Which one to choose between Radeon HD 4870 or GeForce GTX 260?
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Which one to choose between Radeon HD 4870 or GeForce GTX 260?
4870 due to price unless you have more money go 55nm gtx 260
The 260 is better. You can overlock it and get a 280. All tests say it even beats out the 280. But you'll have to deal with the price.
I voted for the GTX260 aswell (216 version of course) However, im sure I agree with you on the comment, "OC the 260 and get 280 performance." I cant see that happening. Yes, GTX260 Can OC to 280 speeds no biggie, but the 280 has the 512bit bus, and 240sp:shrug:Quote:
Originally Posted by moiraesfate
The 260 is fast fast fast!! I just got one.
The gtx260 can overclock higher than the gtx280 can.
He doesn't mean to just overclock it to the same clocks as the gtx280 because then it'd still lose by a little atleast. He meant towards the max stock air overclock which is somewhere around 730+ core/ 1450+ shaders/2200+ memory
I don't think the slightly larger bus makes to much a difference in performance.
How come everyones on the gtx260 bandwagon now? The 4870 performs just as good as the gtx260 and for a cheaper price.
Because they've bought the hype once again, as usual. :shakes:Quote:
Originally Posted by Caveman787
Here's a review that's tested both since Cat. 8.12's. IOW, the 4870 & 260 are about as equal as you're gonna get. General conclusion is:
So I'd say pick the one that works best with the games you play most, and quit worrying about it. :up:Quote:
...From the performance aspect, ATI made some nice improvements with their 8.12 driver, and they're reflected here. Although the HD 4870 1GB didn't manage to overtake NVIDIA in every test, they did catch up in some, and even overtook in a couple. Those couple being Crysis Warhead and Fallout 3. We also saw some great performance in non-holiday titles as well, which included S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky and Unreal Tournament III. In fact, we found that ATI performed better on all the non-holiday titles used here.
To fine-tune our results a little bit more, let's take our highest-available resolution for each game, 2560x1600. This resolution is the most intensive available right now, and as a result, it's a good one to see where one GPU excels over another. If we take a look at performance data at that resolution for each game (1920x1200 for Dead Space), we see that ATI performed the best in four titles (Crysis Warhead, Fallout 3, Clear Sky and UT III), while NVIDIA lead the other four (Call of Duty: WaW, Dead Space, Far Cry 2 and Left 4 Dead). From that standpoint, the cards appear to be almost identical, each having their own set of games in which they excel....
I voted GTX260-216. Mine is clocked at 720/1520/1230. I have run every performance heavy game out there at the highest settings possible in each case and this card has never blinked. The GPU has never even passed 49C for temp, no matter what I throw at it.
Yes exactly what I meant. Thanks.Quote:
Originally Posted by Caveman787
psst... I'm a girl. Its Moirae (the three greek fates), not Murry. Though that seems to be a common mistake :ROTF:
Actually any 260 that can hit 700+mhz on the core and 1500+mhz on the shaders will outperform a stock 280 regardless of the slightly bigger bus and extra shaders.Quote:
Originally Posted by newls1
There used to be a ton of game benchmarks around from anandtech, guru3d, firingsquad.com that would back this up too comparing the value of an overclocked 260 to a 280.
My 192shader 260 runs at 760core 1534shader and 2500mem 24/7 gaming use with the stock cooler, thats a good bit faster than a 280 and it would actually take a slightly overclocked 280 to be able to keep up with it.
The 260 wins the majority of game benchmarks but both are good cards. Plus with Nvidia you get very solid drivers these days, the same cant be said about ati. :down:Quote:
Originally Posted by Caveman787
It isnt hype, its a fact. I have owned both a HD 4870 and a GTX 260 so I speak from experience and once both are overclocked the 260 leaves the 4870 in the dust. The 4870 does not really overclock all that well and gains very little from the OC, the 260 on the other hand overclocks like mad and scales very well in making performance gains from its overclock.Quote:
Originally Posted by aztec
Bottom line once both are overclocked the HD 4870 cant hang.
were do u get that if u properly install at drivers u get perfect drivers for the most part and u dont get stuck on one beta for new games and one for older ones, and its not polite to triple post when u can editQuote:
Originally Posted by Penny
also, the 4870 will last longer since ati updates drivers for optimization affter the card isnt the top card, were NV will leave u and your g200 when the new 3xx are out in 8 months.
then u have to consider what games u have and if u like video playback more and IQ or the most fps, and if u want to play dx9 (NV) and dx10 overlays or dx10.x and ogl (ati). so if its a quick upgrade path then the 260 but if u keep it then the 4870 for gaming or if u do workstation or videos then ati
The 4870 can overclock to 850 core/ 4800 memory. The first few mhz on the core to 800 I agree doesn't make a massive difference but when you get to 830+ it gets a big boost from higher shader ratio I believe.
