Help me to get a better card 4870 or 260

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bonecrusher

Junior Member
Jul 24, 2008
21
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I am building my new rig. So i want u guys to help me in this
4870 or gtx 260


Almost forgot i am buying t220 samsung 22 inch


So as you can see, there are people on both sides.
Both are good cards; you'll be happy with either. :)

And due to this dissolving into a mess, this is now locked.

n7
Video Mod
 
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DaveSimmons

Elite Member
Aug 12, 2001
40,730
670
126
There are so many old threads and so many benchmarks around the net that there is not much point giving any details.

4870 for DX9 / DX10 speed and if you care about DX 10.1 support

260 if you care about PhysX
 
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codyz2035

Member
May 19, 2008
33
0
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the 4870 is a good buy. ati is really putting the pressure on nvidia with their RV770 cores. they are really out performing many nvidia graphics cards. if i were you i would go with the 4870.
 
Mem

Mem

Lifer
Apr 23, 2000
21,476
13
81
Originally posted by: DaveSimmons
There are so many old threads and so many benchmarks around the net that there is not much point giving any details.

4870 for DX9 / DX10 speed and if you care about DX 10.1 support

260 if you care about PhysX
Click to expand...

Also If you care about size get the 4870,the 260 is a longer card(won't fit on my motherboard unless I remove one of my working IDE cables) so that may be a factor for some as well.
 
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chizow

Diamond Member
Jun 26, 2001
9,537
2
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If you can wait a few weeks, I'd wait for the new GTX 260 with 216SP and the 1GB 4870 before making a decision. The GTX 260 has better cooling and better overclocking ability by far. There's plenty of threads here and elsewhere describing the 4870 cooler as insufficient and hot or loud when fan speed is increased to compensate for heat. You'll see 4870 owners spending good money for better cooling but there's really no need to with the GTX 260 as the stock cooler is excellent. Also, the 512MB on the 4870 can be a problem with the 4870, as there's been numerous reports of performance tanking over time with AA enabled. The 1GB should alleviate the problem if driver fixes don't.
 
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Creig

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
5,170
13
81
A 4870 is faster than a GTX260 in the majority of titles. It even goes toe-to-toe with the GTX280 in a few games. I would recommend you get the 4870.
 
error8

error8

Diamond Member
Nov 28, 2007
3,204
0
76
Originally posted by: Creig
A 4870 is faster than a GTX260 in the majority of titles. It even goes toe-to-toe with the GTX280 in a few games. I would recommend you get the 4870.
Click to expand...

+1
 
cmdrdredd

cmdrdredd

Lifer
Dec 12, 2001
27,052
357
126
Originally posted by: chizow
If you can wait a few weeks, I'd wait for the new GTX 260 with 216SP and the 1GB 4870 before making a decision. The GTX 260 has better cooling and better overclocking ability by far. There's plenty of threads here and elsewhere describing the 4870 cooler as insufficient and hot or loud when fan speed is increased to compensate for heat. You'll see 4870 owners spending good money for better cooling but there's really no need to with the GTX 260 as the stock cooler is excellent. Also, the 512MB on the 4870 can be a problem with the 4870, as there's been numerous reports of performance tanking over time with AA enabled. The 1GB should alleviate the problem if driver fixes don't.
Click to expand...

1) I've never had an issue with my card's heat. I've seen some Nvidia cards go past 100c but somehow those claims are ignored.
2) I do not ever increase my fan speed and my 4870 stays around 85c at full load. It is NOT loud if you leave it alone.
3) What games, and specific resolutions and maybe links are you referring to with regard to poor AA performance?

I don't mean to sound harsh, but you post a ton of stuff that could be just hot air or misinformation. I have looked at reviews and such and nothing leads me to believe the GTX260 is a better card. That's why I bought my 4870.

As noted in a previous post the card's length may dissuade someone from purchasing it. It did have an impact on my purchase as I would barely be able to fit it and would need to really squeeze.
 
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BF04

Member
Sep 25, 2004
190
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0
I just built a new rig for a friend and had the same problem on which video card. I finally chose the 4870 for better AA and 10.1 dx. He will keep the pc 2-4yrs and doesnot upgrade or OC.

He is more than the happy with it. Primary game will be Warhammer online and should handle it easily.

gl
 
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chizow

Diamond Member
Jun 26, 2001
9,537
2
0
Originally posted by: cmdrdredd
1) I've never had an issue with my card's heat. I've seen some Nvidia cards go past 100c but somehow those claims are ignored.
2) I do not ever increase my fan speed and my 4870 stays around 85c at full load. It is NOT loud if you leave it alone.
Click to expand...
There's entire threads dedicated to 3rd party RV770 cooling.....Don't have to go very far to find them, there's plenty in there who aren't even overclocking that have problems with either heat, noise, or both. And you don't even want to see some of the comments about stock overclocked parts like the Diamond 4870 XOC.

The defective GTX 280 problems have been well covered and considering we've only had 2 instances on these boards, I'd say the problem isn't nearly as widespread as 99.9% of 4800s being 80-90C+ with stock cooling/fan speeds.

3) What games, and specific resolutions and maybe links are you referring to with regard to poor AA performance?
Click to expand...
FPS drops in COD4, WoW and QW:ET
Unfortunately reviewers typically do not run substantial gaming/duration benchmarks so such problems will not show up in most reviews. There's no shortage of 512MB 4870s tanking in reviews at 2560 in some titles and settings, however.

