ATI 4890

ischoeman · Sep 9, 2009

Hi Guys,

I am just about to buy a GC just not sure which one to get between the 100's of ATI 4890's out there.
I know on top of the list is the Sapphire Atomic (lucky if you can get one) what other one can i get.
its more gaming.

Regards,
I.S

Techno-boy · Sep 9, 2009

ATI Radeon HD 5000 series with DirectX 11 will be launch tomorrow on historical USS Hornet Aircraft Carrier and they will go into mass production and shipping so they will be available in retail stores in late September like in September 22. I don't see why you cannot wait for that. It would be ridiculous and shame if you buy Radeon HD 4890 now and miss future DX 11 features. :bounce:

Gulli · Sep 9, 2009

Techno-boy :

Yeah, wait a couple of days, to buy the new HD 5870 or a severely discounted HD 4890, either way your getting a great card.

thegeeesta · Sep 9, 2009

you could... but then again the 5000 series is going to cost you much more for the same performance... at least at launch

Techno-boy · Sep 10, 2009

Gulli :

True but Radeon HD 5000 series are the next generation 40nm GPU DirectX 11 cards so they have to cost more. It is obvious that if you get something older then you pay lesser but you would miss newer tech like DX 11 and not being able to get into new era of graphics. Remember that we are moving fast from DX 10 to DX 11 library since DX 11 is a superset of DX 10 with tesselation support. ATI lower the cost of DX 10.1 cards because most people and game devs wanted to move to DX 11 and Windows 7. He could even save more energy/power buy using 40nm GPU of Radeon HD 5000 series at the end of months since 40nm GPU will consume lesser amount of energy/power. If he wanted to buy older cards then it would be better to buy it from eBay.com which is going to cost even lesser. Radeon HD 4890 is just a rehash of older generation card.

He could still get something cheap like Radeon HD 5550 with DX 11 which is a cheaper entry level next generation card without having to miss DX 11 or at least Radeon HD 5650/5670. :bounce:

In every generation of video cards, there are different performance range and price range for different customers so it does not mean that he has to buy older generation with older tech and not being able to get a cheap entry level new gen DX 11 card simply because he is on budget.

Gulli · Sep 10, 2009

Techno-boy :

The 5xxx series will probably be expensive as hell the first couple of months and seeing as the 4890 probably performs just below the 5850 it would not make sense to spend 2 or 3 times the cost of a 4890 on a 5850.
Directx 10 will continue to be supported by games for several years to come and a Directx 10.1 card such as the 4890 will run with Directx 11 and be able to utilize most of its features according to Microsoft.
If the OP really needs the extra power he'd go for the 5870, but since he was going for 2 4850's in the first place he doesn't need the latest and greatest, so a discounted 4890 (which will max out almost any game out there at 1920x1200) would be a far more economical choice for him.

aznguy0028 · Sep 10, 2009

I agreed with the other posters about waiting on the 5xxx series. BUT if you had to get a 4890, I would say get an XFX one.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150359

lifetime warranty and it's also one of the cheapest 4890 out there. Sometimes there are rebates will even lower the price a bit more. I have one myself and it's very easily OC-able. Within 30 sec, i went into CCC and got it up to 900core/1000mem, and been running it ever since.

I got up to 925/1050 and it was stable, but i decided to go back down b/c i was already running all my games on max already

Techno-boy · Sep 10, 2009

Gulli :

Well, if everybody thinks like you then all people would favour/buy older tech rather than buying the newer tech. It is a shame and does not make sense not to get a new tech and then miss DX 11 era of graphics. Who would foolishly not future proof themselves for the next 2-3 years with DX 11 and getting stuck with half of Microsoft's ass DX 10? Actually, DX 11 is what DX 10 should have been in the first place. I wasn't talking about performance but I was talking about the new tech like 40nm GPU, DirectX 11 and tessellation support, and so on. Also, 40nm GPU can save you a lot of money from electric bills since it consumes lesser power too. It would be great for him if he can get the latest, great new tech. Why not? It is like you are telling him to get cheaper old car instead of a greatest, latest new car. If I am wrong then why do most customers are waiting to buy newer tech? Why are they so excited about DX 11 cards? :heink:

If he is going to get old video card then getting a Radeon HD 4870 from Ebay.com auction would perhaps make more sense than having to spend more on HD 4890 which is nothing than just a super-overclock HD 4870. He could at least get Radeon HD 5550 or HD 5650 or HD 5670 which are also cheap... :ouch:

Gulli · Sep 10, 2009

Techno-boy :

Not everyone has unlimited funds and/or needs the 5xxx series, the price difference between the 4870 and 4890 is getting smaller and smaller, so either card would be a good choice for 95% of users out there.

