Absolute Best Performance:Price - Ratio

VoloxitySF

Gawd
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Apr 26, 2005
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What's up [H]?

UPDATE: 4860 is looking like best bang:buck

HOWEVER

if you were to take advantage of using sickdeals.net, you will find links to 4890s at ~$140 - which ultimately seals the deal for the best price : performance ratio

Links are located at the end of page 3


I'm in the process of building an amazingly priced gaming machine with the Phenom II X3 720 on the 790FX platform. Really want to implement Crossfire, mostly because I've built endless amounts of machines - but never a machine with SLI and Crossfire. I know the performance gains are nothing spectacular, but it would be.... cool.

VERY sorry if there's another thread like this exists, I tried to search.. but didn't really find anything like I'm looking for.

I'm interested in everyone's input on the GPUs that offer the best performance for the price, considering this build is on a tight(er) budget. Rules: At least 256 bit mem, 512mb+, and prices under $200. Prime price would be $150 or under.

nVidia or ATI.. obviously if an nVidia card takes the cake, Chipset & processor could change.

Thanks everyone!
 
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By far the best deal right now on a videocard is a used 4870x2. You can easily find them for as low as $200-$250 and they perform on the same level as a $400+ 5870. It's already crossfire on a single card, which might be enough to quench your curiosity depending on what exactly you are looking for, or you could go quad crossfire with two of them.
 
I've got a Gigabyte DS3L, it doesn't have a SLI or CF slot.

With the 4890 X2 I can still use it right?
 
If you dont care about DX11 or eyefinity, the 4860 ties the 5770 in performance for ~$50 less. A pair can be had on newegg for $250.
 
I would have to say 4890s. Cheap, powerful, and they scale pretty well. Only drawbacks are heat and power consumption.

I've got a Gigabyte DS3L, it doesn't have a SLI or CF slot.

With the 4890 X2 I can still use it right?
4870X2, yes.
 
I would agree 5770's are your best option considering you need/want crossfire and have just recently built a system around it or with that in mind.

That said, I had the luxury of time and went GTS 250 1GB in SLI for under $175 after MIRs and CB.
 
4870 and 4890 both look like best bang for bucks.

4870 1gb are on craigslist for $100.
 
Whoa. Great responses from the [H], like usual.
keep it coming. Hoping to see PAGES

4860/4870/4890 Looks like the selection so far.

THANKS AGAIN
 
By far the best deal right now on a videocard is a used 4870x2. You can easily find them for as low as $200-$250 and they perform on the same level as a $400+ 5870. It's already crossfire on a single card, which might be enough to quench your curiosity depending on what exactly you are looking for, or you could go quad crossfire with two of them.

Agreed. I just sold two from my old rig for $230. Well underr the OP's optimal price...
 
Whoa. Great responses from the [H], like usual.
keep it coming. Hoping to see PAGES

4860/4870/4890 Looks like the selection so far.

THANKS AGAIN

also dont forget 5770s if you want to futureproof a bit. you say you build a lot of rigs, so if this ones gonna be replaced in a year then thats fine. if you plan on keeping those cards for 2 or 3 it might be a good idea to invest in the dx11 cards now. otherwise, 4850x2 is also a cool card, but no one seems to like them. :(
 
also dont forget 5770s if you want to futureproof a bit. you say you build a lot of rigs, so if this ones gonna be replaced in a year then thats fine. if you plan on keeping those cards for 2 or 3 it might be a good idea to invest in the dx11 cards now. otherwise, 4850x2 is also a cool card, but no one seems to like them. :(
The 5770s are not strong enough to handle current DX11 games. How are they to handle new ones? He is best to stick with better, cheaper, DX10 cards, or get a 5850/5870.
No no no....not the 4860. 4870 (if you can find one) or 4890.
And why not? Its a 4770 with a 256bit bus. They can OC just as far as the 4770s and 4890s (1000core), and two of them is more then enough for any game maxed out at 1080P. With the increase in cost for 4870s and 4890s, they are best bang for buck now.
 
The 5770s are not strong enough to handle current DX11 games. How are they to handle new ones? He is best to stick with better, cheaper, DX10 cards, or get a 5850/5870.

