ATI Radeon HD 4770 In CrossFire: Unbeatable At $220

[ssr]

NOW PLEASE GIVE US D0 STEPPING i7 OVER THE AIR OVERCLOCKING
OR XEON 5520 OVERCLOCKING
THANKS IN ADVANCE

 

[knutjb]

Uh WOW. Good on AMD/ATI for helping out the financially challenged crowd with a great upgrade option. What will Nvidia rebadge/recycle to compete?

 

[resonance451]

[citation][nom]ssr[/nom]NOW PLEASE GIVE US D0 STEPPING i7 OVER THE AIR OVERCLOCKINGOR XEON 5520 OVERCLOCKINGTHANKS IN ADVANCE[/citation]

LOL CAPS LOCK

[citation][nom]knutjb[/nom]Uh WOW. Good on AMD/ATI for helping out the financially challenged crowd with a great upgrade option. What will Nvidia rebadge/recycle to compete?[/citation]

You're not clever.

 

[montyuk]

4770x2 vs 4850x2 vs 4870(512)x2 vs 4870(1gb)x2 vs 4890x2
did i forget anything? oh well and the nvidia options aswell......

i know the article is about the 4770 but after previous reviews it does seem a little glaring to leave out the other x2 combinations.

 

[RazberyBandit]

[citation][nom]knutjb[/nom]Uh WOW. Good on AMD/ATI for helping out the financially challenged crowd with a great upgrade option. What will Nvidia rebadge/recycle to compete?[/citation]
They won't recycle or rebadge anything. If anything, they'll probably die-shrink. Worked before, right?


I knew the 4770 had the potential for amazing Crossfire performance. The really sad thing is, only one manufacturer has even bothered to put a Crossfire Bridge in it's 4770's package - XFX. The rest of AMD's partners skipped that all-important little part, which probably costs them a whole $1... Good job, partners!
So, 4770 buyers, don't forget to order one or double check your motherboard's parts list to see if they bothered to include one with it.

The 4770 has something in common with it's 4830 cousin. When the 4830 came out, we soon saw reviews where they overclocked very well, soon followed by Crossfire tests showing they outperformed single 4870's. All that at roughly half the price of the 4870. It would seem history is repeating itself, somewhat. Eventually, the 4830 evolved into 1GB versions, and the added memory improved their high resolution performance. I'm hopeful the 4770 does the same. Recently, every other ATI card has evolved into a 1GB version, including even the lower-end 4650.

So, I think I'll wait a little while in hopes of 1GB models. If we see some non-reference 1GB models in the near future, we'll be able to dismiss all the frame-buffer references in every 4770 review to date. It is at that point which we'll truly be dealing with an inexpensive Crossfire setup that utterly destroys it's single-GPU solution competition in every resolution. Well, provided the extra 512 megs of memory doesn't cost more than $15 or $20.

 

[Sihastru]

There's just on little thing missing... the GTX275. I will overturn more then half of the graphs in this article, and it will affect the conclusion in a very radical way.

It's true the GTX275 is a bit more expensive, but you can save up money on the motherboard by not bothering with a multi-pcie setup (drop CF/SLI support).

But on the other hand, it is no longer so much dependant on CF/SLI profiles for each and every game, it has no scaling problems. It also has a larger framebuffer (the 4770 will be limited in some games because of it's 512MB, and in CF the framebuffer doesn't add up), support for PhysX and CUDA.

Oh, yeah... and it overclocks very well. I don't think any sane performance avid gamer opting for the 4770.

To me it doesn't make sense, if you buy a CF/SLI board, you're not going to settle for a CF/SLI setup that can barely keep up with a single mid-to-high end card. You'll get the mid-to-high end card (preferably the GTX275 in this case or the 4870/4890 if you go CF) and buy in the near future a second identical card.

If you go 4770 CF2X you'll be sorry in the very near future and you'll have to low-ish end cards to unload.

 

[The_Blood_Raven]

Wait wait wait! Chris thinks 2 4770s for $220 are a good deal because they are identical to a 4890? A 4890 is $230 and does not come with the multi GPU issues that the 4770s would... fail. If you are that hung up on $10 then you should probably stick with 1 4770 and actually eat that week...

 

[ifko_pifko]

[citation][nom]RazberyBandit[/nom]The really sad thing is, only one manufacturer has even bothered to put a Crossfire Bridge in it's 4770's package - XFX.[/citation]

MSI?

