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GTX 470 vs. 6870

S

Siryak

Limp Gawd
Joined
Apr 16, 2008
Messages
270
Ok I am planning on getting a new video card sometime between now and Christmas. I originally was going to get the 470, but now I am being tempted by the 6870. The reason being is because of the 6870s lower temperatures. I have my computer in my room and I usually play with the door shut, so I prefer a card that won't turn my room into an oven. One thing that is bothering me is I plan on making my rig 3D compatible within about the next 6 months or so. Which card has the better approach to 3D?(I mainly want to use it on movies) So with that in mind which card would you choose?
 
HardOCP will give you a real world gaming evaluation next week on this.
 
In the same boat.

Without performance drivers here is what i have so far.

Nvidia Tri sli capable +
imo better drivers +
more money -

Ati
Crossfire + Not Tri fire -
Cheaper $240 right now vs $259. +
New image quality improvements + Definitly very interested in this. I suspect performance to be exactly the same as the 470 gtx +/- 5% in games, but if the games look better on the 68++ then it wins.

Dam NDA is killing me right now. All the cards are cheap right now but soon newegg will get greedy and raise prices cocksuckers.

On a side note if nvidia release 475gtx @$250 in like three weeks were all going to be pissed.
 
Modboxx said:
In the same boat.

Without performance drivers here is what i have so far.

Nvidia Tri sli capable +
imo better drivers +
more money -

Ati
Crossfire + Not Tri fire -
Cheaper $240 right now vs $259. +
New image quality improvements + Definitly very interested in this. I suspect performance to be exactly the same as the 470 gtx +/- 5% in games, but if the games look better on the 68++ then it wins.

Dam NDA is killing me right now. All the cards are cheap right but soon newegg will get greedy and raise prices cocksuckers.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately my MB is Crossfire, but not SLI capable. I am mainly a single GPU guy though. The SLI/Crossfire setups just seem like too much work for not enough gain to me. I prefer to just get a strong enough single card and save myself the headaches.

Edit: I looked into the 475 and that would be awesome if they released that! I would prefer to stick with Nvidia, but those temperatures on the 470 give me pause. Not that I am concerned about the card, but I am concerned about noise and my room temperature rising.
 
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According to Guru 3D the 6870 beats the 470 in every game but FarCry2. Id wait the couple hours we have left and really see though :p
 
The GTX 470 will OC better also. The 6870 probably can't go that much beyond 950MHz while the 470 can achieve a 20% OC.
 
WorldExclusive said:
The GTX 470 will OC better also. The 6870 probably can't go that much beyond 950MHz while the 470 can achieve a 20% OC.
Click to expand...

The 68XX series overclocking potential isnt known yet, but I do agree I dont think its going to be too insane. I dont see running a chip that tight at 40nm much higher than it already is.

Course the 470 Overclocked 20% is even more of a space heater.
 
Taken from Guru3D

6850 OC
Base: 775MHz
894MHz (122MHz Increase) 16%

6870 OC
Base: 900MHz
954MHz (54MHz Increase) Only 6%

The GTX 470 has an additional 14% that should be considered. It's a heater but it has more headroom.
 
Cali3350 said:
The 68XX series overclocking potential isnt known yet, but I do agree I dont think its going to be too insane. I dont see running a chip that tight at 40nm much higher than it already is.

Course the 470 Overclocked 20% is even more of a space heater.
Click to expand...
the 6870 is a relatively poor overclocker. about 5-7% without voltage adjustment is the norm based on reviews. even with some extra voltage it is barely cracking 10-15% and in some cases it isn't even able to do that. having to add extra voltage to get beyond 7-8% is silly IMO.
 
Siryak said:
Ok I am planning on getting a new video card sometime between now and Christmas. I originally was going to get the 470, but now I am being tempted by the 6870. The reason being is because of the 6870s lower temperatures. I have my computer in my room and I usually play with the door shut, so I prefer a card that won't turn my room into an oven. One thing that is bothering me is I plan on making my rig 3D compatible within about the next 6 months or so. Which card has the better approach to 3D?(I mainly want to use it on movies) So with that in mind which card would you choose?
Click to expand...

that is a very strong case for the 6870, but as far as 3d support AMD is only now getting around to it. While Nvidia has not exactly had wide adoption they do have some. AMD is largely going with 3rd parties which is probably a double edge sword. but both will be able to play blue ray 3d and so on. now if your looking at gaming in 3d your going to want to go dual gpu. nothing sucks performance quite like it. so your really looking at a pair of 460GTXs or a pair of 6870s. If I were buy now for 3d it would be the pair of 460GTXs. but a lot is still in the air about 3d.
 
