First impressions of my new 5870

Noobs- Using WoW as a benchmark for Video card performance comparisons since 2004.

Seriously lets see some numbers crunched on some way more intense and worth making a thread about.

this from a person with a n00bie tag for 4.7years
 
It seems like a lot of people are upgrading to play WOW...

I played WOW for ~1 year and if I were still playing it, I wouldn't upgrade my old system (Athlon X2 4600+ with 8800 GT... and the only reason I had a 8800GT was because my 7800GTX died). I'm upgrading to i7 + 5870 precisely because I'm NOT playing WOW.
 
WoW has gotten some Ultra setting upgrades last year with Lich King. If your playing on a big 24" or 30" Display, and crank it up maxed out on Ultra settings, and 8xAA, the game can get demanding even on high end systems.

Everyone agrees the sweet spot for gaming is averaging 60fps, anymore and its overkill, but any less the game can get choppy in areas.

Well the 5870 is the first card for me that can play WoW at my res of 2560x1600 with 8xAA, and get over 60fps, and I can tell you first hand, this 5870 does play WoW smooth as butter everywhere, before certain zones would get choppy with tons of volcanoes, or million creatures battling it out, not anymore :)

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WoW has gotten some Ultra setting upgrades last year with Lich King. If your playing on a big 24" or 30" Display, and crank it up maxed out on Ultra settings, and 8xAA, the game can get demanding even on high end systems.

Everyone agrees the sweet spot for gaming is averaging 60fps, anymore and its overkill, but any less the game can get choppy in areas.


Well the 5870 is the first card for me that can play WoW at my res of 2560x1600 with 8xAA, and get over 60fps, and I can tell you first hand, this 5870 does play WoW smooth as butter everywhere, before certain zones would get choppy with tons of volcanoes, or million creatures battling it out, not anymore :)

Not EVERYONE agrees. Some people are happy with 30 fps. Others like my self are repulsed by the thought of only 60 fps in FPS games. <125 in quake3/cod engine games and <100 in source games is unacceptable IMO.
 
I agree, I am just saying 60fps for me is the minimum average a game should be getting, any less and that's not smooth enough for me, and worthy of an upgrade to get it at 60 or above.

Which I did with the 5870, I had a GTX-280 before, and at 8xAA it felt choppy and sluggish in quite a bit of the game, now with the 5870 that chop is all gone, and much smoother gameplay at my 2560x1600res.
 
glad it works

the user experience is what is important playing your favorite games.
 
I'm in the same boat, play WoW on a 3007wfp atm I have 2 4870s but I've been itching for a single card solution. My card is "out for delivery" =]
 
finally a card that looks like its worth buying to upgrade from 8800gtx. ive seen the benchs of 280s vs mine and they are too close...
 
Same situation here. I actually had to quit WoW a few months after Wotlk was released because of performance issues. Yeah, I'm only playing on a 1.8GHz C2D and GO 7900 GS, but this setup once ran WoW in any situation at 60 fps. Even in BC I got 25-30 fps minimum in the most graphically demanding raids. Despite this, even in some of Wrath's first raids, it ran like a dog. Bare minimum settings, lowered the resolution a bit from native. I even ran an addon called Gfx to run the game in 16-bit color, which looked absolutely terrible. Despite this, encounters like Sartharion ran at 5-8 fps with addons, ~10-12 without (though DBM is pretty much required when tanking that encounter) I plan to go with an i5 750 and 4850; hopefully this will play the game maxxed out at 1650x1050, however I do plan to get a third monitor eventually and play with two 1650x1050 monitors and a center 24" or 30", which will certainly require a card upgrade. Perhaps a 4870x2 or something.

I'm interested in seeing how this card handles intense high end raiding situations with several addons (omen, grid, bartender, DBM, etc -- the usuals). There's a huge performance discrepancy between questing in the overworld and 25-man Sartharionx3 (or some other raid -- I imagine some of the newer encounters are even more demanding).