 

[Ciuy]

now i dunno what to buy ...a 4850 or the new 4770 lol to pair with a amd 7750Be ...sucks i have a nvidia mobo with 1pci slot fss...i hate nvidia.

i want AMD all ... what u suggest get the new card and wat for some day i`ll upgrade mobo and get another 4770 or go straight for the 4850 ... maybe they will get cheaper and do an xfire with that.

 

[RazberyBandit]

MSI?

Find it in this pic, then: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ShowI...deon HD 4770 R4770-T2D512 Video Card - Retail
Can't, can you? Why? Because it's not there.

The only place MSI lists a Crossfire Bridge as an accessory to the 4770 is on their Taiwan website, with a clear message following the accessory list stating that accessories will differ from region to region. So, unless you actually have one, all signs point towards no bridge in the North American version. At least, the North American version being sold at Newegg, which should be the same as any other MSI 4770 in North America sold elsewhere.

 

[zehpavora]

Maybe I'm not the only one, but since you're comparing dual GPU cards, you should have thrown some SLi nVidia's and other ATi's, like the X2's (GTX 295). Yeah, if you have a crossfire that outperforms a lot of single cards, you shouldn't be surprised, because you have two GPUs, so double the performance (kinda). The problem would be if a crossfire couldn't outperform a single card. THAT would be surprising.

 

[nerrawg]

Great test Chris and TOMs! What we've been waiting to see, 4770 CF stress tested with more demanding games. Brilliant choices for comparison, and I like how the frame buffer issues are addressed with the use of 4 x AA. Looking at the close results between the 4770 and the GTX 280 it appears that the GTX285 probably beats it by a margin, but considering if costs $330-350 and upwards, it can't definitely not be considered good value, if it ever was. Congrats on a very good article (also the first I have seen to test 4770 thoroughly) and this data will of no doubt be of use in the forums.

 

[Sihastru]

[citation][nom]nerrawg[/nom]Brilliant choices for comparison, and I like how the frame buffer issues are addressed with the use of 4 x AA. Looking at the close results between the 4770 and the GTX 280 it appears that the GTX285 probably beats it by a margin, but considering if costs $330-350 and upwards, it can't definitely not be considered good value...[/citation]

Again, where is the GTX275?

And 4xAA is not enough, we need tests with 8xAA, but that would bring these little "monsters" to their knees (512MB is not enough anymore)...

 

[blasko229]

dropdown, come back, seriously
are we expected to back-peddle to the first page to go to a specific page every time?

 

[ufo_warviper]

Resonance, I tend to agree with you that Demonhorde's pick of the 4890 card as a "poor man's card" and possibly the motherboard depending on when he got it) doesn't make a whole lot of sense. There are much better value options at both lower and higher price points. However, I think he's in a better shape to say what budget is a "stretch" than you are(not to be insulting here), and I also fail to comprehend how a poor hardware purchase decision necessarily constitutes him being a moron. I might be able to afford better hardware now, like 720 BE processors,4850x2 cards, but I know what's like to be dirt poor, and still be a gamer. Back in late 2000, Voodoo 2 cards @ $30 was the best I could do, and back in 2003, the best I could do were the GeFOrce 4 Ti Cards @ $70. Until last month, I still had GeForce4 Ti cards and a handed down FX 5800 card in my little brother's, my Dad's, and my sister's rig respectively, (which all 3 of them often used for gaming) until I bought 4 completely new rigs, and gave my Dad my previous Athlon X2 rig with my 8800GT. For many years, until last year, even $50 for hardware or software was a stretch for all of us.

 

[hixbot]

Why didn't you throw a GTX 250 SLI, 4830 crossfire, and 4850 crossfire into your comparisons? And shouldn't there be a single GTX 275 in this comparison too?

 

[hixbot]

Also MINIMUM FRAME RATES are a must in a comparison involving multiple GPU platforms. Crossfire often gives high average frame rates, but sometimes the minimum frame rates don't increase by much (or actually go down).

 

[RazberyBandit]

Maybe I'm not the only one, but since you're comparing dual GPU cards, you should have thrown some SLi nVidia's and other ATi's, like the X2's (GTX 295). Yeah, if you have a crossfire that outperforms a lot of single cards, you shouldn't be surprised, because you have two GPUs, so double the performance (kinda). The problem would be if a crossfire couldn't outperform a single card. THAT would be surprising.

I think Chris tested it against hardware within +/- ~$50 price range, so it was a pretty fair test aimed towards his intent, which was to show that at a $220 price point, 4770 Crossfire setup is the performance leader. However, as the tests showed, that can change a little depending upon the situation. A GTX295 is WAY above that price...

