Palit Radeon HD 4870 X2 1GB - AMD Reclaims GPU Supremacy

Rob Williams · 08-12-2008, 01:18 AM

AMD triumphantly returns with a GPU so powerful, it might just send NVIDIA's engineers scrambling back to the drawing board.

AMD has gone too long without a real high-end graphics card to compete with the competition, but they're done with the pity, and prove it with the HD 4870 X2, which becomes the fastest graphics card the planet has ever seen. It may cost more than the competition, but its end performance easily negates that premium.

You can read the full article here and then discuss it here!

THUMPer · 08-12-2008, 05:58 PM

badda boom

Merlin · 08-12-2008, 07:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rob Williams

AMD triumphantly returns with a GPU so powerful, it might just send NVIDIA's engineers scrambling back to the drawing board.

AMD has gone too long without a real high-end graphics card to compete with the competition, but they're done with the pity, and prove it with the HD 4870 X2, which becomes the fastest graphics card the planet has ever seen. It may cost more than the competition, but its end performance easily negates that premium.

You can read the full article here and then discuss it here!

Would be nice this Winter for a heater.
I might of missed it, but was there a temp graph?

Merlin

Rob Williams · 08-12-2008, 08:02 PM

No sadly, for some reason that skipped my mind. I had so many issues over the weekend with the card and drivers, that I ended up having to leave out a few things I wanted.

The temps aren't a huge deal though, and should be in line with the last HD 3870 X2 card. They are designed to handle 105C without an issue, so I'd expect it to hover around 90C at least during full load.

b1lk1 · 08-12-2008, 10:24 PM

Kickass article Rob and it's about time for us AMD/ATi fans too. Very nice card.

MakubeX · 08-13-2008, 11:34 AM

Very nice, but where's the Crysis test?

Rob Williams · 08-13-2008, 02:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MakubeX

Very nice, but where's the Crysis test?

Taken from the article:

I should mention also that I had wanted to include results from both Crysis and Half-Life 2: Episode Two, but due to what I believe were driver issues, I was unable. AMD is working to figure out the reason I had such issues, and I will follow-up with results from those two games once it's been sorted out. For now, I don't know what to blame, since other editors don't seem to have the same issues I do. Oddly enough, it's just those two titles, as performance everywhere else is just fine.

No I haven't heard back from AMD about it, so perhaps I should ping them again. I still think it's a driver issue with my particular setup. I'd love to get my hands on some newer drivers.

Rory Buszka · 08-13-2008, 03:47 PM

The Crysis test was scrapped because it wasn't delivering the kind of results that we believed the Radeon HD 4870 X2 was capable of, after seeing its runaway performance leads in other games. We're currently working with AMD to determine why the results in Crysis and HL2:EP2 were so hit-or-miss, and as I understand it, Rob plans to follow that article up with some data from Crysis and HL2:EP2 as soon as we figure out what's going on.

[Bah...jumped the gun there. Rob's answer is the definitive one.]

Kougar · 08-13-2008, 08:32 PM

Were the issues with AA enabled on Crysis? Madshrimps was fine without AA, but with AA they had similar problems from the sound of it.

http://www.madshrimps.be/?action=get...56&articID=864

Rob Williams · 08-13-2008, 08:42 PM

I never enabled AA in Crysis before, so that wasn't the problem. Half-Life 2 had AA, but it still should have been able to handle that game just fine.

Like I mentioned in the review, judging by the 'previews' that were posted weeks before, the problem was just my own, it seemed. Perhaps I have a less-than-perfect card, I don't know. I tested it on two different computers and had the same issue.

08-23-2008, 12:57 PM

Very nicely written review for great card. Thank you.

Rob Williams · 08-23-2008, 05:03 PM

Thanks for the comments Oleg!

08-12-2008, 01:18 AM	#1
Rob Williams Editor in Chief Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Atlantic Canada Posts: 8,921	Palit Radeon HD 4870 X2 1GB - AMD Reclaims GPU Supremacy AMD triumphantly returns with a GPU so powerful, it might just send NVIDIA's engineers scrambling back to the drawing board. AMD has gone too long without a real high-end graphics card to compete with the competition, but they're done with the pity, and prove it with the HD 4870 X2, which becomes the fastest graphics card the planet has ever seen. It may cost more than the competition, but its end performance easily negates that premium. You can read the full article here and then discuss it here! __________________ Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 @ 3.20GHz, ASUS P5K Premium WiFi-AP, OCZ 8GB PC2-6400, EVGA GTX 285 1024MB Seagate 500GB, 750GB & 1TB, Pioneer 22x ODD, Corsair 1000HX, Thermalright Ultra-120, CM Storm Sniper Dell 2408WFP 24", ASUS Xonar Essence STX, Ultrasone PRO 750, Gentoo Linux (KDE 4.3.2, 2.6.31 Kernel) "Take care to get what you like, or you will be forced to like what you get!" - H.P. Baxxter Profiles: Last.fm \| Xbox Live \| Steam

08-12-2008, 05:58 PM	#2
THUMPer Coastermaker Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Indianpolis! Posts: 203	badda boom __________________ E8400 @ 3.6 2GB Kingston DDR3 ATI 4870 Asus P5Q3 Deluxe