I understand this isn't entirely relevant, 'cool story bro', etc., and I do see why it's not the best benchmarking game; it's heavily CPU limited (and even then it tends to run best on just a couple cores -- the great performance it's getting on socket 1136 processors running turbo exemplifies this), heavily dependent on HDD and connection speed in some situations (Dalaran), etc. However, you do have to remember that over 12m people play it; I think this makes it a legitimate concern when it comes to judging hardware. Remember that not only have the max settings increased dramatically (more than twofold), but the minimum requirements have jumped comparably.

Yet despite this, and several additional graphical improvements with Cataclysm (water effects, higher resolution textures, etc.), I think one could assume a potential graphical overhaul in the year or two following Cataclysm.

Really glad you're enjoying the card OP. I can't wait to upgrade after having used this laptop for three years. I imagine it's going to be like night and day.

Perhaps a somewhat relevant question: I've currently got those two 22" monitors. Would there be any way to utilize eyefinity to stretch the game over two monitors, but having the game center on one of the displays as opposed to in the bezel between the two? Or can eyefinity only be used with monitor solutions in multiples of three? It'd be nice to be able to render the game on a second monitor and have monitoring addons and whatnot over there. If it's not possible, I've seen people just render black space on the second display and still put UI components over there. Or, with MMOs, I suppose a browser's always useful to have open.
 
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on occasion i will play wow and there are times when i notice the frames dropping with the settings cranked. it has certainly gotten rougher on systems since its release..
 
Well in the end it's your money.

I helped my friend put together a budget build (<$300) with my old 8800 GT and he can now play lich king with all the settings cranked up just fine (He was gaming on an old laptop with a x1700 mobile or something... 5 fps during raids). My new i7 + 5870 will however explore other games.

I find the IQ argument a little puzzling since there's so many other variables besides your graphics card (driver settings, monitor, etc.). There's so many color settings and vibrance settings to play with (at least for my 8800 GT there was).
 
Dam then is no way the 5870 will fit in my case, I've got the Antec P180B and currently I have a GTX285 which just barely fits. I have to put it in sideways to make it fit. I already ordered the 5870 too. I don't want to have to order a new case as well :-(
 
Dam then is no way the 5870 will fit in my case, I've got the Antec P180B and currently I have a GTX285 which just barely fits. I have to put it in sideways to make it fit. I already ordered the 5870 too. I don't want to have to order a new case as well :-(

I'm pulling out my dremel and removing my harddrive cage completely for my 5870. (God knows why the cage itself isn't 'removable' but is instead locked in place with rivets:confused:)
 
I'm pulling out my dremel and removing my harddrive cage completely for my 5870. (God knows why the cage itself isn't 'removable' but is instead locked in place with rivets:confused:)

Do both drive cages not come out like in the P180? Or does the card still not fit regardless?

I've got a P180 still sitting in its box waiting for one of the new 58x0 cards.
 
Do both drive cages not come out like in the P180? Or does the card still not fit regardless?

I've got a P180 still sitting in its box waiting for one of the new 58x0 cards.

My hdd cage is not *meant* to be removed. I assumed that most modern harddrive cages would be removable (my old TT Tsunami Dream's cage was removable... too bad the case is so scratched / dented from shipping and storage @ school). Even my friend's dirt cheap Rosewill generic case has a removable hdd cage.

However, my cooler master mystique apparently is too 'cool' and too 'mystical' for a removable cage. Hence, the dremel to the rivets + center punching them out to remove the cage. The MAX length card would be 10.5" (BARELY)... it would literally have maybe 1/16" clearance. At 10.75" the 5870 was a no go with the cage in.

After the cage is gone, of course the card can fit.
 
this from a person with a n00bie tag for 4.7years

Just because I don't post whore like you doesn't make me a noob. I have a job, wife ,and kids to tend too, not spend all my time on the web. So QQ some more, grow up and get a girlfriend (if even possible for such a leet internet board poster like you)
 
Noobs- Using WoW as a benchmark for Video card performance comparisons since 2004.

