New To ATI Based Video Cards

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solaris54

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I have 2 homebuilt computer (antec900 + 1200) both with Nvidia SLI cards installed.
I am running two 30" monitors 2560 x 1600
I want to get rid of the Nvidia cards and switch over to the HD 4870 in some capacity.
This is where it gets confusing since I have not used ATI type cards since the 9700.
There are so many configurations available with the 9870 and I would like to find out which gives the best performance and reliability along with cooling.

So would I be better off with two HD 4870s in the Crossfire Configuration?
Is there much difference between the 512MB and 1GB versions?
Can you mix different brands?
Is one brand better than the other?

Or would I be better off the the HD 4870 X2 version?
If so which brand or model?

The mobo on one of the computers is the eVGA 780i FTW Crossfire ready with Q9450.
The other is Abit IN9 32X-MAX 680i board with Q6600.

Any help or advice would be appreciated.
 
Neither one of those motherboards supports crossfire. Strictly SLI. So if you want to go ATI your best bet would be the 4870 X2.
 
wagsrules said:
Neither one of those motherboards supports crossfire. Strictly SLI. So if you want to go ATI your best bet would be the 4870 X2.
Click to expand...

The 780i does support crossfire as far as I know. At least it says that on the box.

So the 4870 X2 does not require crossfire?
 
solaris54 said:
The 780i does support crossfire as far as I know. At least it says that on the box.

So the 4870 X2 does not require crossfire?
Click to expand...

I'd like to see a pic of that box because that would be a shock to me. I believe you're confusing SLI with Crossfire.

solaris54 said:
The mobo on one of the computers is the eVGA 780i FTW Crossfire ready with Q9450.
Click to expand...

Actually, the board is "eVGA 780i FTW SLI ready". Two different things.

And no, a crossfire board is not required with that video card.
 
Ok Im an idiot...........I dont know why I was thinking it would do Crossfire.
Anyway I stand corrected.

So my only option withoiut replacing the mobo is going to the 4870 X2?

Any brands better than others?

Thanks for the info:D
 
Well I went with a Vistontek 4870x2 because of the warrenty and its an american company if you need to RMA anything. Screw sending something all the way to china and waiting for it. Really wish EVGA or BFG made ATI cards.
 
mikecoscia said:
Well I went with a Vistontek 4870x2 because of the warrenty and its an american company if you need to RMA anything. Screw sending something all the way to china and waiting for it. Really wish EVGA or BFG made ATI cards.
Click to expand...

Yes from the reviews I have read it seems like Visiontek is pretty good plus they have a lifetime warranty.

Looks like I will stick with the 4870 X2.

I was also considering the 3870 X2 which has some good prices on it right now.
 
solaris54 said:
Yes from the reviews I have read it seems like Visiontek is pretty good plus they have a lifetime warranty.

Looks like I will stick with the 4870 X2.

I was also considering the 3870 X2 which has some good prices on it right now.
Click to expand...

Stay away from the HD 3870 X2, you are better of with a single HD 4870 1GB. You want a HD 4800, not the HD 3800. HD 3800 has a poor performance with anti aliasing. If you have the budget, get a HD 4870 X2, if not you should at least get a HD 4870 1GB. If you want a nice card with great value, the 2GB HD 4850 X2 should also be an option, not the 1GB.

http://www.amazon.com/Sapphire-Rade...1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1232006937&sr=8-1
 
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alg7_munif said:
Stay away from the HD 3870 X2, you are better of with a single HD 4870 1GB. You want a HD 4800, not the HD 3800. HD 3800 has a poor performance with anti aliasing. If you have the budget, get a HD 4870 X2, if not you should at least get a HD 4870 1GB. If you want a nice card with great value, the 2GB HD 4850 X2 should also be an option, not the 1GB.

http://www.amazon.com/Sapphire-Rade...1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1232006937&sr=8-1
Click to expand...

How does the HD 4850 X2 compare to the HD 4870 X2 as far as performance. Seems like Sapphire is the only one making the 4850 X2 right now and I have read about problems with the drivers.
 
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solaris54 said:
How does the HD 4850 X2 compare to the HD 4870 X2 as far as performance. Seems like Sapphire is the only one making the 4850 X2 right now and I have read about problems with the drivers.
Click to expand...

HD 4850 X2 is slower than the HD 4870 X2 but it is also about $100 cheaper so it has a better value for money than the HD 4870 X2. If you have the budget, just get the HD 4870 X2, you will love it, I'm loving my HD 4870 X2. So far not a single problem in games.
 
One other question since the 4870 X2 seems so expensive. Which would be the better card to go with using the 30" 2560 x 1600 monitor.
4850 X2 or just the regular 4870 512MB or 1GB card?
 
4850X2 with 2 GB (1 GB effective).
If you want to go single GPU, then the 4870 1 GB for sure.
 
So my best choices seem to be the 4850 X2 or the 4870 X2 with this type monitor.

Im testing a 4870 512MB right now and so far Im real happy with it but plan on returning it to BB. The price was $300 and I know I can do a lot better with online vendors.

