4870 vs. 4890 on 1440x900 Monitor?

[lasoski311]

Does the 4890 make a $60-100 performance difference at 1440x900, or should i just get the 4870? I want to be able to max out every game i choose to play, but i dont want to just throw money away if its not going to make a difference. I have no problem spending the extra cash if the 4890 outperforms the 4870 at 1440x900.

If you recommend getting the 4870, should i get the 512MB, 1GB, or 2GB? Again, im trying to get the best performance without wasting my money on something thats overkill.

 

[error8]

For that resolution there is no point in throwing that much money on the 4890. Get the 4870.
It would be recommended to choose the 512 mb variant, but still, the 1gb model is not that much more expensive and you could use 8X AA in lots of games with it.

 

[Elfear]

I'd get the 512MB 4870. They can be had for $150-160 last I checked. At your resolution that will be plenty.

 

[lasoski311]

so the 4870 512MB will max out crysis & far cry 2 no problem 1t 1440x900?

 

[error8]

I have a feeling that in Crysis, GTA4, the 1 gb variant of 4870, will do better then the 512 mb one. Far Cry 2 will probably let you use 4X AA on the 1 gb card, instead of just 2X as I'm using.

 

[toyota]

Originally posted by: lasoski311
so the 4870 512MB will max out crysis & far cry 2 no problem 1t 1440x900?

you better have decent cpu too especially for Far Cry 2 at that res.

 

[toyota]

Originally posted by: error8
I have a feeling that in Crysis, GTA4, the 1 gb variant of 4870, will do better then the 512 mb one. Far Cry 2 will probably let you use 4X AA on the 1 gb card, instead of just 2X as I'm using.

at 1440 you can easily run 4x AA in Far Cry 2 with 512mb. Crysis would also be fine at that res with 512mb. only at 1680 and with more than 2x AA would either of those games go over 512mb.

 

[lasoski311]

well my cpu is the AMD Phenom II 940 3.0GHz

 

[toyota]

Originally posted by: lasoski311
well my cpu is the AMD Phenom II 940 3.0GHz

cpu is fine then. so I assume you also have 4gigs and Vista 64-bit? lol.

you should probably get a 4870 512mb or 1gb just to be safe if you really want ATI. personally I would go with a gtx260 since they run cooler and quieter than the 4870 and I have been very happy with mine. a 4890 would not be worth the extra money at 1440x900 and honestly even the 4870 or gtx260 is way more than enough for basically any game with max settings and AA. also I would really think about getting a bigger monitor for the next video card upgrade after this one.

 

[error8]

Originally posted by: toyota

Originally posted by: error8
I have a feeling that in Crysis, GTA4, the 1 gb variant of 4870, will do better then the 512 mb one. Far Cry 2 will probably let you use 4X AA on the 1 gb card, instead of just 2X as I'm using.

at 1440 you can easily run 4x AA in Far Cry 2 with 512mb. Crysis would also be fine at that res with 512mb. only at 1680 and with more than 2x AA would either of those games go over 512mb.

It might be true. I know for sure though, that 4X AA at my 1680X1050 in FC2 is a no go. AA at 1680X1050 in Crysis is just a dream.

 

[lasoski311]

thanks guys, i appreciate the help. Im still tossing the idea around to get a 21.5" 1920x1080 monitor. If i get the 4890, how will that handle crysis and far cry 2 at 1920x1080?

and btw...i have 8gbs of ram and run vista 64

 

[error8]

For 1920X1080 the 4890 is the better buy indeed. You'll have to forget the 4870 512mb for this resolution if you want all the eye candy you can get, for the newest games. 4870 1gb, though, has good value today and it's not that far behind 4890. It's up to you, whichever feels better at the wallet.

 

[lasoski311]

huh, well im still pretty torn between the two lol, maybe ill just get the 4890 to be safe but im still not sure if im goin to upgrade my monitor

 

[cecco]

I am actually in the same boat right now. My 8800GTS 320MB is starting to get a bit slow even at 1280x1024 in some games on my 17" monitor with all settings maxed. I was looking at the 4890 because with the prices on 24" monitors going down i might grab one soon to replace my 17". I'm running a E8400 with 4GB RAM powered by a PC Power & Cooling 610W PSU.

 

[lasoski311]

yea it sucks im really 50/50 on this...not sure what to do

 

[Rifter]

you can never go wrong buying a faster card

 

[lasoski311]

Originally posted by: Rifterut
you can never go wrong buying a faster card

yea ur probably right lol, and i might just do that

 

[bryanW1995]

you'll have trouble running crysis completely maxed out (8xAA, very high everything) on even a 4890 at 14x9. If you end up going 19x1080 then you'll probably want at least a gtx 285 and probably a gtx 295 or 4870x2.

If, however, you want to plan for more than 10 hours of your computer's life, then you're safe with the 4870.

 

[Rifter]

I mean really i dont know what the price is in the US but in canada right now the 4870 and 4890 is less than $40, go for the 4890. Myself I was going to get a 4850 but the price point was not worth it, i might as well get a 4870 for an extra $30, then i realized that price point isnt worth it either and might as well get a 4890. Then i realized i was only going to be pushing it with a 7750 kuma and grabbed a 4830 for $116, almost half the cost of the 4850 i was looking at and very close performace. IMO if going to buy ATI right now go all out for 4890 or grab a 4830 on the cheap. I think those are the best price points(up here anyways)

 

[vj8usa]

Originally posted by: Rifterut
I mean really i dont know what the price is in the US

Just do a search on newegg.com to get an idea of US prices. The 4890 is about 30-40% more expensive than the 4870 1GB. In terms of sheer value (FPS/$), the 4870 is a better buy (not taking OCing into account).

 

[bryanW1995]

it's a $60 jump from $169 AR to $229 AR currently. the 512 mb card was $135 AR a couple of weeks ago. imho that's a very good deal, wait for something like that to come around again and jump on it.

 

[lasoski311]

Originally posted by: bryanW1995
you'll have trouble running crysis completely maxed out (8xAA, very high everything) on even a 4890 at 14x9. If you end up going 19x1080 then you'll probably want at least a gtx 285 and probably a gtx 295 or 4870x2.

If, however, you want to plan for more than 10 hours of your computer's life, then you're safe with the 4870.

dont really want to spend the money for the GTX 285, 295, or the 4870X2

Im not exactly sure what u mean here...
"If, however, you want to plan for more than 10 hours of your computer's life, then you're safe with the 4870."

 

[zod96]

Crysis is the one game that brings just about any card regardless of the resolution to its knees. Especially with AA. If you want to make sure you get the max out of crysis I'd definitely get the 1 gb version and then either a 4890 or a gtx275 never hurts to get a little insurance

 

[Tempered81]

I'd get a 4890 1GB and use Antialiasing and max details. Even with it overclocked to 950-1000mhz, crysis, gtaiv, farcry2, and some others wont average over 40-50fps.

 

[lasoski311]

Originally posted by: jaredpace
I'd get a 4890 1GB and use Antialiasing and max details. Even with it overclocked to 950-1000mhz, crysis, gtaiv, farcry2, and some others wont average over 40-50fps.

i here ya, i think im going to go the 4890 route