Seriously lets see some numbers crunched on some way more intense and worth making a thread about.

Unfortunately as was mentioned earlier in the thread, WoW is one of the most popular, if not the most popular game on the market. Because if this it should be included in all benchmarks. that way the users can see a benchmark the impacts them directly.
 
Congrats on the new card. I'm thoroughly enjoying mine too. Playing through Crysis Warhead once more with all settings at Enthusiast 2xAA @ 1920x1200
 
Yes I believe on my case the P180B you can remove both drive cages without any problem. Its just 1 screw that holds them in..
 
It seems like a lot of people are upgrading to play WOW...

I played WOW for ~1 year and if I were still playing it, I wouldn't upgrade my old system (Athlon X2 4600+ with 8800 GT... and the only reason I had a 8800GT was because my 7800GTX died). I'm upgrading to i7 + 5870 precisely because I'm NOT playing WOW.


Well in the end it's your money.

I helped my friend put together a budget build (<$300) with my old 8800 GT and he can now play lich king with all the settings cranked up just fine (He was gaming on an old laptop with a x1700 mobile or something... 5 fps during raids). My new i7 + 5870 will however explore other games.

Cool story bro.

Is your friend playing at 2560x1600 with 8xMultisamp and everything set to Ultra like the OP ? If not, your statements are invalid on how the OP is wasting money on what he wanted to achieve.

I played lichking on a system similar to your old one (Opteron 2.8ghz, 7800gt then got a HD4850, 2gb ram). There was a big jump when I upgraded 7800gt to a HD4850 in Lich King. Then another huge jump when I played on my current setup. This is at 1920x1080 btw. I couldn't run ultra shadows and 8xAA with 60+FPS all the time. That's what the OP was looking for and seems that he's happy now. He will probably get the same amount of enjoyment from his purchase as you will from yours.
 
Is your friend playing at 2560x1600 with 8xMultisamp and everything set to Ultra like the OP ? If not, your statements are invalid on how the OP is wasting money on what he wanted to achieve.

I played lichking on a system similar to your old one (Opteron 2.8ghz, 7800gt then got a HD4850, 2gb ram). There was a big jump when I upgraded 7800gt to a HD4850 in Lich King. Then another huge jump when I played on my current setup. This is at 1920x1080 btw. I couldn't run ultra shadows and 8xAA with 60+FPS all the time. That's what the OP was looking for and seems that he's happy now. He will probably get the same amount of enjoyment from his purchase as you will from yours.


Exactly, I upgraded not for e-penis, my Wife doesn't need that after being pregnant 4 times :D

I like to play my fav games smooth as butter with all eye candy cranked to extreme max, and I also like my games looking super sharp and clear, but also smooth as butter. The 5870 finally allows that much more over my GTX-280, I am sure the Intel X25-M drive doesn't hurt either :cool:
 
Just because I don't post whore like you doesn't make me a noob. I have a job, wife ,and kids to tend too, not spend all my time on the web. So QQ some more, grow up and get a girlfriend (if even possible for such a leet internet board poster like you)
Noob.
 
Exactly, I upgraded not for e-penis, my Wife doesn't need that after being pregnant 4 times :D

I like to play my fav games smooth as butter with all eye candy cranked to extreme max, and I also like my games looking super sharp and clear, but also smooth as butter. The 5870 finally allows that much more over my GTX-280, I am sure the Intel X25-M drive doesn't hurt either :cool:
You're happy=wife happy. What's wrong with that? :D
You did take her out for a night on the town though didn't you?
 
