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 Posted: Thu, 29th Jan 2009 15:19 Post subject: Upgrade Advice desired. |
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First off, before anyone says a bloody word, PLEASE leave the fanboyism at the door. Kay? If you can't prove that xxxx is better than xxxx while doing xxxx then please DON'T post 
Ok, here goes. I'm upgrading a few bits in my comp over the next month, need some new RAM.. a new HDD, a better CPU cooler and, above all else, a new GPU. Current specs are in my sig and I've already decided what RAM/Cooler/HDD to get (2x2GB OCZ Platinum PC2-8500, Noctua NH-U12P, Samsung F1 1TB) but I need some HONEST advice on the graphics card, please.
I only game at 1280x1024 as it's the maximum supported res for my monitor, though I'll no doubt get a 22" WS one later this year for 1680x1050 gaming but that won't be for a while. I'm currently torn between the the 4870-1GB or the GTX 260 c216 (remember, leave the fanboyism at the door please) and I just want the one that's going to give me the best immediate performance at 12:10. So many reviews put these cards, mostly, neck and neck - with some games preferring the GTX while others prefer the 4870. Which one do you recommend, please guys?
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Epsilon
Dr. Strangelove
Posts: 9240
Location: War Room
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| Posted: Thu, 29th Jan 2009 15:28 Post subject: |
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If theres any current cuda enabled games you want to use physx cababilities off get an Nvidia card.
However if you don't care about physx and realise that it's going out the door anyway once Dx11 enabled games are out, opencl will be the easier api to work with and it will be a lot more versatile. Then save a few bucks and get the ati card.
If you care about driver profiles and ability to add your own driver profiles get an nvidia card.
If you don't care about that and are perfectly happy with what gets supplied from the manufacturer then get an ati card.
If you like testing out beta drivers regularly and the ability to mess around with your games to get them working as best as possible, get an nvidia card.
If you're happy with one new gfx driver a month that is whql certified, get an ati card.
If you want to code opengl 3.0 get an nvidia card, if you don't care get ati.
If you use Linux and want to use Wine on it get an nvidia card, else ati.
Now you can make up your own mind.
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tonizito
VIP Member
Posts: 51402
Location: Portugal, the shithole of Europe.
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| Posted: Thu, 29th Jan 2009 16:12 Post subject: |
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!!!
That's incredible! I knew the 4800s were a bit on the hungry side, but I had no idea the difference between them and the new 55nm 260 was THAT huge! You know, I think I might take another look at the 260 (I was leaning towards the 4870) - if only I can find one cheap enough. There's a 4870-1GB on OCUK for £166 .. but the 55nm 260 is £220, a full £54 more expensive.
Thanks man!
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Frant
King's Bounty
Posts: 24636
Location: Your Mom
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| Posted: Fri, 30th Jan 2009 04:35 Post subject: |
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| sabin1981 wrote: | !!!
That's incredible! I knew the 4800s were a bit on the hungry side, but I had no idea the difference between them and the new 55nm 260 was THAT huge! You know, I think I might take another look at the 260 (I was leaning towards the 4870) - if only I can find one cheap enough. There's a 4870-1GB on OCUK for £166 .. but the 55nm 260 is £220, a full £54 more expensive.
Thanks man! |
That 1GB 4870 at OCUK is an amazing bargain for a great card. The 260 is not £54-worth faster, in fact they trade blows and except for the 5 tests nvidia always want you to run the 4870 1GB is just a hairpin ahead.
I expect ATI to release a refresh on their tech anytime now, the reason being the price drop on the 4870 @ OCUK and the fact that it's "time" for a refresh.
Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn!
"The sky was the color of a TV tuned to a dead station" - Neuromancer
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| Posted: Fri, 30th Jan 2009 04:43 Post subject: |
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After seeing those links on the power requirements, at least now I feel confident in being able to run the 4870 OR the 260 on my VX450. I'm still leaning towards the 4870 though. Great performance at a great price -- but would I definitely see a performance increase at 1280 over my current 4850?
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Frant
King's Bounty
Posts: 24636
Location: Your Mom
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| Posted: Fri, 30th Jan 2009 05:10 Post subject: |
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| sabin1981 wrote: | | After seeing those links on the power requirements, at least now I feel confident in being able to run the 4870 OR the 260 on my VX450. I'm still leaning towards the 4870 though. Great performance at a great price -- but would I definitely see a performance increase at 1280 over my current 4850? |
The only differences between the 4850 and the 4870 are the frequencies on GPU and RAM and what you gain with higher frequencies (and GDDR5-RAM) as well as a bigger frame buffer is the possibility to use higher AF & FSAA than you normally could with your 4850. If you can play a game at 1280*1024 with 8xAF and 2xFSAA with your 4850 you should be able to play that same game at 1280*1024 with 16xAF and at least 4xFSAA without a drop in performance. Some people claim 1GB framebuffer is useless for anything below 1900*1200 but they forget about the demands of full screen anti aliasing and the ability to use max resolution textures.
So basically a 4870 will give you a little extra oomph to let you use higher quality settings (af, fsaa & adaptive aa) without deteriorating performance.
Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn!
"The sky was the color of a TV tuned to a dead station" - Neuromancer
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| Posted: Fri, 30th Jan 2009 05:26 Post subject: |
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