Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie

Which graphics card?

Options
  • 17-12-2008 3:01am
    #1
    Willymuncher
    Closed Accounts Posts: 450 ✭✭


    Out of either a 4870x2 or a 280GTX, which would ye go for? or any other sli or crossfire combinations...

    I'm building a new i7 machine at the moment and thats about the only thing I can't decide on.

    Cheers.


Comments

  • Options
    #2
    Blazer
    Registered Users Posts: 17,435 ✭✭✭✭Blazer


    4870X2...beats the 280 hands down.
    Great card and extremely happy with my one.
    Most websites are now comparing 2x 280 in SLI against the X2.

    http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/charts/gaming-graphics-charts-q3-2008/benchmarks,30.html


  • Options
    #3
    Anti
    Closed Accounts Posts: 12,401 ✭✭✭✭Anti


    yup 4870x2 wins easy


  • Options
    #4
    RealistSpy
    Registered Users Posts: 1,686 ✭✭✭RealistSpy


    Manties wrote: »
    yup 4870x2 wins easy

    I third that I am even planing of getting a 4870x2 myself currently owning a 4870 I will crossfire both. If they work well 2gether.


  • Options
    #5
    leninbenjamin
    Closed Accounts Posts: 8,983 ✭✭✭leninbenjamin


    RealistSpy wrote: »
    I third that I am even planing of getting a 4870x2 myself currently owning a 4870 I will crossfire both. If they work well 2gether.

    don't mean to sound thick here, but what could you possibly be doing that would need a 4870X2 when you already have a 4870? just curious like...


  • Options
    #6
    daveharnett
    Registered Users Posts: 2,567 ✭✭✭daveharnett


    leninbenjamin wrote: »
    don't mean to sound thick here, but what could you possibly be doing that would need a 4870X2 when you already have a 4870? just curious like...

    That's just the wrong attitude. The x2 is better. That's reason enough :)


  • Advertisement
  • Options
    #7
    RealistSpy
    Registered Users Posts: 1,686 ✭✭✭RealistSpy


    Playing crysis at very High with 1600x1200 :) Plus am a benchmark junkie.


  • Options
    #8
    TerrorFirmer
    Closed Accounts Posts: 29,930 ✭✭✭✭TerrorFirmer


    leninbenjamin wrote: »
    don't mean to sound thick here, but what could you possibly be doing that would need a 4870X2 when you already have a 4870? just curious like...

    Actually, anyone with a larger monitor can run into difficulty very easily in certain games with the 4870 1GB at 1920x1200+ with AA and AF. Not just limited to Crysis, though it is the worst offender.


  • Options
    #9
    Sqaull20
    Registered Users Posts: 2,044 ✭✭✭Sqaull20


    Guru3d will have a full review tomorrow on the Geforce GTX295.

    It should be the fastest.

    I think Sli/Crossfire is a load of boll!x, I would get 1gb 4870 for €219 myself

    http://www.pixmania.ie/ie/uk/1637125/art/sapphire-technology/radeon-hd-4870-1-gb-gddr5.html


  • Options
    #10
    leninbenjamin
    Closed Accounts Posts: 8,983 ✭✭✭leninbenjamin


    TerrorFirmer wrote: »
    Actually, anyone with a larger monitor can run into difficulty very easily in certain games with the 4870 1GB at 1920x1200+ with AA and AF. Not just limited to Crysis, though it is the worst offender.

    ah yeah, vaguely remember reading something like that before. you can tell I've never spent much time with high end graphics cards, spent my entire gaming career forcing lower resolutions :pac:


  • Options
    #11
    Hoser
    Registered Users Posts: 82 ✭✭Hoser


    Sqaull20 wrote: »
    Guru3d will have a full review tomorrow on the Geforce GTX295.

    It should be the fastest.

    I think Sli/Crossfire is a load of boll!x, I would get 1gb 4870 for €219 myself

    http://www.pixmania.ie/ie/uk/1637125/art/sapphire-technology/radeon-hd-4870-1-gb-gddr5.html

    now that is a great deal ..thanks for posting man i was gonna get it for 250 on some other site


  • Advertisement
  • Options
    #12
    Willymuncher
    Closed Accounts Posts: 450 ✭✭Willymuncher


    Cheers for all the replies..

    I think I'll go with the 4870x2 then, unless the 295GTX can perform much better at near or around a price I can afford..s'pose I'll see over the coming days whether I'll wait or not.


  • Options
    #13
    cian1500ww
    Registered Users Posts: 2,904 ✭✭✭cian1500ww


    Wait it out and see what happens with the new releases or buy a card from EVGA and have the option of using there step up program.


  • Options
    #14
    Willymuncher
    Closed Accounts Posts: 450 ✭✭Willymuncher


    Alright, gonna wait it out a bit, been looking at the preview of the 295GTX, looks good....hope I can afford it.

    Have any of you guys had any good experiences with pixmania with large orders? I've been reading plenty of horror stories but I am limited in who I can go for as I don't have access to a credit card - just a laser card...


  • Options
    #15
    cian1500ww
    Registered Users Posts: 2,904 ✭✭✭cian1500ww


    The GTX 295 is going to retail at about $499 and it beats the 4870X2 in most games. 650W PSU is minimum though.