Last I knew they were pretty even in all benchmarks a few go one way or another but overall there right there with each other.
Crysis should be ignored essentially and some early benches were drivers weren't available for new games or the review used old drivers for 1 card and brand new 1's for the other. That seemed to happen in some unfair reviews. Crysis because it was so very pro nvidia before that ati card performance was crippled then it balanced out and I think it went back to ati doing crappy in that game for some reason.
Where did I say anything about properly installing drivers? and what does that have to do with the fact that Nvidias drivers are leagues ahead of ATI's?Quote:
Originally Posted by zanzabar
Uh no, you have it backwards. When the 4870 and the 260 were first released it was ATI who was winning, Nvidia optimized their drivers and as an end result the 260 is now the faster card.Quote:
Originally Posted by zanzabar
ROTFCOPTER :ROTF: That doesnt mean that the GTX 260 stops getting support, you do realize that the 8800GTX which has been out for over 2yrs now is still being supported by Nvidia do you not?Quote:
Originally Posted by zanzabar
And do you honestly think ATI will not be releasing new cards either? :rolleyes:
Mine ran at 850core stable but it really didnt make the kind of difference that the GTX 260 makes with its overclock.Quote:
Originally Posted by Caveman787
260
NV cut the IQ with the 180, and added quad support ati adds quad support with this months driver. u or i cant say that one is better they each have different things that they are better at
and i said driver optimization, sure they will make it not crash but the highly optimized drivers go away
also if u care for dx9 with dx10 overlays go NV if u want it to last or do things other than 3d gaming go with the ati
Any 4870 xfire vs. 260 SLI reviews? This might help in deciding too
You need to stop spreading fud :rolleyes: Nvidia did not cut IQ with the 180 drivers.Quote:
Originally Posted by zanzabar
Seems like most of what you say is stuff that you completely make up on your own.
*sniff sniff* I smell a "my nVidia penis is better than your ATi penis" thread in the making.
I'll play you game here man: prove to me they didn't cut IQ and I will believe you....Quote:
Originally Posted by Penny
there is no "fact" in this drivers argument so leave it to die please, both drivers have issues for some; but for the vast majority in both camps both companies drivers work perfectly fine and dandy. :fact:
I dont have to prove anything to realize that he is spreading fud. If he is gonna post such fud then it is he that should be prepared to back it up, not I. :rolleyes:Quote:
Originally Posted by SNiiPE_DoGG
no, you have no way to say nvidia didn't cut IQ so how can you say this?Quote:
Originally Posted by Penny
You are not an nvidia software engineer and neither is Zanzabar so neither of you can validly argue this point to the affirmative or the negative.
lets keep these discussions to performance numbers alone, and those numbers tell me that the 260-216-55nm beats a 4870 1gb by 4% on average, with wins and losses on both sides and extremely similar power consumption.
the cards are the same: pick the cheaper one (currently the HIS 48701gb on newegg)
i cant afford to have a bunch of cards but i would do a review if i had them, there was one review with SS in the news section i cant find it, im looking though
My vote for the GTX 260 216SP. Performance wise, it trades blows with the HD4870 1GB, but the features the card offers are amazing. First of all, I love how the card automatically down-clocks when not in use. Not only is this good for power consumption, but my idle temperatures are at 45°C with auto fan speed. Secondly, I just started folding for SETI@Home using BOINC, and the CUDA feature on the GTX 260 crunches an amazing amount of work. CPU's don't even come close. :D
gtx260 because i fold when i'm not playing games and nvidia blows ati away when it comes to F@h :)
WEll seeing as I have a GTX 260 I'd say go with a GTX 260. I've had no issues with any games so far and I've seen less driver issues reported than ATI.
See: 'Gamers' UNITE for a link to a review on both.
Cheers
Fredthered
well i bought a 4870 a while ago very happy with it
the way i see it if i need more power i'll just get another 4870 n crossfire
no way i'm gonna touch an nvidia chipset
but if i had a nahaleem thats another story
Only until ATi physics come along. Which is rumored to not be long.. but with no real info... :shrug:Quote:
Originally Posted by Rise
Will it compete with CUDA, though?
