ATI 4870 vs 9800 GX2?

[Maegnas]

Hi,

I'm currently building a computer, here is a list of my current build:

e8500
4gb OCZ DDR2-800
Thermaltake 600W PSU
24" SVA Monitor
500gb Seagate HDD

I have not chosen a motherboard, as I figure it beneficial to figure out which video card I want first, then buy the MB. I have read plenty of reviews, so many are mixed... going from anandtech to tomshardware to others...

As you can see at anandtech the 9800 GX2 is the clear winner (when FPS is concerned), and at Tomshardware, something happens to the 9800 GX2 and it winds up at the bottom.

Now I'm leaning more towards the 4870, as this card seems to be more consistent in it's benchmarks, and I hear the 9800 GX2 has problems with micro stuttering? (haven't personally seen it, but heard) I'm not sure if this is a big enough problem to be worth ditching this option or not.

I'm looking to play Crysis, COD 4, Far Cry 2 (not released yet), The Witcher, HL2, Team Fortress 2, CS: Source... to name a few.

Any personal experience with either of these cards would be awesome to hear in terms of how it performs on some of these games. Also any opinions on the matter would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for those who reply!

 

[Tempered81]

Welcome to AT. Try both out, and sell the one you don't keep. I'd personally like to know which is better myself!

Jk, but I hope someone here has some experience with the two cards.

 

[HOOfan 1]

Why between the 9800GX2 and the HD4870? Why not the GTX 260? The 9800GX2 would be faster than both of them in some games, but it as you pointed out since it is a dual core card, it is held back by scaling issues.

Between the HD4870 and the 9800GX2, I would personally go with the 1GB HD4870, just for the fact that its performance will be fairly even across the board.

 

[Maegnas]

Yeah, I actually just noticed the 1GB version of the card. I'm trying to find the best deal on the 1GB... so I might wait and keep my eye out for a good deal here on the hot deals forum and/or slickdeals.

I ruled out the GTX 260 due to the fact that the reviews I saw, relating especially to the games I play were not as good as the 4870. Though competition on this matter is always welcome, with proof of course .

Thanks for the replies so far... still looking for more

 

[Maegnas]

Also - Would it be worth it to get the 1GB version rather than the 512MB version Visiontek offers with a lifetime warranty?

I see the benchmarks... and it would be really nice to have... maybe a different company offers 1GB with lifetime warranty too?

 

[HOOfan 1]

Visiontek will likely offer a 1GB version soon.

 

[sgrinavi]

Originally posted by: Maegnas
this option or not.

I'm looking to play Crysis, COD 4, Far Cry 2 (not released yet), The Witcher, HL2, Team Fortress 2, CS: Source... to name a few.

Any personal experience with either of these cards would be awesome to hear in terms of how it performs on some of these games. Also any opinions on the matter would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for those who reply!

I've had both and played Crysis, COD 4, HL2 and TF2 on both at 1900x1200

The only place where the gx2 really outshined the 4870 was in Crysis, OTOH the 4870 was able to produce a better image at playable frame rates on COD4.... On the rest there was no difference that was noticable. BTW, I don't spend time checking FPSs, I go by the experience.

I recently had the same choice for a build and went with 4870 - better driver support, better AA, single GPU, less heat... maybe... as for the 1gb version, I guess you have to trust the reveiws, but it does look promising.

 

[exar333]

Another vote for the 4870 1GB card. You can always crossfire that later on too.

 

[Maegnas]

Anyone already purchase the 1GB card? Looking for a good deal, wondering if anyone had found one.

Have been keeping my eyes on the hot deals forum and slickdeals.

Your responses have been very useful, thanks so much!

I'm pretty set on the 4870 now... just hoping I can get a 1GB version soon.

 

[sgrinavi]

Newegg has'm

The diamond has a $40 rebate and the sapphire has $10 off and FS