2 5770s arent enough? i dont know much about the X7XXs because ill never get one, i just wait til the X8XXs come down in price. at $150 each it seems 2 would give you perfectly acceptable performance, but i could very well be wrong. also, do they overclock at all?
 
And why not? Its a 4770 with a 256bit bus. They can OC just as far as the 4770s and 4890s (1000core), and two of them is more then enough for any game maxed out at 1080P. With the increase in cost for 4870s and 4890s, they are best bang for buck now.
But there hasn't been a cost increase for the 4890s, not at Newegg, anyway. And it just sits wrong with me, having to pay the same for what is basically a downgrade from 4870 to 4860. Kind of sucks. So in light of what I just said, I would still consider the 4890 better value for money than a 4860, which is why I would not buy one of those things in the current situation.
 
The 5770s are not strong enough to handle current DX11 games. How are they to handle new ones? He is best to stick with better, cheaper, DX10 cards, or get a 5850/5870.

What are you talking about? The 5770 can absolutely handle current DX11 games. The 5770 trades blows with the 4870 and GTX 260...

If you dont care about DX11 or eyefinity, the 4860 ties the 5770 in performance for ~$50 less. A pair can be had on newegg for $250.

I'm pretty sure the 4860 would only tie the 5750, not the 5770.
 
I'm going to be non sequeter here, but 8800gt 512MB (~91 shipped) http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=8800gt&cid=3811195230899154737&sa=title#p

followed by the GTS 250 1GB (130 + shipping after rebate) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...0&Order=BESTMATCH&Description=gts+250&x=0&y=0

With some overclocking, you're looking at roughly 4870 speeds. Not bad. 4890 or 5770 would be my next choice.

If you can pick up the Asus 5770, I'd go for that. Seems to give with overclocking ~ 4890 performance, and in DX11 titles it will be a performance boost (as long as the # of iq features isn't increased; talking a pure DX version change as in : http://www.firingsquad.com/hardware/radeon_5770_roundup/page4.asp Call of Pripyat)
 
Definitely the 5850 would be best. If you're hellbent on xfire grab 2 X 5770's. From the benchmarks I've seen 2 of them will give you 5870 performance provided the game scales well with xfire.
 
But there hasn't been a cost increase for the 4890s, not at Newegg, anyway. And it just sits wrong with me, having to pay the same for what is basically a downgrade from 4870 to 4860. Kind of sucks. So in light of what I just said, I would still consider the 4890 better value for money than a 4860, which is why I would not buy one of those things in the current situation.
Cheapest 4870 1gb is $40 more then the 4860 1gb. Cheapest 4890 is $60 more. The 4860 will also OC much higher then the 4870, making it faster in the end.
What are you talking about? The 5770 can absolutely handle current DX11 games. The 5770 trades blows with the 4870 and GTX 260...



I'm pretty sure the 4860 would only tie the 5750, not the 5770.

The 5770s can not handle DX11 games maxed out at 1080P or above. At least not at the rate the cost of them should do.
And the 4860 is tied with the 5770, not 5750. The 4870 beats the 5770s 9/10, and the 4860 at stock is just barely slower. OCed it would beat both steadily.

So, two 5770s for $325 or two 4860 for $250? He asked for best bang for buck, the 4860s kill the 5770 in cost : performance ratio.

Though his best bet is to give up xfire for a 5850. Single GPU is always best unless you can afford multiple of the best.
 
The 5770s can not handle DX11 games maxed out at 1080P or above. At least not at the rate the cost of them should do.

Well yes, it can. It'll do Ultra settings in Dirt 2 DX11 at 1920x1200. That said, its cost is $150 - at that cost it is targeted at 1680x1050.

And the 4860 is tied with the 5770, not 5750. The 4870 beats the 5770s 9/10, and the 4860 at stock is just barely slower. OCed it would beat both steadily.

Benchmarks?

Though his best bet is to give up xfire for a 5850. Single GPU is always best unless you can afford multiple of the best.

Agreed
 
I would go for a 5770....only because in the future if you want to xfire it, it will be easier, and possibly cheaper, to obtain one of these cards than a 4*** series card.....and honestly the performance loss/gain would be negligable in real world applications from the reviews/benches i have seen around.

