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Visiontek 4670 or 4870??

Forum Graphic & Displays : Graphics Cards - Visiontek 4670 or 4870??

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Pkwenz   05-18-2009 at 04:33:03 PM

I just ordered a sapphire hd 4870 toxic .... I really don't think that it is gonna fit in my comp... I do have a slot open above my PCIE x16 but.. there is some weird cord coming out of my motherboard that might not give it the clearance it needs....

OK so I have a 40" sony bravia.
I heard that I need at least 1gig in my gpu so games run smooth.

visiontek 4870 512mb ddr5
or
visiontek 4670 1gb ddr3

which would be better for me???

I honestly only play Battlefield Project Reality. But i wanted to get a Blueray drive and I also have my cable tv running through my comp.
-I 'm not sure if any of this matters, i'm a super noob, I just want to make sure that I make a good decision.

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Helloworld_98   05-18-2009 at 05:03:15 PM
- 0 +

the 4870. the 4670 can't make use of all that ram.

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Pkwenz   05-18-2009 at 05:55:12 PM
- 0 +

the the ram on my computer or all the ram on the card??
and it is ok to use this 512mb card with a 40" television??

also another side question.. what is better
512 mb ddr5
or 1gb ddr3??

Reply to Pkwenz
Bronze Graphics badge hunter315   05-18-2009 at 05:59:37 PM
- 0 +

the 4870 has a more powerful processor in it. he meant that the processor in the 4670 wont be able to fill all of the memory on the card, your system ram is kept totally separate.

Comparing the memory alone and ignoring the GPU that fills that memory wont tell you very much, and when comparing the memory you need to keep in mind the memory clock, the bus width, and whether its gddr5 or gddr3

Reply to hunter315
Pkwenz   05-18-2009 at 06:44:04 PM
- 0 +

thank you, I'm still somewhat confused about the monitor part though.

If i get the Visiontek 4870 512gb ddr5, am i gonna notice some choppyness because my monitor is 40" and the GPU has only 512mb ram??!!?

Reply to Pkwenz
Bronze Graphics badge coozie7   05-18-2009 at 06:49:05 PM
- 0 +

@pkwenz: I am going to get canned for this but; I never had any problems running games at 1920x1200 (yours is 1920x1080) with a 512Mb HD 4870 provided I kept the AA either low or disabled in the more demanding games (Yes, you know, The 'C' and the 'S' games). Older or less demanding stuff just flew along no matter how high the settings.

What are the rest of your system specs? It will be pointless putting a HD4870 into a old Pentium D machine.
Also be aware the 4870 has quite high power requirements: A good brand 500W with two 6-pin PCI-E connectors and 36Amps on the 12v rail/s at least.
The 1Gb HD4870 is not that much more than the 512Mb versions, at least here in the UK and across the Pond in the US.


Message edited by coozie7 on 05-18-2009 at 06:59:12 PM
Reply to coozie7
mactronix   05-18-2009 at 07:04:33 PM
- 0 +

I agree with coozie, as long as you have no intention of heavy duty high quality, everything at max type gaming then 512mb wont be an issue to you.

Mactronix

Reply to mactronix
Pkwenz   05-18-2009 at 07:17:07 PM
- 0 +

now it sounds like I'm settling... will the 4670 work better???

for some reason best buy is selling the
4670 for $120
4870 for $70

so the 4670 with 1gb ddr3 is actually better than the 4870 512 mb ddr5?

Message quoted 1 times
Reply to Pkwenz
mactronix   05-18-2009 at 07:26:10 PM
- 0 +

No.
What we, well what i am saying is that the fact that the 4870 has only 512MB of Ram isnt an issue to you as you wont be playing Crysis at stupid detail levels so the frame buffer wont come into it. The only scenario where i could see the extra Vram being the better option even though its slower would be maybe image editing at large resolutions.
For Gaming as far as im concerned the faster chip with faster Vram but less of it (The 4870 with 512 of GDDR5) is always going to be better than a less powerfull card with more but slower Vram (the 4670 with 1gb GDDR3)
In short it dosent matter how much Vram you put on a weaker chip it physically cant be as fast as the better chip.

Mactronix

Reply to mactronix
Bronze Graphics badge coozie7   05-18-2009 at 07:27:32 PM
- 0 +

The 4670 is half the speed of the 4870.
Do not be fooled into thinking the extra memory will make it faster, because it does not.
If they are selling the 512Mb HD4870 for $70 get one, get one now!

Reply to coozie7
Pkwenz   05-18-2009 at 07:43:32 PM
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you guys are awesome! thanks a lot.. I'm on my way!

Reply to Pkwenz
hoopslam   05-18-2009 at 07:50:56 PM
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Pkwenz wrote :

now it sounds like I'm settling... will the 4670 work better???

for some reason best buy is selling the
4670 for $120
4870 for $70

so the 4670 with 1gb ddr3 is actually better than the 4870 512 mb ddr5?



That must be a misprint because there is no way a 4870 can be selling for $70, 512mb or not. If it is, tell me where it is NOW!!!!I must get one.

Message quoted 1 times
Reply to hoopslam
Helloworld_98   05-18-2009 at 08:38:14 PM
- 0 +

^ well CCL one time sold 4870's for £50 each before VAT, at one point I could have got a build with a P2 720, dual 4870's and a blu-ray drive for £450 before VAT.

Reply to Helloworld_98
Bronze Graphics badge coozie7   05-18-2009 at 08:54:25 PM
- 0 +

^
YOU COULD HAVE TOLD ME!:)

Reply to coozie7
rewindlabs   05-18-2009 at 08:56:45 PM
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hoopslam wrote :

That must be a misprint because there is no way a 4870 can be selling for $70, 512mb or not. If it is, tell me where it is NOW!!!!I must get one.


I know...at that price i would buy one just to look at it...damn i want one for 70$...

------------------------------ http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s145/RSSRM/ay14s5-1.jpg
 Reply to rewindlabs
rafaeljuco   09-14-2009 at 03:38:34 PM
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tell me about it...i just bought one at tigers direct for $145 and i surfed all over and ca't find one cheaper than that.For $70 i'd buy 2 of those...lol.

Reply to rafaeljuco
wh3resmycar   09-14-2009 at 05:21:02 PM
- 0 +

^only your 4 months behind.

Reply to wh3resmycar
soundefx   09-14-2009 at 11:46:53 PM
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Now if the OP would have started a thread with the heading: 4870 - $70 and produced a link, he/she would be president.

Reply to soundefx
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