Tom's Hardware > Forum > Graphic & Displays > ATI > 2x Radeon 4850X2/2GB or 2x Radeon 4890/1GB

2x Radeon 4850X2/2GB or 2x Radeon 4890/1GB

Forum Graphic & Displays : ATI - 2x Radeon 4850X2/2GB or 2x Radeon 4890/1GB

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allen5924   09-27-2009 at 10:50:40 PM

http://alrightdeals.com/zS0Product/A/AT-4850X2/00.jpg
I've been looking at the Radeon 4850X2/2GB GDDR3 - it's quite good considering the price at US$240.

http://en.expreview.com/img/2009/03/18/HD4890_09.jpg
I'm also interested in the Radeon 4890/1GB GDDR5 - higher end... at US$200.


Which would be a better option? Getting 2 of those 4850x2s or 2 4890s?

Since having 2 4850x2s would cost US$480
and 2 4890s at US$400...
Should I save the US$80 and just get 2x 4890s or would 2x 4850x2s be MUCH faster? :ouch:

Also, the 4850X2s have GDDR3 and the 4890s GDDR5.... should I be concerned about this?


Help me out?
Thanks in advance!

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shaundwm   09-27-2009 at 11:02:38 PM
- 1 +

1x 5870...
You can add another one later if you REALLY need more power.. and you wn;t regret it =)

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phreak532   09-27-2009 at 11:06:42 PM
- 0 +

For 150 each off newegg I picked up two HD4870 1GB cards. I'm very happy with them. Max settings on Crysis at 30-45 frames. 22000-25000 3D Mark 06 depending on my clock rate tweaks for processor/ram/etc.

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allen5924   09-27-2009 at 11:20:26 PM
- 0 +

shaundwm wrote :

1x 5870...
You can add another one later if you REALLY need more power.. and you wn;t regret it =)



5870 is a beast card... but I don't think I can justify the price...

Reply to allen5924
allen5924   09-27-2009 at 11:24:23 PM
- 0 +

phreak532 wrote :

For 150 each off newegg I picked up two HD4870 1GB cards. I'm very happy with them. Max settings on Crysis at 30-45 frames. 22000-25000 3D Mark 06 depending on my clock rate tweaks for processor/ram/etc.



hrmm that's true hey... (clock tweaks etc)
I just wanna know how the 2 HD4850X2s perform... i think it might be killer!!

Reply to allen5924
tomvertommen   09-27-2009 at 11:33:24 PM
- 0 +

I have one 4850 x2. It's a nice card, but in my opinion there should 've been better for the price (when I bought it...+- 6 months ago).

The problem with it is that it's x2...I wish they made affordable cards from wich you just need 1.

more gpu's equals more heat equals more noise and I would love to be able to avoid that. Many games just don't do well with crossfire/sli anyway.

So, if I were you, I would look into the new cards from ati and look for a single gpu solution. Off course maybe this just isn't possible...some games seem to be very demanding.

good luck with it.

Reply to tomvertommen
tacoslave   09-28-2009 at 01:21:30 AM
- 0 +

quad crossfire = trouble just like quad sli if you really want a killer multi gpu setup then get a 5870 and wait then get another one or 2 4870 1 gb there like 130 now (i got the asus one with the dark knight cooler) but seriously take it from me quad sli or crossfire is just a lot of heat and noise plus frequent crashes if you dont have adequate cooling and some games dont scale well plus the drivers. ugh just please stick to two cards at most or if you really dont want to take my warnings get 4 4850's for 80 bucks thats 320 bucks so your saving 140 bucks opposed to two 4850 x2's for 460 but with that kind of $$ you could get 1 5870 that gets better when new drivers are released and if you really need more power then buy one down the road.

Reply to tacoslave
crosko42   09-28-2009 at 02:03:10 AM
- 1 +

Yeah as everyone has said, get 1 5870, it is less than either of your options cost, and it performs well. The quad CF/SLI scales terribly for the 4th gpu at the moment. Its only ~5%increase if any on most games if I recall correctly.

The 5870 gives you the most futureproof solution and you can have more flexibility about upgrading as you can just add a second card later.

If you cannot justify a single card setup for some crazy reason, at least wait until the 5850 comes out and get 2 of those.

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allen5924   09-28-2009 at 11:12:48 AM
- 0 +

crosko42 wrote :

Yeah as everyone has said, get 1 5870, it is less than either of your options cost, and it performs well. The quad CF/SLI scales terribly for the 4th gpu at the moment. Its only ~5%increase if any on most games if I recall correctly.

 

The 5870 gives you the most futureproof solution and you can have more flexibility about upgrading as you can just add a second card later.

 

If you cannot justify a single card setup for some crazy reason, at least wait until the 5850 comes out and get 2 of those.

 


I just read a 5870 review...

 


and.......
I think I've complete changed my mind, I'm gonna take the advice and go for one of those rather.

 

Seems like a KICKASS card!


Message edited by allen5924 on 09-28-2009 at 11:23:36 AM
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