ATI 4890 vs Nvidia GTX285

[Cykoth]

I'm sure this has been beat to death, but forgive me I've been away from forums for a bit. I'm wanting to upgrade my GTS 8800 512 card. I've started doing a lot of reading and I'm drawn to the ATI 4890 overclocked to 900mHz core card. I've been an ATI owner in the past, but have pretty much stuck with nVidia recently. I don't do anything like watercooling, and normally I don't oveclock stuff on my own. I have a 24" widescreen monitor as well. Based upon what I've read, it seems my best bet would be to get the 4890, as the overclocked version has comparible performance to the stock GTX 285 and I save $100 bucks or more. So the thing that nVidia does that ATI can't do is PhysX acceleration and CUDA.....are these software aspects worth sticking with nVidia? I've read where the current titles that support these items are not well spread, at least with AAA title games. Are there new products coming out that I should wait for ( at least to see if a big price drop occurs )?

Thanks for any info!

 

[happy medium]

I'd wait for the next generation of cards. 8800gts 512 is no slouch.

Edit :whats the rest of your system like?

 

[Cykoth]

I built this system about 1.5 years ago....

quad core Q9650 3GHz, 2 MB RAM (cause the CPU fan is in the way....), and a Gigabyte P35 chipset MB. I originally had one of those Asus extreme gamer MB's, and it was a total piece of crap IMHO. It ran so hot that I had to have a huge occilating fan stuck in the side of the case just to keep the northbridge chip from melting into slag....

 

[Wreckage]

Originally posted by: happy medium
I'd wait for the next generation of cards. 8800gts 512 is no slouch.

Edit :whats the rest of your system like?

Yep your system should hold you till the fall.

 

[Cykoth]

Are there definite product announcements for this fall as far as video cards are concerned? Or are you speaking for the general product cycle and we all have yet to see what's coming...? Ergo a re-packaged core or a brand new die.

Oh, I also am running Vista Ultimate 32-bit and after a rocky beginning it's really running quite well.

 

[happy medium]

Originally posted by: Cykoth
I built this system about 1.5 years ago....

quad core Q9650 3GHz, 2 MB RAM (cause the CPU fan is in the way....), and a Gigabyte P35 chipset MB. I originally had one of those Asus extreme gamer MB's, and it was a total piece of crap IMHO. It ran so hot that I had to have a huge occilating fan stuck in the side of the case just to keep the northbridge chip from melting into slag....

p35 boards are (as far as I know) are poor quad core overclockers.
I'd take some of the videocard money and invest in a p45 board and 2 more gigs or ram and overclock that Q9650 to 4+ghz. Then match it up with a new generation videocard in the fall.

Buy a board like this GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3R for 114.00$ - 15$ rebate.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16813128359

 

[happy medium]

Originally posted by: Cykoth
Are there definite product announcements for this fall as far as video cards are concerned? Or are you speaking for the general product cycle and we all have yet to see what's coming...? Ergo a re-packaged core or a brand new die.

Oh, I also am running Vista Ultimate 32-bit and after a rocky beginning it's really running quite well.

Yes both ATI and Nvidea are ready to launch new cards (not a refresh) near the time of the Windows 7 launch Oct/Nov. Mabe sooner.

Edit: One more thing the next generation of video cards might be to much for pci-e x16. P45 boards are pci-e x16, 2.0.

 

[dguy6789]

I'd find a way to upgrade that machine to 4GB(or even 8 since it's so cheap) of ram even if it means getting a new cpu cooler as well. A 3ghz Quad is great, but you could probably go much higher. Even with a P35 chipset, you should at least be able to take the whole thing to 400Mhz FSB easily(without any voltage modifications to anything), which should give you a moderate boost in processing power for free.

4890 is great, GTX 285 is a good bit faster. At current prices however, the 4890 is the better deal imo. I would just wait for the next gen parts since they are coming out so soon and the 8800 is still a great card.

Edit: Just saw the above post. The PCI Express x16 1.0 thing is something I overlooked. 1.0 bottlenecks the highest end cards today a bit, so it would likely be even more so with next gen cards. In that case, I'd just get a 4890. Don't buy right away at ~$190 though, there are some amazing deals that are coming and going constantly.

 

[happy medium]

My bad, I thought the q9650 had a 8x multy not 9.
I guess a q9650 @ 3.6 will drive a gtx 295 eqivalent card fairly well.
I would hope the pci-e x16 1.0 lane can handle newer cards though.

