4870 or 5870

[bustaplz]

I'm a bit out of the game on video cards recently. I know the new ATI card models, but know nothing of nVidia's models. I also don't know how my current card would compare to most of them. So, let me think out loud here and maybe give me some useful information.

I bought a Sapphire HD4870 at Christmas '08, upgrading from an EVGA GeForce 8800 GTS 640MB. The card has been wonderful and the first ATI gaming card I have owned.

I recently bought a 60GB SSD and put Windows 7 x64 on it, this has me wanting to upgrade a bit more of my system. I'm looking at the i7, because I think I want HyperThreading(Hard reviews say it makes the system feel better.) From what I gather- if I choose a 1156 cpu, I'll be limited to x8/x8 Crossfire or SLI, but the X58 carries a higher price.

I've never tried CrossFire or SLI, but looking at the prices for the HD 5870(the card I want) has me considering looking for another HD4870. Looking at Newegg I think I see a card to match for $154.99.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102849

What would be the benefit of dropping $400 on the 5870, besides the fact that it's very pretty and makes me feel a little funny down in my zipper area? Eyefinity seems very cool, but I'm currently playing on a 37"LCD and don't plan to move to a multi-screen setup. I play some racing sims, so a 3x1 display setup sounds very good, but it also sounds like more money than I am willing to spend at this point.

Does anyone have any benchmark results comparing the two?

Would I lose a lot running CrossFire or SLI on the P55 boards?

Any help is appreciated greatly, thank you in advance!

 

[spintroniX]

if you're getting acceptable performance from your 4870, I'd say wait to upgrade. If you're dead set on upgrading, my personal preference would be for the 5870. The reasoning is simple, it consumes less power, runs cooler, will have fewer driver issues and performs on par with the crossfire setup.

If you're dead set on a multi-gpu setup, then I would recommend the X58 platform. Going x8/x8 was found to have a detrimental effect on performance, on the order of several percent in most titles tested (I read a review on Anandtech's site - can dig up the link if you insist).

 

[bustaplz]

I am FAR from dead-set on a multi-GPU setup. I've never done it before and don't think I want the added power draw, heat, noise and headache.

The x8/x8 thing is pretty much what I guessed and probably wouldn't do it anyway.

I'm curious what you mean by the 5870 having fewer driver issues, though. I would think things would be the other way round, with the 4870 having been around longer.

Thank you for the reply, spintronix.

 

[Godmachine]

Ya I'm disagree with the whole "5870 having less driver issues" thats load of bull. 4870 has very stable drivers and its been around awhile now , the 5870 drivers are still maturing and there are still plenty of bugs AMD has to take out before its truly stable.