Hd 6870 or gtx 470

[Hettar]

Im planning to buy a new comp .I am really undecided between these 2 cards since they have really similar performance.Does nvidias phsx make an relative advantage over the 6870 in future performance?

 

[17seconds]

Yes, PhysX can make a dramatic difference if you play those games that feature it. The big difference between the two cards is that the 6870's are all reference models. For the GTX470, there is a lot of variety with different designs and custom heatsinks. If it were me, I would go for the Gigabyte GTX470 Superoverclock with the custom Wind Force III cooler. It will run faster and quieter than any 6870. The MSI GTX470 Twin Frozr II is another option. Both will give you PhysX to play Mafia 2, Metro 2033, Unreal Tournament III, Batman: Arkham Asylum, and a few others.

 

[Hettar]

thanks mate.However lets say i dont want to overclock it or i dont have the oppurtunitydo you say gtx 470 still?

 

[Hettar]

thanks all

 

[17seconds]

thanks mate.However lets say i dont want to overclock it or i dont have the oppurtunitydo you say gtx 470 still?

That would be an argument in favor of the Gigabyte Superoverclock, it is already factory overclocked up to GTX480 speed, 700mhz. The factory overclocked 6870's have very small overclocks which don't impact performance as much as factory overclocks do on a GTX470.

 

[AG Renagade]

PhysX is something that once you use, you wanna keep using. The GTX470 SC from pretty much any brand would beat the 6870. I've had a GTX470 SC from EVGA and tested it against a Asus 6870 that I purchased. GTX470 Won. Returned the 6870.

 

[17seconds]

PhysX is something that once you use, you wanna keep using. The GTX470 SC from pretty much any brand would beat the 6870. I've had a GTX470 SC from EVGA and tested it against a Asus 6870 that I purchased. GTX470 Won. Returned the 6870.

It's great hearing from someone with firsthand experience.

 

[JackNaylorPE]

I agree with those above. So does THG

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/batman-arkham-asylum,2465-11.html

...the eye candy [PhysX] is a lot of fun to watch. Once you've turned it on, it's not something you'll turn off if your hardware can handle it.

Check out the Mafia 2 reviews for more on PhysX eye candy .... a game by the way which comes free with the EVGA 470 GTX SC
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130549&Tpk=EVGA%201472

Last weekend I built a box for a friend of my son's w/ twin EVGA 470 SC's in SLI .... another one underway now has just one 470 but has the same case and 850 watt PSU so as to add the 2nd one later come Santa's arrival.

Here's that build ($1,500 budget) which anticipated the addition of an SSD and 2nd GFX card in SLI come X-Mas. The extra case fan was to blow air between the 2 GFX cards so wasn't needed till the 2nd card arrived.

Case - $140 - Antec DF-85
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129087

Case Fan - Later - Antec Red 120 mm
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835209013
PSU - $120 - Antec CP850 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371024

MoBo - $200 - Asus Sabertooth
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131665

CPU - $295 - Intel i7-950
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115211

Cooler - $40 - Scythe SCMG 2100
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185142

TIM - $5 - Shin Etsu http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835150080

RAM - $110 - 3 x 2GB Mushkin CAS 7
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226155

GFX - $270 - EVGA GTX 470 SC http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130549

2nd GFX - Later - Same

HD - $75 - Spinpoint F3 1TB 7200 rpm
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185

SSD - Later - OCZ Vertex 2 3.5"
120GB http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227590

DVD Writer - $80 - ASUS BR Model BC-08B1LT
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135220

OS - $100 - Win 7-64 Home OEM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116754

The HAF 922 / Corsair HX850 was the alt if the kid went w/ a mid tower, in the end, he wanted to go bigger.

 

[AG Renagade]

The GTX 470 has turned out to be a very popular card. If you do decide to go with it, I recommend EVGA, MSI and Gigabyte for brands. EVGA offer great cooling with its fin designs and has great warranty. MSI and Gigabyte both have great coolers as well.

Gigabyte having probably the best for the GTX 470 OC. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125338

Next would be the MSI GTX 470 with its Twin Frozr II. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127513

 

[infernox_01]

depends how long you can wait, the gtx 570 should be coming soon.

 

[AG Renagade]

Well the thing that worries me about the 570 is that it may just end up being a rebranding like the 9000 series was to the 8000. Im thinking that the GTX 570 may just be a 470 with better temps and 5 frame difference for more cost.

 

[infernox_01]

im hoping that its like a gtx 480 with less power usage, cooler temps and lower price. it will probably be more expensive then the gtx 470 when released, maybe the 470 prices will go down aswell.

 

[lucas1024]

My recommendation would be the 6870, because my preference is lower temps and noise (http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-6870-radeon-hd-6850-barts,2776-22.html). This would also be important for a future CrossFire config.
Personally, I am not swayed by the PhysX argument, but without having seen it, it might be just as magical as described.

 

[AG Renagade]

@infernox_01
I also hope that the 570 turns out to be how you described, and if the 470 drops in prices I'll definitely jump on grabbing 2 more to SLI.

@lucas1024
The GTX 470 no longer has the heating issues that it used to when first released. Thanks to new drivers mine idles at around 36c which isn't bad and loads at around 78c. There also isn't any audible noise unless you manually crank up all the fans. Search up videos on PhysX demonstrations, it really is something worth playing with.