 

[alkalinetaupehat]

Before the fanboy stampede begins in ernest, I advise a poll in the future to keep the main point present.

I would agree with other posters advising you to max out your RAM, the market is shifting to DDR3 and prices are getting close to some of their lowest points since when they bottomed out around March. I remember this time because I went to 8GB of PI Black and within a week prices went up $10, then $20 by next week. I was so proud of myself for randomly picking the right time to buy...

Gamers tend to go for the price/performance ratio in their screen resolution category, so HD4890 if you buy now, smart money though says wait until the new cards are out and watch what happens, as you have new video card competition, a possibly reemerging global economy, holidays all over the place, Black Friday, Spring sales, etc. all coming up and I'd say likely causing some very low prices to occur for numerous products. The end/beginning of calendar years is the best time to pricewatch and possibly buy.

Of course, never buy on too strong of an impulse. Bad Things could happen.

 

[soccerballtux]

Originally posted by: happy medium
My bad, I thought the q9650 had a 8x multy not 9.
I guess a q9650 @ 3.6 will drive a gtx 295 eqivalent card fairly well.
I would hope the pci-e x16 1.0 lane can handle newer cards though.

It's about a 0.3% performance drop on the 4890.

 

[yh125d]

4890. Also, if you can, pick up a good P45 board (EP45-UD3P always a great choice) with two more GB of ram and OC that quad. When next gen comes out and 4890 prices plummet buy a second one! (thats what I'm planning)

 

[SlowSpyder]

DX11 cards are supposed to show up in a few months, I'd wait. If you can't wait then I'd go with a 4890 as it provides better bang for the buck. It's 90-95% as fast as the GTX285 at a lot less money (>$100 less) and can overclock very well. Just my $.02.

 

[Cykoth]

Thanks so much all for your very complete and honest answers!

I had planned on getting 2 X 2GB 800MHz DDR2 RAM that I hadn't mentioned in the OP to bring me up to 4GB total, and because I can get that 4GB for the crazy price of $45. As I'm running Vista 32-bit, it's my understanding that more RAM than than wouldn't be useful. I really didn't want to fool with upgrading the MB as of yet.....I was prob going to wait another 6-8 months then go with an i7 and a P55 MB when they aren't quite so bleeding edge. I also was thinking of the minor performance hit with not having pci-e 2.0 in the calculus of retaining my current P35 board a bit longer. I was just thinking I could spent about $250 on RAM and a card and give myself a large performance boost. Heat is something I'm always on the watch for, so I've never really OC'ed anything to be honest. And if I buy the 4890, I was going to get the "factory" OC card cause that way I would KNOW that I had a good high yield GPU.

I guess I was just worried about "getting off the reservation" with leaving nVidia. I guess I'm as susceptable as anyone else to marketing hype

I think I'm going to get the RAM, get the OC 4890 and be quite content for the next several months. Cause you KNOW those next gen cards this fall are going to be pricey as hell!



Thanks again for all the great posts!

Cykoth

 

[rquick]

Actually the 4890 is a pretty good deal right now at $200. I don't mean to sound arrogant, but you aren't really talking about that much money anyway. How much mre can it really come down? So what if you wait three months and get it for $180? Why wait? Considering that the new generation cards are likely to be introduced in the $500 to $600 range, there will be very little pressure for the 4890 to come down in price more than it already has. If it won't sell for $200, it might simply disappear from the market as the margins can't be that big now. In that case, there might be some substantial discounts to close it out, but you will also be tempted to buy the higher price new generation cards that your other hardware won't allow you to push to its limits. Now if you were talking about buying the GTX295 or the 4870X2, those would be bad bets right now as they will come down to the $300 range to make room for new high end cards. If you are willing to spend $600, you should wait for the latest and greatest.

 

[cusideabelincoln]

Go with the cheaper option(s): HD4890 or GTX275.

 

[TemjinGold]

Originally posted by: Cykoth
Thanks so much all for your very complete and honest answers!