I'm going to be non sequeter here, but 8800gt 512MB (~91 shipped) http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=8800gt&cid=3811195230899154737&sa=title#p

followed by the GTS 250 1GB (130 + shipping after rebate) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...0&Order=BESTMATCH&Description=gts+250&x=0&y=0

With some overclocking, you're looking at roughly 4870 speeds. Not bad. 4890 or 5770 would be my next choice.

If you can pick up the Asus 5770, I'd go for that. Seems to give with overclocking ~ 4890 performance, and in DX11 titles it will be a performance boost (as long as the # of iq features isn't increased; talking a pure DX version change as in : http://www.firingsquad.com/hardware/radeon_5770_roundup/page4.asp Call of Pripyat)


the only problem with the 1st two of your suggestions(The nVidea ones) are that he has a build setup with AMD/ATI, and those are not the best things out there and are last gen technology, so IMO not worth the change to an nvidea based board for some SLI action
 
Well yes, it can. It'll do Ultra settings in Dirt 2 DX11 at 1920x1200. That said, its cost is $150 - at that cost it is targeted at 1680x1050.



Benchmarks?



Agreed

They are $165 on newegg, and with two of them, they cant handle the more demanding games maxed out 1080P or above. They can be playable, but not very smooth. Most games they are fine, but for the most part, they arent up to maxing the hardest running games. Cant look just at average FPS, most important is the minimum. A 4890 on highest DX9 settings that Dirt 2 allows, at 1080P 8xAA drops below 30. The 5770 is not nearly as good as a 4890, and at the higher settings, would drop to a crawl in some places. With two it would be ok, but still have drops being two GPUs apposed to one.

Ill be ordering a pair of 4860s here soon just for testing. There arent really any reviews from sites out yet, but better then 4850, slightly less then 4870 equals the same performance of a 5770.


Newegg just had an open box 5850 for $190 I tried to grab. Was gone by the time I added it to the cart.

They have open box 5750s for $105 if anyone is interested grab them before they are gone.
 
Going over a few recent HardOCP reviews, this is a rough cheatsheet of how current single-GPU cards compare to each other in terms of performance.

4770
5750 = GTS 250 1GB = 9800GTX+ 1GB = 4850 1GB
4860? (see note below)
5770 = 4870 1GB = GTX 260
GTX 275 = 4890 = GTX 280
GTX 285
5850
5870

The 4860 is a stripped down variant of the 4890, not a 256bit version of the 4770. There seems to be some reviews out there that have incorrect performance evaluations of the 4860. When I think about it, the very title implies that the 4860's performance lies somewhere between the 4850 and 4870; is there any reason to doubt that? If that's true, then that puts it between the 5750 and 5770.

Now let's look at that list with newegg prices attached:

4770 1GB $140
5750 1GB$140
4850 1GB N/A
GTS 250 1GB $125 (surprise!)
4860 1GB $130
4870 1GB $160
5770 1GB $163
GTX 260 896MB $170
GTX 275 $250 (ridiculous, impossible to recommend at that price)
4890 1GB $170
GTX 280 1GB N/A
GTX 285 1GB $355 (even more ridiculous)
5850 1GB $310 (only slightly less ridiculous)
5870 1GB $400

My reaction to this price list is... where the hell are the cards between $170 and $310? The $250 pricepoint is supposed to be the magic best-bang-for-buck pricepoint, but both Nvidia and ATi are completely absent (ignoring the GTX 275 which is really a stupidly overpriced $170 card).

The 4860 is kind of a nice lukewarm deal in a really saturated performance area, but it's as if Nvidia released a GTX 255... what's the point? The real battle is between the 4890 and the 5770; faster card or DX11 support?
 
The cards are there, with especial regard for the 5850. We're talking MSRP of course, and not retail prices. Those prices will come down. Blame nVidia for not being on the ball, and TSMC for not having 40nm down.

As for his needs, 5850 is obviously out of the question. I would recommend the 4890, but going forward I think his needs will be better met by an ASUS 5770, with some voltage tweaking and overclocking to ~1ghz/1300mhz (all sanctioned by ASUS, in warranty). It's ~ 30 cheaper to boot.

The difference in performance between the 5770 overclocked, and 4890 will most likely not be readily noticeable, and games that run DX11 will probably make up for any speeds difference. The IQ improvements imparted by DX11 however, when he can use them (depending on monitor of course), will be.
 