Exactly, I upgraded not for e-penis, my Wife doesn't need that after being pregnant 4 times :D

I like to play my fav games smooth as butter with all eye candy cranked to extreme max, and I also like my games looking super sharp and clear, but also smooth as butter. The 5870 finally allows that much more over my GTX-280, I am sure the Intel X25-M drive doesn't hurt either :cool:

I stopped playing WOW a few years ago but just re-activated my account for some WoW Eyefinity Triple LCD goodness. Last night just with 2 LCD's was great but not optimal since I was centered on the monitor split but with the info windows all open and not in my line of sight was great and the immersion from 2 wide 22" LCDs with WOW ultra settings was out of this world. Tonight with 3 LCDs will completely rule.
Congratz on your new HD 5870 and I totally get you loving WoW with Ultra settings on a 30" Apple LCD:D
 
Just because I don't post whore like you doesn't make me a noob. I have a job, wife ,and kids to tend too, not spend all my time on the web. So QQ some more, grow up and get a girlfriend (if even possible for such a leet internet board poster like you)

You have 41 posts in 4.7 years... really... :rolleyes:


OP Thx for your input.. I have the same card you had before the swap. Will be looking forwards to getting the new one.
 
Clearly the 5870 is about a quarter inch longer than the 280. You definitely need a deep full tower case to accomodate it.

I am also planning on getting an SSD, but I'd like more capacity than 80GB. Maybe when the 160s reach the $250 price point.
 
Clearly the 5870 is about a quarter inch longer than the 280. You definitely need a deep full tower case to accomodate it.

I am also planning on getting an SSD, but I'd like more capacity than 80GB. Maybe when the 160s reach the $250 price point.

You only need the SSD for your OS, and just couple of your most played games, the 80gb is plenty for that. I think Win 7Pro only takes up like 30gb, WoW is 15gb, that right there is just 45gb, throw in a couple more games and your set. Then get a standard cheaper drive for you music and porn :eek:
 
I stopped playing WOW a few years ago but just re-activated my account for some WoW Eyefinity Triple LCD goodness. Last night just with 2 LCD's was great but not optimal since I was centered on the monitor split but with the info windows all open and not in my line of sight was great and the immersion from 2 wide 22" LCDs with WOW ultra settings was out of this world. Tonight with 3 LCDs will completely rule.

Let us know how it goes. So I guess this is a no to being able to center games on one of two displays? Multiples of three only? Bah, oh well. More reason to get a 5850 now, since I can't afford both a 5870 and another monitor to put me at a tri-monitor setup.
 
Clearly the 5870 is about a quarter inch longer than the 280. You definitely need a deep full tower case to accomodate it.
Sorry if this was posted already, but for anyone in need of a smaller case for the 5870, a Mini P180 (a fairly standard mid-tower case, for anyone unfamiliar) will hold it just fine. I removed the lower HD cage (as I don't need 5 hard drives), and it now has room for card lengths of 12.5"+.
 
I have the Antec P182 SE and if the HD5870 is only a quarter inch longer than the GTX285, it looks as if it will fit just barely. Removing the top drive bay would make it a sure fit.

I'm running dual 285s and they look to have a quarter inch to spare before hitting the drive bay.
 
Definitely looking at getting a 5870 in the near future now....

Playing at 1680x1050 with 4xAA and all settings maxxed except shadows with my 4850 I drop below 60fps in some areas due to being vid card limited.

Just gotta save up a bit more money.... time to Ebay some stuff.
 
Let us know how it goes. So I guess this is a no to being able to center games on one of two displays? Multiples of three only? Bah, oh well. More reason to get a 5850 now, since I can't afford both a 5870 and another monitor to put me at a tri-monitor setup.
let's not forget the $100 active Displayport to dvi cable :mad:
 
It really bugs me that people say I "need" to upgrade my GTX 285 to the 5870 because I "need" to max out WoW. *snicker*

Hey, if you can afford it and WANT to upgrade then it's cool, more power to you, but you didn't NEED to. Big difference that most fanatics seems to not comprehend.
 
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