Techno-boy · Sep 10, 2009

Gulli :

Of course, like I said before, because they are becoming "old" and would become obsolete soon since we are moving fast from DX 10 to DX 11 library so ATI had to cut the price of older tech or else people are less likely to buy them since most of customers wanted something "new"... When something "newer" is release then the "older ones" will become cheaper. That is pretty obvious...

Well, if you people wanted to favour/buy older, cheapest tech and getting stuck in the past with old tech then go for it because after all, it isn't my problem. I thought that I was just giving the best advice that anybody can give.

Personally, I don't have unlimited funds too and I'm going to still buy new DirectX 11 video card in the upcoming weeks... I hope that I could be more rich too..

slong · Sep 10, 2009

the only true thing dx11 is giving is the tessellation, everything else is going to be an upgrade for directx10 and 10.1 cards... so really if you dont care about having a clearer model when up close then no point in spending the extra cash for the technology that no games will utilize for atleast 6 months if not longer... im big on keeping up with the graphic updates cause i dont wanna waste money either but in this case i think its not bad choice to buy a gpu that atleast supports 10.1 cause microsoft will be coming out with the patch to add on the features from dx11 for dx10 hardware making them pretty much dx11 hardware. good luck though

soundefx · Sep 11, 2009

It is not as if the cards will be out only for 3 weeks. They will be there when the OP is ready or have enough funds to buy the brand new DX11 cards from either company.

The benefits of waiting a little while after launch are the price drops of the new DX11 cards along with the older DX10.1 cards. How many people cried when nvidia gtx280 and gtx260 dropped in price not too long after launch by quite a bit?

slong · Sep 11, 2009

oh for sure, i just ordered all the parts for my new rig except my gpu ima just use a old geforce till prices lower and the truth behind dx11 is revealed... but ill prolly end up buying dual 4890s or single of the new 5000 series

greenblankut · Sep 11, 2009

Who in there right mind would buy the first gen of a new API. when the 8800 came out so many people bought one at expensive prices. OH NO I MUST HAVE DX 10. But in the end they couldnt even run any dx 10 games playable and there is still hardly any dx10 games now.

As for DX 11 there is only 1 game being made dirt 2, uses some features. It wont be years till a real dx11 game comes out. Starcraft 2,diablo 3, dues ex3,rage, doom 4 operation flashpoint 2 to name a few dont even use it. And for the biggest graphics tech dudes Crytek's Crysis 2 dosnt even use it, it will yous all features of dx 10.

Buy the cheapest card now and dx11 when there is actually a game that uses it for real

Techno-boy · Sep 11, 2009

slong :

If you assume that DX 11 games will be more available after 6 months then that means that DX 10.1 cards would become obsolete in only 6 months so I don't see why the OP had to spend his money on HD 4890 and then 6 months later, he had to spend his money again in order to get a DX 11 card and enjoy DX 11 graphics in the future. It would be shame for him to miss DX 11 since this a big major step in graphic improvements after DX 10 and it does not only have tessellation but also OpenCL which would become approve standard Physics library in the future. Imagine, not being able to use full DX 11 features, tessellation and OpenCL after 6 months....

I predict that DX 11 will live much longer than DX 10 so DX 11 could live for 3-4 years or before DX 12 comes out and certainly not only for 6 months. Just because there are no DX 11 games in the first 2 weeks/6 months after the launch of DX 11 cards but that does not mean that the OP had to go with an older cheap tech. It would be better for the OP to get DX 11 card maybe in late September/October/November than getting another old cheap DX 10.1 card now.

Anyway, there will be many DX 11 games coming by Q4 2009 so it is not going to be after 6 months. Some games are delayed because of DX 11 too and they could appear in October or November.

greenblankut :

I can see that you are very new on this forum from your own funny comments. Anyway, Welcome to Tom's hardware!

