Help me choose!

[Redeemed]

Okay, I'm going with ATi this round for my video cards. I'm going to purchase one this week or the next, depending how large my paycheck is this week. :lol:

I'm going with dual 1GB 4870s... just cannot decide which brand. Here are the choices I'm narrowing it down to-

1.) Sapphire (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102815)

2.) HIS (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161269).

Now, the last ATi card I owned was a Rage128. :lol: I want to have a color theme going. I've already purchased the Silverstone Raven RV01 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811163135) case, and want components to match. So here is what I have already-

Intel BadAxe 975X mobo (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813121060)

Zalman CNPS9500 LED HSF (http://www.zalman.co.kr/ENG/product/Product_Read.asp?idx=277)

Silverstone ST85F PSU (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817256011)

I'm going to be getting the red 2x2GB G.Skill DDR2 1066 RAM (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231226), and hope to use my OCZ RAM cooler.

With all that in mind, which 4870 card would best match the above? I'm leaning towards the Saphire, honestly. :o What do ya'll say?

Thanks! :D

[methimpikehoses]

http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?p=PC-4870X2&c=fr&pid=a0ef2ba844b4c6dc893d33194cd1609c5787ca1bb5a064 468d2a812a61183aa8

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118019

edit: or this: http://www.amazon.com/Sapphire-Radeon-HD4850-PCI-Express-Graphics/dp/B001KAKT4Q/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1232268313&sr=8-1

[a12ctic]

From what I've heard, Sapphire generally has better support and is a better company, but the cooler on the HIS card looks pretty impressive. The temps on the non x2 48x0 cards are pretty solid, my 4830 is always bellow 45C even while underload (its idling at 31C right now), its a sapphire.

[XMAN52373]

As if there is really any other choice here. XFX.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150339

You just gotta love the only ATI card provider who does Lifetime warranty.

[Toss3]

Deemed - get the Sapphire(picked the HIS by mistake in your poll :o); the custom cooler on the HIS will dump all the heat of the graphics card into your case and thus raise the ambient temps.

[Redeemed]

http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?p=PC-4870X2&c=fr&pid=a0ef2ba844b4c6dc893d33194cd1609c5787ca1bb5a064 468d2a812a61183aa8

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118019

edit: or this: http://www.amazon.com/Sapphire-Radeon-HD4850-PCI-Express-Graphics/dp/B001KAKT4Q/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1232268313&sr=8-1

I'm not going with an X2. :lol: Thanks though. :D

As if there is really any other choice here. XFX.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150339

You just gotta love the only ATI card provider who does Lifetime warranty.

I was originally going for the XFX... but by the time I purchase it'll be a $300 card. Don't want to spend that much in addition to tax and shipping.

Deemed - get the Sapphire(picked the HIS by mistake in your poll :o); the custom cooler on the HIS will dump all the heat of the graphics card into your case and thus raise the ambient temps.

That's what I like about the Sapphire card. They typically get pretty good reviews, and the cooler exhausts the heat, versus just keeping it in the case. Granted, this new case of mine is large enough to live in (:lol:), still, the cooler the better. :)

Thanks guys! Keep the suggestions comming please! I still wont be ordering for another few days at least! :)

[Redeemed]

I'm really beginning to like the Sapphire card myself. It's a bit more $$$ than I want to spend... but I could make it work. :)

[LordJuanlo]

If you were going for the x2 I would get the HIS, but for dual 4870s I prefer the Sapphire. However I think it would be better to get one x2 than dual 4870s, why do you prefer this?

[JaxMacFL]

Here is the one I bought (at the time $229 after $10 MIR). Still has a custom cooler and can oc to 780/1000 easy. Save you $20 a card too.

Link:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102801

[Redeemed]

If you were going for the x2 I would get the HIS, but for dual 4870s I prefer the Sapphire. However I think it would be better to get one x2 than dual 4870s, why do you prefer this?

Well, in the long haul it's cheaper, and I'm only buying one card to start off, and the second probably a couple weeks later, third- IMO, QuadSLi and CrossFire is drifting into the land of diminishing returns as far as linear scaling goes. In other words, from what I've read, I stand a better chance of getting exactly or near 100$ scaling with just two cards than I do with four. Meaning I'll be getting the most out of every dollar I spend with just the two due to the better scaling.

