2 Gx2's Or 1 Radeon 4870 X2?

[RoyalCask]

Alright, here is my dilemma:

I am trying to choose which Graphics card I want... Do I choose:

2 GX2's for $400.00 Total

Or

1 Radeon 4870 x2 for $500.00

I know that in the future if I choose the Radeon, I will be able to CF (CrossFire) them, but for a total of $1,000.00 for 2 4870 x2's is it worth it?

How does just 1 4870 x2 compare against 2 GX2's?

Thanks for the help!

 

[Avenger_K]

What games are you playing and what resolution do you play at? Also, do you already have the motherboard or are you purchasing it with the card(s)?

 

[cow_moo]

well the 2 gx2's will kill the hd4870X2 because they have higher performance than a 280

 

[L1qu1d]

2 GX2's will outperform 1 4870 X2. That is true. But there are also down sides. Quad sli is still not at it's best, and doesn't scale well in some games. They have low min frames (I can personally say this, since i had 2 9800 GX2s, and in source, I dipped into the 20s even @ 1280x1024 in hl2...)

Personally I would do the 4870 X2, since it has alot more potential, and isn't limited by Vram.

Also think of it like this, if a game doesn't scale in quad but scales in regular SLI/Crossfire (2 cards, thats what I mean) then u have 2 4870 vs 2 Under clocked 8800 GTS (9800 GTXs)

So it would be like 4870 X2 vs 4850 X2 sorta.

Now if a game doesn't use multi GPU at all, you'll have a 4870 vs a Underclocked 8800 GTS.

So weigh out ur numbers, see what games you like. personally I'd go for the X2 since it has alot more potentila, technology and is a better choice for the future ATM, then to complicate urself with Quad. I wouldn't go back to quad sli myself. The min frame rate, and low AA possibilities really held me back. I didn't even kno that it was possible to use so much AA in games..

 

[eklipz330]

agree with liquid, the inconsistencies of quad sli will make the 4870x2 a better deal


you should even look into the 4850x2

 

[L1qu1d]

no no the 4850 X2 wouldn't give enough of a boost to jusify the 350-400$

Its either 4870 X2 or another 9800 GX2 in his case.

The 4850 X2 is a better card, but if I ever bought a card from a GX2 I would do the 4870 X2 since it will def not disappoint.

eklipz330 does have a point though, I mean ur better off even with the 4850 X2, we just don't kno how much of a boost u'd like to expect.

I'd suck it in and go for the 4870 X2

 

[dagger]

Benchmarks containing both quad 9800gx2 and 4870x2 are very rare. Here's a few:

http://www.guru3d.com/category/vga_charts/

As you can see, performance varies depending on game.

If money is not an issue, and you haven't brought anything yet. 4870x2 with x38/48 motherboard is the better choice. As it allows you to get another 4870x2 and oc later, not to mention Intel chipset overclocks better.

If money is an issue, or you already have one 9800gx2, a second 9800gx2 is the way to go. The price for 4870x2 is far too high for something that, more often than not, performs below 9800gx2 despite quad sli's bad scaling.

 

[RoyalCask]

What about a XFX GTX 260 Black Edition vs. GX2 vs. 4870 x2?

The XFX BE GTX 260 is kind of looking like it will bechmark higher...

 

[L1qu1d]

ignore this comment

 

[RoyalCask]

My build so far:

*XCLIO A380PLUS-BK Fully Black High Gloss Finish 1.0mm SECC/ ABS ATX Full Tower Computer Case

*XION Supernova XON-800R14N 800W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready Modular Power Supply

* ASUS Rampage II Extreme Motherboard

*Intel i7 920 or 945 (Depends on 945's price) 8MB Socket LGA 1366 Nehalem CPU

*2 x EVGA 01G-P3-N891-RX GeForce 9800 GX2 1GB (512MB per GPU) 512-bit (256-bit per GPU) GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card

*OCZ Platinum 4GB (4 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2000 (PC3 16000) Dual Channel Kit Memory

*LG Black 6X Blu-ray Disc Burner & HD DVD-ROM Drive SATA Model GGW-H20L

*Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

Tell me what you think...

 

[dagger]

What about a XFX GTX 260 Black Edition vs. GX2 vs. 4870 x2?

The XFX BE GTX 260 is kind of looking like it will bechmark higher...

Gtx260, factory oced or not, is not in the same league as 9800gx2 and 4870x2.

http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3341&p=13

 

[L1qu1d]

ur better off buying 2 260 GTXs for 400 than 2 9800 GX2s for 400$. I would suck it in, since u have a rig that clearly help the video card bottlenecks we've been seeing, u can be one of the lucky few, that can enjoy the 4870 X2 to it's full extend.

With that rig of urs, I'd be able to blast the market with my tri 280 GTXs.

I'm saving to get myself a new cpu and Mobo this coming Xmas

 

[RoyalCask]

http://www.guru3d.com/article/core-i7-multigpu-sli-crossfire-game-performance-review/6

All these cards in question on the board I am getting with the i7 CPU...