08-12-2008, 08:02 PM	#4
Rob Williams Editor in Chief Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Atlantic Canada Posts: 8,921	No sadly, for some reason that skipped my mind. I had so many issues over the weekend with the card and drivers, that I ended up having to leave out a few things I wanted. The temps aren't a huge deal though, and should be in line with the last HD 3870 X2 card. They are designed to handle 105C without an issue, so I'd expect it to hover around 90C at least during full load. __________________ Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 @ 3.20GHz, ASUS P5K Premium WiFi-AP, OCZ 8GB PC2-6400, EVGA GTX 285 1024MB Seagate 500GB, 750GB & 1TB, Pioneer 22x ODD, Corsair 1000HX, Thermalright Ultra-120, CM Storm Sniper Dell 2408WFP 24", ASUS Xonar Essence STX, Ultrasone PRO 750, Gentoo Linux (KDE 4.3.2, 2.6.31 Kernel) "Take care to get what you like, or you will be forced to like what you get!" - H.P. Baxxter Profiles: Last.fm \| Xbox Live \| Steam

08-12-2008, 10:24 PM	#5
b1lk1 Staff Writer Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Ontario Posts: 635	Kickass article Rob and it's about time for us AMD/ATi fans too. Very nice card. __________________ Gigabyte GA45 UD3P/E7200 Mushkin HP2-6400 2X1GB Sapphire HD 4830 512MB X 2 w/Dell 2407WFP-HC OCZ ModXstream 600W PSU Creative X-FI Fagtality w/Sony 5.1 and Technics 300W Amp and 3 way towers Seagate 7200.11 1TB w/Vista Premium Ultimate 64

08-13-2008, 11:34 AM	#6
MakubeX Partition Master Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 280	Very nice, but where's the Crysis test? __________________ HP LP2065 20.1" S-IPS LCD \| Lian Li PC-7077A case w/window \| Asus P5Q Deluxe \| Intel Q9650 4.2GHz - 1.33v 4GB G.Skill PI PC2-8800 \| Asus HD 4870X2 \| Ultra X3 1KW PSU \| X-Fi Fatal1ty w/ Front Panel\| Logitech Z-680 THX 5.1 Speakers EK Supreme \| EK FC-4870X2 block \| Enzotech SNBW-SLI \| Swiftech MCW30 \| DDC-2 w/ XSPC Top \| Laing D5 \| Thermochill PA120.3 \| Weapon Heatercore

08-13-2008, 03:47 PM	#8
Rory Buszka Super Moderator Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Indianapolis, Indiana Posts: 440	The Crysis test was scrapped because it wasn't delivering the kind of results that we believed the Radeon HD 4870 X2 was capable of, after seeing its runaway performance leads in other games. We're currently working with AMD to determine why the results in Crysis and HL2:EP2 were so hit-or-miss, and as I understand it, Rob plans to follow that article up with some data from Crysis and HL2:EP2 as soon as we figure out what's going on. [Bah...jumped the gun there. Rob's answer is the definitive one.] __________________ Rory Buszka

08-13-2008, 08:32 PM	#9
Kougar Staff Writer Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Texas Posts: 1,497	Were the issues with AA enabled on Crysis? Madshrimps was fine without AA, but with AA they had similar problems from the sound of it. http://www.madshrimps.be/?action=get...56&articID=864 __________________ Core i7 920 @ 4.2GHz 1.40v (HT on) Gigabyte GA-X58-UD5 (F9e) 3 x 2GB OCZ Platinum 1600MHz 7-7-7-18 EVGA GTX 260 w/ D-Tek Fuzion 2 GFX ASUS Xonar DX \| Cooler Master UCP 1.1kW U2 UFO Cube Case \| Windows 7 RC1 x64 Swiftech Apogee GTZ + MCP655 Pump & Thermochill PA120.3 Radiator

08-13-2008, 08:42 PM	#10
Rob Williams Editor in Chief Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Atlantic Canada Posts: 8,921	I never enabled AA in Crysis before, so that wasn't the problem. Half-Life 2 had AA, but it still should have been able to handle that game just fine. Like I mentioned in the review, judging by the 'previews' that were posted weeks before, the problem was just my own, it seemed. Perhaps I have a less-than-perfect card, I don't know. I tested it on two different computers and had the same issue. __________________ Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 @ 3.20GHz, ASUS P5K Premium WiFi-AP, OCZ 8GB PC2-6400, EVGA GTX 285 1024MB Seagate 500GB, 750GB & 1TB, Pioneer 22x ODD, Corsair 1000HX, Thermalright Ultra-120, CM Storm Sniper Dell 2408WFP 24", ASUS Xonar Essence STX, Ultrasone PRO 750, Gentoo Linux (KDE 4.3.2, 2.6.31 Kernel) "Take care to get what you like, or you will be forced to like what you get!" - H.P. Baxxter Profiles: Last.fm \| Xbox Live \| Steam

08-23-2008, 12:57 PM	#11
Oleg Guest Poster Posts: n/a	Very nicely written review for great card. Thank you.

08-23-2008, 05:03 PM	#12
Rob Williams Editor in Chief Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Atlantic Canada Posts: 8,921	Thanks for the comments Oleg! __________________ Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 @ 3.20GHz, ASUS P5K Premium WiFi-AP, OCZ 8GB PC2-6400, EVGA GTX 285 1024MB Seagate 500GB, 750GB & 1TB, Pioneer 22x ODD, Corsair 1000HX, Thermalright Ultra-120, CM Storm Sniper Dell 2408WFP 24", ASUS Xonar Essence STX, Ultrasone PRO 750, Gentoo Linux (KDE 4.3.2, 2.6.31 Kernel) "Take care to get what you like, or you will be forced to like what you get!" - H.P. Baxxter Profiles: Last.fm \| Xbox Live \| Steam

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