The cards are there, with especial regard for the 5850. We're talking MSRP of course, and not retail prices. Those prices will come down. Blame nVidia for not being on the ball, and TSMC for not having 40nm down.

As for his needs, 5850 is obviously out of the question. I would recommend the 4890, but going forward I think his needs will be better met by an ASUS 5770, with some voltage tweaking and overclocking to ~1ghz/1300mhz (all sanctioned by ASUS, in warranty). It's ~ 30 cheaper to boot.

The difference in performance between the 5770 overclocked, and 4890 will most likely not be readily noticeable, and games that run DX11 will probably make up for any speeds difference. The IQ improvements imparted by DX11 however, when he can use them (depending on monitor of course), will be.

You cant compair an OCed card to a non OCed card. The 4890 can easily OC to 950-1000 core as well.

The 5770 does not tie the 4870. It is very very close, but the 4870 beats it 90% of the time. The higher the res the more the 4870 beats it as well. Thats why its closer to being tied with the 4860.

The 4860 is a scailed down 4890 on a refrence design 4850 PCB with two PCIe power connectors. That means it has incredible OC potential for two reasons. One, the extra power, and two, the refrence 4850 PCB has an increadably easy pencil vGPU mod. It also has a very good refrence cooler with 4 heatpipes.
 
LOL? Are we thinking about the same 4850 reference cooler?

You should re-read that. Its on the same PCB (so I hear, havent confirmed), but the cooler is different. Just cause they share the PCB doesnt mean the cooler is the same ;) .
 
LOL? Are we thinking about the same 4850 reference cooler?

Could he have meant the 4890 reference cooler? But I'm going to throw his own words back at him: don't compare an OCed 4860 to the nonOCed cards. I don't think the OP is going to get into pencilmodding, etc.
 
You should re-read that. Its on the same PCB (so I hear, havent confirmed), but the cooler is different. Just cause they share the PCB doesnt mean the cooler is the same ;) .

A custom cooler isn't reference though? 'Cause the reference HD 4850 cooler sucks.
 
Could he have meant the 4890 reference cooler? But I'm going to throw his own words back at him: don't compare an OCed 4860 to the nonOCed cards. I don't think the OP is going to get into pencilmodding, etc.
When did I compair the 4860 OCed to anything else?
A custom cooler isn't reference though? 'Cause the reference HD 4850 cooler sucks.

What are you talking about? The PCB has NOTHING to do with the cooler. I never once said a refrence cooler. Its on the refrence 4850 PCB. Thats the card that all the components are put on. The cooler is a new 4 heat-pipe design that works really well for being the refrence design for that card.
 
What are you talking about? The PCB has NOTHING to do with the cooler. I never once said a refrence cooler. Its on the refrence 4850 PCB. Thats the card that all the components are put on. The cooler is a new 4 heat-pipe design that works really well for being the refrence design for that card.
No, YOU read your post again.
The 4860 is a scailed down 4890 on a refrence design 4850 PCB with two PCIe power connectors. That means it has incredible OC potential for two reasons. One, the extra power, and two, the refrence 4850 PCB has an increadably easy pencil vGPU mod. It also has a very good refrence cooler with 4 heatpipes.
 
No, YOU read your post again.

EXACTLY. I said it has a very good refrence cooler. NEVER did I say it was the one from the 4850. Its kind of obvious its not considering its a dual slot card and the 4850 refrence was single slot.

The ONLY thing I said it had in common with the 4850 was the PCB.
 
You cant compair an OCed card to a non OCed card. The 4890 can easily OC to 950-1000 core as well.

The 5770 does not tie the 4870. It is very very close, but the 4870 beats it 90% of the time. The higher the res the more the 4870 beats it as well. Thats why its closer to being tied with the 4860.

The 4860 is a scailed down 4890 on a refrence design 4850 PCB with two PCIe power connectors. That means it has incredible OC potential for two reasons. One, the extra power, and two, the refrence 4850 PCB has an increadably easy pencil vGPU mod. It also has a very good refrence cooler with 4 heatpipes.

