Sapphire 4870 512MB w/ HR-03 vs MSI 4890 1GB?

[lektrix]

I'm looking at upgrading my current eVGA 8800GTS 640MB graphics card which I use to game at 1920x1080.

Which card is the best bang for the buck?

Sapphire 4870 512MB w/ HR-03 for $115

-OR-

MSI 4890 1GB for $160?
(cards are used and priced in Canadian dollars)

Is the 4890 1GB ~30% better to justify paying 30% more?

One more question, will the 4870 w/ HR-03 fit my setup? (GA-P35DS3L, C2D w/ Thermalright Ultima90, SB X-Fi...)

Thanks!

 

[thilanliyan]

I'd go with the 4890 mostly because of the 1Gb of memory unless you plan to upgrade in around 6 months time.

 

[nyker96]

with get that cheap 4870 for the price or consider newer 57xx if you going to pay more. I'd just buy 4870 if it's for gaming now, if I want something for dx11 I'd save up and get 5850.

 

[RussianSensation]

For 1920x1080, you are going to want 1GB of ram if you plan to apply AA. Also I am not sure about Nyker's recommendation for a 57xx, as it's slower than a 4890. Your other alternative is to find a used GTX275 card. Those are great cards too. I would definitely pick a 5770 1GB over a used 4870 512mb though.

 

[Acanthus]

I got a decent OC out of my 4890. I'm happy with it.

That is a good 4870 price but 512MB will hurt performance in some current games.

 

[lektrix]

New 5770 is $163+13% tax here...can't really seem to find much used selection either.

How much better is the 4870 512 vs my current 8800 GTS 640 (first-gen)?

 

[RussianSensation]

New 5770 is $163+13% tax here...can't really seem to find much used selection either.

How much better is the 4870 512 vs my current 8800 GTS 640 (first-gen)?

8800GTS 640 is roughly the speed of a 9600GT.

For 9600GT, 4870 512 and 4890 results refer here:
http://ixbtlabs.com/articles3/i3dspeed/0909/i0909-video-p1.html

For 5770 results refer here:
http://ixbtlabs.com/articles3/i3dspeed/1109/i1109-video-p2.html

STALKER Clear Sky @ 1920x1200 0AA/0AF
9600GT = 15.2
4870 512mb = 37.5
5770 1GB = 43.7
4890 1GB = 54.0 (+255% over 9600GT)

Far Cry 2 @ 1920x1200 4AA/16AF
9600GT = 23.3
4870 512mb = 36.4
5770 1GB = 42.7
4890 1GB = 48.1 (+106% over 9600GT)

World in Conflict @ 1920x1200 4AA/16AF
9600GT = 19.0
5770 1GB = 31.0
4870 512mb = 34.0
4890 1GB = 37.0 (+95% over 9600GT)

Crysis @ 1920x1200 0AA/0AF
9600GT = 10.1
5770 1GB = 19.3
4870 512mb = 20.1
4890 1GB = 22.8 (+126% over 9600GT) (still slow)

Crysis Warhead @ 1920x1200 0AA/0AF
9600GT = 9.1
4870 512mb = 16.8
5770 1GB = 16.9
4890 1GB = 19.4 (+113% over 9600GT) (but still slow)

Company of Heroes @ 1920x1200 4AA/16AF
9600GT = 27.9
4870 512mb = 49.5
5770 1GB = 53.8
4890 1GB = 54.8 (+96% over 9600GT)

Lost Planet @ 1920x1200 4AA/16AF
9600GT = 19.0
5770 1GB = 31.5
4870 512mb = 33.2
4890 1GB = 37.0 (+95% over 9600GT)

Devil May Cry 4 @ 1920x1200 4AA/16AF
9600GT = 53.7
5770 1GB = 95.1
4870 512mb = 99.4
4890 1GB = 111.6 (+108% over 9600GT)

^^^ the above benches use older drivers so expect 5770 to have improved performance by about 5-10% now.

Here is BF:BC2 (but cant find 4870 512mb) @ 1920x1200 2AA/4AF
http://www.techspot.com/article/255-battlefield-bad-company2-performance/page5.html
9600GT = 23.3
5770 1GB = 41.1
4870 1GB = 42.4
4890 1GB = 46.7 (+100% over 9600GT)

Metro 2033 (but cant find 4870 512mb) @ 1920x1200 0AA/0AF
http://www.pcgameshardware.com/aid,...marks-with-DirectX-11-and-GPU-Physx/Practice/
9600GT = 9.9
4870 1GB = 20.7
4890 1GB = 21.8
5770 1GB = 23.9 (+141% over 9600GT)

Dirt 2 @ 1920x1200 4AA/16AF
http://www.pcgameshardware.com/aid,...DX-11-Update-Radeon-HD-5970-results/Practice/
9600GT = 27.5 avg / 24.0 min
5770 1GB (DX11) = 31.2 avg / 27.0 min
4870 512 mb = 45.0 avg / 38.0 min
4890 1GB = 51.9 avg / 45.0 min (+89% faster avg over 9600 gt)

So with any of these cards are you are looking at 2x the performance increase. Looks like in the older games, 4870 512mb is still the best value but I am not sure its 512mb of ram will hold well for BF:BC2 and Metro 2033 (then again everything else here is too slow too). You can see slower performance in STALKER: Clear Sky and Far Cry 2 and 4890s minimum frames matching average frames for 4870 512mb in Dirt 2.

The key theme though is a lot of these cards are going to be either playable at 1920x1200 with AA or even without, or not (Crysis, Metro 2033, BF:BC2). But 5770 will be forced to run DX11 natively which will surely be slower than 4890 in DX10. So you will have to choose better graphics or faster speed or alter the .ini files to DX10.


=================

EDIT: I found another review that specifically includes 4870 512mb vs. 4890 1GB benches: http://www.bjorn3d.com/read.php?cID=1831&pageID=8797
4870 512mb takes a serious beating.

 

[toyota]

if thats the only 2 cards you can choose from then its worth the extra $45 to go with the 4890 for 1920. you can easily exceed 512mb with settings the 4870 can run in modern games at that res. I would probably get a 5770 if you could find one cheaper than the 4890 though.