Lol! You are saying as if nobody had ever buy DX 10 card when it is release and that nobody was able to play any DX 10 games when there are DX 10 cards in 2007. I predict that DX 11 cards are going to be very cheap when DX 12 cards comes out but by that time, it would be useless to get DX 11 card especially when DX 12 cards are available. Who in their right mind would get DX 11 cards by the time DX 12 cards comes out? I don't believe that DX 11 would have the same fate as DX 10 of Windows Vista because more people will move to Windows 7 with DX 11 than to Windows Vista. Windows Vista failed to convince Windows XP users to move to DX 10 but Windows 7 is another thing that most cannot ignore. Your point is to scare people by trying not to let them touch newer tech and trying to prove that it is dangerous and poisonous. You sounded just like one of those DX 9 Game Console fanboys or Windows XP fanboys who got stuck with DX 9 in the past.

greenblankut :

Right, it is great and wonderful to buy a cheap old DX 10.1 card now and then after 1 week when a DX 11 game pops up, throw the recent purchased DX 10.1 card in a garbage bin or resell it on auction and then spend more money again for DX 11 card that is about to be release in late September.

(My sarcasm joke)

Obviously, that is a very foolish thing to do, to begin with. Who in their right mind would do that???

greenblankut · Sep 11, 2009

Techno-boy you are aware that it takes about 4 years avg to make a game. With the biggest game not having dx11 and the biggest of all in terms of tech demo crysis 2 not using dx11 why would i pay 500 for a 5870 when they will drive the price of a 4780x2 to 200. Makes no sence

Techno-boy · Sep 11, 2009

greenblankut :

When did I say that he had to pay $500 or get HD 5870 to join DX 11 party? :heink:

Tell me what does not make sense for you... My arguments are very clear and understandable for any readers.

I also have list of DX 11 games for Q4 2009.... :sol:

Well, too bad for you that you don't want to future proof yourself for the next 2-3 years and then in 2010/2011/2012 you will start crying about that you cannot play DX 11 games or use full DX 11 features. Everybody are waiting to get the newer tech and you still want to get stuck with the cheap, power hungry HD 4870 X2 which could be obsolete within only 3-6 months.

Anyway, that is all I can say and that is the best advice that anyone could give. At the end, it is the OP's decision on what to get next for his upgrade.

Gulli · Sep 11, 2009

Techno-boy :

It's very unrealistic to expect the whole world will move on to DX11 as soon as Win 7 hits the shelves, in reality DX9 will probably be supported by every 2010 game and DX10 will be with us for even longer, so most people won't feel the need to buy 5xxx series card this year and by next year they will be cheaper and you'll have the choice between Nvidia and ATI.

Techno-boy · Sep 11, 2009

Gulli :

And I did not say that he should buy it right away, he could buy DX 11 card in October or November or even during Christmas in order not to miss DX 11. All I'm saying is he better should not miss DX 11 because it will be available by late September and he should not waist his money on HD 4890 which could be obsolete soon, thus, risking to throw away HD 4890 in a garbage bin or reselling it after 3-6 months when DX 10.1 becomes totally obsolete. There is no point for getting HD 4890 while DX 11 cards are right at the corner and there is almost no DX 10 games and game devs will quickly move to DX 11. You see what I meant?

You must be kidding me... Personally, I've been waiting for DX 11 and delaying my PC build for nearly 2 years and I would never go back and buy another old DX 10.1 card. I could have get DX 11 card right away and future proof myself for the next 2-3 years. How can you expect that everyone would wait that long just to get a DX 11 card? That is silly... I bet that most people would buy/favour new DX 11 cards over DX 10.1 cards once DX 11 cards are available. :ouch:

slong · Sep 11, 2009

this subject is is neither right or wrong... nobody really knows how fast dx11 will be in use for games.. i dont really care about gettin dx11 if there are no titles i care for coming out within the next year... diablo 3 starcraft 2 and such will be what im looking for and from what iv heard dx10 will be their graphics... with dx11 just coming out im highly doubting there will be alot of good titles coming out that use dx11 to its best... with dx10 being out for longer but still being new i think most games are still going to be bases on that but games that are going into development this year and prolly from here on out will be based on dx11 but like they states above most games take 3-4 years so that leaves plenty of time to upgrade gpu when dx11 really hits the scene and take over the gaming graphics

Techno-boy · Sep 11, 2009

slong :

I don't think that it would take 3-4 years to use DX 11 library codes or to switch from DX 10 to DX 11 because DX 11 library are very similar to DX 10 library since DX 11 is a superset of DX 10. DX 11 is what DX 10 should have been. The game devs and the consoles were to be blame more. Since there are many console players who are stuck with DX 9.0c, the game devs would not fully optimize DX 10 because they fear that the console players are not going to buy their games and that their games would not be compatible with DX 9. After 3-4 years from now there might already be DirectX 12 cards and Playstation 4 and XBox 720 as well as Nintendo Wii 2 so if you are planning to upgrade to DX 11 after 3-4 years then just forget it. Your prediction of when most DX 11 games will be available kinda exaggerate...

