GTX 470s in SLI review

[sdy284]

http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardw...sli-review.html

 

this should be interesting for those of you thinking about doing this

[punkishbloke]

http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardw...sli-review.html

 

this should be interesting for those of you thinking about doing this

 

interesting review a few results surprised me i would have like to see the gtx 285 included in the dx 10 and 9 tests just for comparrison basis.

[sdy284]

 

:o

 

the 470's use 67% more power when SLI'd... using that same %, that means that the 480's in SLI use 640W!

[Krieg1337]

Remember, Min FPS is really the most important here. You want that to be above 30, average is important too, but not as much.

[hierovision]

This is my personal rating system:

 

I'll use the Dirt 2 1920x1200, Highest details, 4xAA, Post Processing high chart as an example, comparing the 470 SLI to 5870 CF.

 

I use importance/weight calculations. Average FPS, minimum FPS, and the difference between the two are all assigned equal importance(variables x, y, and z respectively). I add x to y and subtract z.

 

x for SLI = 127.72. x for CF = 128.5

y for SLI = 116. y for CF = 112

z for SLI = 11.72. z for CF = 16.5

 

SLI: x+y-z=232 points

CF: x+y-z=224 points

 

This helps me a lot when I'm split between two configurations. You can then factor in price if you want as follows:

 

Current lowest prices as of this post from google shopping: Diamond 5870 from ZipZoomFly - $390 shipped x 2 for CF = $780. Several GTX 470's from Amazon - $350 shipped x 2 for SLI = $700.

 

SLI points above divided by 700 = .33 points/dollar

CF points above divided by 780 = .29 points/dollar

 

It's really not hard to do this mentally (except the division part... for me anyway ) so I'll run it for all the charted review results I can find for my monitor's resolution with the games I play.

 

I currently have a 24" 1920x1200 monitor so I would use the BC2 charts at 1920x1200:

 

1xAA -

5850 CF = 148 points / ($300x2) shipped from ZZF = .25 points/dollar

470 SLI = 140 points / ($350x2) shipped from Amazon = .20 points/dollar

 

4xAA -

5850 CF = 122 points / ($300x2) shipped from ZZF = .20 points/dollar

470 SLI = 114 points / ($350x2) shipped from Amazon = .16 points/dollar

 

Clearly the 5850's would get my $$$, but I have to THEN factor in this lovely paragraph: "We were almost about to put a

[krazypoloc]

 

:o

 

the 470's use 67% more power when SLI'd... using that same %, that means that the 480's in SLI use 640W!

Yeah thats a little scary for power draw....depending on what else you have running on the same circuit you might be at risk of popping a breaker with a setup like that....as most people would have 15 Amp breakers in their home. Would only take another 1200 Watts.

[joel.monteiro]

The temps of the 480 at load are 95 thats like the 4870x2 thats a big disappointment for their 40nm architecture and single Gpu temp ,i think ati is the winner here.

[Waco]

The temps of the 480 at load are 95 thats like the 4870x2 thats a big disappointment for their 40nm architecture and single Gpu temp ,i think ati is the winner here.

The temps don't mean much; it's just how the cooler is tuned. The power consumption is the real issue...

[hierovision]

100 watts is what the lightbulb in my storage shed uses... just for perspective. It's not that bad.

[IVIYTH0S]

100 watts is what the lightbulb in my storage shed uses... just for perspective. It's not that bad.

Run a CFL Son!

[hierovision]

Run a CFL Son!

 

I do in the rest of my house... I keep forgetting I even have a light in there though. I'm pretty sure I've only turned it on once in 3 years.

[IVIYTH0S]

I do in the rest of my house... I keep forgetting I even have a light in there though. I'm pretty sure I've only turned it on once in 3 years.

Haha well that's good, and nice break down of the cards earlier. I find the best deal for performance right now to still by my card and I'll be sitting the 400s vs 5000s battle out I think