  • Options
    #16
    leninbenjamin
    Closed Accounts Posts: 8,983 ✭✭✭leninbenjamin


    cian1500ww wrote: »
    The GTX 295 is going to retail at about $499 and it an unfinished engineering sample without the finalized power management beats the 4870X2 in most games. 650W PSU is minimum though.

    fyp.

    sidenote: I wonder how long it will take for the price drops to filter down to the other models? I'm considering building at the mo but the prices of the GFX card are putting me off... (I'd need an Nvidia one as i'll want to be able to use CUDA, but the price performance ration isn't as good as it should be at the mo).


  • Options
    #17
    Donald-Duck
    Registered Users Posts: 1,119 ✭✭✭Donald-Duck


    RealistSpy wrote: »
    I third that I am even planing of getting a 4870x2 myself currently owning a 4870 I will crossfire both. If they work well 2gether.
    You'd pay 200 euro for a roughly 5%-10% increase in the best of circumstances?


  • Options
    #18
    Sqaull20
    Registered Users Posts: 2,044 ✭✭✭Sqaull20


    cian1500ww wrote: »
    The GTX 295 is going to retail at about $499 and it beats the 4870X2 in most games. 650W PSU is minimum though.

    Its the better card alright but it will be a bit more expensive, probably €500 to begin with.

    I wouldn't touch any dual based card, far more trouble than they are worth imo and in no way worth more than double the price of a single card.

    If you are going to go down that route then at least get some value.

    4850x2 is very close to 4870X2 performance ( practically the same if you overclock it ) and can be had for €279.

    http://www.firingsquad.com/hardware/sapphire_radeon_4850_x2_review/page7.asp

    http://www.pixmania.ie/ie/uk/2049133/art/sapphire-technology/radeon-hd-4850-x2-1-gb-gd.html


  • Options
    #19
    cian1500ww
    Registered Users Posts: 2,904 ✭✭✭cian1500ww


    Sqaull20 wrote: »
    Its the better card alright but it will be a bit more expensive, probably €500 to begin with.

    I wouldn't touch any dual based card, far more trouble than they are worth imo and in no way worth more than double the price of a single card.

    If you are going to go down that route then at least get some value.

    4850x2 is very close to 4870X2 performance ( practically the same if you overclock it ) and can be had for €279.

    http://www.firingsquad.com/hardware/sapphire_radeon_4850_x2_review/page7.asp

    http://www.pixmania.ie/ie/uk/2049133/art/sapphire-technology/radeon-hd-4850-x2-1-gb-gd.html
    Yeah the 9800GX2 was a disaster but hopefully nvidia have learned their lesson with that.


  • Options
    #20
    RealistSpy
    Registered Users Posts: 1,686 ✭✭✭RealistSpy


    How was the 9800GX2 a disaster I was looking at the benchmark and it wasn't that bad.


  • Options
    #21
    Den_M
    Registered Users Posts: 907 ✭✭✭Den_M


    Would I be right in saying that this is a bargain?

    4870 for 180 euro


  • Advertisement
  • Options
    #22
    TerrorFirmer
    Closed Accounts Posts: 29,930 ✭✭✭✭TerrorFirmer


    Excellent Pixmania price. Shame that their customer service is so shocking though: pray you don't develop problems with any card/hardware you buy off them. :)


  • Options
    #23
    Den_M
    Registered Users Posts: 907 ✭✭✭Den_M


    This seems like a good deal also:

    Fast 9800GTX+ for 150

    Clock speed - 738MHZ
    Memory speed - 2.2GHZ

    That's pretty nippy :)


  • Options
    #24
    cian1500ww
    Registered Users Posts: 2,904 ✭✭✭cian1500ww


    RealistSpy wrote: »
    How was the 9800GX2 a disaster I was looking at the benchmark and it wasn't that bad.
    There is continuous problems with the drives for it resulting in some very poor performance in games.


  • Options
    #25
    Elem
    Closed Accounts Posts: 357 ✭✭Elem


    What power supply would you need if your running x2 4870x2? With two HD, Intel i7 and DDR3 Ram?


  • Options
    #26
    Willymuncher
    Closed Accounts Posts: 450 ✭✭Willymuncher


    How is the 4870x2 for overheating? I've been reading a lot of people complaining of artifacts and how the stock cooling on many cards is not enough.

    I haven't heard too much about the 280GTX in terms of temps..


  • Options
    #27
    Solitaire
    Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 18,377 Mod ✭✭✭✭Solitaire


    Den_M wrote:
    This seems like a good deal also:

    Fast 9800GTX+ for 150

    Clock speed - 738MHZ
    Memory speed - 2.2GHZ

    That's pretty nippy

    Those are actually the stock speeds for the GTX+ :eek:

    Still, best price I've ever seen one... Pix do have the HD4850 for €130 though, which is actually the faster card at 1680*1050 and up (plus a lot more overclockable - the GTX+ has a real "OC lottery" thing going, no surprise given the fact that, as an updated and heavily overclocked 8800GT, its already very high-strung)


Advertisement