Nice discussion going on :) . I have read somewhere that 4870 has better IQ as compared to GTX260 and also it outperforms GTX260 at higher Anti-aliasing settings. Although not sure :confused:
I expect it will destroy CUDA when \ if it surfaces. The architecture of ATi cards is very different to nVidias, theoretically every single programmable shader on an ATi GPU could be used for folding.Quote:
Originally Posted by YukonTrooper
Um........ actually I can say whatever I like about NV's IQ seeing as I own a GTX 260 and game with it on a daily basis.Quote:
Originally Posted by SNiiPE_DoGG
If IQ had diminished in anyway with these drivers I think I would have noticed it by now. IQ is the first thing that I check when a new driver comes out that claims to make significant perfomance boost in games and I am well aware of what type of potential short cuts to look for when checking for possible reductions in IQ.
Bottom line IQ with the 180 series drivers is just as good if not slightly better than its ever been before. I think you just have serious issues acknowledging the fact that Nvidia has much much better drivers than ATI at the moment.
Get over it and move along.
Fantastic! That is exciting. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Ket
I have both the 192 and 216 versions of the GTX 260 and there really isn't much between them so I would recommend either.
lol so using your feet to measure is a good way to build a house too then?Quote:
Originally Posted by Penny
you cant just say that you "didn't notice" a change, thats ridiculous, that would be like comparing televisions by looking at one, running to another store, and looking at the other. this cant be done at all, you need a side-by-side even if you are the super-duper-all-knowing evaluator of image quality, Penny.
You should probably learn to ask things such as (do you own more than one gaming PC) before opening your big goofy mouth and then shoving your foot right into it. :rofl:Quote:
Originally Posted by SNiiPE_DoGG
This puts a whole new meaning in the word (Self Owned) :up:
yeah I believe you that you updated drivers on one but not the other then put them side by side and took SS....:rofl:Quote:
Originally Posted by Penny
Well now that would kind of be the whole point if I was comparing IQ from one driver to the next now wouldnt it? Durrrr :wth:Quote:
Originally Posted by SNiiPE_DoGG
I have come across some really ignorant people on the net SNiiPE but you take the cake.
i voted for 4870 because of this
http://www.max-save.org/images/5790543dvantage p11k.jpg
if you have SS's then do share..... otherwise you are just being a ridiculous liarQuote:
Originally Posted by Penny
Penny honestly if you're not willing to show proof you should go away..u put in your worthless .02..
anyway i did a quick search and found this picture on toms from the review on Clear Sky..now its about 3 months old so the drivers used are 8.8 ati and 177.92 nvidia compares 4870/260/280 image quality with 4xAA this probably has changed since with newer drivers but its the first i found..
http://media.bestofmicro.com/stalker...M-158782-3.jpg
It's silly how those that have bought a certain brand or model will fight to the death that it's the best thing on the planet - to the detriment of all others that might be equal or even better. Has something to do with ego methinks...some people like to think they're so incredibly savvy that no other product is an equally good choice than the one they bought, and those that bought something else are fools.
Silly because about 15,694,372 people think the same goddamned thing, and they can't all be right.
Penny et al, I'd like to see some of you have a "blind" test of the various GPUs and/or driver sets for IQ or whatever criteria you'd like to test for without knowledge of which brands/models/versions you're testing. I wonder if you would pick out the one that is different from the one you're bloviating about? And if you did, would you then accept that it is superior and buy/use that brand/model/version? Somehow, I think you'd find some excuse not to.
The other consideration is: there are some that don't want to (or don't know how to safely) max o/c their GPU, so how much more one can o/c than the other will have little bearing on their choice. A lot of gamers run their cards at stock or reasonably o/c'ed speeds for various reasons.
Maybe you should actually try reading the thread before you open your mouth guy. It all started with someone claiming that Nvidia decreased IQ with the 180 driver release so if anyone should prove anything its the morons that started this whole thing with their fud while providing zero evidence that nvidia did decrease IQ.Quote:
Originally Posted by DementeD
Like I said before, I dont have to prove a friggen thing to anyone of you as im not the one who started the whole IQ argument to begin with.
If someone is going to make such bold claims it is them that should be prepared to back it up.
