Swap 2 5870s for 2 GTX 470s??

[opethdisciple]

5870 crossfire was the biggest mistake i ever made

got a single 480 to replace it and not looked back

check this thread of mine - the results are very interesting

unless you are playing above 1900X1200

you dont need anything better than a 480 or 5870

This is something i posted in another thread, but its applicable here:

riginally Posted by Marine-RX179 View Post
They are not wrong about that, considering GTX460 1GB actually deliver higher frame rate than a 5870 in Heaven Benchmark 2.1...but ironically, it is the Directx 11 games that haven't got Directx 11 done right yet

But the chances are it will take forever until directx 11 games get to the point of using tessellations to extreme level.
This makes me think I shouldnt bother holding out for the 6870... and just get a £280 HIS 5870 now!

Hopefully the 6000 series will improve the tesselation performanc of the 5000 series, but if not many games use tesselation, is it worth wating for???

I will be upgrading from a 3870x2, so a 3870x2 to a 5870 is gona be a huge upgrade, should I wait a few more months for the 6870, or is tesselation not really a big enough technology to get hung up about?

 

[rjk]

again, for clarity

unless you are playing above 1900X1200

you dont need anything better than a 480 or 5870

1080p requires a 480 or a 5870 depending on your preference.

 

[arc@css]

^^Buy right now. £280 approx for a 5870. Good price.

 

[stiv121]

If you could sell your 5870's for £235+ each (You would ovb get more than this) and you dont mind the heat and noise go for the 2 470's they handle aa better, have physics and cuda and i personly think that the NIvida drivers are much better but... if you go 470 i would recommend watercooling them and overclocking the hell outta them

Im going with 2 470's and watercooling them next month great buy for only £235 each and £65 for the EK block = the same price as a 5870 but you have to consider tubing fittings pump ect... its really up to you either way will be good

 

[opethdisciple]

At stock, is the 5870 better than a gtx 470?

This user review, I found else where, as the gtx 470 performing better than 5870?

http://www.evga.com/forums/tm.aspx?m=453143

 

[RichardH754]

1 Single 5870 can play most games on full at 1080p, but I like to force aa and have everything in High Quality + SSAA on.

1 5870 starts to stuggle in a few games when I force everything on.

 

[opethdisciple]

I not bothered about having EVERYTHING on, just I guess which is the btter card, gtx 470 or 5870?

 

[arc@css]

470 :
Better minimum frame rates (generally speaking).
Handles tessellation better, apparently.
More associated technologies, cuda, physx etc.
Was pricey to begin with, though is dropping now.
Runs hotter and creates more noise than a 5870.
Drivers have a generally better reputation.

5870 :
Higher maximum frame rates.
Cooler and therefore quieter.
Becoming better value now the prices are dropping. The eyefinity one (2gb) for £300 is a good buy.
A subjective point but quite often I hear people say they slightly prefer ATI's IQ. Colours are more vibrant.

Both cards overclock well. If I were to get an nividia 470 / 480, and if I had an to sli mobo, then I would more than likely water cool it / them.

 

[HW91]

Both cards overclock well. If I were to get an nividia 470 / 480, and if I had an to sli mobo, then I would more than likely water cool it / them.

again, no point in water cooling either of these cards, there is little to gain from water cooling, only point of WC'ing these cards I understand is if you just forked out £100's for a set of new speakers, otherwise noise is easily cancelled out if you wear headphones which can be just a £30 investment over a £200 plus one for a WCS

 

[AMG]

watercooling has more potenal to cool the cards, in other words you should be able to push them harder...that works on both sides not just Nv

but yeah you are right in one way, watercooling is just expesnive just to ' silent out' your rig

a single HD5870 compared with a GTX470 well guess here, the HD5870 than both can overclock...very well indeed...crossfire/SLI depends on the game and drivers used. I wouldn't say NV drivers are better than ATIs I say they are just as bad/good as each other.

one annoying thing about Nv GTX4XX cards is that they can't do eyefinty like setup unless you go SLI. plus they run a bit warmer and take a bit more power..

how ever the prices on the GTX4XX are stablising nicly I mean £240 for a GTX470...come on thats a great price

 

[Scougar]

sideways step, i wouldnt bother unless you need something nvidia specific. Keep what you have for now unless you think you will gain something financially by swapping.

 

[opethdisciple]

470 :
Better minimum frame rates (generally speaking).
Handles tessellation better, apparently.
More associated technologies, cuda, physx etc.
Was pricey to begin with, though is dropping now.
Runs hotter and creates more noise than a 5870.
Drivers have a generally better reputation.

5870 :
Higher maximum frame rates.
Cooler and therefore quieter.
Becoming better value now the prices are dropping. The eyefinity one (2gb) for £300 is a good buy.
A subjective point but quite often I hear people say they slightly prefer ATI's IQ. Colours are more vibrant.

Both cards overclock well. If I were to get an nividia 470 / 480, and if I had an to sli mobo, then I would more than likely water cool it / them.

I can see how better minimums is far more imprtant than maximums, but are the minimums that significantly better on the gtx 470?

All I need from my next card, is basically the most future proof of the two.

I game at 1920x1200 and need a card to last a good 2 years, as thats how long I plan to stay with a single card.

I have a x48 crossfire motherboard, and currently have an ATI card.

