Diamond Radeon 4870 (800MHz/4400MHz?)

[SlowSpyder]

I'm looking at getting a 4870 soon and saw this Diamond Radeon 4870 overclocked version for sale at Newegg. The price is decent and it has a little overclock on the core. Also, if I'm reading that correctly it has a 4400MHz memory speed? That's a pretty large jump!

I don't see this card listed on Diamond's website and I cannot find any reviews. I was just curious how big of a jump this would be over a stock clocked 4870. Also, I'm having a hard time finding warranty info for Diamond brand video cards, does anyone know what their warranty period is?

Thanks.

 

[apoppin]

not so big. i never bother with OCs on GPUs unless they are really big [like 2900p>XT speeds]

my own 4870/512MB o/c'd 820/1165 from 750/900 only increased 3DMark06 by 300 points
- 13023>13334 with Cat 8.8 ... way back when with my e4300@3.33Ghz

 

[error8]

Originally posted by: apoppin

my own 4870/512MB o/c'd 820/1165 from 750/900 only increased 3DMark06 by 300 points
- 13023>13334 with Cat 8.8 ... way back when with my e4300@3.33Ghz

Oh, come on apoppin, I thought you knew more then that. 3dmark 2006 has nothing to do with the newest ATi graphic cards. 4870 scores lower then an 8800 GT, but look at the performance difference between them in real games. So that crappy 300 points might really give some fps boost in games. It's not going to be day and night difference, but why would you deny a free 4 fps here and there. I mean, it's free....overclocking is free....:sun:

OP, buy that card man, it's so overclocked, that you just can't go wrong with it.

 

[SlowSpyder]

I imagine the 50MHz on the core isn't going to make a huge difference, but that's a pretty big overclock on the memory. But, I'm not sure how bandwidth limited the 4870 cores are anyway.

So long as this thing doesn't have a 30 day warranty or something I think I'll be getting this one, if it's available when I buy.

 

[Vaktathi]

Personally, I'd say spend the extra $30 and get the Powercolor's 4870 1gb OC

It's got a truly great cooler on it(it runs cooler at its higher clock speed than a normal 4870 with the stock cooler), double the ram, and is OC'd to the same specs, for only $30 more, $50 if you actually go through with all the rebates.

 

[SlowSpyder]

Originally posted by: Vaktathi
Personally, I'd say spend the extra $30 and get the Powercolor's 4870 1gb OC

It's got a truly great cooler on it(it runs cooler at its higher clock speed than a normal 4870 with the stock cooler), double the ram, and is OC'd to the same specs, for only $30 more, $50 if you actually go through with all the rebates.

This one?

I'm sure that's a very good card, but I really, really like the dual slot coolers that remove the heat from the case. Also, I don't plan on using anything larger then my 22" monitor any time soon, so I think 512MB should be enough. I'm sure the Power Color card is very good, but I'm pretty specific in the things I want on my next card.

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: error8

Originally posted by: apoppin

my own 4870/512MB o/c'd 820/1165 from 750/900 only increased 3DMark06 by 300 points
- 13023>13334 with Cat 8.8 ... way back when with my e4300@3.33Ghz

Oh, come on apoppin, I thought you knew more then that. 3dmark 2006 has nothing to do with the newest ATi graphic cards. 4870 scores lower then an 8800 GT, but look at the performance difference between them in real games. So that crappy 300 points might really give some fps boost in games. It's not going to be day and night difference, but why would you deny a free 4 fps here and there. I mean, it's free....overclocking is free....:sun:

OP, buy that card man, it's so overclocked, that you just can't go wrong with it.

i thought you knew more than that

if you take the SAME system with the *exact* same HW/SW - everything absolutely identical - then you will be able to judge a performance delta pretty accurately with 3DMark06
- even with gaming benchmarks freely available all over the 'net, you can see that this 9% OC on the core and +19% on the VRAM is only going to make a couple of percentage points difference

the OP asked a simple question:

. . . just curious how big of a jump this would be over a stock clocked 4870

it is not a big jump from my practical experience O/C'ing 4870 to even near maximum from stock .. that is why i didn't bother to 1) explore it, 2) keep it O/C'd, or 3) care about a +3% possible maximum improvement

No .. o/c'ing a GPU is not "free" .. you may well find yourself RMA'ing the card under warranty as there is more heat .. and you also put more heat into your case.

HOWEVER, if it is the same price as a stock one and the warranty is good,
- then why the heck NOT get the O/C'd one. i did not say it was "bad" .. its just not a big "jump" over stock

there is one possible thing not in its favor - it is a 512MB 4870 .. i paid $269 for my ASUS 4870/1GB .. so there are situations where you just might wish you had move VRAM than a silly little OC you can probably hit anyway. And my ASUS card *encourages* OC'ing the box - it has "SmartDoctor" for that very purpose

 

[legcramp]

Yo apoppin, off topic but what do you get with your E8600 @ 4ghz and a single 4870x2 in 3dmark06?

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: RIFLEMAN007
Yo apoppin, off topic but what do you get with your E8600 @ 4ghz and a single 4870x2 in 3dmark06?

