2 4850s or 1 4870 1gb

[dugan]

I plan on building a new core i7 system and was wondering which would get me better performance

2 4850s 512 mb oced core clock to 680mhz

or

1 4870 1 gb stock

I do not plan on upgrading for at least 2-3 years in which time i figure something better will be out anyways, but what are your thoughts about this. I know the core i7 does very well with multi gpus but, does it do very well with weaker multi gpus like the 4850?

also, would a 750w psu be good enough for either of those?

 

[kyeana]

2 4850's perform better then 1 4870. If you can afford that then go for it.

And yes 750w psu would be enough for either solution

 

[urban_black_redneck]

2 4850s will offer more performance...

2 of the cheapest 4850's is over $50 more than the cheapest single 4870 depending on where you buy, plus the 2x4850s will require a more expensive (higher wattage) power supply. A single 4870 will work perfectly with a 600-650w PSU.

A single 4870 has more than enough power for current games and it won't seem sluggish for anywhere between 2-3 years as long as playing at the very highest of settings (in newer games) is not the most important thing to you. Though by the time that card does get dated, having 2 4850s won't be that much faster.

I personally don't think the dual-cheap-card route does much for "value" vs a single strong card.

Crossfire 4850s do actually offer a noticeable increase when you game at like 2560res, though. If you game at 1080P and lower, the difference that you can see gets smaller and smaller....

512MB 4870
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102797

1GB 4870
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102801

512MB 4850
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102775

 

[xxcoop42xx]

+1 for the new HD4850X2 at newegg.com

 

[urban_black_redneck]

+1 for the new HD4850X2 at newegg.com

$400...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102809

 

[jthorn]

Use a 1 X 4850. Plenty of GPU and if its not then you can add a second 4850 in 1 year. I suppose you could make this same argument with 4870, 260, 280 but I recommend 4850's - most bang for the buck and bucks don't grow on trees these days.