The Zotac GTX 470 is £234 today and the HIS 5870 is £280.

Is the price significant of the performance?

Benchmarks Iv looked at, kind of dont tell the full story. They are either old with old drivers, or between them, they generally say differnet things.

Users I'v asked generally say they like they GTX 470, but of course they gona say that just to justify their purchase (as does any card owner)

Q. Can the GTX 470 do Crysis and warhead enthusiast settings 1920x1200 with 2x aa and push 30fps average?

It would be nice to have physx support, but that not something I particulalry fussed about, havent had it with my 3870x2, so I dont miss it.

 

[buttkinz]

470 :
Better minimum frame rates (generally speaking).
snip

thats a little misleading unfortunatly, its a saying that keeps coming up from nvidia cards but iv yet to see much evidence on it, for an unbiased comparison between the 470 and 5870 have a ganders at this review, both use current drivers from both teams, the 470 is well behind the 5870, thats why its a lot cheaper lol.

http://www.techspot.com/review/283-geforce-gtx-400-vs-radeon-hd-5800/

 

[no_1_dave]

Q. Can the GTX 470 do Crysis and warhead enthusiast settings 1920x1200 with 2x aa and push 30fps average?

Yes

thats a little misleading unfortunatly, its a saying that keeps coming up from nvidia cards but iv yet to see much evidence on it, for an unbiased comparison between the 470 and 5870 have a ganders at this review, both use current drivers from both teams, the 470 is well behind the 5870, thats why its a lot cheaper lol.

http://www.techspot.com/review/283-geforce-gtx-400-vs-radeon-hd-5800/

That's a very biased review with beta drivers for the 470. Before the drivers with all the improvements was released.
The 470 performs between the 5850 & the 5870. Most of the time it is half way between them both. Sometimes the 5850 catch's up and other times it even beats the 5870, it all depends on the game. The best way to look at it though is in the middle as that's where it averages out.

 

[HW91]

Q. Can the GTX 470 do Crysis and warhead enthusiast settings 1920x1200 with 2x aa and push 30fps average?

easily, did a quick Crysis sesh when I first got my 470 with a graphics config mod more demanding than VH, can't remember how much AA I was using but it was at least 4x

just played a bit, using 16xQ AA I got 22 fps minimum and about 27fps average on the second level, although you should probably take into account that I'm running my 470 at 820MHz, but it should still easily play it at 4xAA 30fps average

 

[Jibber55]

again, no point in water cooling either of these cards, there is little to gain from water cooling, only point of WC'ing these cards I understand is if you just forked out £100's for a set of new speakers, otherwise noise is easily cancelled out if you wear headphones which can be just a £30 investment over a £200 plus one for a WCS

Not everyone wants to play with headphones on all the time. I think there's quite a bit to be gained in performance by w/c'ing these cards along with the lower noise.

 

[HW91]

^ lower noise, yes I agree, I'm not against wc'ing the 400's for this reason I just think that most people prefer the cheaper route if possible

performance not really, I got 820MHz with my 470, most people only get 850-875Mhz on water

 

[buttkinz]

Yes



That's a very biased review with beta drivers for the 470. Before the drivers with all the improvements was released.
The 470 performs between the 5850 & the 5870. Most of the time it is half way between them both. Sometimes the 5850 catch's up and other times it even beats the 5870, it all depends on the game. The best way to look at it though is in the middle as that's where it averages out.

its one of the only non biased reviews iv seen, the latest drivers from nvidia are mainly improvements in sli, nothing mentions any sort of improvement in those games tested, so it stands to reason that the deficit seen in fps min or max hasnt been miraculously made up, correct me if im wrong tho.

believe me, if the 470 was anyway near the 5870 i would have bought one myself a couple of weeks ago when i got the 5870, the 480 was out of reach at the time due to the price and there were non on the MM

 

[layte]

thats a little misleading unfortunatly, its a saying that keeps coming up from nvidia cards but iv yet to see much evidence on it, for an unbiased comparison between the 470 and 5870 have a ganders at this review, both use current drivers from both teams, the 470 is well behind the 5870, thats why its a lot cheaper lol.

http://www.techspot.com/review/283-geforce-gtx-400-vs-radeon-hd-5800/

Ah the review where they had to retract some original results because they did not perform like for like tests. Has any other well known and reputable site recreated their tests and found similar results yet? If not I don't think we can keep using it contrary to the mountain of existing results we already have.

 

[arc@css]

If the 470's / 480's (air cooled) at idle can be kept to run cool and not too noisey then I'd agree that water cooling wouldn't be so important, at least for me. However, I doubt that is the case. In game I don't mind or even care how noisey it gets.


@opethdisciple - If you want a card to last you two years and be able to run with most settings to the max as I recall you mentioned eralier, I'd be inclined to change your selection.

Since you have an X48 mobo like myself I'd either opt for one 2gb eyefinity 5870, you could always then add another if you needed to later on when future titles hit us (thinks of Doom4), or you could go for a 5970 then still add 5870 later down the line also if you felt you really needed more power. Your only nvidia route atm is a 480 as I see it. There you have it, 5870 single or xfire; 5970 + optional 5870; or 480gtx.
Yes, you could xfire two 5850's but I'd rather try one of the best or thee best single card first so you get the most out of one x16 lane.