BTW nice 3 month old chart noob but I was never comparing NV IQ to ATI IQ in this thread to begin with. :rolleyes:
sometimes when your the only one calling everyone else "morons" it is yourself that you are describing ;)
Great wonderful well thought out comeback.......I would expect nothing less from a complete and utter :wth:Quote:
Originally Posted by SNiiPE_DoGG
Its also cute how you drug your equally :wth: friend into this thread with you to take your side since no one else is. :rofl:
Wrong, you get monthly driver updates with ATI to encompass new games and game patches, 8/12's are solid, this is one area apart from better IQ that I've really appreciated since switching to ATI again. The Nvidea updates were few and far between and far from perfect when they were released on my 8800 ownership.Quote:
Originally Posted by Penny
Both are good cards though, cant go wrong with either of them.
Quote:
Originally Posted by M31
You get monthly updates with ATI because they can never seem to get it together, always trying to fix one thing and breaking 2 or 3 things in the process. :up:
And im sorry but your wrong about the IQ. Nvidia provides the better IQ these days, not ATI. ATI still uses the same old lame angle dependent AF that they have been using for years now.
Another thing your wrong about, Nvidia releases beta's all the time and before you open your mouth you might wanna know that their beta's are just as stable as the WHQL's and usually provide performance increases across the board and almost everyone uses their betas these days as they are rock solid. (while not breaking things in the process like ATI does)
Quote:
Originally Posted by M31
The only time this was ever the case was back in nov of 06 when the 8800GTX was first released, we are more than 2 yrs past that point now you know and a lot has changed since that time.
Nvidia has ATI beat hands down in the driver dept these days and plenty of sites out there back this up.
I went with 4870 because of dx 10.1 and gddr5 and its the one im using...
http://dotnetwizard.net/vista-stuff/...vista-crashes/ you can expect to see a similar table for 2008, then we'll see whats up :rolleyes:Quote:
Originally Posted by Penny
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post...a-drivers.html
prove ATI breaks things.... ???? they don't lollolQuote:
Originally Posted by Arstechnica
Sigh, remember you from last week, see you are back to insulting members again in this thread, careful, this is a great site and you don't want to get banned my friend.Quote:
Originally Posted by Penny
I'm not going to argue with you.
Bye.
The poll is now 33 to 33!!
Tight race!
Go 260!!! :p: :up:
Actually there is a difference in IQ although I highly doubt it has to do with the newest drivers, it has to do with the way each of them go about doing AA/AF. There was a review about it just recently.
What i got from the review was cables and structures looked a tad better with ATI at lower AA and maxxed out AA than nvidia. Especially when edge detect AA was used.
On a side note when i was comparing the images of crysis the trees looked alot better on the nvidia than on the ati yet they never pointed it out in the review, probably because it has nothing to do with AA/AF, still figured i'd point it out.
I also highly doubt you will notice it in a game while your running around and blowing stuff up either way.
I won't vote either way unless you can give us some info on your possible upgrade path, etc if your using amd, or intel 775, or plan to go to x58/ci7. If your going amd/775 intel i say ATI, if your going x58 I would say NV.
Namely because if you want to upgrade in the future it's likely going to be futureproof and those chipsets compliment the overall hardware better.
To the OP, the poll results currently stand at 50/50, so as I mentioned in my other post in this thread, you really cant go wrong with either of them, price, warranty and software bundle might be a better choosing point.
Enjoy, whatever you go with.
+1 gtx260-216 out performs 4870 in most reviews
Yeah M31 is right, you can't go wrong with either. Decide what you want rather than having other people decide for you. And ignore Penny at all costs. :down:
Here's a decent IQ comparison, enjoy. wish there was one with newer drivers.
http://enthusiast.hardocp.com/articl...50aHVzaWFzdA==
penny knows is stuff period sorry but he does:up:Quote:
Originally Posted by LennyRhys
Quote:
Originally Posted by dan7777
I'm sure he/she is very knowledgeable, but he/she is extremely biased and insulting to other members when he/she meets a contrary opinion.
Bottom line, most of us here know our stuff, none of us are stupid.
This thread really should be closed now IMHO, its going nowhere.
34-34
And its now 34 to 36 in favor of Nvidia and our favorite troll, Penny finally got banned, and rightly so.