Now my question has turned to:

2x 4870 x2, or 3SLI GTX 280?

 

[LAN_deRf_HA]

Personally I don't recommend quad anything when it comes to gpus as that exact combo seems to often result in lower frame rates than with just 2 gpus. At least at sane resolutions... I'd avoid 3 GTXs because although price has come down it's still quite expensive, and mainly due to a lack of expansion room in that config.

 

[RoyalCask]

Ehh... I think I am going to go with the 2x Black Edition GX2's

I can get them for as cheap as I can get 1 4870x2...

 

[L1qu1d]

depending on the game really between Quad 4870 X2s and tri 280 GTXs. The 280 GTXs to date are the fastest configuration over all since it only needs to scale 20-30% to match the 4870 X2 in quad Crossfire.

The 4870 X2 quad setup I beleive is cheaper, and performs almost the same. Just remember than quad scales worse than tri, tri scales worse than dual, and Single...wel that doesn' t need to be explained

I would stick to 1 4870 X2 for now. Theres no need for soo much power. The only reason I'm jamming the 280 GTXs is because my friend didn't need em and he just traded for my 9800 GX2 quads.

 

[RoyalCask]

Why get 1 4870x2 when it will cost more than 2 GX2's that will benchmark higher than a single 4870x2?

Would a single GX2 do the job, and run everything without hickups?

 

[L1qu1d]

Because 1 4870 X2 scales better than 9800 GX2 quad sli and it has more potential, by adding another 4870 X2 or 1 4870 for tri crossX. 512 megs extra ram for high resolutions and high AA. Not as low min frame rate as the 9800 GX2 which means smoother gameplay over all. DX10.1, GDDR5.

Its completely up 2 u. The 9800 GX2 quads performed really well, but they did stutter at weird places. Also in Crysis they did get higher frame rates than the 280s I have, but when AA was turned on, even at 4xs AA...the cards died. While the 280 GTXs I turn on 16xQ AA and the frame rates don't drop even by that many frames. Same thing goes for the 4870 X2. Alot more potential and less hassle, heat and wires than 9800 GX2 quad sli setup.

9800 GX2 is being phased out. Unless u already have it, I wouldn't bark up it's tree anymore. Driver will still support the 9800 GX2, but that doesn'tmean there will be anymore improvements on the card. And its still not perfect.

 

[RoyalCask]

ERRRRR..... This is to HARD TO DECIDE!!!! The 4870x2 is soooo expensive as compared to the GX2's... But the 4870 would support my future....

Another good point I just looked into... GX2's lifetime warranty... 4870x2 is on;y a 12 month warranty...

 

[spathotan]

Royal, just go with Liquid's susgest and get the 4870X2. Youre going to end up kicking yourself if you go with the quad-sli. Liquid has layed out and detailed all the issues with it. There is more to it than just benchmarks, you cant play 3dmark.

 

[RoyalCask]

Alright... How does this sound:

XCLIO A380PLUS-BK Fully Black High Gloss Finish 1.0mm SECC/ ABS ATX Full Tower Computer Case

*XION Supernova XON-800R14N 800W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready Modular Power Supply

* ASUS Rampage II Extreme Motherboard

*Intel i7 920 or 945 (Depends on 945's price) 8MB Socket LGA 1366 Nehalem CPU

*2 x Radeon 4870 x2 CF

*OCZ Platinum 4GB (4 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2000 (PC3 16000) Dual Channel Kit Memory

*LG Black 6X Blu-ray Disc Burner & HD DVD-ROM Drive SATA Model GGW-H20L

*Western Digital Caviar Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

Also, which brand makes the best 4870x2?

 

[dagger]

Get quad 9800gx2, since it's $100 cheaper than single 4870x2 for you and comes with lifetime warranty. Quad 4870x2 scales horribly at the moment, far worse than quad 9800gx2, and by the time driver optimization improves enough, you'll probably want newer cards anyway. Just get whatever is the best performance/value now. Graphics move too fast for any kind of "future-proofing."

 

[L1qu1d]

although thats true, its a waste of money to let his rig go to waste, i mean 4870 X2 scales horribly now, that doesn't mean it will for ever. The GX2 was far worse than the 4870 X2 is now.

I can tell u right now that with MAX AA 9800 GX2 quad had issues with even 8xs AA in quake wars, which is a pretty old game.

The 9800 GX2 quad is just a waste at this moment in time I mean ur system is just going to be ultimate. Why spoil it with the min frame rate reckors like the GX2?

Its at the end of it's life Nvidia stated it wanted to phase it out.

Dagger that 100$ savings is going to kick him in the ass, when new games come out that demand higher textures faster memory and stronger single GPU cards.

 

[RoyalCask]

What about two of these:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814261035

Or a 4870x2 bridged with the GPU stated above?

 

[dagger]

What about two of these:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814261035

Or a 4870x2 bridged with the GPU stated above?

It'll perform the same as single 4870x2, until you reach extreme resolutions where 512mb of ram runs out. Chances are, your monitor won't be able to handle the resolution anyway.