Radeon 6670 vs 4870 performance comparison

[TheMafioso]

I'm looking for a graphics card for a family member who is an occasional gamer. I am not on a very high budget, so looking on the budget range.

I'm getting radeon 4870 512MB GDDR5 and 6670 1GB GDDR3 both for $65. Which one I should choose?
It isn't an obvious question as it seems on being 6670 the newer card, I've did a quick comparison some benchmarks and found in guru3d benchmarks of 6670, the 4870 is faster than it..

http://www.guru3d.com/article/radeon-hd-6670-review/4

So what you guys advice, should I stick with the newer card or buy the older flagship ?

I'm specifically looking, if the card can handle just cause 2 on phenom X3 720 CPU with 4GB RAM @ 1280*1024 resolution & 4x AA at high details ?

Also do any new games have mandatory DX11 hardware requirement or all of them run fine on DX10/10.1 hardware ?
I used to be an avid PC gamer few years back but have been out of touch for few yrs now..

 

[RavenSEAL]

You don't want to deal with a 4870, trust me.

It's all HEAT, HEAT, HEAT and NOISE.

 

[TheMafioso]

Heat and Power is not an issue, as he keeps the is cabinet chassis open all the time and he has a top of the line OCZ SMPS borrowed from me.

Noise can be, but I think if the card doesn't heat up very much because of good ventilation and no OC..it won't be as noisy, right?

 

[RavenSEAL]

Heat and Power is not an issue, as he keeps the is cabinet chassis open all the time and he has a top of the line OCZ SMPS borrowed from me.

Noise can be, but I think if the card doesn't heat up very much because of good ventilation and no OC..it won't be as noisy, right?

4870s are naturally loud, unless you're going with an aftermarket solution.

 

[TheMafioso]

Ok, assuming noise is not a factor too, then is it good choice performance wise?

 

[RavenSEAL]

I'd say looking the provided specs, yes.

 

[videogames101]

My old 512MB HD4870 was the best overclocker I ever had, and also the loudest card I ever had. I loved it. <3

 

[GotNoRice]

If you were talking about a 1GB 4870, the choice would be easy. They are great cards. The 512MB 4870 will be a lot more limiting however.

Looking at those benchmarks that you linked yourself, you can see a clear and obvious distinction between the cards with 1GB VRam and 512MB VRam. Granted the issue is exacerbated in that case by the high levels of AA, but it does serve to point out the limitation.

Any situation where you push past that 512MB limitation, the slower 6670 would make up the gap in performance very quickly and easily end up being the faster card.

I run 2x 4850 512MB in a secondary rig and even though that is GPU power equivalent to a ~5850, the limited VRam has become the limiting factor now in most situations.

The 512MB 4870 might still work out for you, but honestly you better be running at something like 1680x1050, or maybe 1080p tops, and be prepared to go without AA in many situations.

Also do any new games have mandatory DX11 hardware requirement or all of them run fine on DX10/10.1 hardware ?

There are compatibility features in DirectX11 itself that allow it to run directly on down-level hardware. In fact there is a separate down-level compatibility path just for DX10.1 hardware.

 

[TheMafioso]

actually monitors are only 1280x1024 and I don't see him upgrading anytime soon as he has 3 of them, and would be need to be upgraded simultaneously..so that's the max resolution for now..

 

[RavenSEAL]

Here is what I would do...

Save up another $60, buy an HD6850. Live happily ever after.

It's fast, it's quiet, it's power efficient.

 

[Spjut]

I'd guess the HD6670 receives better driver support

 

[Kevmanw430]

I'd agree with RavenSeal. Theres also a 460GTX 768MB on the forums for $65 right now. That would be an awesome alternative.

 

[fuzzymath10]

What sort of PSU is he running? A GTX 460 needs two 6-pin connectors, and a 6850 needs one.

If you're going to get a "safe" card with no external power requirements, the 6670 would be it, but look for the GDDR5 version.

FYI I'm not a big gamer and not up to date on games, but my parents max out Portal 2 at 1280x1024 with AA/AF with a 1GB 6570 DDR3 + Core 2 Duo E7300. I believe the GDDR5 6670 will easily handle your game.

 

[Leyawiin]

Theres also a 460GTX 768MB on the forums for $65 right now.

If the O.P. is comfortable with used that's a good choice. Since power or heat doesn't appear to be a concern the HD 4870 512MB is considerably faster than the HD 6670 - although at that resolution I doubt it would be an issue. AMD seems to be quick to jettison driver support for older cards (with DX9 already legacy). I would feel more comfortable with a more current card - especially if its only using a 1/3 the power for 2/3 the performance and is only dealing with 1280x1024.

If you're going to get a "safe" card with no external power requirements, the 6670 would be it, but look for the GDDR5 version.

If its a pre-built PC with a weak power supply and questionable case ventilation this makes the most sense.

 

[RaistlinZ]

Check out Anand's Bench Comparison between the 4870 and 460 768MB. The 460 is faster, and is a good 25-30 degrees C cooler.

I'd go with the 460 768MB used. The 4870 is loud, hot, and isn't getting any additional driver support.

 

[TheMafioso]

As I said, I'm looking for an ATI card as I need to support 3 monitors through surroundview (I have amd motherboard) so no nVidia for me...

Anyway I've decided to go for Radeon 6770...it almost performs same as 4870, I'm getting ASUS 6770 1GB DDR5 for $90 shipped (after rebates and CB) from J&R...nice deal IMO..

Thanks for the inputs guys

 

[RavenSEAL]

As I said, I'm looking for an ATI card as I need to support 3 monitors through surroundview (I have amd motherboard) so no nVidia for me...

Anyway I've decided to go for Radeon 6770...it almost performs same as 4870, I'm getting ASUS 6770 1GB DDR5 for $90 shipped (after rebates and CB) from J&R...nice deal IMO..

Thanks for the inputs guys

Good choice! Enjoy!