AMD launches HD4870 X2. Destroys the competition. The end.

reflux · 12-August-08, 08:09 AM

AMD have been sorely lacking in the high-end market lately, but today's launch of the HD4870X2 changes all that. ATi have regained the graphics card crown by beating all of Nvidia's offerings, and the best part all is that card is very reasonably priced, even for launch day.

Check it out....reviews:

Radeon HD 4870 X2 and Crossfire review

Palit Radeon HD 4870 X2 2GB Video Card Review - Hardware Canucks

Sapphire Radeon HD 4870 X2 in CrossfireX :: TweakTown

Dex · 12-August-08, 12:35 PM

I wouldn't really call £325 reasonable, but you're right, its a lot cheaper than some of the past super high end offerings from nVidia (£500+). Still out of reach for most.

Quite a nice gain over two 4870s in Crossfire, and a very impressive gain over a single GTX 280. Having said that, they don't really have the technology crown, as two GTX 280s would easily rape it, although I don't even want to think about how much that would cost.

Well played AMD though :-)

Snake2Snipe · 12-August-08, 01:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dex


	I wouldn't really call £325 reasonable, but you're right, its a lot cheaper than some of the past super high end offerings from nVidia (£500+). Still out of reach for most. Quite a nice gain over two 4870s in Crossfire, and a very impressive gain over a single GTX 280. Having said that, they don't really have the technology crown, as two GTX 280s would easily rape it, although I don't even want to think about how much that would cost. Well played AMD though :-)

Not really too bad for a top of the line offering, but yeah it is a bit of money either way. I would say that this does give them the crown for single card solutions, and since it is around the same price range as the GTX 280 it isn't too unfair to do a direct comparison. It would be interesting to see the performance of two GTX 280s against two HD4870 X2s for those that don't care at all about cost.

Dex · 12-August-08, 02:53 PM

Well just by looking at the benchmarks you can predict the new X2 would take a large beating, but yeah on a single card basis a direct comparison is fair.

Mite just pick one of these up in the new year unless the competition wars hot up even more and something better and cheaper comes out.

I have the feeling that in the 4 months ive been away from my main machine during the summer, my 8800GTS 320Mb will have been antiquated somewhat...

Zaltan · 12-August-08, 04:29 PM

Are HD4800 cards just a slightly updated version of R600 again like the HD3800's were? I really haven't been keeping up for ages... I do intend to get some new stuff when the new intel socket comes out, I just sold most of the stuff I had stock piled and downgraded a little.

reflux · 12-August-08, 05:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zaltan


	Are HD4800 cards just a slightly updated version of R600 again like the HD3800's were? I really haven't been keeping up for ages... I do intend to get some new stuff when the new intel socket comes out, I just sold most of the stuff I had stock piled and downgraded a little.

HD4800 builds on the architecture improvements that ATi brought along with the HD3800s, and slaps go-faster stripes, twin exhausts and NOS onto what was already there. End result = some seriously good performance that knocks Nvidia for six.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dex


	Mite just pick one of these up in the new year unless the competition wars hot up even more and something better and cheaper comes out. I have the feeling that in the 4 months ive been away from my main machine during the summer, my 8800GTS 320Mb will have been antiquated somewhat...

The 4870X2 is a bit pointless below 1920x1200, so I think you'd be wasting your cash there dude. The 8800GTS 320mb is a bit long in the tooth now, but it's mainly the small frame buffer that's holding it back. The actual core is still pretty capable. Depends if you can be arsed really, but a single HD4850 or 4870 would probably suit you down to the ground.

Dex · 12-August-08, 05:28 PM

Fair enough, didn't really want to spend a lot anyway (must buy moooore guitars)....

Zaltan · 12-August-08, 05:39 PM

Yeah buy more guitars Dex instead! I got some Lace Sensor Red Pickups for mine recently they sound amazing. I also got rid of my amp because it was far too heavy (~45KG) to carry around to practices. I'm playing through a borrowed Fender Vibrolux (its my dads) at the moment, its nice but its quiet (this one is 35w and I'm used to cranking my 100w at practices)!

reflux · 12-August-08, 05:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dex


	Fair enough, didn't really want to spend a lot anyway (must buy moooore guitars)....

Yeah, high-end graphics cards are a waste of money. I mean I love my GX2...was it a waste of money though....yes. I could have bought a thai bride for the amount I've spent on my PC this year.

