DX wrote:So is there any reason now to purchase an HD 4850? Other than Quadfire and keeping AMD in business?
Ofcourse there is! Here:
- it's already out
- it's already available for 170$
- by the time GTX+ comes in mass it will drop even lower probably
- DX10.1
- HDMI audio throughput "the way it's ment to be done"
- single slot (btw, heared that just re-mounting the cooler with different paste drops temps A LOT!)
- less power drain and single power connector (no need for big and/or advanced power supplies)
- CrossfireX works on Intel too!
And as for 9800 GTX/GTX+ I see only 2 real advantages
- dual slot for OCers as it will cool it better for sure
- limited use of PhysX driver, but since it's VERY LIMITED so far, it will take a lot of time to have some real advantages I'm affraid
I still think it's a tie, and you'll have to wait 4870 to be sure. I think ATI will under-price nVidia and keep the upper hand on price/performance, and I wouldn't be surprised if 4870 gets price close to GTX+ 230$. Since it too will have dual slot cooler, and better clocks&overclocking potential, that leaves only PhysX for nVidia as an advantage. And where do you use it? In Age of empires? Or UT3 that runs hundereds of fps anyway? Blah!
Waiting far ALL these pricedrops to kick in, and both 9800GT/GTX+ and HD4870 to come out, and custom cooled 4850's as well, so only around the end of July will we have better view at all of this.
P.S: Oh, and I think that ATI has more space to improve in drivers for 7xx chips than nVidia with G92 series, as it's pretty much tweaked as it is.
P.P.S. Can anyone confirm Accelero S1 fitting HD4850?
The word is that mounting holes are the same as in HD3xxx but I'd like to have at least 2 sources for this :D
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