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Borrowing your brilliance.

L

Lollipop

Bad Mofo
Joined
Jan 27, 2009
Messages
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20 min ago I was given the option, by a buddy, of two competing video cards for the same amount of cash and don’t know which one to choose for my needs; the XFX 5870 @850 or the EVGA gtx 480 @ 700. I am not very experienced in computers so I need to see what you smarter guys have to say. I want the most stability from the system as I write on my PC mostly and can’t afford frequent crashing. The PC will have games run on it from time to time and when gaming I want the best experience without going crazy with too heavy of hardware. I understand the 5870 saves heat and is more efficient but also has less stability with drivers and has less performance. Right now my resolution is at 1600x1200 on a Samsung 204a until the U2410@1920x1200 is available in a few weeks. Mostly I will work on large Word files and surf the web with about 30-40% gaming use. I was told by my buddy that we could change the TIM on the gtx480 for better temps? I will not be OCing the card.


The new system I already have but have not assembled yet is:
i7 875k/Prolimatech Mega in push-pull/Maximus III formula/Intel 160gb SSD/Mushkin 2x2 7-7-7-18 @ 1600/Seasonic X650/Creative X-Fi titanium/Lian li PC A17B with 2 CM Excalibur fans in front and one on the side (seven fans in total in the case) the OS is Windows 7 Ultimate 64bt.

Thanks guys!
 
Get the 480GTX if you plan on staying with a single gaming monitor.
 
agree. sounds like you have enough cooling for it, so might as well go with the more powerful card. if you were planning on a multimonitor setup, eyefinity is a lot more mature than nvidia surround. but if youre staying single, do the 480 as omegas said. :)
 
Honestly you could literally just take the gtx 480 and if you don't like the heat / noise, sell it for enough to get a 5870 and then some probably.
 
Intel_Hydralisk said:
Honestly you could literally just take the gtx 480 and if you don't like the heat / noise, sell it for enough to get a 5870 and then some probably.
Click to expand...

This. I doubt you would need aftermarket cooling with the specs you listed and the amount of gaming you do.
 
Intel_Hydralisk said:
Honestly you could literally just take the gtx 480 and if you don't like the heat / noise, sell it for enough to get a 5870 and then some probably.
Click to expand...

I'll only be using it for a few months, until something better comes along so...

Aren't the ATI drivers inferior?
 
Lollipop said:
I'll only be using it for a few months, until something better comes along so...

Aren't the ATI drivers inferior?
Click to expand...

In my experience, no, not at all. Some people have trouble, its true, though I've had my fair share of nvidia driver problems, too.
 
For a single monitor system at 1920x1200 or below I'd go with the 5870 unless you really want the best overall performance from a single GPU card and aren't worried about heat and noise, which shouldn't be a problem with a single 480 in the right case anyway.

The 480 is a dish best served in multiples. Don't get me wrong, obviosuly I love the 480 but I wouldn't buy just one for a single monitor system, I don't think that's what it is good at.
 
Would the difference between the two be noticeable in playability in games like Metro 2033 under my configuration or just with frame rates in benchmarks? Would the 5870 still look as good?
 
No problem. The 480 and 5870 are about equal, you just have to run the 5870 at a lower anti-aliasing setting to match the performance of a 480 at a higher anti-aliasing setting.
 
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Seeing as I am an intermediate gamer, would I even notice, really? ...with what you said, stuff, things? Does that stuff with the 480 make it look better?
Hey, thanks for the candor.
 
Let's break it down for the novice, 5870 = more jaggies and 480 = less jaggies in Metro ;)

Seriously though, I have a 5870 and I would still suggest the 480 if cost's are equal.
 
The 480 is better than the 5870, but, if you are changing again in a few months why waste the money? And even more of a waste of money considering the resolution you game at.

And now you are going to spend extra money, cooling a card that you are only going to keep for a few months??

If it was a card you were considering keeping for a long time, then, no doubt the gtx 480 is the one to go for, and I might have recommended it if you wanted it for a few months and were gaming at really high resolution.

I know it's your money and you are free to do what you want, but, I would get the cheapest card that does the job for a few months. Does nobody else think that it's a lot to spend??
 
Get the GTX 480. You have system capable of handling the faster card. You might as well go with the faster card.

Your GPU, cooling, and case are more than capable of supporting this amazing card. And if your friend is selling the card to you at the same price as a 5870, you're probably getting a steal.
 
oh my bad, ignore my post above :) I didn't read your opening post right at all!! I read it that you were getting two 5870's or 1 480.

If the 480 is cheaper than the 5870, then it's a no brainer, get the 480.
 
Both the 480 and 5870 are overkill for running at 1920x1200. You can get a good 5850 or 470 for $150 less and lose nothing in game performance, and they'll both run cooler, too.
 
If you can get them for the same price, I'd go the 480 just because its slightly more powerful and usually more expensive. Of course if you're worried about power and noise, the 5870 is a lot better on those fronts.
 
Spend less and get the GTX480, if the heat and noise piss you off, sell it and grab a 5870 for even less. The way your friend presented the situation, for whatever reason, makes taking the GTX 480 a no brainer, even if the 5870 ends up being better for you.
 
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