ATI Radeon HD 4890 Crossfired Vs. Nvidia GTX 295

[minter]

I need some opinions of what should I get, 2 ATI Radeon HD 4890 Crossfired or 1 Nvidia GTX 295. I don't know which ones are better, though I have been using Nvidia for a long time since I started with computers, and now i'm thinking of getting radeons. This is my specs:

Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 @ 4 GHz
MSI P45 Neo2 FR (PCI-E single @ x16, Dual @ x8 - x8)
4 GB Corsair Gaming Memory DDR2 800
Corsair HX 1000w PSU
Cooler Master V10
Cooler Master Haf 932
LG 22" Wide HD LCD 1920x1080 max resolution (this is the current resolution I am using)

Any opinions would be much appreciated

 

[brett1042002]

My vote is two 4890's in CF. You'll love the performance. Hell, I love the performance from my single 4890 lol. My resolution is 1920x1080 as well.... dual 24'' monitors. I play all games without a hitch. I'll be picking up another 4890 for CF when they come down in price more... and I upgrade my PSU.

 

[jonpaul37]

ok, the price range of the GTX 295 is $500.00 (give or take)
the price of 2 X 4890's is $380.00 (give or take)

you can OC the 4890's to near-GTX 295 performance and thus you have spent less money...

However! In my opinion, i would go with the new 5870 (if you can find one) for right around the same price as the 2 X 4890's. it's on par with the 4870x2 and just below the GTX 295 for a MUCH better price, not to mention newer technology and you can crossfire it when the prices drop a little...

 

[minter]

can 1 HD 5870 surpass the 2 4890's performance? oh and is the performance still ok if my pci-e slots runs at x8 - x8 in crossfire mode?

 

[jonpaul37]

that's a good question... Check out the following link

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-5870,2422.html

It basically reveals that the 5870 will in most cases , be on par with or beat out the 4870x2. There are a few exceptions, but not many, the 5870 makes a compelling run for the money...

The other advantages the 5870 has over the other options is as follows:

Power consumption
the fact that it's a Single card solution
DX 11
all the above you'll notice in the review... you be the judge.

 

[jennyh]

that's a good question... Check out the following link

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-5870,2422.html

It basically reveals that the 5870 will in most cases , be on par with or beat out the 4870x2. There are a few exceptions, but not many, the 5870 makes a compelling run for the money...

The other advantages the 5870 has over the other options is as follows:

Power consumption
the fact that it's a Single card solution
DX 11
all the above you'll notice in the review... you be the judge.

The 4870x2 beat the gtx295 in most of those benchmarks btw.

edit - the 5870 is clearly the smart choice here.

 

[minter]

hmm so do you think the 2 4890's will do a greater job?

 

[jennyh]

Ok the gtx295 is completely pointless. It costs too much for hardly any benefit over the 5870.

The 4890 crossfired will be the most powerful setup more often, but in some games you'll be left with only a single 4890, which is still powerful.

Get a 5870, nothing else at the price point makes any sense at all right now.

 

[jonpaul37]

for now, yes, but the difference will be minimal... don't forget that ATI division will come out with new drivers for the 5870 to scale better as well, so it only gets better for 5870... 2 x 4890 is a great choice, but i think the 5870 is better choice.

 

[minter]

ok 5870 it is. im thinking of crossfiring it with another 5870, what do you think of my question about x8 - x8 on the pci-e slots at crossfire mode?

 

[eklipz330]

it shouldn't bottleneck you too much

 

[jennyh]

You wont lose a whole lot of performance, a few percent maybe but you'll have so much power I doubt you will notice it.

 

[minter]

oh ok. what brand do you recommend? I wanted to choose Sapphire cards but still in a little doubt of their cards.

 

[jonpaul37]

as for the x8 - x8 scaling, you neednet worry, the performance hit will be minimal.

In regards to the Brand of ATI card, i would go with Sapphire. Every ATI card i have owned has been Sapphire and i have not had one issue. Sapphire is to ATI as EVGA is to Nvidia.

Personally i would start with just 1 5870 and see if you will need/want to add another at a later date. It may turn out that just one 5870 will fulfill your needs... especially over a GTX 285, i feel that this will be the case.

I am going the exact same route you are going, i'm upgrading my Core 2 Duo from e4500 to a Core 2 Quad Q9550 soon, then after the holidays i'm going to get a 5870. So i would like to know how it works out for you.

 

[minter]

sure, i'll inform you when my 5870 arrives after I order. thanks for your time y'all! cheers!