HD4770 review

[cbn]

This card is already on sale at Fry's (Brick and Mortar store) for $139.99 with BattleForge game.

I wonder when Newegg/ZZF/Ewiz will be offering these online?

 

[tvdang7]

its a 128bit card with a 256 bit performance. lower heat out put. Its what we call advancement in technology. Thats what the hype is to me. i like it. my 4850 puts out too much heat so im thinking of getting this for a not big hit in performance.

 

[lopri]

Originally posted by: n7
SFF PCs man.

Myself & a number of my friends have LAN mini-PCs we take around for gaming nights.

Big hot power hungry cards are not ideal, as often the PSU for these small cases is proprietary, & of limited wattage/amperage, making putting normal high end cards to use impossible...

Just one reason.

Exactly for this reason I'm somewhat disappointed that ATI couldn't do away with the auxiliary 6-pin power connector with this card. (and the fan.. but that's probably asking too much)

 

[Lonyo]

Originally posted by: lopri

Originally posted by: n7
SFF PCs man.

Myself & a number of my friends have LAN mini-PCs we take around for gaming nights.

Big hot power hungry cards are not ideal, as often the PSU for these small cases is proprietary, & of limited wattage/amperage, making putting normal high end cards to use impossible...

Just one reason.

Exactly for this reason I'm somewhat disappointed that ATI couldn't do away with the auxiliary 6-pin power connector with this card. (and the fan.. but that's probably asking too much)

Well, with 80W TDP and 75W max from the PCIe slot they probably wanted to make sure they went the safe route.
It might not be too surprising to see some sort of HD4750 in the future which could be run without the PCIe aux connector and might be fanless. It would be nice, but it also might eat into their lower end cards.

 

[jiffylube1024]

To compare the card to a past card, this card reminds me very much of the 6600GT, and that one sold like hotcakes.

In today's age of mail-in rebates and agressive online retailers, a card like the 4770 loses some of its charm because similar performance was already available around $100, but for a card to come out with the performance of the 4770 with the MSRP of $99 can only mean good things. Take a look at what the average joe can get at Best Buy or Fry's these days for $100-200, and a card like the 4770 is a big step forward. Imagine how cheap this card will be during sales!?

It's also a triumphant step forward for ATI; they have clearly tested the waters on 40nm, so now they can bring out their high end part on 40nm and expect few surprises.

ATI is now a node step ahead of Nvidia, if only for a little while, where as they were only a half-node step ahead of Nvidia before (the 55nm 48xx series vs the 65nm GT200 cards).

 

[nyker96]

damn everyone is hitting that site, can't get in!! can some one send me a offline version of the article? I'm dying to upgrade my 8800gt/256 for a while now. this could be perfect buy for sub $100 buy.

 

[cbn]

I wonder if these will be showing up at Newegg either tomorrow or Tuesday? (Like I was saying Fry's already has the Diamond version of this card for $139.99 with Battleforge game at its retail locations)

 

[fffblackmage]

I jumped on the MSI HD4830 deal for $72 after taxes and MIR. Seeing how the HD4770 seems to be pretty similar to the HD4850, I just don't see how it's much better in terms of performance and price.

 

[angry hampster]

Originally posted by: nyker96
damn everyone is hitting that site, can't get in!! can some one send me a offline version of the article? I'm dying to upgrade my 8800gt/256 for a while now. this could be perfect buy for sub $100 buy.

Won't be a really significant upgrade. Pick up a 4870/512 instead for $140 or so.

 

[nyker96]

Originally posted by: angry hampster

Originally posted by: nyker96
damn everyone is hitting that site, can't get in!! can some one send me a offline version of the article? I'm dying to upgrade my 8800gt/256 for a while now. this could be perfect buy for sub $100 buy.

Won't be a really significant upgrade. Pick up a 4870/512 instead for $140 or so.

yeah, but my 8800gt only got 256mb though. if it's 512 i would stick with it. Is amd going to switch 4870s into 40nm anytime soon?

 

[kmmatney]

Originally posted by: fffblackmage
I jumped on the MSI HD4830 deal for $72 after taxes and MIR. Seeing how the HD4770 seems to be pretty similar to the HD4850, I just don't see how it's much better in terms of performance and price.

If's it's priced at $99, then a $72 HD4830 probably offers better price/performance. The HD4830 has lot's of overclocking headroom as well, and is a very quiet card. The HD4770 also appears to have a lot of OC headroom, but at the end of the deay, you didn't lose out too much on your deal.

 

[yacoub]

Gee, one of these with 256-bit and lower clocks would make an awesome passively-cooled card. Oh well. Maybe one day.

 

[Gikaseixas]

Originally posted by: n7

Originally posted by: shangshang
Yeah I don't get all the hype either. It's just another card to me.

SFF PCs man.

Myself & a number of my friends have LAN mini-PCs we take around for gaming nights.

Big hot power hungry cards are not ideal, as often the PSU for these small cases is proprietary, & of limited wattage/amperage, making putting normal high end cards to use impossible...

Just one reason.

well said, you just gave me an idea hehe

 

[MrK6]

Originally posted by: fffblackmage
I jumped on the MSI HD4830 deal for $72 after taxes and MIR. Seeing how the HD4770 seems to be pretty similar to the HD4850, I just don't see how it's much better in terms of performance and price.