Slaymate · 12-August-08, 07:04 PM

It looks like a pretty good card. Now I wonder how long it's going to be until Nvidia releases a X2 card. I've tried a few X2 cards and I'm not a fan. They run hotter and aftermarket cooling options are next to nothing, with water cooling being the best choice. Now if they can sell a bunch of them then some options might appear.

But if they don't sell that well then you can expect no aftermarket cooling and poor driver support.

goodman123 · 12-August-08, 07:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Slaymate


	It looks like a pretty good card. Now I wonder how long it's going to be until Nvidia releases a X2 card. I've tried a few X2 cards and I'm not a fan. They run hotter and aftermarket cooling options are next to nothing, with water cooling being the best choice. Now if they can sell a bunch of them then some options might appear. But if they don't sell that well then you can expect no aftermarket cooling and poor driver support.

the 4870x2 is 30 to 50 percent more performance and lower energy requirements than Nvidia's GTX280 graphics card.

PC World - AMD targets Nvidia with dual-GPU graphics card

so must be cooler than the GTX280?

reflux · 13-August-08, 05:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Slaymate


	It looks like a pretty good card. Now I wonder how long it's going to be until Nvidia releases a X2 card.

We'll have to wait for Nvidia's 55nm die-shrink before we see a GTX 280 GX2. Or whatever it's called. The current GPU is just far too hot and power hungry to double up on one PCB.

Slaymate · 13-August-08, 09:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by goodman123


	the 4870x2 is 30 to 50 percent more performance and lower energy requirements than Nvidia's GTX280 graphics card. PC World - AMD targets Nvidia with dual-GPU graphics card so must be cooler than the GTX280?

Well I know people that have bought a regular 4870 and some have idled close to 70dC with a single chip. When you add a second GPU to the mix the temps rise. With a single GPU card you can buy aftermarket cooling that will perform wonders, but how long if ever will we see a X2 aftermarket kit.

As for the comparision to the GTX280's temps. Who cares? If Nvidia releases a GTX280 X2 I won't buy that either. In my opinion all X2 style cards are bad news, regardless of who made them. Now if they ever start making aftermarket cooling options I may change my mind.

goodman123 · 13-August-08, 10:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Slaymate


	In my opinion all X2 style cards are bad news, regardless of who made them. Now if they ever start making aftermarket cooling options I may change my mind.

i dont agree , i think this is what will replace SLI & Crossfire in near future , like now the majority of people are on dual core cpu , the rest of the people are on quadcore or still on old single core cpu's

not everyone wants to or can buy 2 graphic cards + the board that goes with it but a single card with 2 GPU's that's is a nicer choice

that how i see it anyway , i dont have SLI or Crossfire on my board only a single PCI-E port so a GPUx2 card at a good price , i'm all for it

as for aftermarket cooling , it will come after some time as the GPUx2 comes more popular just be patient

Slaymate · 14-August-08, 05:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by goodman123


	i dont agree , i think this is what will replace SLI & Crossfire in near future , like now the majority of people are on dual core cpu , the rest of the people are on quadcore or still on old single core cpu's not everyone wants to or can buy 2 graphic cards + the board that goes with it but a single card with 2 GPU's that's is a nicer choice that how i see it anyway , i dont have SLI or Crossfire on my board only a single PCI-E port so a GPUx2 card at a good price , i'm all for it as for aftermarket cooling , it will come after some time as the GPUx2 comes more popular just be patient

They've been making X2 style cards for quite a few years now and they just don't sell well. I'm not argueing that they don't have the potential to be a good idea or a good product. But the fact remains that they just don't sell enough of them to gain Aftermarket Cooling and Good Driver Support.

I would Luv to see the X2 market surge, but I just don't see it happening any time soon.

goodman123 · 14-August-08, 07:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Slaymate


	They've been making X2 style cards for quite a few years now and they just don't sell well. I'm not argueing that they don't have the potential to be a good idea or a good product. But the fact remains that they just don't sell enough of them to gain Aftermarket Cooling and Good Driver Support. I would Luv to see the X2 market surge, but I just don't see it happening any time soon.

i know x2 & SLI is not a new idea it's goes back to 3DFX (I'm not as old as you but not all that far from it lol!

