Radeon 4870 or Nvidia 280

[aowen416]

Hey,

I'm building a computer in July. I need to choose between either two of the 4870 or the 280 (it's $650ish, right?). Do you guys know what would be the better choice here, or do I need to wait until they're actually released?

Thanks a lot!

 

[FlightSimBoy]

According to this forum, the 4870x2 placed higher than the 280 in early benches: http://xtreview.com/addcomment-id-5477-view-HD-4870-X2-vs-GTX-280.html

And if this forum's spec sheet is correct, then I would go for the 4870 over the 280: http://forums.pureoverclock.com/showthread.php?threadid=3168

 

[Prodigy146]

Hd 4870 FTW!!!!

 

[Cabbs]

Even with all these early benchmarks, the best way to decide is to wait for the final products to be released.

 

[worshipme]

The HD 4870 is not a competitor for the GTX 280, that's the HD 4870 X2's job. The 4870 is aimed at the huge gap between the 9800GTX and the GX2.

From what we know already, the X2 wins by almost 15% over the 280 in 3DMark Vantage with pre-release drivers and the price tag should be around $475-$550, thanks to the strategy AMD has adopted for the high-end GPU market. They believe that the days of monolithic dies and huge power requirements are over, and that multi-GPU is the future. RV770 is reportedly only 230mm2, which means yields will be high as there is less chance of a defect occuring and therefore means it is cheaper to produce. The GTX 280, because of it's monolithic 575mm2 die size and low yields, is around $650, but of course, you have to remember that Vantage doesn't mean everything. We'll have to see who has the right idea when it comes to real benchmarks.

One thing I'd love to see is the X2 using a shared memory controller.

 

[aowen416]

Two 4870s are just like a single X2, correct?

I don't want to wait for the X2 >.>

 

[worshipme]

Two 4870s are just like a single X2, correct?

Maybe, or maybe not. The X2 may use a shared memory controller.