But, since we didn't see everything covered, here's what I'd like to see. Compare this 4770 Crossfire to relatively priced Crossfire and SLI setups. Such a comparison should include:

4830 512MB Crossfire (~$180)
4830 1GB Single and Crossfire (~$125 ea. or ~$250 pr.)
4850X2 1GB and/or 4850 512MB Crossfire (~$240-$260 - as low as $200 w/ MiR)
4850X2 2GB and/or 4850 1GB Crossfire (~$290-$300)
9800GT/GTX 512MB SLI (~$240)
9800GT/GTX 1GB SLI (~$270)
GTS250 512MB SLI (~$250)
GTS250 1GB Single and SLI (~$150 ea. or ~$300 pr.)

Almost all of those considerations fall within comparative price ranges, or at the very least should fall within comparative performance ranges. In particular, I'd really like to see how the 4770 Crossfire stacks up against it's 1GB cousins, the 4830 1GB Crossfire and 4850X2 2GB/4850 1GB Crossfire, as well as 1GB nVIDIA cards in SLI configurations. All of those configurations should show significant benefit at higher resolutions and detail levels due to their increased VRAM.

And please, test some retail hardware... No more "engineering samples," including the CPU on the bench system.

P.S. There was no need to throw a GTX275 into the 4770 Crossfire review because the data for comparison to the 275 is already on record within the 275's own review where it went head-to-head with the 4890, which is listed within this review. Load up both reviews in browser tabs and swap back and forth to compare.

 

[knowom]

[citation][nom]thepinkpanther[/nom]wonder what nvidia has up their sleeve to counter this, and...and...its another renamed g92![/citation]

g92 with faster and higher density memory if I had to guess and maybe a die shrink so higher core clock speeds, but probably won't be for another month or two

 

[Guest]

The cards are actually under $100 if you look for rebates... so really, $200 for one of the most powerful solutions out there... ATI, my wallet loves you right now.

 

[Kill@dor]

Seems even though the 260 trails Crossfire, its doin just fine!!

 

[dario77]

didn't bother to check and make sure that $109 price was still applicable before hitting "publish", did we? the 'egg has them all at 99.99, some still with a $10 MIR...
truth be told, it was no shock at all that there was a $10 premium at launch. was not the ph2 720BE priced above its target price for the first week or so? pretty standard practice these days...not that its right or fair, just that it seems to be the trend. people raised by wolves know this.
the wolves that raised them know this...

minor complaints aside, the results speak for themselves...a fine article, and a darn fine card (in pairs)!

its almost starting to feel like the old tom's again!!!

 

[jp182]

[citation][nom]demonhorde665[/nom]"there’s really no reason to buy a single 4890, unless you lack CrossFire compatibility. And you shouldn’t be lacking CrossFire unless you own a motherboard with Nvidia core logic (in which case, you’re probably already running a GeForce card of some sort, too)." EPIC WRONG !!!!! I m an avid gamer i own a mainbaord that ONLY has one pci-e 16x slot it is not an nivida chip main board either but an amd based solution. unless you were applying your coment to the rich only, you fail epicly at this comment[/citation]

couldn't agree more. I'm a gamer on a budget and I personally thought that the difference between $99 and $109 is negligible. Especially considering that the author is then ok with paying 2x amount; which I'm not disagreeing with, I just don't understand the logic. In either case, I'm not sure if I have a SLI mo-board as I cannot justify spending extra money on a SECOND videocard.

 

[Verrin]

Especially considering that the author is then ok with paying 2x amount; which I'm not disagreeing with, I just don't understand the logic. In either case, I'm not sure if I have a SLI mo-board as I cannot justify spending extra money on a SECOND videocard.

He's talking about their respective value at each price point. At the $99-109 range, the value is questionable (there are more options and possibly better values). But for cards in the $200-250 range, a pair of these is possibly the best value you can get at that price point.

Also, there's a couple responses to demonhorde's poor logic as it is; you should check out some of the other comments here.

 

[neiroatopelcc]

[citation][nom]demonhorde665[/nom]"there’s really no reason to buy a single 4890, unless you lack CrossFire compatibility. And you shouldn’t be lacking CrossFire unless you own a motherboard with Nvidia core logic (in which case, you’re probably already running a GeForce card of some sort, too)." EPIC WRONG !!!!! I m an avid gamer i own a mainbaord that ONLY has one pci-e 16x slot it is not an nivida chip main board either but an amd based solution. unless you were applying your coment to the rich only, you fail epicly at this comment[/citation]

You're an epic moron at best dude!
If you're running a p35 or similar board, chances are you're running an old 65nm intel part anyway, or even worse an x2 and can't even supply enough power for a 4890 in the first place. So on such a platform neither is an option.