I'm more concerned with how well the memory overclock and if it can hit 1200MHz to match the 5870.
 
Valset said:
that is a very strong case for the 6870, but as far as 3d support AMD is only now getting around to it. While Nvidia has not exactly had wide adoption they do have some. AMD is largely going with 3rd parties which is probably a double edge sword. but both will be able to play blue ray 3d and so on. now if your looking at gaming in 3d your going to want to go dual gpu. nothing sucks performance quite like it. so your really looking at a pair of 460GTXs or a pair of 6870s. If I were buy now for 3d it would be the pair of 460GTXs. but a lot is still in the air about 3d.
Click to expand...

Yah I am actually starting to lean in the direction of the 460 for many reason. It has HDMI 1.4a, it's runs cool, low power consumption, cheap, etc. That is one downfall of the GTX 470 is it is HDMI 1.3. I am just hoping that the GTX 475 will come out soon and then I will probably get that without giving it a second thought. If I do get ready to buy and it is not out yet, I will probably just get an EVGA and then I can hopefully step up when it comes out. :D
 
I'd say keep an eye out for some good 470 deals thanks to the 6870. Tigerdirect was selling them for $220, though they are understandably gone now.
 
Siryak said:
Yah I am actually starting to lean in the direction of the 460 for many reason. It has HDMI 1.4a, it's runs cool, low power consumption, cheap, etc. That is one downfall of the GTX 470 is it is HDMI 1.3. I am just hoping that the GTX 475 will come out soon and then I will probably get that without giving it a second thought. If I do get ready to buy and it is not out yet, I will probably just get an EVGA and then I can hopefully step up when it comes out. :D
Click to expand...

I would make very sure you want the 3d though. at best I have heard mixed reviews. but if you can wait Nvidia is suppose to be coming out with a non crippled GF104 and such. kinda wait and see though. And who knows? AMD 3rd party strategy might pay off big.
 
I really only want it for movies. I think it would be distracting in games. Sure it would be cool at first, but I think it would get annoying. This is why HDMI 1.4a is important considering it is the one that can carry the Blu-Ray 3D.

Also I am not planning on buying just yet. I have my fingers crossed for a GTX 475 this year.
 
Siryak said:
I really only want it for movies. I think it would be distracting in games. Sure it would be cool at first, but I think it would get annoying. This is why HDMI 1.4a is important considering it is the one that can carry the Blu-Ray 3D.

Also I am not planning on buying just yet. I have my fingers crossed for a GTX 475 this year.
Click to expand...

in that case I would not worry about it. the 6870 will be able to do that. (they will have several solutions for that actually) I was thinking gaming. but if your not in a hurry wait until after the 6900 come out. and Nvidia is rumored to have a paper launch of the "580GTX" (a full F110 or a fixed GF100) out in December. if nothing else you will have more options at your fingers. If the 6970 turns out as hoped I may see a reason to upgrade. then again maybe not. I haven't found much I can't play with my 5870 and an SSD with a new monitor may be a better investment.
 
A little offtopic but would it be a smart move to upgrade to the new 6870 from a GTX 295?
 
lvyelion said:
if for gaming only then no. GTX295 is in the same league as of the GTX480.
Click to expand...

uh.. no..

in term of gaming no way GTX 295 is on same league as GTX 480.

I have step up from 295 to 5870 then to 480..

I can clearly tell you the gaming experience on 480 is way much better...
 
My take considering price, performance, power usage/heat, noise, etc:
HD6850 > GTX460
HD6870 > GTX470.

My problem with the GTX470 is not the temperature of the card, but the heat it puts out into the computer case. Its power requirements are scary.
 
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shansoft said:
uh.. no..

in term of gaming no way GTX 295 is on same league as GTX 480.

I have step up from 295 to 5870 then to 480..

I can clearly tell you the gaming experience on 480 is way much better...
Click to expand...


well, I didn't mean that 295 has the same power as the 480, what Í meant is that 295 is a high-end card at that time as the current 480
 
Gotta love it when mid-range cards put a beating on my old high-end stuff. Had my GTX280 since the week of release. I think it's time to move on. :)
 
oshia86 said:
Gotta love it when mid-range cards put a beating on my old high-end stuff. Had my GTX280 since the week of release. I think it's time to move on. :)
Click to expand...

