HD3870x2 1GB vs HD4850x2 2GB

[crossing]

I have quad screen setup for trading. Initially I looked for a cheaper version which was 2 cheap video cards (DVI+VGA) . The result was disaster in terms of performance. So I choosed 3870x2 1Gb/512bit . Things were looked much more better, but more like 89-90% happy. When I open 4 live feeds performance its a little lower . My card failed to work on 2 dvi ports so I decided it to fix it wit a little heat (400degrees on each GPU ) and pc doesnt see it at all now ,pc bot but nothing on screens. Now I have to buy new card , 3870x2 with 4 dvi price its around 90usd second hand. I have found brand new HD4850x2 2Gb ,512bits at 170usd ,the price I payed 2 years ago for 3870x2 .
I wonder if its worth it to pay double for that card . If I will get the extra 10-20% of performance that my old card didnt give when I use pc at maximum I will buy it. What do you think ? I checked this compare site http://www.hwcompare.com/4670/radeon-hd-3870-x2-512mb-vs-radeon-hd-4850-x2-1gb/ and Texel Rate its 89% better on 4850x2, while Pixel Rate its 32% better on 3870x2 (although half on memory size ) .
For my case - 4 live video feeds using mozilla + 4 other websites with continuous auto refresh with informations on each of it + other 2,3 web sites + 4 applications, each with big charts moving all the time - what will be the best for me,Texel Rate or Pixel Rate ?
There is other better/cheaper option to have atleast the same performance for my needs ?

thank you

 

[crossing]

I also found it Radeon HD 6870 1gb ddr5 , 256bits, which can handle 4 monitors , 2 dvi and 2 minidisplay port . Looks much better on tests compare with 4850x2 (also less power consumption )http://www.hwcompare.com/6006/radeon-hd-4850-x2-1gb-vs-radeon-hd-6870/ , but will perform better also when 4 monitors conected (those 256bits will handle 4 monitors well compare with 512bit on 4850x2 ) ?

 

[benski]

I would definately pay the extra for the 6870 unless you live in a cold climate and need an extra space heater

 

[toscrawford]

The 4850x2 came out in 2008. That tech is quite a bit dated, though still quite fast.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107-7.html

The problem I'm having is you are running 2D, not 3D apps. The performance testing and rankings on cards is for 3D apps, so for your needs most reviews will be useless.

Likewise, the amount of RAM you need for 2D is tiny compared to 3D, so paying for extra RAM doesn't buy you anything.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but the HD 7750 has a 2D clock set to 300 MHz and RAM set to 600 MHz. It goes much higher in 3D mode. This is done as a power saving mode because the extra speed is usually overkill compared to other system bottlenecks. Couldn't you simply overclock the 2D mode to run at full 3D speed and get more 2D performance? If so, just look for an HD 7750 or HD 7770 that has your port requirements. At least that way you are working with a current generation card.

I'm not any kind of 2D expert, but I'd look at the http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150611 for $90 and overclock the 2D.

 

[crossing]

So my need is 2D performance . Maybe I can find a cheaper version that can handles my needs ? I actually have 2 cards GeForce 7300SE 256mb /64bits. \Performance it really bad , only one live feed its hard to see - sacadated video even on youtube .

 

[benski]

Not sure what sacadated means, but your issue with video playback is probably that the 7300 is too old to support support hardware acceleration so your CPU is having to do all the work decoding videos. You don't need a really powerful GPU to fix that, just a newer one that is supported by flash acceleration.

http://www.newegg.com/Special/ShellShocker.aspx?cm_sp=ShellShocker-_-14-162-100-_-08312012_2

Something like that would probably do the trick and you won't beat that price.

 

[crossing]

I think the link is bad.

 

[crossing]

2 quadro fx3450 256mb/256bit will do the job well ? or maybe TI RADEON X800GTO 256mb/256bit / or ASUS EN6800LE . They all made in 2005 . Any of those are 25usd.

 

[benski]

Yeah the link changed it was a one day sale. It was this card on sale:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814162100

 

[crossing]

I dont really get what do I need . Large bandwith ? Or ram ?