upgrading from 4870x2 (yes, another one of these threads...)

I currently have a 4870x2. In terms of performance, I am satisfied.
However, I want a new card for two reasons: HDMI + bitstreaming and noise.

Assuming my new card has to be quieter than a 4870x2 (mine is Sapphire), has HDMI, support audio bitstreaming, and be on par in performance (or better), what are my options?
I actually don't care if I have to buy 2 cards, or 1 card with 2 GPUs, or whatever. As long as my above requirements are met.

I haven't followed gfx developments at all, but I'm guessing my choices are the 5970, the 6970, or the 6990. Does nVidia currently have any cards that support audio bitstreaming over HDMI?

I game at my native resolution which is 1920x1200 and have no immediate plans of using more than one monitor (for gaming anyway). No immediate plans of going to 2560x1600 either, but if the card can run games in that rez well, I won't complain. I don't know what my budget is - it really depends on what I'm getting. If it meets all of my requirements AND gives me a noticeable performance boost, then I'm willing to pay more than I otherwise would. Really, I'm just looking for recommendations and then see what kind of price range I need to look at...

TIA

im not sure if you are dead set on upgrading. the 4870x2 from sapphire came with a DVI to HDMI adapter, that allowed you to plug a regular HDMI cable into the card. this gave you audio/video from the card. im unsure if the 4870x2 supported true bitstreaming but if you are just trying to get audio it will work.

assuming you dont have the adapter, you can get one like this

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814999010

i lost mine, and bought that to replace and it works fine.

if you are dead set on a new card, id get a 6970. the extra power will help as you are rendering 1200p, not 1080p.

my 2 cents

The 48xxs do not bitstream DolbyHD or DTS HD or whatever it is called. I believe DD+ and the DTS equivalent is what is supported. However, the the HD4000s are suppose to support 8-channel LPCM over HDMI (with the ATI branded DVI-HDMI adapter).

As far as upgrading with guidelines you gave, a HD6870 will more or less equal the performance of two crossfired HD4870s.

A 6990 is probably overkill for your stated 1920x1080 resolution... but if your budget is sufficient enough that you're actually considering it, then I'd recommend just settling for a 6970. It'll cost about 350, though you can save 50 bucks or so by going with a 6950 which is not that much slower, like 10% maybe. But either would be a significant performance upgrade over what you already have, plus you get the newer feature set and HDMI, too.

My 6870 runs just about everything at 1080P. Good bang for the buck card. However, if you want AA on the latest titles, you will need more.

I would jsut go with a 6950. You shouldn't run into any problems with playing games you want to play.

WTF? New ATI cards coming out soon. Wait. I did get a galaxy 480 gtx soc for $230 though. If you can get that card or the gigabyte one for that cheap = nice deal.

My 4870x2 card died and I was given a 5870 SOC as a replacement. Sold that off and then decided to get an Asus 6950 2GB
Then unlocked and overclocked it.
Running 1920x1200 smooth as a breeze

Thank you for letting me know about the adapter. Temporarily, that might be a good solution. If I buy a new card then bitstreaming is a must, but if I keep this one, sound alone would work.

6990 is out because I just saw the price. So even if all of my requirements are met by buying it, I'm not getting it.

From what I see in the replies, 6870, 6950, 6970, and a 480. Does the 480 do bitstreaming? As I said, I haven't kept up, and the last time I checked nVidia cards didn't support video + audio bitstreaming over HDMI.

From the cards above, are they all quieter than the 4870x2?

I might go with the adapter for now...but the noise is still an issue for me. I tolerated it for years but it got on my last nerve and did a little jig on it.

Thank you all for the replies!

EDIT: are the new Radeon cards due out this November?

6950 is probably your best bet. 6870 is solid and probably fairly close in performance to a 4870x2, but a 6950 would be a bit of an upgrade on top.

6950 would be a good choice.

Flyinfinni said:

6950 is probably your best bet. 6870 is solid and probably fairly close in performance to a 4870x2, but a 6950 would be a bit of an upgrade on top.

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The 4870x2 is about 5% faster than a 5870, and a 5870 is about 5% faster than a 6870, so I would be surprised if the 6870 matched the performance of a 4870x2 in anything but a few games.

Another vote for a 6950. I went from a pair of 4890s to a single 6950. In some cases I lost a couple frames, in most I gained a good margin, but I also gained DX11 and it runs considerably cooler than the pair did.

The new 7xxx series will be out in about 3 months so just wait a little bit longer. They will do everything you need and more. Until then, use the adapter like audirs suggested. The noise is a pain but it's not like the 6xxx cards are exactly silent when cranking out at load.

That is what I was wondering about. Since the consensus seems to be the 6950, I am curious about the noise levels. I've been able to find multiple sources agreeing on which 6870 card is the quietest, and which 6970 as well, but the 6950 seems up in the air.

If the 7xxx series is out soon, the 6xxx series should be cheaper, right? I figure if I don't really need a performance boost, I should stick with 6xxx rather than making the jump to 7xxx once released (given all the replies I've seen so far ).

ven77 said:

That is what I was wondering about. Since the consensus seems to be the 6950, I am curious about the noise levels. I've been able to find multiple sources agreeing on which 6870 card is the quietest, and which 6970 as well, but the 6950 seems up in the air.

If the 7xxx series is out soon, the 6xxx series should be cheaper, right? I figure if I don't really need a performance boost, I should stick with 6xxx rather than making the jump to 7xxx once released (given all the replies I've seen so far ).

Click to expand...

If you are wondering about noise levels, I went from a 4870x2 to a 6950 and I found the 6950 to be virtually silent compared to the racket the 4870x2 made. As for your other requirements the 6950 does all you want, HDMI, audio bitstreaming etc.

ven77 said:

If the 7xxx series is out soon, the 6xxx series should be cheaper, right? I figure if I don't really need a performance boost, I should stick with 6xxx rather than making the jump to 7xxx once released (given all the replies I've seen so far ).

Click to expand...

Given history I would not count on the 6xxx dropping in price from eTailers, only from forums. Not enough to make it worth getting the older cards.

awesome, thanks everyone!