I don't mean to sound harsh, but you post a ton of stuff that could be just hot air or misinformation. I have looked at reviews and such and nothing leads me to believe the GTX260 is a better card. That's why I bought my 4870.

As noted in a previous post the card's length may dissuade someone from purchasing it. It did have an impact on my purchase as I would barely be able to fit it and would need to really squeeze.
Click to expand...
Hot air would be claiming the 4870 with stock cooling has no heat issues.....

I'm well aware of your preferences and posting tendencies, I'm really surprised its taken you so long to surface since RV770s release. :)
 
Cookie Monster

Cookie Monster

Diamond Member
May 7, 2005
5,161
32
86
Flip a coin?

Id say just go with the one you feel more comfortable with since they both have pros/cons that make them dead even.
 
Mem

Mem

Lifer
Apr 23, 2000
21,476
13
81
There's entire threads dedicated to 3rd party RV770 cooling.....Don't have to go very far to find them, there's plenty in there who aren't even overclocking that have problems with either heat, noise, or both. And you don't even want to see some of the comments about stock overclocked parts like the Diamond 4870 XOC.
Click to expand...

It works both ways plenty of 4870 users that have no problems,personally I don't need to use the fan hack on my unmodded 4870 card,games are very stable and even FURMARK runs fine on both stability and stress test,remember not everybody overclocks,the heat issue is blown out of proportion as always.


I'll let you know if and when I get any problems,personally my 4870 is as stable as the best Nvidia card I have own over the years.

We all know Nvidia cards are perfect right?..Wrong my last Nvidia card gave me more issues then any ATI/AMD card I have own,I won't bother meantioning uninstalling the Nvidia drivers gave me more issues even with Driver Sweeper in safe mode,remember there are Pro's and Con's on both sides even with Nvidia cards.

 
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dmw16

Diamond Member
Nov 12, 2000
7,608
0
0
I faced the same choice. The 4870 was $50 cheaper so I went that way. Haven't done much gaming yet, but I am very happy with my choice so far.
 
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BF04

Member
Sep 25, 2004
190
0
0
I will add that the system will be running at 1680x1050. so the 4870 fit the bill.
 
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SlowSpyder

Lifer
Jan 12, 2005
17,305
1,002
126
Originally posted by: BF04
I will add that the system will be running at 1680x1050. so the 4870 fit the bill.
Click to expand...

I'll be gaming at that res and will definitely be getting a 4870. My last few cards before my 2900 have been Nvidia, I'm spoiled now by AMD's monthly driver releases.
 
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dmw16

Diamond Member
Nov 12, 2000
7,608
0
0
Originally posted by: dmw16
I faced the same choice. The 4870 was $50 cheaper so I went that way. Haven't done much gaming yet, but I am very happy with my choice so far.
Click to expand...

Yes, forgot to note this is for gaming @ 1920x1200.
 
Wreckage

Wreckage

Banned
Jul 1, 2005
5,529
0
0
Originally posted by: MegaWorks

Wreckage Please fix your link.
Click to expand...

:p

http://www.hardocp.com/article...U0NCwsLGhlbnRodXNpYXN0

Get a factory overclocked 260 and have a much better game play experience than with a 4870. Don't listed to the resident hype machine.

In Crysis there was an in-game quality difference between the ATI Radeon HD 4870 and ASUS? ENGTX260 TOP as well as the stock GTX 260. The GTX 260 cards allowed us a higher shadow setting but the gameplay experiences were almost identical. The 260 TOP did not show any gaming advantage over the stock 260 in Crysis. In Age of Conan, the ASUS ENGTX260 TOP and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260 both gave us a superior gameplay experience by being able to play with AA turned on compared to the Radeon HD 4870. In fact the 260 TOP card allowed an appreciable better level of AA compared to the stock 260 (16X vs. 2X) that did supply us a better gaming experience. The apples-to-apples testing showed that the ASUS GTX 260 TOP will return faster framerates than any card compared here today.
Click to expand...
 
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Narynan

Member
Jul 9, 2008
188
0
0
I reccomend the 260. thats what I am currently using after going 3870 / 4850 /4850 CF. There were other issues with why I went with the 260, most of which being the fact that my CCC got corrupted somehow, and that was a different ball of wax. But I will say that I am HIGHLY enjoying my 260.
 
will889

will889

Golden Member
Sep 15, 2003
1,463
5
81
Just get whatever you get the best $$ deal on for your playable resolution. It doesn't matter if it's ati or nv based.
 
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Zillatech

Senior member
Jul 25, 2006
213
0
76
If your going the GTX 260, then check very close to make sure it will fit. There are (3) main reasons why I'm going with a HD4870.

(1) Shorter board length (will fit my Mid-Tower ATX)

(2) No "stuttering" in UT2004 (Yes, its still around and very popular)

(3) Monthly Driver updates (Nvidia has really been lacking here)


I know the cards run a little HOT but my 6800GT used to hit 80C in Doom 3 back in the day. My new rig I built a few months back also has "Very Good" ventilation. I have a Q6700 @ 3.1GHz and my Core Temps idle at about 35-36C. Everything else runs very cool as well. I believe I can deal with a little more heat as long as the other (3) main reasons = True

IQ on the ATI cards seems to be a little better too, generally speaking. I'm giving my current 8800GTS 512 to my girlfriend when I pick up my HD4870.
 
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