I had planned on getting 2 X 2GB 800MHz DDR2 RAM that I hadn't mentioned in the OP to bring me up to 4GB total, and because I can get that 4GB for the crazy price of $45. As I'm running Vista 32-bit, it's my understanding that more RAM than than wouldn't be useful. I really didn't want to fool with upgrading the MB as of yet.....I was prob going to wait another 6-8 months then go with an i7 and a P55 MB when they aren't quite so bleeding edge. I also was thinking of the minor performance hit with not having pci-e 2.0 in the calculus of retaining my current P35 board a bit longer. I was just thinking I could spent about $250 on RAM and a card and give myself a large performance boost. Heat is something I'm always on the watch for, so I've never really OC'ed anything to be honest. And if I buy the 4890, I was going to get the "factory" OC card cause that way I would KNOW that I had a good high yield GPU.

I guess I was just worried about "getting off the reservation" with leaving nVidia. I guess I'm as susceptable as anyone else to marketing hype

I think I'm going to get the RAM, get the OC 4890 and be quite content for the next several months. Cause you KNOW those next gen cards this fall are going to be pricey as hell!



Thanks again for all the great posts!

Cykoth

If you are serious about going i7 + P55 and having a 4890, I would camp a nice deal for a 4890 now and forget the ram upgrade. The reason is the i7 uses DDR3 so you would end up throwing your upgrade away when you upgrade to that. The video card you can carry over but the ram would be a waste now if you wanted a brand new system that soon.

 

[soccerballtux]

4890 is cheaper, by a lot if you're patient (less than half the cost of a GTX275). I'm holding out for the next gen before I upgrade though; and then I'll go crossfire.

 

[faxon]

my Q9650 did 3.6GHz on stock voltage (it was where i started my OC at) with a new motherboard. i would say spend the cash you have now on a new p45 board, cooler, and then look into 4gb of ram before getting a new graphics card. a q9650 is a fast chip even at stock, but you are going to want to OC it eventually since a 1GHz overclock isnt to hard on a Q9650, and you will gain a lot more by OCing it than a new CPU later in the game, but in order to do so you will also want a better mobo, which should also fix your ram placement issue, allowing for more memory even with the cooler you have now (if you pick the right board)

 

[n7]

You should be able to do 3.6+ GHz easily with that Q9650.

I'd get a 4890...it'll be a lovely match for your quad.

 

[Elfear]

GTX 285 is faster in most situations compared to a stock 4890 but not worth the extra $$ IMO. At the price point the 4890 has been at lately, there is no way I'd pay almost twice as much for 10% more performance.

 

[Merovign]

Got a 4890 for $150 on a recent deal, there will be more. A little patience pays dividends, look for prices close to that and you probably won't regret it (this year at least ).

 

[BuckNaked]

I went with a 4890 for $125 after MIR... price vs. performance was hard to beat....

It was a nice upgrade from a 7900GT...

 

[Wreckage]

Originally posted by: soccerballtux
4890 is cheaper, by a lot if you're patient (less than half the cost of a GTX275).

Please show me a 4890 that is less than $102.

Here is a GTX275 with a free copy of CoD World at War. $204.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814187073

Free shipping. No rebates or coupons or first time buyer discounts needed. No hoops to jump through.

The GTX275 performs on par with an overclocked 4890. Of course you can always overclock the 275.

http://www.techreport.com/articles.x/16681

 

[SlowSpyder]

Originally posted by: Wreckage

Originally posted by: soccerballtux
4890 is cheaper, by a lot if you're patient (less than half the cost of a GTX275).

Please show me a 4890 that is less than $102.

Here is a GTX275 with a free copy of CoD World at War. $204.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814187073

Free shipping. No rebates or coupons or first time buyer discounts needed. No hoops to jump through.

The GTX275 performs on par with an overclocked 4890. Of course you can always overclock the 275.

http://www.techreport.com/articles.x/16681

The 4890 and GTX275 are very close to equals as far as performance goes. The 4890 is generally cheaper, that's the difference. The 4890 overclocks well, I believe the GTX275 overclocks decently as well.

We all know about the $125 deal on the 4890, I haven't seen a GTX275 close to that yet. As far as what the other poster said, here you go... $250 for a GTX275. You can find the 4890 for $125 making what he said true... you can find the 4890 for half the price of a GTX275. Considering they go up to $330 on Newegg for factory overclocked models or extra memory I'd say that it is possible to find 4890's for half the price of GTX275's, depending on the model. Obviously the cheapest 4890 isn't half the price of the cheapest GTX275. But I think it's pretty plain that the 4890 on a whole is cheaper then the GTX275, for performance that is near identical.

My guess is you'll have a hard time finding a GTX275 for half the price of a 4890 however. Going back to what I said, the 4890 is generally cheaper.