5770 CF vs. 5850 vs. GTX 470

[Jonnyinter]

Hey everyone,

I'm looking to get a new graphics card for my build and was seeking your opinion. Right now it's between 2 5770's, a 5850, or a GTX 470. I'm using a motherboard that supports Quad Crossfire and no SLI so I'm thinking that getting a GTX 470 is a waste if I wan to upgrade to 2 later on. Right now I'm using a 4890 and I could add another if I could find the same model as mine somewhere. Would 2 4890's be more powerful than a 5850 or 2 5770's? I'm also concerned with the price since I'm also looking to upgrade my RAM and maybe get an SSD.

Thanks for the help,
Jonny

P.S. does anyone know when the 6000 series is coming out? If it's after the summer then I might just hold out and buy one of those since I won't be at home all summer.

 

[jbakerlent]

I'd eliminate the 5770s first off, you shouldn't start a new build with crossfire if you can help it. I'd also cross off the 470 - it's priced a little to close to the 5870, and it runs hot/loud/power hungry. What resolution are you at and for what uses? A single 4890 should do pretty well, and yes two 4890s would outperform any of the above cards in most cases. And I don't know of any timeline for the 6000 series.

 

[Jonnyinter]

Thanks for the fast reply.

I'm using a 1920 x 1080 monitor and the cards are for gaming. I'm not starting a new build but I'm just upgrading my current one. I wasn't seriously considering the 470 in the first place but why not the 5770's?

 

[jbakerlent]

First, you're cutting off a possible upgrade route from the get go. Also, some games react unfavorably to crossfire, compared to a single equally powerful GPU. Then, you are using more power and generating more heat with dual GPUs. Since they perform about the same and you can find a 5850 for the same price, I say why not?

 

[jerreece]

With ATI 5850's hovering pretty close to the $300 mark, I'd go with a single 5850. Two 5770's will perform close to the 5850, but a single 5770 is lesser than your current 4980. So that's sort of a step backward.

Don't rely on a Crossfire build. Crossfire is an upgrade path, not a solution (same with SLI).

I'd go for a single 5850 for overall performance and price. Plus they do run cooler, quieter, and cost less than the GTX 470. Since you have Crossfire ability, you can later add another 5850 when your card isn't enough to keep up anymore.

A single powerful GPU is better than Crossfire or SLI with lesser GPUs. Not all games get great performance boosts with SLI or Crossfire, so it's not a 100% upgrade. Sometimes it's only a 20% gain. With 2 ATI 5770's being $300 or more, the single 5850 is the best idea.

 

[qwerty45]

i say get another 4890. that will outperform even a gtx 480

 

[AMW1011]

A 5850 overclocked will give you all the performance you should really need at your res, though the GTX 470 will likely max your resolution and will do a good deal better in future tessellation heavy titles, 2 5850s will stomp it as well.

Since you can't use SLI and DX11 is here now, I'm going for the 5850.