)

but i think now is a good time for these ideas & i think that the x2 gpu's will probably be maintream in around 18-24 months from now , i hope so anyway prices should be cheap by then

people today dont have or not willing to put much money on pc's as it was just a few years ago so i see x2 gpu's getting more popular in the next 2 years if it's cheap enough

Snake2Snipe · 21-August-08, 05:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Slaymate


	Well I know people that have bought a regular 4870 and some have idled close to 70dC with a single chip. When you add a second GPU to the mix the temps rise. With a single GPU card you can buy aftermarket cooling that will perform wonders, but how long if ever will we see a X2 aftermarket kit. As for the comparision to the GTX280's temps. Who cares? If Nvidia releases a GTX280 X2 I won't buy that either. In my opinion all X2 style cards are bad news, regardless of who made them. Now if they ever start making aftermarket cooling options I may change my mind.

I just about a week ago installed a regular 4870 into a case that has quite good cooling and it did idle in the 70dC+ range. This is really just a fan speed problem, as soon as you turn the fan speed up a little bit the temps drop a lot. With the fan currently set at a reasonably quiet 37% it idles in the low to mid 40dC range, under load gets to mid 50's. It is a pain to set the fan speed though because ATI/AMD do not provide control for that in the driver package for some reason and the stock speed is set too low.

12-August-08, 08:09 AM		#1 (permalink)
reflux Sempr0n?	AMD launches HD4870 X2. Destroys the competition. The end. AMD have been sorely lacking in the high-end market lately, but today's launch of the HD4870X2 changes all that. ATi have regained the graphics card crown by beating all of Nvidia's offerings, and the best part all is that card is very reasonably priced, even for launch day. Check it out....reviews: Radeon HD 4870 X2 and Crossfire review Palit Radeon HD 4870 X2 2GB Video Card Review - Hardware Canucks Sapphire Radeon HD 4870 X2 in CrossfireX :: TweakTown

12-August-08, 12:35 PM		#2 (permalink)
Dex Retr-hoe Reviewer	Re: AMD launches HD4870 X2. Destroys the competition. The end. I wouldn't really call £325 reasonable, but you're right, its a lot cheaper than some of the past super high end offerings from nVidia (£500+). Still out of reach for most. Quite a nice gain over two 4870s in Crossfire, and a very impressive gain over a single GTX 280. Having said that, they don't really have the technology crown, as two GTX 280s would easily rape it, although I don't even want to think about how much that would cost. Well played AMD though :-)

12-August-08, 02:53 PM		#4 (permalink)
Dex Retr-hoe Reviewer	Re: AMD launches HD4870 X2. Destroys the competition. The end. Well just by looking at the benchmarks you can predict the new X2 would take a large beating, but yeah on a single card basis a direct comparison is fair. Mite just pick one of these up in the new year unless the competition wars hot up even more and something better and cheaper comes out. I have the feeling that in the 4 months ive been away from my main machine during the summer, my 8800GTS 320Mb will have been antiquated somewhat...

12-August-08, 04:29 PM		#5 (permalink)
Zaltan Apex Tech God	Re: AMD launches HD4870 X2. Destroys the competition. The end. Are HD4800 cards just a slightly updated version of R600 again like the HD3800's were? I really haven't been keeping up for ages... I do intend to get some new stuff when the new intel socket comes out, I just sold most of the stuff I had stock piled and downgraded a little.

12-August-08, 05:28 PM		#7 (permalink)
Dex Retr-hoe Reviewer	Re: AMD launches HD4870 X2. Destroys the competition. The end. Fair enough, didn't really want to spend a lot anyway (must buy moooore guitars)....

12-August-08, 05:39 PM		#8 (permalink)
Zaltan Apex Tech God	Re: AMD launches HD4870 X2. Destroys the competition. The end. Yeah buy more guitars Dex instead! I got some Lace Sensor Red Pickups for mine recently they sound amazing. I also got rid of my amp because it was far too heavy (~45KG) to carry around to practices. I'm playing through a borrowed Fender Vibrolux (its my dads) at the moment, its nice but its quiet (this one is 35w and I'm used to cranking my 100w at practices)!

12-August-08, 07:04 PM		#10 (permalink)
Slaymate PCApex Reviewer From Hell	Re: AMD launches HD4870 X2. Destroys the competition. The end. It looks like a pretty good card. Now I wonder how long it's going to be until Nvidia releases a X2 card. I've tried a few X2 cards and I'm not a fan. They run hotter and aftermarket cooling options are next to nothing, with water cooling being the best choice. Now if they can sell a bunch of them then some options might appear. But if they don't sell that well then you can expect no aftermarket cooling and poor driver support.

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