Here are the possible upcoming DX 11 titled Games that could come in Q4 2009 (Obviously, there could be many of them):

BattleForge
Battlefield: Bad Company 2
Dirt 2
F1 2010
GRID 2
Crytek Announces CryEngine 3 supporting DX 11
Crysis 2 (possibly in early 2010)
Max Payne 3 (in Winter Q4 2009)
Hitman 5: Ressurection (announced working title)
Project Offset/Meteor by Intel (definitely support DX 11 and allows real-time ray tracing (with Intel Larrabee))
Stalker: Call of Pripyat (announced working title)
Bioshock 2 (release in October 29 but could be delayed due to DX 11)
Dead Space 2 (could possibly be DX 11 title)
Assassin's Creed II

PS: It would be a shame if game devs fail to adopt DX 11 for Diablo 3 and Starcraft 3. Why wouldn't you think that even these games could potentially be DX 11 titles by next year since there are already many announced DX 11 titled games for Q4 2009? :heink:

Anyway, I am assure that many people don't wanna miss these amazing DX 11 games by Q4 2009...

slong · Sep 11, 2009

true but i dont think there is gonna be that much difference between the patch thats being put out towards dx 10 hardware adding on the dx11 features(most of them). dx11 multi core rendering is goin to be super nice since most processors are multi core now but i think i read that the everything is goin to be working with dx10 gpus except the tessellation and maybe a few others things but for the most part you wont be able to notice a large difference between dx10 hardware+update code and dx11 hardware... think the main differences will show up in the top cards that support dx11 due to them having better structure of the card itself, not really due to dx11 itself. if your ona budget wait for the ati 5000 series release to drop down prices and buy the dx10/10.1 gpu cause it will do plenty for atleast 2 years... if you got the money to spend then wait and buy the new ati 5000 dx 11 series it all depends on $$$$ in the end

drewbuchman · Feb 2, 2010

i have 2 4890's in a crossfire and they (for the same price as one 5870) out perform the 5870 i get a 1700ish on my gpu score (3dmark vantage) and the 5870 gets a 1500ish....... look http://service.futuremark.com/search/3dmarkvantage.action?product=3dmarkvantage.action&doSearch=true&page=&receiver=/ajax/searchresult3dmarkvantage.action&preset=2&cpuId=252&hasPPU=-100&cpuSpeedFrom=&cpuSpeedTo=&gpuId=567&gpucorespeedFrom=&gpucorespeedTo=&gpumemoryspeedFrom=&gpumemoryspeedTo=&gpuMemory=-100&shadermodel=-100&cooperativeGpus=-100&graphicsdriver=3&operatingsystem=64&filterDuplicates=false&newestminorversion=1&scoretype=1&scoreFrom=&scoreTo=&validity=0

Proof is in the pudding

Bluescreendeath · Feb 2, 2010

drewbuchman :

i have 2 4890's in a crossfire and they (for the same price as one 5870) out perform the 5870 i get a 1700ish on my gpu score (3dmark vantage) and the 5870 gets a 1500ish....... look http://service.futuremark.com/search/3dmarkvantage.action?product=3dmarkvantage.action&doSearch=true&page=&receiver=/ajax/searchresult3dmarkvantage.action&preset=2&cpuId=252&hasPPU=-100&cpuSpeedFrom=&cpuSpeedTo=&gpuId=567&gpucorespeedFrom=&gpucorespeedTo=&gpumemoryspeedFrom=&gpumemoryspeedTo=&gpuMemory=-100&shadermodel=-100&cooperativeGpus=-100&graphicsdriver=3&operatingsystem=64&filterDuplicates=false&newestminorversion=1&scoretype=1&scoreFrom=&scoreTo=&validity=0

Proof is in the pudding

Yes, the 5870 is a single GPU and 2x4890s are two GPUs.

ATI 4890

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Splendid

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