It's not, but it's also brand new and uses much less power, and unfortunately you're going to pay a price premium for that.

 

[cbn]

Originally posted by: fffblackmage
I jumped on the MSI HD4830 deal for $72 after taxes and MIR. Seeing how the HD4770 seems to be pretty similar to the HD4850, I just don't see how it's much better in terms of performance and price.

If HD4850 ends up dropping in price to 4770 levels it might end up being a better buy for some people.

Actually 4870 512 MB cards look like the real bargain. I've already seen one (with Stalker Clear Sky) for ~$140 After rebate (w/ Free shipping)

 

[fffblackmage]

I was actually itching to get the HD4890 to go along with my new 26" LCD, but without any real games to play... it was hard to justify buying it. My poor X1950XT with only 256MB GDDR3 just doesn't handle the new uber resolution that well, unfortunately. =[

 

[error8]

Originally posted by: nyker96
Is amd going to switch 4870s into 40nm anytime soon?

I don't think that will ever happen. If the 58XX series are taking off, in the summer, as it is rumored, then there is no point for ATI to pump money in making a 4870 gpu on 40 nm.

 

[Spike]

Quick questions, how much faster would one of these be compared to a 9600GSO? It looks like it beats the 9800 but I don't know how that compares to the 9600. And how much quieter than a dual slot 9600GSO? I want a little more gaming performance out of my HTPC and that 9600gso is holding me back a little. This card seems interesting, especially with the lower power requirement.

Thanks.

 

[fffblackmage]

Originally posted by: Spike
Quick questions, how much faster would one of these be compared to a 9600GSO? It looks like it beats the 9800 but I don't know how that compares to the 9600. And how much quieter than a dual slot 9600GSO? I want a little more gaming performance out of my HTPC and that 9600gso is holding me back a little. This card seems interesting, especially with the lower power requirement.

Thanks.

With lower power requirements and smaller 40nm process, the HD4770 should be pretty cool and quiet. I would say the HD4770 would be a pretty significant upgrade over the 9600gso. After all, 9600gso << 8800gt = 9800gt. Someone correct me if I'm wrong though, but i think that's fairly accurate.

 

[kmmatney]

Originally posted by: fffblackmage
I was actually itching to get the HD4890 to go along with my new 26" LCD, but without any real games to play... it was hard to justify buying it. My poor X1950XT with only 256MB GDDR3 just doesn't handle the new uber resolution that well, unfortunately. =[

I just bought the HD4890 (OC edition, but reference design - $179 AR), and it does perform well at 1920 x 1200 resolution. However it is very loud. I've been able to set up profiles using ATT Tray tools to underclock and undervolt the card in 2D, so it's now finally quiet in 2D (although not as quiet as my old HD4830). Out-of-the-box is was fairly loud when idling at the windows desktop - unacceptable, IMO. I usually stick with budget cards (which don't run as hot) so I didn't know what I was getting into when I bought the HD4890.

The card does overclock quite well, but you pay a price with noise. I ended up making a few overclocking profiles with ATT which actually underclock the card. For instance, I could play Oblivion at 1920 X 1200 X 4AA X 8AF easily with the card running at 66% of its normal speed, with it undervolted! This keeps the card much cooler and quieter. Most of my games run fine with underclocked settings, so I guess I bought too much card for most of my needs, although I should be good for some time in the future.

If you don't like noisy cards, I would stay clear of the HD4890, or at least wait until some 3rd party cooling designs come in, or wait for the 40 nm high-end parts. I'm finally fairly happy with the noise on my HD4890, but it took a bit of effort, and it's still too noisy when overclocked past 950 Mhz on the core.

 

[fffblackmage]

Originally posted by: kmmatney
If you don't like noisy cards, I would stay clear of the HD4890, or at least wait until some 3rd party cooling designs come in, or wait for the 40 nm high-end parts. I'm finally fairly happy with the noise on my HD4890, but it took a bit of effort, and it's still too noisy when overclocked past 950 Mhz on the core.

lol, my X1950XT uses a similar cooler and is actually fairly quiet on and idle, and loud when gaming (actually, temps still go up to like 90C or so). I ended up lowering the fan speed for idle and raised fan speed to keep temps down a bit closer to 70C while gaming. I guess I'm just not bothered by the noise while gaming.

 

[bunnyfubbles]

Originally posted by: yacoub
Gee, one of these with 256-bit and lower clocks would make an awesome passively-cooled card. Oh well. Maybe one day.

Undervolt and underclock a 4870 or 90 and add in a cooler like an S1...if your case airflow is good enough, you could even get away with not underclocking/volting (although aggressive intake fans would defeat the purpose of passive cooled video card)...

 

[nyker96]

April 28 came and gone, I thought they are intro this today! what a let down. but anyhow it couldn't be long now that the benches are out. even heard they are selling at frys retail chain for 140, but of course that's way too much. I'd pay 80 for it AR. at 100 gts250 that's on sale last month is way better deal. even the gtx 260-216 is about 150AR now. I have a feeling the prices will start drop some more when nvidia is forced to respond to this new card.

 

[Ballatician]

Can someone comment on Diamond's HD4770? I know Fry's has some in stock but I'm interested to know how loud these cards really are. One review I read mentioned they did get pretty loud under load.