Stream processors VS Core Clock?

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RONNCC

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What is the difference and what is significant about core clock vs stream processors?

For example:
Would 1 of these be better 5770

or

2 4670's??

What would the difference be. I know the second has a higher overall clock speed and the first has more stream processors. Which would be better?

Oh: They would be joined using a Crossfire bridge.
 
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EXT64

EXT64

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Unfortunately you can't really compare setups on those two facts alone. You have to check benchmarks and reviews on sites (such as this one).

Off the top of my head I don't know which of those is faster, however I usually try (and usually recommend to others) to get the best single card you can afford. While dual cards (CF or SLI) do increase performance, they also increase glitches and power consumption.

What games do you play and what is your current card?
 
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jerreece

jerreece

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Here's a review of the ATI 4670 Crossfire option:
http://www.hexus.net/content/item.php?item=15422

Their charts are horrid though because all three ATI cards are shown in red on the chart. So it's near impossible to read. However, they show the 4670's equaling or just beating an ATI 4850. The ATI 5770 is on par with the ATI 4870 for the most part. So, that being said, I'd honestly want a single 5770 over the pair of 4670's. Not to mention, the 5770 is a newer generation with DX11 support.

And, as EXT64 already wisely stated, a single more powerful graphics card is usually the best bet anyhow.
 
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RONNCC

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im building a computer so this is going to be a part. So. should i try getting 5770's and crossfire-ing those? What would the cheapest and most effective (like best price for performance) crossfire be which is still technologically advanced (it can support DirectX 11)
 
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iam2thecrowe

iam2thecrowe

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better to get a single faster card than 2 x 5770's. A 5850/6850 can be had for cheaper than 2 5770's and is nearly as fast. If you have to ask questions like that, you probalby dont have the know-how to use crossfire successfully, its not always as simple as plug and play.
 
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RONNCC

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so crossfire is just for when you already have like the best graphics cards and you STILL need more power so you merge them? So it boosts the power a little but it also causes some problems because of "talking" between the GPU's and computer so its kinda slow
 
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B

bystander

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More or less yes. You gain more than a little performance gain with crossfire/sli, but sometimes it causes glitches and you end up using 1 weak card during those problem times, instead of one more powerful card all the time. That and they are noisier.
 
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jerreece

jerreece

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Crossfire & SLI are "Upgrade Paths". It's so you can improve performance for cheap once you've already had one card for a while. It's sort of the "step upgrade" without entirely replacing.

Most of the time though, by the time your video card needs an upgrade, there's something so much faster that you might as well just get another single card that's just better. Unless you have a bunch of money to splurge and just get two high end cards and Crossfire right away.

For example, I'd rather put two GTX 470's in SLI than buy a new GTX 580 just from a financial standpoint. (just cause the GTX 580's are super expensive)

As others suggested, buy the best video card you can afford at the time rather than two lesser cards. The ATI 5850's are dirt cheap right now. As are the 5870's. The ATI 6850 is on par with the GTX 460 (which is a little faster than the 5770).
 
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RONNCC

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yah... know where i can get the 6850 for really cheap? i would like to get it. but its over my budget. the 5770 basically is my budget XD
 
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wolfram23

wolfram23

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If the 5770 is in your budget now, it'll be fine and crossfire down the road is a decent enough option.

Maybe you can save some cash elsewhere in your build and get a 6850/6870 now, or just wait till your next paycheck?

I guess just research some benchmarks and see if you think the performance will be where you want it.

Also nobody brought up your resolution, if you're below 1080p a 5770 performs quite well. 1080p, a 5770 is about as low as you want to go and will probably have most games set to medium/high settings.
 
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jerreece

jerreece

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Maybe it's because I'm a graphics junky, but I wouldn't want anything less than the ATI 6850 or GTX 460 @ 1080p. My preference @ 1080p would be ATI 5850, GTX 470 or ATI 6870. But that's mainly because I don't like "Medium" settings. :) LOL

Budget wise though, the 5770 would do fine for 1680x1050 or lower. But the 6850 or GTX 460 would be my preference at that particular resolution.
 
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RONNCC

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could you tell me the cheapest graphics card you can recommend so i can still keep settings at high :D
 
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jerreece

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In today's market, with today's prices and offerings, to play @ 1920x1080 with High settings and good FPS I would recommend the GTX 470 or ATI 6870.

How do I base this? I play @ 1920x1080. I like all High settings. Personally, 4xAA is fine. My eyesight isn't perfect so more than that isn't a big deal. But with a single GTX 470 you can play Bad Company 2, Just Cause 2, Batman:Arkham Asylum, and other such games @1080p with just about everything set to High as long as you don't crank up AA. I generally see 50-60FPS with these two games so long as I keep AA settings down. To me, this is the sweet spot because I have plenty of FPS, and my 'minimum' FPS is almost always above 30FPS. So I never see the "stutter" effect when things explode on screen.

The ATI 6870 is a pretty good competitive match for the GTX 470. So that's why I recommend that as an option with it. Both cards can be found for about $230-$250 for more basic "reference" design models.

Here's just a couple examples of cards you could buy:

Asus GTX 470 ($269.99 - $20 = $249.99 - $30 MIR = $219.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121372&cm_re=GTX_470-_-14-121-372-_-Product

PowerColor ATI 6870 $229
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131373&cm_re=ati_6870-_-14-131-373-_-Product

Keep in mind that some titles (Mafia 2, Metro 2033) are going to have lesser performance depending on how you set things. Mafia 2 can destroy a video card if you turn on PhysX for instance. Metro 2033 will destroy anything if you run it in DX11 mode with all the eye candy turned on.

Now, at 1680x1050 I would recommend looking at the GTX 460 1GB or ATI 6850. :)

Anything less than that you can easily get away with an ATI 5770 or GTS 450 or something like that.
 
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RONNCC

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i see. ive heard that the PowerColor brand is really bad though. Support and quality wise.
 
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jerreece

jerreece

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In that case, these are actually a better deal. Both have a 15Mhz OC (no biggie) but also have custom coolers.

Gigabyte ATI 6870 OC (Custom Cooler) $239
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125357&cm_re=ati_6870-_-14-125-357-_-Product

Asus ATI 6870 OC (DirectCU Cooler) $239
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121418&cm_re=ati_6870-_-14-121-418-_-Product
 
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jerreece

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Without having both compared directly in the same review, it's hard to say for absolute certain. Though I'd imagine they're fairly close. Either should do pretty well for you. The stock 6870 isn't too bad as it is though, especially compared to a GTX 470. :)

HD6800-89.jpg


I don't see any professional reviews on either card yet.
 
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RONNCC

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also. on a different side. do i need an external exclosure for raid (only like 4 or so) or should my case have space for it?.

Also. is there a case you recommend with this graphics card?

I have MSI 890FX-gd70 motherboard, and a Altec EarthWatts 650W 80 Certified Powersupply. So i want to make sure the card fits and that it cools well :D
 
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R

RONNCC

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well i havent bought a case yet. I was going to buy the altec three hundred. Would that work?
 
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jerreece

jerreece

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