GTX 260 216 or HD4870 1GB? Intelligent decision for my gaming

Ok so I currently have the system in my signature. My 8800GTS 512 is about 10 months old and run things pretty well. My current game is FarCry2 which I run at 1680x1050 Ultra High Dx9 No AA (multiplayer). In Single player I have to lower it to Very High. I run around 50-60 FPS. I am usually a FPS gamer on the PC and some RTS's as well. SupCom comes out every so often. And I used to palay COD4, but not since FC2.

Question is, I'd like to crank AA up if I can and start making my way for Vista and DX10 in the possible near future. I have a lowend system I am selling of Craigslist and I'd like to depart with my current card. For what is in my budget I am looking at the GTX 260 /216 or the HD4870 1GB. Now I know they both trade punches but I would like to keep my current PSU which has more than served me well. The GTX260 seems to consume less power on idle and also a little at load. I will also be OCing with the factory cooling either way I go. I haven't done much reading on these 2 cards in the OC department so I am counting on someone to give me a heads up.

What do you think? All opinions are welcome.
 

antiacid

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they are both very similar in terms of performance, as you mentioned. I would go with the best deal at this point. The only factor that might help you decide is the noise vs heat issue. My 4870 is watercooled and stays at 40-45c during load but I know that people complain about the fan profiles keeping the card too hot during intense gameplay sessions.
 

trevorvdw

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My 4870 fan is set at 40% during gameplay and its not super loud and I've yet to see the temp go over 65C even after 8 hours of gameplay and I live in super hot southern california.
 
That is one of my concerns as well. Heat and how loud the fan gets. I keep my PC relatively quiet, but I crank the CPU fan when gaming. (manual control).

My 8800GTS is an XFX and the stock fan profile is REALLY good. It VERY rarely gets above 65C even with the OC. I know ATI's can get a bit toasty. They seem to be similar in price and the 260 has several FarCry2 offers. Which I can sell off to a friend cheap. I am leaning toward the GTX260 but I wanted to throw it out there for those who are experienced in the new cards.

Ive messed around alot with all of the 8800's and older ATi cards. I love the ATI 4670 but as far as the higher cards I am just going by what I read.

I gave up on aftermarket coolers on Video cards after my headaches in the past. And with the die shrinks a good stock cooler in my mind should be able to handle a decent OC.
 
For farcry2, i have heard that even at low res it likes video memory so either one should be better than your 512MB card.

I do occasionally hook my PC up to my 42" LCD tv and play for fun. And I always have to turn the settings down a notch for that. It looks SOO much better though than my little 22". I'd like to get a 24" 1900x1200 screen sometime though, its on my list.
 

fatcat

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I own a 4870 and like it a lot. Obviously, I can't compare it to the 260 since I don't own one but I hear the the latest iteration is pretty good. I am running my 4870 with a Corair 620, I don't remember the specs by heart but it might give a base of comparison. It's true that at full speed the fan is pretty darn noisy but I leave my fan at 40-45 % and it's not too bad. In any case, I don't think you can go bad with either choices. If it comes down to a matter of power supply than pick the one that will work with you current system.
 


Yeah they seem to trade punches and everyone seems to love whichever one they have. It you take the fanboy comments away I think either is a good choice. I think the Gtx260 consumes less power, so for me that is a safer bet. I think it idles much lower than the 4870 and at load is slightly less. Fan noise is not really a concern for me but at idle it better be very quiet. I know ATI drivers also tend to be on the FAT side. I think when i switched to Nvida from ATI my memory utilization dropped 200MB.

All of the reviews I see swing either way as well. But people don't take into account each test usually uses different baseline hardware. One might use a dual core, another quad or different speed. From what it looks like as well the new i7 REALLY gives nvidia a boost. So that might be possible in the future if this card lasts that long. My base system was build 9/06 and since only added another 2GB of Ram and switched out the video card. Ok well added a HD but that doesn't count in performance. So my systems usually see several cards before their time is up.
 

skywalker9952

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If you are going to OC then I think the GTX 260+ is the way to go. If you look on newegg there is only one 4870 1GB that is factory OCed and that one is only OCed 7% (GPU, Mem 3%). There are multiple GTX 260+ OCed, some over 16%. Based on what the manufacturers are comfortable doing with thier OCs I would have to say that the GTX 260+ has more headroom.
 
Look for a EVGA unit. They recently had a good discount on the GTX260-216 superclocked. I think they are unloading the units in anticipation of 55nm parts. With EVGA you will preserve the option to "step-up" within 90 days. I think the cards are comparable, don't anguish about that.

As to the psu, unless it is aging, and can't deliver adverticed power to it's 2 pci-e connectors, you should be fine.
 

rawsteel

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My opinion, doesnt worth-it. Your current Videocard is pretty decent and you can wait until some new and faster VC-s are released. nVidia will release new products soon, as will ATI. My advice, wait after new year and then you will get good deals
 

adreen

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the bfg maxcore OC core 216 that comes factory overclocked has a 530w minimum or recommended requirement (don't remember exactly which)...so if you're not planning to SLI, and you're going to OC, a 550-600w would fit your needs.
from what i've researched over the past 3 months b4 building my rig...ATI generally require less demanding PSU's, so depending on what PSU you're gonna use and you're going to add a second card eventually.
2xcore 216 in SLI is gonna require a 650w+ PSU, ideally a 750w+...two 4870 in CF will only require about 600W+.
performance wise, they're so equal, it all comes down to preference.
take into account that SLI motherboard = more cash, all-in-all, you're paying more for a 260 overall compared to a 4870...so unless you're getting a great price on the 260, i'd go with the 4870.
funny hearing me saying this...because the rig i just built 2 days ago has a SLI board+core 216.
i got a great price on it though, so it's alllll gooood
 

cerulean

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I'm pretty sure that PSU should be just fine. I recently put a GTX 260 in my old system that my kids are using, which has an Enermax Noisetaker (3.5 years old) 600W w/2 18A rails for 35A combined on +12V. It handles it without any problems, however, it is listed as a tier 3 PSU while the one you listed falls into the tier 5 range (I think, as all Coolmax products except the high quality one they've listed are tier 5)--so age may be more of an issue on that unit.

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=108088

I would say give it a shot for sure, but if you notice any random system restarts, hanging or crashes the PSU would be among the first things I check.
 

spoonboy

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lol lol! what was I thinking?!?! heres the review! http://techgage.com/article/ati_hd_4870_1gb_vs_nvidia_gtx_260216_896mb_follow-up/
 

L1qu1d

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If I read right from your specs your mobo is Crossfire? 4870 1 gig would be more future friendly for you.

I mean these cards basically neck and neck.

if I'm right then the 4870 1 gig, if not the 260 GTX:p
 

rangers

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http://techgage.com/article/ati_hd_4870_1gb_vs_nvidia_gtx_260216_896mb_follow-up/

yes according to them its not so cut and dry, but you would have to have been an nvidia fanboy to believe they reviews nvidia put out