3DMark06 [Cat 8.10/ASUS x48 MB]
(e8600@3.99Ghz)

4870x2
19499
2.0=8651 ? 70.41/73.77
3.0=10855 ? 123.98/93.12
cpu=3653 ? 1.15/1.86


4870x3 [4870x2+4870/1GB]
20398
2.0=8642 ? 69.84/73.53
3.0=12146 ? 149.18/93.80
cpu=3673 ? 1.15/1.85

4870/1GB
15174
2.0=6236 ? 45.61/58.31
3.0=7503 ? 68.35/81.67
cpu=1.15/1.85


GTX280 ? 178.24
16512
2.0=7502 ? 62.51/62.53
3.0=7894 ? 74.94/82.94
cpu=3659 ? 1.16/1.85



i know .. more than you asked for .. i just happened to be making a graph for this right at this very moment
- good timing!
:clock:

edit: i updated GTX280 to the latest drivers and fixed an couple of errors

 

[legcramp]

Nice, I get around the same thing with both my 280 and X2

 

[aclim]

why dont you get the 1gb version for just a little bit more?

 

[error8]

Originally posted by: apoppin


if you take the SAME system with the *exact* same HW/SW - everything absolutely identical - then you will be able to judge a performance delta pretty accurately with 3DMark06
- even with gaming benchmarks freely available all over the 'net, you can see that this 9% OC on the core and +19% on the VRAM is only going to make a couple of percentage points difference

Yes, that is true. My point was that 3dmark 2006 doesn't reflect the 4870 real potential. Vantage, for example, seems to do a much better job then 2006, scoring 7500 GPU points with the stock card and over 8000 with the card overclocked, it feels like you really pushed the performance somehow. Opposed to 13000 to 13300, which seems more like your overclock meant nothing.

Originally posted by: apoppin

No .. o/c'ing a GPU is not "free" .. you may well find yourself RMA'ing the card under warranty as there is more heat .. and you also put more heat into your case.

Uhm....if it is done right, GPU overclocking is "free" and doesn't creates rma situations. Of course, if you bump the clocks like crazy, without testing them first, your card might hit the dust very fast. But who does that??
Pure overclock ( without volt mods ) doesn't raise the cards temps by much, only maybe 2-3 C on average. And when we are talking about a 4870, then there is no "more heat into your case" situation, the card reference cooler, being able to exhaust most of the hot air outside your system, so an overclocked card gives the same internal case temps as a stock one.

[/quote]

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: error8

Originally posted by: apoppin


if you take the SAME system with the *exact* same HW/SW - everything absolutely identical - then you will be able to judge a performance delta pretty accurately with 3DMark06
- even with gaming benchmarks freely available all over the 'net, you can see that this 9% OC on the core and +19% on the VRAM is only going to make a couple of percentage points difference

Yes, that is true. My point was that 3dmark 2006 doesn't reflect the 4870 real potential. Vantage, for example, seems to do a much better job then 2006, scoring 7500 GPU points with the stock card and over 8000 with the card overclocked, it feels like you really pushed the performance somehow. Opposed to 13000 to 13300, which seems more like your overclock meant nothing.

Originally posted by: apoppin

No .. o/c'ing a GPU is not "free" .. you may well find yourself RMA'ing the card under warranty as there is more heat .. and you also put more heat into your case.

Uhm....if it is done right, GPU overclocking is "free" and doesn't creates rma situations. Of course, if you bump the clocks like crazy, without testing them first, your card might hit the dust very fast. But who does that??
Pure overclock ( without volt mods ) doesn't raise the cards temps by much, only maybe 2-3 C on average. And when we are talking about a 4870, then there is no "more heat into your case" situation, the card reference cooler, being able to exhaust most of the hot air outside your system, so an overclocked card gives the same internal case temps as a stock one.

[/quote]
Vantage is a joke if 3Dmark06 is. Sorry. It is as "real world" as 3DMark06 .. but if you like larger number increases, be my guest

i would agree with you except for the fact i have spent many hours overclocking my CPUs and GPUs and i have come to a conclusion that it is a waste for most GPUs
- the performance increase is minimal in most cases and does not justify ANY risk; there is increased electromigration at ANY OC and a definite shortening of life over a non-OC'd one; +2-3*C - at idle, usually more at load - DOES shorten the life of a card; how much, varies from card to card - for most of us who sell our cards, it is no matter - i feel bad for the poor guy who gets one from an OC'er secondhand. i NEVER oc my GPUs - except to test them - and i have a good conscience when i sell them

Now for a FACTORY o/c'd card, it is fine .. but then you pay more for very little performance increase - usually a MILD OC you can hit on ANY stock card

there are a LOT of unsafe O/C'ers here and many cards bite the dust prematurely

 

[MrK6]

Another vote for the 4870 1GB .

 

[error8]

Originally posted by: apoppin




Vantage is a joke if 3Dmark06 is. Sorry. It is as "real world" as 3DMark06 .. but if you like larger number increases, be my guest

Head shot. Bottom line is that synthetic benchmarks are useless anyway.

