2 Radeon 4670's or a single 4870

[breatheasy9er]

Im in the middle of putting together first build and dont know if it would be better to get two Sapphire 4670s - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102820

or.... one Sapphire 4870 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102849

Two 4670s will be cheaper than one 4870, and i would think a lot more powerful... any thoughts appreciated

this is what theyll be working with.... i think it all works together, i hope

Mobo - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128398

PSU - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341022 or http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817812001

CPU - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103649

 

[mindless728]

get a 5770, it may be a bit more, but then you get dx11 and newer gen cards that use less power while giving you more performance (about the same as a 4870)

never buy 2 low end cards to try to get mid range/high end speeds, it uses more power, creates more heat, and crossfire/sli does not give 100% scaling per card

 

[Bluescreendeath]

1 4870 is more powerful than two 4670s. It's also cheaper (depending on the model and 512mb vs 1GB), and uses less power than 2 cards, and you won't have any crossfire-software headaches. Crossfire scaling varies according to different games, and cross firing two 4670s (two budget gaming cards) won't net you very good results.

http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/1590/sapphire_radeon_hd_4670_in_crossfire/index9.html

For example, in Crysis, two 4670s crossfires at best, only gives you the performance of a single 4850. And a 4870 is about 20-25% better than a 4850.

 

[megamanx00]

A 4870 would be more powerful. Two 4670s in CF are more of a match for a 4850, but not a 4870. Not only that but if you get one 4870 now, you can add another in CF latter on, assuming you choose to do so before they are all gone anyway 😀. As for the PSUs, the OCZ is o.k, but I don't know much about the Mushkin PSU. Make sure to research PSU tiers before choosing a PSU though.

 

[breatheasy9er]

right on... i knew there would be something to it. ill check out the prices of the 4850 but ill probably end up with the 4870. i could get one for a good price, but id rather get a more supported brand.. and what ive read so far seems like sapphire. and maybe xfx. but i like the sapphire's design... looks to be cooler(colder). cooler too i guess..haha.

and ive done endless research on psu's..... member of 6 forums. youve probably seen me. i like the ocz, but might go with the corsair. its tough(and about 40 dollars, for the same power.... it seems)

This is all so much work, every spare second iv had for about a month has been devoted towards this.... just want it to be perfect... i dont usually spend any money... at all. pretty simple guy.

 

[JackNaylorPE]

Take ya budget and plug it in here:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-graphics-card,2464.html

As for the PSU's .....

Top Tier : Antex SG / Corsair HX series (Antec CP honorable mention)

Next Tier: Corsair TX / Antec TP

I wouldn't take any further steps down if considering OC'ing and twin GFX cards.

 

[jaguarskx]

HD 4870 is more powerful then X-Fired HD 4670. Also, not all games scales will with X-Fire or SLI so it always better to buy a single powerful card.

 

[breatheasy9er]

Thanks for the info bud... im going with the 4870, just need to decide on a manufacturer. and i really like the antec tp - 750w. looks like a great product for a great price

 

[hallowed_dragon]

Good PSU tier classification:
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=108088

 

[renz496]

go for single 4870. it is better to use single solution of more powerful card rather than using 2 weaker card on CF. if you want to CF use 4770, 4850,4870 or 4890 instead.

 

[jedimasterben]

Thanks for the info bud... im going with the 4870, just need to decide on a manufacturer. and i really like the antec tp - 750w. looks like a great product for a great price

If you can find one, I'd go for a Sapphire Vapor-X model. The cooler that they have may be small, but its vapor chamber is a real champ at taking away heat. Mine idles around 45C and loads around 68C in Furmark, and that's overclocked to 800/1100 or so, I can't remember what the RAM is at.

 

[breatheasy9er]

thanks for the tier classification. im going with an antec earthwatts EA500. and im looking into the vapor-x 4870 right now.

thank you

 

[capt_taco]

Single 4870 is better ... although as someone else said, you'll be much better off getting a 5xxx series card that supports DirectX 11.

 

[OvrClkr]

i vote for a 5750 or 5770 as well..... no point in spending cash on a 4xxx since the 5xxx came out.... The whole purpose of buying a video card is to make sure you do not have to upgrade sooner than later....

 

[JackNaylorPE]

If you're gonna get a new card by XMas 2011, I'd get the 4870 / 260 to last you till then as no need to futureproof a system against a future the card won't be around to see. If you gonna keep longer, the 5xxx is the better choice.