Also Im loving the ATI Control panel. So much nicer that Nvidia.
 
solaris54 said:
Also Im loving the ATI Control panel. So much nicer that Nvidia.
Click to expand...
I don't even have CCC installed, I just install the driver only and then install ATI Tray Tools separately. It builds all the CCC options into a tray menu and also has better overclocking/fan controls.
 
solaris54 said:
So my best choices seem to be the 4850 X2 or the 4870 X2 with this type monitor.

Im testing a 4870 512MB right now and so far Im real happy with it but plan on returning it to BB. The price was $300 and I know I can do a lot better with online vendors.

Also Im loving the ATI Control panel. So much nicer that Nvidia.
Click to expand...

If you are happy with a single HD 4870 then there is no reason to get a faster card but you will need more VRAM with your monitor, you should at least get a HD 4870 1GB. Between HD 4870 1GB and HD 4850 X2, I would choose the HD 4850 X2. Because of my pleasant experience of my HD 4870 X2, I'm a dual GPU card believer now.
 
alg7_munif said:
If you are happy with a single HD 4870 then there is no reason to get a faster card but you will need more VRAM with your monitor, you should at least get a HD 4870 1GB. Between HD 4870 1GB and HD 4850 X2, I would choose the HD 4850 X2. Because of my pleasant experience of my HD 4870 X2, I'm a dual GPU card believer now.
Click to expand...

Well if Im taking back the 4870 512MB version anyway I should just get a video card alittle ahead of the game.

The only game I play is Unreal.
 
The 4870 X2 is so expensive Im tempted just to go with the 4850 X2.
Maybe get the 4870 X2 later in the year after the prices go down.
 
Well I hope you got the 4850x2 when I posted the hot deal thread when it was $259 AR at amazon. That was a steal for this card.
I had the 4870x2 and the performance I get from this card has been just as good
with cod5 and race driver grid at 1920x1200. COD5 4xaa / 16xaf all settings maxed and race driver grid 8xmsaa / all settings maxed...smooth as butter. The 2gb vram really
works wonders on this card. Can't wait to watercool it.

I'm sure the 4870x2 probably does better at 2560x1600 though...can't really test that out...
but at 1920x1200 this card is smoking fast.
 
Actually I am holding out for the 4870 x2. I wish I had gotten the Amazon deal for that one when it was 389.00.
 
I've had both 4850x2 and a 4870x2. I honestly did not see enough difference in performance to warrant the difference in cost. IMO it is the sweet spot of X2 cards.
 
I have been tempted to get the 4850 X2 but got concerned about the driver problem and also read that the card is longer than the 4870 X2?

I know I could save at least $100 with it.
 
solaris54 said:
I have been tempted to get the 4850 X2 but got concerned about the driver problem and also read that the card is longer than the 4870 X2?

I know I could save at least $100 with it.
Click to expand...

as of the next update the standard drivers should support it. really its not a bad deal seems to overclock well
 
Is anyone familiar with these HD 4870 X2 that are ATI branded?

Who are they made by? How do you get warranty?

Are they any good?
 
solaris54 said:
Actually I am holding out for the 4870 x2. I wish I had gotten the Amazon deal for that one when it was 389.00.
Click to expand...

At the resolution you play that might be your best bet. I can only speak for the 4850x2 at
1920x1200.
 
I found one for around 400.00 just having a hard time going through with the deal. SOmeone here on HardForum also has a PowerColor and also DIamond for around the same price.
 
Seriously, I'm sure buying from the guys here are ok, but I would stick with buying from an established retail store like newegg and tigerdirect man, just to be safe. This is a big purchase, and you want that warranty to be valid in case something goes wrong. As for brand...I like Sapphire. They obviously sell more ati cards than any other ati brand, but some might find their warranty lacking..(2 years only).
I believe Asus has a 3 year warranty, and Visiontek has a lifetime warranty....just have to save your
receipt.
 
I'd avoid Sapphire. IIRC, they charge you a $30 processing fee if you ever need to RMA your card through them.

Go with XFX. I've had an excellent experience with them and Nvidia cards, so I'm sure ATI will be just as good.
 
Yes I usually dont worry about warranty but this is getting up there in price. I have never spent this much on a video card. Even think I got the 8800GTX for around 300.00 and the 9800GTX from someone on here for 135.00.
But technically the X2 is two video cards
 
2-3 year warranty is sufficient enough for me as I tend to upgrade at least every year. No one is going to keep the same video card for a lifetime...especially enthusiast cards...and most of these brands besides xfx don't have a transferrable warranty. So you might want to just wait for XFX's 4870x2 to be released as that card will have a lifetime warranty....which can be transferred when you sell it off in a couple of years down the road, increasing it's resale value.
 
Can anyone tell me how many multi monitor display does ATI Crossifre support??

I have 2 30" monitor running with 2560 x 1600 resolution on each.. I am planning to add another 30"...

Does crossfire support more than 2 display at one go??
 
Well someone on here mentioned that VisionTek was an American company which I liked but then looking at the 4870 512MB noticed that it was made in Japan. I took it back to BB but not for that reason.

Anyway I got a white box 4870 X2 which I believe is VisionTek.
On the card it just has Radion and ATI which looks like the VisionTek cards I have seen. Yes it is Made in China.

Are any of these cards made anywhere else?
 
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