Originally posted by: apoppin

i would agree with you except for the fact i have spent many hours overclocking my CPUs and GPUs and i have come to a conclusion that it is a waste for most GPUs
- the performance increase is minimal in most cases and does not justify ANY risk; there is increased electromigration at ANY OC and a definite shortening of life over a non-OC'd one; +2-3*C - at idle, usually more at load - DOES shorten the life of a card; how much, varies from card to card - for most of us who sell our cards, it is no matter - i feel bad for the poor guy who gets one from an OC'er secondhand. i NEVER oc my GPUs - except to test them - and i have a good conscience when i sell them

You are right. Overclocking video cards, gives an important performance boost when the clocks are upped big time. This usually happens when the voltage is also increased and that can reduce the lifespan of the card. But how long does a card lasts inside a gamers' computer? I care less for the poor souls that buy my obsolete hardware. If they pay for my second hand old stuff, is their problem, not mine. If they wanted quality, they should have spent more on a real hardware store card, that comes with warranty and all.

I don't think though, that a video card's life is affected too much when you overclock it on stock voltage. Electromigration happens too slow when the voltage stays on stock. It might mean something if you plan on keeping the card longer then 3 years, but looking at the power consumption and temperatures of the current generations of both Nvidia and ATI, I don't think there is a card today that survives over 3 years by much, with or without overclocking. Just look at the number of dieing 8800 GTXs out there. Those are struggling to touch the magic 3 year number.

Originally posted by: apoppin


Now for a FACTORY o/c'd card, it is fine .. but then you pay more for very little performance increase - usually a MILD OC you can hit on ANY stock card

Yup, there is no need to pay more for something you can get yourself. But I can tell you, 4400 mhz on a GDDR5 is not granted on any stock 4870 . Mine struggles to hit even 3800mhz with important fan speed increase. Now, what does all those extra 800mhz mean on the memory? Well maybe not much, but it might help in some games.

 

[Blacklash]

DH got 850 on the core with the Asus X2 TOP. They also noted the card idles much cooler than other X2s.

http://www.driverheaven.net/reviews.php?reviewid=622

I'll have one to play with by Thursday.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Originally posted by: apoppin
i would agree with you except for the fact i have spent many hours overclocking my CPUs and GPUs and i have come to a conclusion that it is a waste for most GPUs
- the performance increase is minimal in most cases and does not justify ANY risk; there is increased electromigration at ANY OC and a definite shortening of life over a non-OC'd one; +2-3*C - at idle, usually more at load - DOES shorten the life of a card; how much, varies from card to card - for most of us who sell our cards, it is no matter - i feel bad for the poor guy who gets one from an OC'er secondhand. i NEVER oc my GPUs - except to test them - and i have a good conscience when i sell them

Now for a FACTORY o/c'd card, it is fine .. but then you pay more for very little performance increase - usually a MILD OC you can hit on ANY stock card

there are a LOT of unsafe O/C'ers here and many cards bite the dust prematurely

For the most part, I agree with you, there's just not a lot of performance benifit to overclocking your GPU, and significant risk (especially with things like the 4850 running so hot at stock).

But then again, there is the situation with the 9600GSO cards, stock is 550/900, they can be overclocked to 650/100 sometimes or better. But I tried that with my friend's card, and although it seemed to game fine, it couldn't complete 3DMark01 without freezing up, until we downclocked it back to like 600/1000. That's what two of the cards I have are factory overclocked to.

 

[SlowSpyder]

In the case of the Diamond card I linked in the OP, it's a smallish overclock and probably not worth a whole lot, but it's also 'free'. I would not pay for it if it cost more money then the average 4870 512MB, but at $239.99 ar it's pretty much the same as most other cards.

Anyone know how their RMA service is, anything about their warranty?

 

[SlowSpyder]

I think I found a review of this card if anyone cares. I remember this card being mentioned shortly after the 4870 launched, it was called the 'Black Edition' back then.

http://www.tweaktown.com/revie...ack_edition/index.html

Looks good, I'll probably go with this card.

 

[SSChevy2001]

Personally I wouldn't be looking at 512mb cards anymore. More and more titles will start using the 1GB framebuffers, and you'll be without AA in those titles.

It seems that in today?s latest DX10 titles; having a video card with more than 512MB RAM will make a positive impact on your gameplay experience.

http://enthusiast.hardocp.com/...w0LCxoZW50aHVzaWFzdA==

 

[SlowSpyder]

Originally posted by: SSChevy2001
Personally I wouldn't be looking at 512mb cards anymore. More and more titles will start using the 1GB framebuffers, and you'll be without AA in those titles.

It seems that in today?s latest DX10 titles; having a video card with more than 512MB RAM will make a positive impact on your gameplay experience.

http://enthusiast.hardocp.com/...w0LCxoZW50aHVzaWFzdA==

On my next upgrade I might look for 1GB, but I upgrade typically every 12-18 months. The link above shows a difference at 1980x1200 4xAA/16xAF, I will probably not play at those settings for a long time, if ever. I have a 22" monitor and generally feel AA is a waste, so if a game is not smooth with AA (if I even decide to try it) I won't miss it if I had to turn it off.