4870X2 or 295GTX...?

[aboldi]

Hi everyone,

I'm building a new gaming rig with the following specs:

Mobo: Undecided as of yet (probably the Gigabyte EP45-UD3L - opinions welcomed!)
RAM: 2x2GB sticks of Corsair 800Mhz
PSU: Coolermaster Silent Pro 700W Modular
CPU: Q9550
Hard drive: 500GB Western Digital 7200rpm
Graphics card: ????
Monitor: HD-out to a 37' full-HD TV

Basically my dilema is whether or not a 295GTX is going to be worth the extra $80Aus or so? At the moment i'm leaning heavily towards the 4870X2 as the general concensus is the 295 IS better, but only somewhat so. I will be playing new and future games on this PC build and will be playing primarily on the screen mentioned above.

What does everyone think?

Thanks in advance,
Scott

 

[dguy6789]

+1 vote for 4870X2.

 

[Keysplayr]

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articl...ce-gtx295_9.html#sect1

http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3498&p=2

http://www.guru3d.com/article/...-gtx-295-review-bfg/11

http://www.xtremesystems.org/f...howthread.php?t=211416

 

[SlowSpyder]

Both of those cards are very powerful and either should easily handle 1920x1080 resolution. So I would go with which ever one is cheaper

 

[dflynchimp]

Originally posted by: SlowSpyder
Both of those cards are very powerful and either should easily handle 1920x1080 resolution. So I would go with which ever one is cheaper

+1 vote for price. At 1920 either card should do you well.

 

[bryanW1995]

while it is true that both of those cards will pwn currently at 19x10, there are a couple of factors to consider:

1. What games do you play?
2. Do you have any power/thermal considerations?

If the cards are fairly equal at your resolution, which seems likely, then the consensus of 4870x2 seems to be a good idea. However, if your games perform much better on nvidia then you should definitely take that into account.

 

[TC91]

gtx285 wouldnt be a bad idea either

 

[LOUISSSSS]

very similar cards. I'd go for the one with the cheaper price.

 

[footballrunner800]

Having experience with the 4870x2, its a card I'd greatly recommend. Im sure the gtx295 is also a good card so you can't go wrong either way.

 

[dguy6789]

Originally posted by: TC91
gtx285 wouldnt be a bad idea either

For that price just get a 4850X2 2GB.

 

[Keysplayr]

Meant to ask, what resolution does your HDTV support?

 

[alcoholbob]

I'd personally just go with the quieter card if you are going with an X2 card. Wouldn't the 4870X2 run cooler, or at the very least, have better overall case cooling since its a single pcb?

 

[Cookie Monster]

Originally posted by: Astrallite
I'd personally just go with the quieter card if you are going with an X2 card. Wouldn't the 4870X2 run cooler, or at the very least, have better overall case cooling since its a single pcb?

+1. The X2s stock cooler blows hot air out of the case, so I think when it comes to overall thermal performance between the two cards, the X2 has the advantage. Not sure about noise though.

 

[imported_Scoop]

Originally posted by: TC91
gtx285 wouldnt be a bad idea either

Yes it is a bad idea. 4850X2 blows it out of the water.

 

[Elfear]

Super happy with my X2. It will eat up 99.9% of the games out there at 1920x1080.

 

[aboldi]

Originally posted by: keysplayr2003
Meant to ask, what resolution does your HDTV support?

I'm not entirely sure as i'm currently in a different town, but im certain it supports full HD (1080) and im guessing thats the highest it can go. So it looks like the X2 and the 295 are more or less on par, which is excellent to hear cause it makes my build a little cheaper Thanks very much for the replies all, much appreciated

 

[WaTaGuMp]

I will also say the X2.

 

[TC91]

Originally posted by: Scoop

Originally posted by: TC91
gtx285 wouldnt be a bad idea either

Yes it is a bad idea. 4850X2 blows it out of the water.

gtx 285 doesnt rely on crossfire profiles to work properly so no need to worry about scaling

EDIT: anyways I would go with the gtx295 @1920x1080

 

[Extelleron]

The GTX 295 is a better card but it also costs a solid $120+ more than the HD 4870 X2. You can get a HD 4870 X2 for under $400 meanwhile it seems the GTX 295 has actually increased in price to where the cheapest models are $520.

Given the price difference and the similar performance, I would go with the 4870 X2. Of course the pricing situation may be different for you. If the GTX 295 was only $50 more than the 4870 X2 then it would be the clear choice IMO.

 

[KIAman]

Wow, I see these ATI vs NVIDIA threads all the time and nobody ever mentions the best thing about ATI when it comes to HDTV via HDMI. SOUND!!!!!

Go 4870x2 for native sound via HDMI.