Graphics GTX 470 + 480 Vs. ATI

Yeah but, this is personal preferance when it comes to OS's. Because I agree that Xp may be SLIGHTLY faster than W7. But I would choose windows 7 anyday over xp. The reason being that I prefer the interface, it looks better has many other advantages over xp. Plus theres the big factor that in a short while Microsoft is going to stop doing the updates, so your going to be vunerable to viruses. I tihnk most people would agree that Windows 7 Interface is much easier to use and it looks much better. Although I think Vista was just bull crap.

 

also 64-bit support and over 3.2-3.5Gb of RAM.

windows XP may be faster as an OS but my machine with 6Gb of RAM would floor the same machine with XP and only 3Gb.

dont start with XP-64 as its toss and has extremely poor driver support and is more hassle than its worth.

 

having been using 8GB of RAM since 2007, i can safely say from my person experience that XP 64bit is best avoided even with a 10 foot stick.

tessellation is the future, even current generation Xbox has ATI's hardware to do it, so there's every reason for future games to use suitable level of details that's acceptable on ATI cards cards. owning a gtx480 by that time will be a luxury.

 

I thought the GTX 480 was originally going to have 512 cores, not the 480 it has? Clearly nVidia is having problems making a reliable 480 so I can't see any x2 cards coming along in the near future.

Saying that, I disagree with your final point - I'm happy sticking with my 1280x1024 6 year old Acer TFT until I can afford the Dell U2410, so the midrange is of far more interest. I was happily waiting for nVidia to make a genuine upgrade from my existing 256MB 8800GT at the £110-140 price point but then ATI made the HD5770 and Sapphire but the Vapo-X cooler on it for £137... game over for my 8800GT.

 

It would probably be better to examine the advantages of each card:
GTX480 Advantages:
1. Faster, noticeably at minimums, DX11
2. PhysX
3. 3D Vision
4. 3D Vision Surround
5. CUDA Apps
6. Better multi card drivers
7. Better AA support in UE3 engine games. (no renaming executables, works in Batman, etc)
8. Can force Ambient Occlusion

HD5870 Advantages:
1. Cheaper
2. Runs cooler
3. Quieter
4. Uses less power
5. Single card three monitor support

That about sums it up. If gaming performance and features are more important, the GTX480 is the better investment.

If you're after a quieter, cooler case, or saving some money, the HD5870 is a better deal.

This question requires more response than "Fermi is fail! It's hot and uses more power!".

For someone like me with a Coolermaster Cosmos 1010 case, PC Power 1200W PSU, I could care less about it using 100 more watts or being a little louder. I have 5 X 120MM fans, plus the PSU fan, chipset fan, and a Coolermaster V8 fan going anyway.

 

And like 90% of the people on bit-tech, I will disregard anything and everything that premotes nvidia or demotes ATI for the simple fact that your name is nRollo, your title is Nvidia Focus Group, your avatar is a nvidia logo and your signature says

I think I'll pass on the blatant fanboyism.

 

Just to clean up the lists of advantages

 

Can you tell people which point I made that you disagree with?

Can you show us reviews that say the 5870 is faster?

Does NVIDIA not have PhysX?

Does NVIDIA not have CUDA apps?

Does NVIDIA not have the two kinds of 3D Vision?

Does NVIDIA not have drivers that let users create and edit profiles, with more games launching with profiles due to TWIMTBP?

Did NVIDIA not put together a way to add AA to UE3 games w/o renaming profiles and patches?

Does NVIDIA not allow a user to force ambient occlusion?

Is the 5870 not cooler?

Does the 5870 not cost less?

Does the 5870 not provide 3 monitor support on one card?

Does the 5870 not use less power?

Point being every single thing I said was true.

I gave both companies their due, accurately stated their advantages, and the factors I cited should be the only ones in play for someone making this choice.

The only thing I can think of that I left out is I believe ATi has better HTPC capabilities, but I haven't looked into that because I use stereo equipment, BluRay & HD players, and plasma screens for my HT. I won't be stringing cables from a PC over to my tvs anytime soon, but I suppose if you're in a dorm or short on cash this might be a concern.

 

It's not what you say, it's the fact your name, title, avatar and signature are nvidia filled and your signature is a disclaimer

Even if you dissed nvidia completely and said ATI were the best in the world I still couldn't take anything you say seriously. I agree with most of your points it's just I can't acknowledge what you say because it feels like you've sold your soul to a company

 

The thing about "advantages" is they all have different weight to different people.

Personally, the only one of all of them that matters to me is the 3D Vision. I like that so much I bought two more 2233RZs so I can do 3D Vision Surround when it launches this month.

When you spend about $600 extra to enjoy one of the features, it's a good indication you find value in it.

I have a friend who took the fan out of a PSU I sold him, he'd probably take the 5870 for "quieter".

I was using dual GTX295s before the GTX480, obviously power/heat/noise are low on my list.

To each his own, no right or wrong answer on this question. Comes down to personal preferences.

 

That's a bit harsh don't you say? Just because someone proclaims their favor towards a particular side doesn't mean they lose all credibility.

 

Yes it's incredibly harsh but he loses credibility to me, he may be one of the most unbiased people in the world but I can't take his word seriously. But I am just a single person in this universe, why does it matter if he loses credibility to me

 

It's a common perception.

I'll just note that either my wife or I can afford our house and cabin, which gives us a lot of flexibility to not "sell out" for free gifts. (not to mention pretty good security in times of recession)

Ask yourself this: If you could afford to buy a GTX480 every month of the year, after your bills/vacations/other hobbies/retirement investments, would you "sell your soul" for a free one?

That's the position I'm in. Even if you assume I have no morals whatsoever, it would be far easier for me to just write the check than log on to forums every day talking about this stuff.

I do it because it's a hobby and I like the insider info. I don't like it enough to lie.

BTW- the disclaimer is due to a law that states people provided with free merchandise must note it so they can't be "undercover advertisers".

 

Good point, from now on you have lost all credibility in my eyes.

With that said, nrollo doesn't seem to be biased at all, perhaps not as honest, but I can see that he's quite neutral to all this.

 

So nVidia have clued in to the fact that everyone realises that Fermi is an appallingly inefficient and overpriced card. To remedy this, they have deployed an army of monkeys on to tech enthusiast forums to talk up Fermi's "features" (ie. pointless gimmicks that 99% of gamers are NOT interested in).

 

That's a jaded but semi-accurate(pardon the pun..or not) way of looking at things. But it can be said to be quintessentially correct.

 

I did find it funny that number one on his list of Fermi advantages was DX11. Oh wait, didn't ATi release cards that supported DX11 6 months ago? :O

 

+1

I see potential in Fermi, even if it isn't there yet. It has applications beyond gaming that interest me and of course, PhysX is always nice to have.

 

what it comes down to for most people is value.

480GTX is around 0-15% faster on average across various games. it costs £430+ (scan).

ATI 5870 is £320 (scan)

480 is a whopping 34% (£110) more expensive.

@ 1920x1080 and below you wont even notice the extra speed offered by the 480 anyway as the frame rates are well within playable for both cards.

There is NO reason to buy a 480 unless you really really want cuda, or 3D vision and for just those features thats alot of money

 

well if you have already bought into 3D vision you have shown you have more money than sense, so i guess the 480 is perfect!