9800GX2 vs 9800GX2 (Quad) vs 4870 vs 4870 CF

[neutralmind]

I cannot seem to find recent or relevant information on the performance of the setups mentioned in the title to determine which is the best choice. I know the 4870X2 CF is the most powerful combo but it just doesn't fit into my budget right now. The ones in the title are what I can afford. All the benchmarks I can find are from 2008 and I would like to hear from a well-rated reviewer or someone with a rig having one of the video cards mentioned. What I'm really concerned about is how the latest drivers affected the performance of these old yet powerful GPUs. Also, do the latest drivers fix the inherent microstuttering issues with GX2s? How much was the scaling improved over the past two years between the setups mentioned?

 

[hell_storm2004]

Do you have these or planning to buy it? If you are planning to buy it, then i would say reconsider your choice to something better.

The HD4870x2 would be better i think. The 9800GX2x4 is a waste of power and temperatures. Although the HD4870x2 is not far behind in that sense. But two cards would mean a lot more airflow than 4 cards.

 

[Lmeow]

I would say the 9800 GX2 in SLI would perform faster than the HD 4870 CFX. However, it mainly depends on how well the 9800 GX2s scale.

 

[neutralmind]

I have no problems with power consumption and heat problems. Most of the heat problems can be fixed with good airflow. Also, a huge drop in core temps with the 9800GX2 is observed by just removing it from its enclosure.

I have none of these cards. What GPUs do you recommend? Also, I would like to clarify that a 9800GX2 is two 8800GT in one video card though large. I placed QUAD to show that its two 9800GX2s.

Lmeow: From what I've researched, 4870<9800GX2<4870CF<9800GX2 (SLI). However, microstuttering in the GX2 made actual performance really bad. Despite having higher average FPS, GX2s had high max FPS but also low minimum FPS. I really want to know if the latest drivers fixed this problem.

 

[Lmeow]

^ The 9800 GX2 is actually two 8800 GTS 512 MB (G92). Underclocked slightly on the core and shaders, while overclocked slightly on the memory.

What is your budget?

You could try GTX 460 SLI, which would perform faster than a single GTX 480.

Just to note, apparently microstuttering is no longer as much of a problem was it was in the past.

 

[hell_storm2004]

You could try GTX 460 SLI, which would perform faster than a single GTX 480.

I would have suggested the same thing!

Its DX11, runs cooler, less power consumption and on top of that powerful. It would make you happy for at least next 2-3 years!

 

[neutralmind]

$250 is my maximum. GTX260 in SLI would cost me $410 so it's out of the question. I might need to add the following information as I just found this:
http://www.guru3d.com/article/radeon-4850-and-4870-review-force3d/8
http://www.guru3d.com/article/xfx-geforce-9800-gx2-black-edition-review/9

Yep, 9800GX2 blows it out of the water. I can also fix the microstuttering with a single GPU but have no idea once I SLI it. Is anyone here familiar with overclocking a quad-sli setup?

 

[hell_storm2004]

GTX 460 1GB. Get it. It rocks!

 

[neutralmind]

Yes, but the reason I'm asking which is the best choice is because they (9800GX2 vs 9800GX2 (Quad) vs 4870 vs 4870 CF) are similiar in pricing w/ corresponding performance. A 9800GX2 has similar performance with a 460 but costs half as much. At the price of a 460, I can get two 9800GX2 and much better performance.

 

[Lmeow]

But you'd be stuck with DirectX 10 and you wouldn't be able to add another card to boost performance. Microstuttering may have improved but if you want to stay safe, I'd stay away from the 9800 GX2. The GTX 460 1 GB would be faster than the 9800 GX2 1 GB at higher resolutions.

 

[neutralmind]

I don't think I'll be able to upgrade for a long time. A GTX460 is in the same tier with 9800GX2. What's wrong with DX10? Microstuttering doesn't exist in a single 9800GX2 with the proper setup but I'm not so sure though with the dual GX2s. I'm aiming for price vs performance right now with the cost as my limiting factor. Therefore, I must make the most of it. I think I have to be clear about it, from the following GPUs, which would be the best choice for performace?

9800GX2
9800GX2 (SLI)
4870
4870 CF
4870X2

 

[Lmeow]

DirectX 11 looks a lot better than DX 10, I don't think there's any point in buying old tech but thats for you to decide.

9800 GX2 SLI would be the fastest. If I had to pick from those cards I'd take the HD 4870 X2, mainly because it uses less energy overall and wouldn't run as hot.

 

[Bluescreendeath]

I suggest two 4870s in crossfire for about $200-$220. It will perform equal to a 5870 which costs around $350.

 

[AMW1011]

See if you can get 2 4890s, I've seen them sold around $120-$140 used at times. A 4890 is pretty close to a GTX 460, so two of them will blow any of the other configurations out of the water.

 

[neutralmind]

See if you can get 2 4890s, I've seen them sold around $120-$140 used at times. A 4890 is pretty close to a GTX 460, so two of them will blow any of the other configurations out of the water.

I wonder why I've never factored that in. I've seem benchmarks for OC'ed 4890s and I'm quite impressed. Also, it fits my budget if I look in the right places. I've never been this excited to tinker with a GPU. :lol:

 

[neutralmind]

Best answer selected by neutralmind.