Gtx 280 or Ati 4870x2

[ckyforever43]

I am in the process of building a new computer and i cant decide on which graphic card i should get. i have the evga x58 tri sli board. i dont want sli or crossfire at the moment but id like to down the road. i have seen some test that show the gtx 280 in dual sli beating the x2 in crossfire. and then others saying the x2 in crossfire smokes the gtx 280. so which would be the better card to get one thats slower but has better drivers(gtx) or the faster dual gpu that has not so good drivers(what i heard not sure if true) any help would be great and tri sli isnt an option to much money. so dont say get tri lol

 

[TidusZ]

http://forums.anandtech.com/me...=2251559&enterthread=y

same post, decent infos

 

[ckyforever43]

thanks man that help me make up my mind finally.

 

[Rabbits]

I know the topic may be closed (somehow), but I prefer a Zotac GTX 280 (used one).

 

[cmdrdredd]

I went with the GTX280 because of it being cheaper, not much slower in general, and because I was afraid I'd be one of the unlucky ones that had issues getting both GPUs to be recognized.

 

[Zebo]

GTX280 a real single card not some hacked crossfire deal which has scaling issues. It's also cooler quieter and cheaper.

 

[AzN]

hacked or not 4870x2 is much faster. Some games do have scaling issues but that's the price you pay for much faster performance.

It seems ATI is now milking their product like how Nvidia did for years. Price hasn't come down much at all for the 4870x2. GTX280 sure did.

If price is a issue there's always 4850x2 for $300 and still faster than GTX280.

http://www.firingsquad.com/har...50_x2_review/page4.asp

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814102809

 

[cmdrdredd]

Originally posted by: Azn
hacked or not 4870x2 is much faster. Some games do have scaling issues but that's the price you pay for much faster performance.

It seems ATI is now milking their product like how Nvidia did for years. Price hasn't come down much at all for the 4870x2. GTX280 sure did.

If price is a issue there's always 4850x2 for $300 and still faster than GTX280.

http://www.firingsquad.com/har...50_x2_review/page4.asp

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814102809

And yet you still have the before mentioned scaling issues, & no guarantee that you will have no trouble with drivers.

 

[AzN]

I don't know it seems all the major games scale just fine. 4850x2 is beating GTX280 by 20% while costing $100 less. It just depends if that is worth it for the individual.

Driver problems could arise but then there's always the single GPU mode for full compatibility. So all is not lost.

 

[lavaheadache]

Originally posted by: cmdrdredd

Originally posted by: Azn
hacked or not 4870x2 is much faster. Some games do have scaling issues but that's the price you pay for much faster performance.

It seems ATI is now milking their product like how Nvidia did for years. Price hasn't come down much at all for the 4870x2. GTX280 sure did.

If price is a issue there's always 4850x2 for $300 and still faster than GTX280.

http://www.firingsquad.com/har...50_x2_review/page4.asp

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814102809

And yet you still have the before mentioned scaling issues, & no guarantee that you will have no trouble with drivers.

Is there ever a guarantee that there will be no driver issues? Are you implying that Nvidia has none? sheesh..... Nvidia makes great cards and great drivers. SO DOES AMD.

ALL this poop aside, I recommend the OP tell us what resolution his display is, most likely the X2 is way too much card for his needs.

I would recommend the 280(out of the cards you list) since you can find one much cheaper than the 4870X2.

As AZN stated, the 4850X2 is also a formiddable card that is usually almost as fast as the 4870X2, cheaper, capable of 4 displays, and is usually faster than the GTX280.

Honeslty, OP I think the most value oriented option for you is a 216 260. Almost equal to a 280 if you oc, close even if you don't. Wayyyy cheaper than the 280. Sli later if you want since you have the board for it.

 

[Elfear]

As others have mentioned, you need to let us know what resolution you'll be playing at and whether new games are a must or if you prefer the slightly older titles.

 

[Shmee]

I would recommend either the core 216 or 280, OR an HD 4870 1GB. all three are excellent cards, depends how much you want to pay. I recently got an EVGA GTX 260 core 216 for $250 on amazon. also on amazon, the EVGA GTX 280 is now only $311
the HD 4870 1 GB cards are also around $300

One thing you could do, is get TWO GTX 260 core 216's for about the same price as the 4870X2, but it would probably be faster.
I know you said you didnt want to get 2 cards to begin with, if you are considering a 4870X2, you may as well consider SLI as well.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Originally posted by: lavaheadache

Originally posted by: cmdrdredd

Originally posted by: Azn
hacked or not 4870x2 is much faster. Some games do have scaling issues but that's the price you pay for much faster performance.

It seems ATI is now milking their product like how Nvidia did for years. Price hasn't come down much at all for the 4870x2. GTX280 sure did.

If price is a issue there's always 4850x2 for $300 and still faster than GTX280.

http://www.firingsquad.com/har...50_x2_review/page4.asp

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814102809

And yet you still have the before mentioned scaling issues, & no guarantee that you will have no trouble with drivers.

Is there ever a guarantee that there will be no driver issues? Are you implying that Nvidia has none? sheesh..... Nvidia makes great cards and great drivers. SO DOES AMD.

ALL this poop aside, I recommend the OP tell us what resolution his display is, most likely the X2 is way too much card for his needs.

I would recommend the 280(out of the cards you list) since you can find one much cheaper than the 4870X2.

As AZN stated, the 4850X2 is also a formiddable card that is usually almost as fast as the 4870X2, cheaper, capable of 4 displays, and is usually faster than the GTX280.

Honeslty, OP I think the most value oriented option for you is a 216 260. Almost equal to a 280 if you oc, close even if you don't. Wayyyy cheaper than the 280. Sli later if you want since you have the board for it.

The mentioned GTX280 has no issues with SLI not working, so you never half performance.