk, the anand article is even headlines "4870 1G, the card to get". Also the 4870x2 is the highest performing card on the market, not the GTX 280.

As far as prices go, give the 1GB a week or two, the OP is gonna wait 2 more weeks anyways to wait and see how the 55nm GTX's are. The 1GB 4870 isnt even available in Canada yet, and there are very few on newegg and the like. Thats usually not a good sign that prices are stable, I bought my 4870 2 days after they were released and nowhere to be found @ $300, a week later they were $280.

 

[delluser1]

Anyway, looks like the 4870 is less of a power whore by a margin, lol.

Not quite, it uses much more power at idle and slightly more under load
http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3408&p=9