I was wondering which is the better card.
In the HD 5*** series review by www.techpowerup.com (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ATI/Radeon_HD_5870/10.html) the HD 4870 X2 is usually faster in most games than the 5850:
Gaming:
Synthetic:
It is obvious then that the HD 4870 X2 is the faster card, but the HD 5850 also has several advantages:
Direct X 11 is one of the advantages you have all thought of. However, the only game that supports Direct X 11 at this time is Dirt 2, and it has been announced that direct X 10/10.1 cards can use the main features of Direct X 11 via a driver update.
However, the HD 5850 is about £40 cheaper than the X2, uses up a lot less power, and is a lot cooler, as far as temperatures are concerned. I will also be able to run two 5850's in crossfire with my 800W (4x12V:20A) PSU, when I would need at least a 1000W PSU to run two HD 4870 X2's.
So, in your opinion, which would be the better buy?
In the HD 5*** series review by www.techpowerup.com (http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ATI/Radeon_HD_5870/10.html) the HD 4870 X2 is usually faster in most games than the 5850:
Gaming:
![cod4_1920_1200.gif](/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Ftpucdn.com%2Freviews%2FATI%2FRadeon_HD_5870%2Fimages%2Fcod4_1920_1200.gif&hash=f4645948e50f80ed99801efb49935dc4)
![coj2_1920_1200.gif](/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Ftpucdn.com%2Freviews%2FATI%2FRadeon_HD_5870%2Fimages%2Fcoj2_1920_1200.gif&hash=731a0f28b6ce8dcc85e77a36ffe56f07)
![coh_1920_1200.gif](/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Ftpucdn.com%2Freviews%2FATI%2FRadeon_HD_5870%2Fimages%2Fcoh_1920_1200.gif&hash=dd98cb64f6376288779a33b8c8203c3e)
![crysis_1920_1200.gif](/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Ftpucdn.com%2Freviews%2FATI%2FRadeon_HD_5870%2Fimages%2Fcrysis_1920_1200.gif&hash=a362194a185893286199b763379771c2)
![fear_1920_1200.gif](/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Ftpucdn.com%2Freviews%2FATI%2FRadeon_HD_5870%2Fimages%2Ffear_1920_1200.gif&hash=6cb7d8931793e5ea49c2b1548321c7b3)
![hawx_1920_1200.gif](/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Ftpucdn.com%2Freviews%2FATI%2FRadeon_HD_5870%2Fimages%2Fhawx_1920_1200.gif&hash=fe3fe898628507a5453ab0a1e250d31c)
![clearsky_1920_1200.gif](/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Ftpucdn.com%2Freviews%2FATI%2FRadeon_HD_5870%2Fimages%2Fclearsky_1920_1200.gif&hash=015ee209119b79f6a64ad4b10316bb63)
![ut3_1920_1200.gif](/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Ftpucdn.com%2Freviews%2FATI%2FRadeon_HD_5870%2Fimages%2Fut3_1920_1200.gif&hash=800ca32d374815dfba1fe56c42902505)
![wic_1920_1200.gif](/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Ftpucdn.com%2Freviews%2FATI%2FRadeon_HD_5870%2Fimages%2Fwic_1920_1200.gif&hash=015c0ca89eaea700da72ae8ed954336d)
Synthetic:
![3dmark06_1920_1200.gif](/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Ftpucdn.com%2Freviews%2FATI%2FRadeon_HD_5870%2Fimages%2F3dmark06_1920_1200.gif&hash=1ef62f88437f22fd22af3f074cd6207b)
It is obvious then that the HD 4870 X2 is the faster card, but the HD 5850 also has several advantages:
Direct X 11 is one of the advantages you have all thought of. However, the only game that supports Direct X 11 at this time is Dirt 2, and it has been announced that direct X 10/10.1 cards can use the main features of Direct X 11 via a driver update.
However, the HD 5850 is about £40 cheaper than the X2, uses up a lot less power, and is a lot cooler, as far as temperatures are concerned. I will also be able to run two 5850's in crossfire with my 800W (4x12V:20A) PSU, when I would need at least a 1000W PSU to run two HD 4870 X2's.
So, in your opinion, which would be the better buy?