Sapphire Radeon HD 4870 512MB. Will it fit?

[strike xx]

I'm going to be buying a Sapphire Radeon HD 4870 for my PC build and I would like to know... Will it fit in my NZXT Apollo Mid Tower case? If not what's a good card to get? I usually play games like, Team Fortress 2, COD4, CSS, Fallout, Oblivion, etc. I'm going to be running a 19" monitor at 1440x900. My budget for a GFX card is Under $130 USD.

 

[AlphaOmegaX]

It'll fit just fine.

You're making a good choice on the card too

Enjoy it. I'm about to buy two for my wife's rig.

 

[strike xx]

Alright good! Thanks for the fast reply! I'd love to use Crossfire with 2 of them but I'll probably do that at a later date with a bigger case.

 

[AlphaOmegaX]

Wait until you feel the heat these things put off and wait until you hear the fan at 100%.

You'll probably lol. But really, good luck and have fun. Make sure you enjoy yourself.

If you ever plan to play crysis for example, the 4870 gets around 40fps @ 1680x1050. I expect at 1400x900 you should pull somewhere around 50fps @ high with eye candy on. So you can probably expect 100+ fps on cod Enjoy!

 

[strike xx]

Yeah my case has a huge 120mm fan blowing DIRECTLY on the GPU it's self. I don't run my computer in hot rooms, always have the Air on if it's over 80 Deg.

 

[meewog]

that card will be running exceptional frame rates on your monitor! be ready to play crysis maxed out!

what is your cpu?

 

[rockyjohn]

I think the Saphire Radeon 470 512MB will run you about $120. For only $24 more you can get the HIS 4870 1GB Turbo IceQ that runs a lot cooler and quieter - not to mention double the VRAM.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161265

According to this review, it is best in class and they called it the "crème de la crème of 4870 series cards". “There really is no 4870 that we've seen or tested to date which can come close.” Note that it is a double slot configuration so it can expel air outside the case.

http://www.overclock3d.net/reviews.php?/gpu_displays/his_4870_iceq_4_turbo_1gb_pcie_graphics_card/1

The Saphire 4870 happens to be one of the cards used as a comparison in the test.

 

[jennyh]

On a 19" monitor you would never see the difference in performance. I've been using a 1gb asus dark knight (swapped in for my 512mb asus 4870) in my 2nd pc while my friend tried to figure out what was wrong with her 4870 xfire setup. Performance wise there is no difference at all between 1/2gb and 1gb.

It's quite likely that an older 512mb card will be noiser however, and that alone might warrant the purchase of a newer 1gb card, but on pure performance there is no discernable difference.

 

[rockyjohn]

The biggest advantages of the HIS Turbo over other 4870s is the cooling and related quiet operation. Cooler operation also should mean extended life - although tech obsolence may get to it first.

For the most part, Jenny is right about discernable performance differences. However, the HIS card does show 5 to 10% better performance even in the lower resolution monitor and in one, not surprisingly Crysis, the results are around 30 FPS making it highly likely the performance difference is in the viewable range. As games continue to get more demanding, or should you upgrade to a larger monitor, or some combination thereof, the difference may become noticeable in other games.

 

[AlphaOmegaX]

If we're going to talk about different brands I'd recommend XFX over ever other company. Double Lifetime Warranty and the option to reapply tim & add an aftermarket cooler & water cooling without voiding your warranty > all other companies.

Imo.

Worth the extra 10 bucks. Imo.

 

[rockyjohn]

I still think the HIS card is better - on performance and on cooling and noise. Here is a review on an XFX 4850 double slot card.

Note that the author is predisposed to XFX and considers it one of its favorite manufacturers. You can compare the performance of the XFX - which is good - with the HIS. But also review the info on page 10 about noise levels. While the HIS card is substantially below the reference standard card, the XFX card is substantially above it. Just an example of HIS using its technical skills to creat a card that is not only cooler but also quiter than the others. XFX took the more standard route of getting some cooling efficiency but at the cost of noise.

If no one else will be around when games are played noise may not be too big a factor to you. But I consider it one of many factors to be considered and HIS' expertise in doing what no one else could to be very signficant'. I also give considerable weight to the rave review by professional card testers.

 

[AlphaOmegaX]

Doesn't HIS give 1 year warranties? That's pretty garbage. Why you'd recommend a company that doesn't really stand behind their products I'm not sure. Evga & Xfx are the kings of warranties.

Edit: And with XFX he could actually mod the card and not void his warranty.

 

[rockyjohn]

So Alpha - you are recommending that strike base his decision solely on who warranties there card longer and ignore performance, cooling, and noise and the recommendation of experts who test video cards and other components for a living? And we are not just talking a do buy, or even best buy recommendation - but they called it the "crème de la crème of 4870 series cards". “There really is no 4870 that we've seen or tested to date which can come close.”

That's not the way I make decisions. And you should get your facts straight - the HIS warranty is 2 years not 1 - not as good as a lifetime warranty I grant - but your incorrect statement and attack based on erroneous and misleading data just shows you are shooting from the hip.