Of course you can compare them. Get your head out of your bum Cecil, join us. Yes a 4890 OC will beat an oc 5770 (thanks for bringing up that trite, redundant point), unless the game you're running is using DX11 for performance improvements, but that wasn't the point of the post: my point was that you can get the ASUS 5770 and get company sanctioned OC's that are higher than with other cards. FYI, the 4890 will not be so much faster that it will be realistically distracting. The OP is considering 5770's; and when comparing 5770's the ASUS is the best version. That was my point, dexter.

edit: The 5770 does not lose 90% of the time to the 4870 Cecil: http://www.guru3d.com/article/radeon-hd-5770-review-test/14. In the cases that it loses the split isn't of any real consequence (except in certain titles, like Mass Effect).

When giving an empiricist response, make sure your facts are straight.
 
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Of course you can compare them. Get your head out of your bum Cecil, join us. Yes a 4890 OC will beat an oc 5770 (thanks for bringing up that trite, redundant point), unless the game you're running is using DX11 for performance improvements, but that wasn't the point of the post: my point was that you can get the ASUS 5770 and get company sanctioned OC's that are higher than with other cards. FYI, the 4890 will not be so much faster that it will be realistically distracting. The OP is considering 5770's; and when comparing 5770's the ASUS is the best version. That was my point, dexter.

You have no idea who you are talking to. The 5770s are fine cards, but not for the price. He wants best bang for buck, and the 5770s are just not that. Give up a losing fight already.

4890s are much better, and DO make a difference. In games that cant be maxed (like Crysis) that little bit better that they are allows a couple more things turned to very high to get the same FPS as the 5770 with less things on very high.

The 5770s are crippled with the 128bit bus at high res and AA. The 4800s are not. So, since DX11 does very little in terms of visuals, there is no reason to get a weaker card for it.
 
You have no idea who you are talking to. The 5770s are fine cards, but not for the price. He wants best bang for buck, and the 5770s are just not that. Give up a losing fight already.

4890s are much better, and DO make a difference. In games that cant be maxed (like Crysis) that little bit better that they are allows a couple more things turned to very high to get the same FPS as the 5770 with less things on very high.

The 5770s are crippled with the 128bit bus at high res and AA. The 4800s are not. So, since DX11 does very little in terms of visuals, there is no reason to get a weaker card for it.

The 128bit bus doesn't cripple the card all that much. It is weaker, especially at high res & aa, but again, not by a large margin. It is with overclocking, faster than a 4870, while providing an extra feature set. Considering the speed with which DX11 is being taken up, and the tangible performance and/or feature set improvements, that would be my choice.

Btw, crysis? http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/video/display/radeon-hd5770-hd5750_7.html#sect2 I wouldn't call that 1.2 fps @ 1680 a big loss. I'm sure its possible to find a larger split, but it will depend on the load (is the frame SPU heavy? bandwidth heavy? it matters).

According to Xbit, it loses to the 4890 by ~ 15% on average, which can be made up through OC'ing on the Asus model (hitting 1ghz with voltage tweak regularly). That's pretty good: ~ 4890 performance with a DX11 feature set. Yes, 4890 overclocked will be again ~15% faster, but that is irrelevant. It's just like opportunity cost in economics. People shouldn't make a decision based on % difference, but whether the performance the card offers is enough. If you're looking for 4890 performance and DX11 get a 5770 and OC it (voltage tweak). If you need 4890 OC performance, go get that instead.

As far as not knowing what I'm talking about, well Cecil, I'm not the one posting incorrect performance comparisons, and making logically fallible arguments. Enough bickering, if you have some complaint PM me. This isn't helping the OP, k? Let your ego rest.

edit: For price comparison, if you don't mind losing DX11: http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10010987&prodlist=froogle . This is the best price on 4890's right now (no mail in rebates).
 
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Ill be ordering a pair of 4860s here soon just for testing. There arent really any reviews from sites out yet, but better then 4850, slightly less then 4870 equals the same performance of a 5770.

Unless, of course, its only slightly better than the 4850, if it even is faster than the 4850: http://www.gpureview.com/show_cards.php?card1=622&card2=566

Fewer SPs, less FLOPS, less memory bandwidth - only thing the 4860 wins on is pixel fill rate, but it gets destroyed with texture fill rate. I wouldn't be surprised at all if a 4850 is faster than the 4860. Hell, the 4770 has the 4860's specs beat across the board. Perhaps the 4860 really fills the gap between the 4830 and 4770?

And before someone says "you can't just compare specs zomg zomg!" - remember we're talking about the same architecture, so specs are comparable.
 
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