But again, that's part of the purpouse of this thread- if I'm wrong I'd hope ya'll would correct me. :) If odd's are good that I can get near 100% scaling with all GPUs with two 4870X2s... I'd consider those cards then if I could find one that isn't outlandishly priced. I'd prefer to not spend near $1k on both cards combined if at all possible. :lol:

Here is the one I bought (at the time $229 after $10 MIR). Still has a custom cooler and can oc to 780/1000 easy. Save you $20 a card too.

Link:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102801

I've been eyeing that one as well... I do like the copper HS and heat pipes on the other Sapphire though, and it isn't too much more. Decisions... :lol:

[methimpikehoses]

Well 1 4870x2 is cheaper than 2 4870's... and it only takes up one pci slot...

So in the short run, you save a few bucks for the same preformance, and in the long run you could add another x2 later when they become cheap. :wtf:

You can get 4870x2's for under $450...

[LordJuanlo]

If you plan to buy another 4870 in 2 or 3 weeks, you should buy directly the x2. It's cheaper and it won't work worse than two 4870s

[Redeemed]

If you plan to buy another 4870 in 2 or 3 weeks, you should buy directly the x2. It's cheaper and it won't work worse than two 4870s

Well, the cheapest 4870x2 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=40000048&Description=4870%20X2&bop=And&Order=PRICE) goes for $429.99. If I want to buy two of them, that's over $900 after tax and shipping is taken into account.

Furthermore, how well do the 4870X2s scale? I'm sure one card would scale okay, probably just as good as dual 4870s only for a tad bit less. Secondly, to get one of those I'd have to put off the purchase for several weeks as I don't have the spare cash to dump near $450 on a card right now. :( But is the scaling always that good?

I guess, I've just heard far too many horror stories about the dual GPU boards. I've just gotten the impression that traditional SLi and CrossFire tends to scale better and have greater compatibility across the board.

Am I incorrect?

[nekrosoft13]

may i as why 975x board? :|

[Redeemed]

may i as why 975x board? :|

Because I already own it and it's been sitting on my shelf here for a while. Figure this new system I got planned out will be considerably faster than what I currently have (Phenom rig), which is already faster than what I need.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure I'm not going with an X2... I dumped that much money on my 640MB 8800GTSs and kind of wish I hadn't. These two 9600GTs are every bit as fast (and scale better in SLi) while both of them combined cost less than a single 8800GTS cost me.

No, I really don't think I like the idea of dropping that much money on a single video card (even if it does have dual GPUs). Unless one of ya'll can provide a convincing reason why I should get the X2 I'm just gonna' ditch that idea.

So, back to my original question... are most in favor of the Sapphire? And would the copper heatsink help all that much on the Sapphire I linked to in my OP? I'm not that big of an over clocker, though I do imagine I'll try and see what I can squeeze out of my Q6600. :lol:

[methimpikehoses]

Well, the cheapest 4870x2 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=40000048&Description=4870%20X2&bop=And&Order=PRICE) goes for $429.99. If I want to buy two of them, that's over $900 after tax and shipping is taken into account.

Furthermore, how well do the 4870X2s scale? I'm sure one card would scale okay, probably just as good as dual 4870s only for a tad bit less. Secondly, to get one of those I'd have to put off the purchase for several weeks as I don't have the spare cash to dump near $450 on a card right now. :( But is the scaling always that good?

I guess, I've just heard far too many horror stories about the dual GPU boards. I've just gotten the impression that traditional SLi and CrossFire tends to scale better and have greater compatibility across the board.

Am I incorrect?

But why do you insist on comparing the price of 2 4870's to 2 4870x2's? That makes no sense.

You should compare 2 4870's to 1 4870x2. Then you could make a logical decision...

The 4870x2 gets great performance. The only game that I get issues with is Fallout 3, but
I think that 2 4870's in CF have the same issue.

[Redeemed]

But why do you insist on comparing the price of 2 4870's to 2 4870x2's? That makes no sense.

You should compare 2 4870's to 1 4870x2. Then you could make a logical decision...

The 4870x2 gets great performance. The only game that I get issues with is Fallout 3, but
I think that 2 4870's in CF have the same issue.

You make a valid point- you're arguing that I should not consider buying two X2s, but just one, instead of two 4870s. It would save me some money in the long run I suppose.

I don't know... I'm just really leery about the dual GPU boards I suppose. And I'm also not liking spending that much money all at once I guess.

