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Tom's Hardware > Forum > Graphics & Displays > Graphics Cards > [Solved] ATI Radeon 5870 or 4870 X2?

[Solved] ATI Radeon 5870 or 4870 X2?

Forum Graphics & Displays : Graphics Cards [Solved] ATI Radeon 5870 or 4870 X2?

Which one should I get for my new Gaming PC? (I can buy either one for very similar prices, so budget should not matter)

My system is:

- Intel Core 2 Quad 9650 3.00 GHZ
- ASUS P5Q-SE
- 2x2GB OCZ Reaper PC2-8500 DDR2 1066 mHz
- ANTEC Earthwatts 650w

I do not intend to use Crossfire in the future, so this is going to be a definitive videocard for this rig. Another question: Is my PSU fully compatible with those videocards? Can it handle them plus all the rest of my hardware?

Thanks in advance!

Reply to MARSOC_Operator

You should upgrade to a 750 watt PSU for 2 5870s to be on the safe side, the EA650 would be able to handle it but it might shorten its lifespan, and you really need a 1k watt PSU for 2 4870x2s which is essentially 4 4870s.

Message quoted 1 times

Reply to hunter315

hunter315 wrote :

No, you didn't understand me... I will not run dual cards, it's going to be either a single 5870 or a single 4870 X2. My motherboard don't even support dual-videocard configuration. No Crossfire.

Reply to MARSOC_Operator

For a single 4870X2 you would be very close, for a single 5870 you are fine and well within its safe range.

Message quoted 1 times

Reply to hunter315

hunter315 wrote :

For a single 4870X2 you would be very close, for a single 5870 you are fine and well within its safe range.

Ok, thanks! But which card do you think is the better option overall?

Reply to MARSOC_Operator

in my opinion, it would be the 5870.

Reply to BruceOTB

The 5870 is the easy winner.

Reply to brockh

Best answer

You might as well get the 5870 as I think that it performs better than the 4870x2 in games and it is dx11 capable.
That way, you have the power now to play most if not all the games out already and capable of playing future games in dx11.

Reply to soundefx

Ok, thanks everyone! 5870 it is. Now I need to make sure that monster-sized card fits into my Lian Li PC-B25B blue Ring case, does anybody here have experience with this case?

Reply to MARSOC_Operator

Gonna need a solid 11 inches for that 5870. Power connections plug in on the side of the card so as long as you have 11 inches, you shouldn't have any clearance issues to worry about.

Reply to rodney_ws

Me when I got my 5870, I took out the HD tray/holder, just to be on the safe side, but when I finally put the card inside I seen I didn't even have to take the tray out. Just make sure you have 11.2/3 inches.

Reply to haxs101

I'd advise you to wait for the Vapor-X variant very soon to be released by Sapphire, they are using a custom PCB which is about an inch shorter, and has the power umbilical ports on the end like most other cards have, which, depending on your internal configuration, might improve the feng shui even more.

Incidentally, off-topic, how is the internal layout of that case? I haven't been able to find any shots of it from the side with the panel removed. Also, is it as cool in reality as it looks from the photos?

Message quoted 2 times

Reply to purplefire

purplefire wrote :

It is the best and the most practical case I've ever own in 10 years of PC building. I don't have any pics now, but you can see a some reviews with good shots here-->> [url=http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/cases/2007/09/05/lian-li_pc-b25/1][/url]

[url=http://www.lian-li.com.tw/v2/en/product/product06.php?pr_index=136&cl_index=1&sc_index=25&ss_index=62][/url]

Reply to MARSOC_Operator

purplefire wrote :

end as in the edge end or the top end?

Because ATI cards with the power ports at the edge is annoying since you have to bend the PCIe connectors at an angle, requiring another half inch or so. Ports at the top makes more sense, although it makes the cables slightly more messy.

Reply to Bluescreendeath

Top end? Like i said, the way the majority of cards have. Like the 8800GT for example. That way :]

Message edited by purplefire on 10-22-2009 at 03:21:16 AM

Reply to purplefire

That would be the back end.

Message quoted 1 times

------------------------------ Thuban Gaming Benchmarks. The Shocking Truth.
Reply to jennyh

jennyh wrote :

That would be the back end.

Isn't it all relative?

Reply to purplefire

da good ole G92s still alive and kicking with the best of today's generation...

Reply to Bluescreendeath

MARSOC_Operator, can you please tell me if it fits, because I was wondering the same question (I have the same case and I'm planning to buy the same graphic card in November). I would be grateful if you could notify me how it all went and if you had to remove the upper HDD cage.

Message quoted 1 times

Reply to GO-GO

GO-GO wrote :

I'd be more than happy to answer that, the problem is that it is just IMPOSSIBLE to find one in stock right now. :fou: (I'm not to comfortable in buying from some eBay seller located in China, asking almost double the average selling price-- not to mention the absurd shipping fees).

Reply to MARSOC_Operator

Resurrecting this old thread as it asks the exact question I have for the forum....

I'm getting ready to order the parts for a new system, and was reviewing the video card benchmarks included in the March 26, 2010 article GeForce GTX 480 And 470: From Fermi And GF100 To Actual Cards.

To my surprise, I found that in benchmark after benchmark after benchmark, 2 x ATI Radeon 4870 outperform 1 x ATI Radeon 5870. The only cards that consistently do better (in these charts) than 2x4870 are the top of the line and much more costly GTX 480 and Radeon 5970.

Examples:

In the 3DMark Vantage benchmark, 2x4870 does under-perform relative to 1x5870, but I'm not sure how much weight to give these results relative to the results for the specific games shown above.

Based on current prices at NewEgg.com:

2x4870: $319.98
1x5870: $439.99

So: I'm curious what everyone thinks. Is there more to this than the raw benchmark numbers? Am I misunderstanding what I'm reading? I'd like to get a good gaming system and don't really mind the $440 price tag for the ATI Radeon 5870, but from the benchmarks, it appears that I would actually get better -- or at least comparable -- performance from two 4870's, while saving $120.

I appreciate any insight people can offer!

Reply to twinswords

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