Dude, I really want a 6870................Damn my impatience.
 
imo i think the evga 470 is the way to go.

get two now two months later step up to a new monster.
 
Siryak said:
Ok I am planning on getting a new video card sometime between now and Christmas. I originally was going to get the 470, but now I am being tempted by the 6870. The reason being is because of the 6870s lower temperatures. I have my computer in my room and I usually play with the door shut, so I prefer a card that won't turn my room into an oven. One thing that is bothering me is I plan on making my rig 3D compatible within about the next 6 months or so. Which card has the better approach to 3D?(I mainly want to use it on movies) So with that in mind which card would you choose?
Click to expand...

I have dual 480 GTX currently.
I have found them to be better performers TOGETHER, than my twin 2GB 5870s.
Except the fan noise is more noticable.
I do not find the "heat" issue to be an issue.

From what I have read, nvidia seems to have more of a user friendly 3D package, ie they have everything to supply you, from software to shutter glasses.
AMD does not, right now, seem to be going that way and will let third parties do that work which may or may not be a good deal for us.

The new AMD cards look very good and I'm sure the 6900 cards are going to be bad-ass, but I'm staying with nvidia for the foreseeable future.:D
 
lvyelion said:
if for gaming only then no. GTX295 is in the same league as of the GTX480.
Click to expand...

The only problem is, to use the 295 properly, you need to have a proper functioning SLI profile. Not all games scale as good as they should when in SLI. You have to wait a couple months sometimes for Nvidia/ATI to release a fixed SLI/Xfire profile. A single 480 won't give you problems with that and you'll have DX11 + Tessellation as well.
 
PooprScooper said:
The only problem is, to use the 295 properly, you need to have a proper functioning SLI profile. Not all games scale as good as they should when in SLI. You have to wait a couple months sometimes for Nvidia/ATI to release a fixed SLI/Xfire profile. A single 480 won't give you problems with that and you'll have DX11 + Tessellation as well.
Click to expand...

Nvidia is actually on point with sli profiles. Plus you can make your own. As an owner of many sli card including the 295 i can tell you i never ran into a problem with a missing profile for long periods of time. Nothing like the Bfbc ati nonesense.
 
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I'd pay attention to [H]ard over Anand any day of the week.

I'd spring for the 6870 and OC it a tad :)
 
Blacklash said:
I'd pay attention to [H]ard over Anand any day of the week.
Click to expand...

Well considering [H] won't have their numbers up for another week (according to Kyle) something is better then nothing and I would hardly consider Anandtech "nothing".

Besides...it's not like I linked Tom's. :D

EDIT: Meant to specify GTX470 v 6870 comparison for next week. These are the numbers I'm interested in for upgrading my 8800GT.
 
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For a card running cooler, faster and less power hungry than 5850 and much improved Eyefinity connection, and even closer if not equal to GTX 470 performance, and for the same $240 price range, I would get a 6870.

If you want integrated Physics and proven GPU scalability (which 6870 still unknown), go for GTX 470.

Now if there's a 2GB version 6870 'OC@950~1000 for <$300 before this end of year, I'm completely sold... I will upgrade soon and need badly 3x1+? setup, preferable in single card solution, a new 6870 (2GB to run smooth) would be perfect.
 
adoru65535 said:
For a card running cooler, faster and less power hungry than 5850 and much improved Eyefinity connection, and even closer if not equal to GTX 470 performance, and for the same $240 price range, I would get a 6870.

If you want integrated Physics and proven GPU scalability (which 6870 still unknown), go for GTX 470.

Now if there's a 2GB version 6870 'OC@950~1000 for <$300 before this end of year, I'm completely sold... I will upgrade soon and need badly 3x1+? setup, preferable in single card solution, a new 6870 (2GB to run smooth) would be perfect.
Click to expand...
a single 6870 is not going to play games smoothly at settings that will use more than 1gb in the first place.
 
cannondale06 said:
a single 6870 is not going to play games smoothly at settings that will use more than 1gb in the first place.
Click to expand...
I know ;) , I don't intend to play games in too high settings anyway, or I'd have gone for 470 SLI or get a 6870 then wait and see if make crossfire another later. Most of the time I will set it as extended desktop for works.

This might not be the best case scenario but, I can sacrifice 'some' to keep things simple and efficient, and not exceeding my personal budget. (if i have more time to play...)
 
STILL sitting on 2 260s in sli and most cards that come out are either way to expensive or underwhelming performance wise
 
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