I'm trying to build a fast gaming rig that will last me a while, but I don't want to go all out and balls to the wall- ya' know? :lol: Just trying to make sure I get the most for my buck.

Hmm... you seem really pleased with that X2, that is a good sign. I just remember reading about so many members here being upset with their GX2 cards from nVidia, I'm afraid I'll have the same experience with the 4870X2. :(

[methimpikehoses]

Well I'm just saying that if you are sure you are going to get 2 4870's, then you might as well get a x2, since the price and performance is so close anyhow. If you are only getting a 4870, it's a totally different story.

I'm very pleased with the x2... as you can see from reviews it gives excellent performance. My only gripes are:

--FPS drops in Fallout 3 (I think this is a problem for all ATI crossfire configs... hopefully a driver issue)
--Minimum FPS in COD5 can be low in very smokey areas when AA is cranked up, although I average about 91 fps in MP.

Those problems would not be fixed by having 2 4870's though... maybe they would be fixed by having 2 GTX's or a GTX 295, but that is a whole other ball of wax.

[Redeemed]

Well I'm just saying that if you are sure you are going to get 2 4870's, then you might as well get a x2, since the price and performance is so close anyhow. If you are only getting a 4870, it's a totally different story.

I'm very pleased with the x2... as you can see from reviews it gives excellent performance. My only gripes are:

--FPS drops in Fallout 3 (I think this is a problem for all ATI crossfire configs... hopefully a driver issue)
--Minimum FPS in COD5 can be low in very smokey areas when AA is cranked up, although I average about 91 fps in MP.

Those problems would not be fixed by having 2 4870's though... maybe they would be fixed by having 2 GTX's or a GTX 295, but that is a whole other ball of wax.

Here's my issue though- I'm *very* satisfied with my dual 9600GTs. A single 4870 should offer faster performance across the board, no?

As such, if I'm satisfied enough with a single 4870, I just might not purchase the second. Thus not going CrossFire at all. If I buy the 4870X2, I'm stuck with CrossFire whether I like it or not, and I might not even see a benefit from the added GPU. Right now I'm only gaming at 1680x1050- a resolution my current cards handle just fine even when adding AA and AF. Now, I do hope to upgrade to the 28" Hanns-G LCD monitor next month, so my resolution would then be 1920x1200. But I'm sure a single 4870 could handle that, and at that resolution I'm not opposed to turning AA and AF off entirely to aid frame rates.

Then again, with the X2 I could use AA and AF at that resolution and not have to worry much about poor FPS I suppose...

[Redeemed]

So only 4 members are going to vote? :o I was hoping for a little more feedback than that! :p

So far, the written consensus seems to favor sapphire, while the poll shows more votes for HIS. I've heard great things about both companies so I'm kinda' stumped still. I'm honestly leaning more towards the Sapphire still, but since I'm an "ATi Virgin", so-to-speak, I'd like to make sure I buy from a reputable and trustworthy company.

So, how about this- which company is most like the "eVGA of Radeons"? I'm definitely an e-VGA fan, but obviously they don't offer Radeons. :p :(

So please! More suggestions and opinions! :) :D

[methimpikehoses]

Visiontek offers a lifetime warranty... however I can also tell you that they charge you $10 to ship your RMA back to you. :thumbdwn:

[Redeemed]

Visiontek offers a lifetime warranty... however I can also tell you that they charge you $10 to ship your RMA back to you. :thumbdwn:

And XFX offers a double life-time, don't they? Or is that warranty only for their GeForce cards?

[methimpikehoses]

And XFX offers a double life-time, don't they? Or is that warranty only for their GeForce cards?

It probably goes for all their cards, but you would want to check first.

[Redeemed]

It probably goes for all their cards, but you would want to check first.

Most definitely... but due to pricing, I'm really liking the Sapphire offerings. I'm almost certain that's the manufacturer I'm going to go with. Was hoping for a few more votes on the poll to help me choose... but I guess with what has been giving Sapphire seems the best option.

EDIT: Seems several more people have voted... more seem to like HIS. They do have the IceQ 4, I could go for that card? It's a tad bit more than I wanted to spend, but if it'd be worth it I'm willing to do it. :)

[Redeemed]

Methim, or any other member with a Radeon- can you verify how well the card handles older titles such as FEAR, Oblivion, HL1 and all the episodes, etc?

Thx. :D