Upgrade Time For My 4870 1GB

[ExcaliburMM]

Greetings GFX,
I've had my 4870 1GB since Christmas 08. In the past 2 years its served me well. I even threw a Zalman VF1000 on it since it ran a little hot. However I wanted something a little cooler running, a little quieter, with a good performance boost.

The question is, with AMD/ATI changing numbering schemes a bit, the 6900 series not being out yet, and limited stocks inflating the prices of the 5800 and 6800 series cards, what do I buy? Or do I buy at all? Is it time to wait?

Generally speaking I don't need to buy right now, I've had my current card 2 years it'll last another few months if need be. I also nailed my 4870 1GB for 180$ open box, well below what they were selling for retail at the time. As such I'm not looking to spend more than ~225$ on my upgrade.

In terms of what I play: SC2, HoN, Oblivion, FO:NV. Obviously my card handles these games fine, but I'm just ready for something better.

Rest of my rigg is in my signature. All help is appreciated and I apologize if any needed info is left out.

I'd also appreciate if someone could link me to any benchmarks comparing the 4870 1GB to the 6850 and 6870.

Tl;dr: 4870 1GB replacement that is cool, quiet, around 225$, and is a good, noticeable upgrade for playing at 1920x1080/1920x1200.

 

[RussianSensation]

In terms of what I play: SC2, HoN, Oblivion, FO:NV. Obviously my card handles these games fine, but I'm just ready for something better.

I'd also appreciate if someone could link me to any benchmarks comparing the 4870 1GB to the 6850 and 6870.

For the games you listed, HD4870 is fast enough. FO:NV is not too demanding. Even in SC2, while the HD4870 is slower than the HD5770, it is playable.

HD5870 vs. HD5770 ~ HD4870 1GB vs. HD6850 vs. HD6870


If you still have the upgrade itch, $215 HD5870 is hard to beat. It's the best performance upgrade you can get for <$225 right now from a single GPU. You are looking at about a 70&#37; performance increase.

HD5870 vs. HD5770/HD4870/HD4890 in some other games:

COD: Black Ops
Medal of Honor
Civilization 5
Mafia 2
BF:BC2
Splinter Cell: Conviction

 

[happy medium]

Just like I'm telling most people who want to upgrade, wait a few weeks to upgrade.
New cards are comming in 2/3 weeks.

 

[RussianSensation]

Just like I'm telling most people who want to upgrade, wait a few weeks to upgrade.
New cards are comming in 2/3 weeks.

But HD6950/70 will not cost $225 considering HD6870 is $249 at Newegg. Also, you think GTX470's replacement will cost $225? That's not going to happen either. Of course, the longer a person waits, the faster GPUs will get.

 

[ExcaliburMM]

I think if I can get about 80$ for my 4870, I could probably spend more on the upgrade. Probably put it up in FS/FT soon, since I have an 8800GTS 640mb for backup.

Also I was looking for 6850/6870 vs 4870 benches, but I guess there aren't any. :c

 

[RussianSensation]

Also I was looking for 6850/6870 vs 4870 benches, but I guess there aren't any. :c

There are some. http://www.techreport.com/articles.x/19844/9

But not for DX11 games. Since HD5870 costs ~ $35 less than the HD6870, there is no point in looking at the HD6870 at this time.

 

[happy medium]

But HD6950/70 will not cost $225 considering HD6870 is $249 at Newegg. Also, you think GTX470's replacement will cost $225? That's not going to happen either. Of course, the longer a person waits, the faster GPUs will get.

I was thinking more in the line of price drops.
4870 to a 6850 is not a good upgrade, 300$ might get you close to a gtx570/6950 if you sell the 4870 though.
And you can save a few more bucks till then also.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

my card handles these games fine

Remember this and save yourself some money

 

[RedShirt]

If you are still wanting to upgrade. I'd suggest a 5850. Take a look at these graphs comparing to your card:

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/176?vs=164

That's quite a hefty performance increase with about the same power requirements. Also, if you are the type to leave your computer on all day, you'd save about 30 watts of power when idle (won't cut down a ton on your electric bill, but every bit helps!)

This one can be had for 210 shipped after $20 rebate:

http://www.amazon.com/DisplayPort-EA.../dp/B003AVBSXE

The 5850 has higher performance than the 6850, so I think it's the better buy; however, the 6850 takes even less power to run at load than the 5850. So if you are wanting a nice cool, lower powered card, then you may want to consider the 6850. (It uses 20-30 watts less under load than a 5850 as shown here: http://www.anandtech.com/show/3987/...enewing-competition-in-the-midrange-market/20)

There have been a few deals on 5870's recently. If you can find a deal that is about $230, then I'd say go for a 5870. The 5870 does take a bit more power than the 5850 (70 watts more at load as shown here: http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/164?vs=162). I did a quick search and didn't find any really cheap ones (in stock).

 

[vshin]

Spend as little as you can since this generation of video cards is rather anemic (40nm to 40nm). The next generation (40nm to 28nm) will be a much greater leap in performance due to the full-node jump (think GTX 580 with half the power consumption and cost).

I recommend the 1gb GTX460 or 6850, then overclock the bejeezus out of it, which should hold you over for a year.

 

[deimos3428]

Cooler/quieter/better = 6850 or 460. But if you're also looking for a major performance increase, wait, because it's just not that big of a leap.

If you're using the stock cooler, something like an Accelero Twin Turbo Pro would deal with the first two criteria nicely: http://www.arctic-cooling.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=2_&mID=379

 

[happy medium]

Cooler/quieter/better = 6850 or 460. But if you're also looking for a major performance increase, wait, because it's just not that big of a leap.

I agree

 

[Vette73]

price of the 5850's has also come down with the 1gig 460 cards.