Thomasdez Posted August 31, 2010 Posted August 31, 2010 (edited) Hey guys, I just build a new computer and I like everything except my videocard. I have a Sapphire Vapor-X HD 4870 2GB, which I took form my old system. My question is.. should I buy another one of those, or should a buy a new videocard? And then a Ati or a nVidia videocard? and I don't need the 3D stuff. Here is my current pc: Motherboard: Gigabyte X58A-UD7 Processor: Intel core i7 960 (3.2 Ghz) @ 4.0 Ghz CPU Cooler: Prolima Armageddon + 2x 140mm fan Videocard: Sapphire Technology Vapor-X HD 4870 2GB Memory: Kingston HyperX 3x2 GB DDR3 1820 Mhz 9-9-9-27 OS SSD: OCZ Vertex Series Sata II 2.5" SSD 96GB HDD: Western Digital WD1002FAEX 1TB PSU: Corsair HX 1000 watt Case: Antec Twelve Hundred Thnx for the help in advance, Thomas Edited August 31, 2010 by Thomasdez Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmb938 Posted August 31, 2010 Posted August 31, 2010 Well you don't NEED to buy another card. That one is still pretty good for most games. You can go ahead and buy another for crossfire to get some more performance if you don't want DX11. But if you want DX11 go out and buy another ATI. If you always used ATI i wouldn't switch because you know what to expect. Also ati is better price for performance usually. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
saywhut Posted August 31, 2010 Posted August 31, 2010 If you don't care for DX11 adding another 4870 would be great but make sure to get another vapor x version if possible because I think those cards come pre-OCed. If your looking for an upgrade I would say go for a GTX 460 1GB version which right now offers tremendous bang for buck. I don't know what your budget is but if your looking for a more higher end card I would say go for a Radeon 5870. Both companies are great and you can't go wrong with either one. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
El_Capitan Posted August 31, 2010 Posted August 31, 2010 I ordered two of the MSI Cyclone's GTX 460 1GB's, I can't wait to try it out (arrives Friday). Great SLI scaling (runs faster than a single GTX 480), great overclockers, and also runs cool and quiet. Really depends on what games you're running, what resolution, and whether or not you care about how cool the card runs and how quiet. The 4870 is definitely still good, I'd wait for the HD 6xxx's to come out Q4 2010 for the Winter holidays. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
FashionFish Posted August 31, 2010 Posted August 31, 2010 Since the topic was NVIDIA or ATI...... I'm no expert on ATI as I haven't used their cards in years. The biggest difference between the two is that the NVIDIA cards support PhysX which may or may not be important to you. Check this link out to see what it does. The best performance/features bang for the buck is now dual 460s in SLI mode. There are many reviews you can find that compare that setup with ATI and other NVIDIA cards like the 480. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkrow21 Posted August 31, 2010 Posted August 31, 2010 ATI? Isn't it AMD? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MercuryDoun Posted August 31, 2010 Posted August 31, 2010 PhsyX is a load of crap... you have a i7-960... let your CPU handle the Physics... it wont have any issues with it. Sorry if that sounded like something a fanboy would say, but its true... PhsyX is only a "great" feature if your CPU blows and cant handle the added workload of Physics... im pretty sure his i7's got it covered... I dunno man... I really like ATI, BUT... right now Nvidia's got a pretty good hold on the mid and high end markets... The GTX460 is amazing and competes with Nvidias own 470 and ATI's 5850, but cant do much to a 5870... but the 480 has the 5870 beat in most games as well... and ATI rules the low end market but im pretty sure your not looking to downgrade lol... I dont much care for 480, despite its raw ability to man handle games. I think it uses too much power and is the equivalent of throwing an easy-bake-oven in your computer. I think all the extra heat will lower your entire systems life span.... So here is what i would do if i was in your position... Either get 2x nVidia GTX 460's and enjoy some SLI goodness, preferably two of those nice Asus Direct CU ones that OCC reviewed here... or get an ATI 5870 and enjoy not even having to update your drivers because the 5870 and 4870 use the same ones! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tkrow21 Posted August 31, 2010 Posted August 31, 2010 PhsyX is a load of crap... you have a i7-960... let your CPU handle the Physics... it wont have any issues with it. Sorry if that sounded like something a fanboy would say, but its true... PhsyX is only a "great" feature if your CPU blows and cant handle the added workload of Physics... im pretty sure his i7's got it covered... Very, very, wrong. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MercuryDoun Posted August 31, 2010 Posted August 31, 2010 Taken from Wikipedia's page about PhysX, because i dont feel like looking for another page, and i might possibly be cheating alittle and pulling this SLIGHTLY outta context but my point remains valid... "Video games supporting hardware acceleration by PhysX can be accelerated by either a PhysX PPU or a CUDA-enabled GeForce GPU (which has at least 32 CUDA cores), thus offloading physics calculations from the CPU, allowing it to perform other tasks instead — resulting in a smoother gaming experience and additional visual effects." Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
El_Capitan Posted August 31, 2010 Posted August 31, 2010 Read this, good sirs: http://www.semiaccurate.com/2010/07/07/nvidia-purposefully-hobbles-physx-cpu/ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Savan Posted August 31, 2010 Posted August 31, 2010 I'd wait till the radeon hd 6xxx series comes out. if your budget can afford it, go with the 6870, if not the release should lower the price of the 5870 and go with that. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MercuryDoun Posted August 31, 2010 Posted August 31, 2010 (edited) It appears as though El_Capitan has done the to web browsing i was too lazy to do. Thank you sir! And i sorta forgot to mention the 5970, for some reason it slipped my mind, but Savan, has a good point, ATI(will be AMD by then) is doing a refresh of their product line Q4 this year, possibly as late as Q1 2011, It is however not known if this is going to be 5X90's, like 5790, 5890, or 5990... or if it will be the 6XXX series. Either way, waiting to upgrade from your already pretty decent 4870 might be worth the wait! Edited September 1, 2010 by MercuryDoun Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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