Has the OP made his mind up yet, or was this trolling?
haha he got banned..and i stated the comparison was old but atleast it was some proof over none..
and the stuff he knows is what?? his PERSONAL opinion?...no proof then his statements = nothing..its about as worthless as his name..
to OP ..get whichever brand you enjoy more...im on my first high end ati card...i do enjoy it..a little troubles at first since its a Xfire card but thats expected either way on nvidia/ati im almost more accustomed to Nvidia control panel over CCC but..once again thats something i knew id have to get use to switching sides..i dont regret it and ati has put out quite a few driver updates since ive purchased this card and its only getting better..cant be mad at that...so i say choose the best bundle or favorite maker...imo id probably go with en evga nvidia card just because of the great support ive had from them in the past with ruining video cards from volt mods and bios mods and high overclocking..plus step up if that applies to you..
i went with the 260 because it was like $60 cheaper then the cheapest 4870 1gig.....
also i have a nvidia card already in my system, so i can just do a fresh uninstall/ reinstall drivers and not have to worry about formatting...
So, Nvidia is the win, this is what we MUST recommend to this OP guy who has never replied back?
Go For it.
LOL.
hmm, 36 - 38 , still difficult to decide :confused: I am thinking about ordering both 4870 and 260 and will test myself :rolleyes:
Remember: Only compare the GTX 260 192SP with the HD4870 512MB and the GTX 260 216SP with the HD4870 1GB. I'd honestly go with what you can find cheapest between the 216SP and 1GB, unless you crunch. In that case, GTX 260 216SP all the way. :)
...Is there not a better site you could of got an AA comparison article from? That site has proved time and again how retarded they are...Quote:
Originally Posted by chew*
:up:Quote:
Originally Posted by Pain|Killer
:clap:
cheapest card by far: 4870 1gb for $239 w/ $10 MIR
I dunno, it seemed like a decent review to me, I think alot of people don't even know about edge detect settings and or how much it impacts performance/quality. I would just like to see a comparison with the latest nvidia/ati drivers.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ket
Ket is there a newer review without me having to search for it?
There probably is, I'll look later. Going to play Mass Effect (PC version of course :D )
which one would be better for gaming ? take away the overclocking stuff beacause i don`t want to overclock it .. im geting a new board cpu and card .. i wondering which one would be better i play far cry 2 .. call of duty 4 .. maybe mite get crysis ..
gtx 260 id say overclock better cooler ive got the gtx260-216 and its awsome :) good luck man:up:Quote:
Originally Posted by yatesy17
Quote:
Originally Posted by dan7777
cheers man .. i did notice the 4870 got rather hot quick i did max crysis out wiv the 4870and got 40-50 fps whts gd .. can the 260gtx do tht ? ... and nividia has always been better for gaming n ati for video editing .. n ati runs better wiv amd and nivida and intel .. don`t know if thts true ?
What platform do you intend to go with, If amd amd chipsets better, If intel 775 intel chipsets better, If ci7 x58 chipset I would go with nvidia . Tell me what chipset version you plan on using and i can make a better suggestion.Quote:
Originally Posted by yatesy17
well if youve got a sckt 775 intel board your better off going ATI.Quote:
Originally Posted by yatesy17
if you have a 4870 I wouldn't get a new card. whats your display resolution?
If x38/x48 775 go ATI, if anything 775 with single PCI X or 2 PCI x just 16x / 8X pci E go nvidia.
If AMD chipset this is a no brainer go ATI, IF x58 intel go nvidia.
This basically leaves 2 upgrade paths for you either way, Nvidia is big on single card power, ATI is big on multiple card power, X38/48 is great for multiple card, I suggest nvidia for x58 because amd/ati is intels competitor and performance may represent that, meaning I would not put it past intel to optimize for nvidia over ATI in they're boards.
As far as AMD, AMD chipsets work best, sli isn't an option in amd chipsets so go ati.
Quote:
Originally Posted by chew*
well xp 32bit and it be a 775 socket wiv p45 chipset board .. but im gonna get a new motherboard n card n cpu was thinking about e8400 .. wiv asus pq5pro n 2gb 800mhz ram .. n dnt know wht card to pick .. i was gonna have the ati 4870 id was thinking about the asus pq5pro n if i go nivdia msi board .. wht do u think mate ??
iv got a 8800gt ko 512mb at the moment jus geting a chipset n also got the q6600 aswell .. iv got 19inchQuote:
Originally Posted by SNiiPE_DoGG
is this the board if not link me to it.Quote:
Originally Posted by yatesy17
http://usa.asus.com/products.aspx?l1...07&modelmenu=1
Actually I think this is the board your looking at. It supports 2x16 slots or crosfire in 8x, I'd go with a single fast nvidia card in this case.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131299
nope not those board`sQuote:
Originally Posted by chew*
here`s is the ati one http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/s....html?ASU-P5QP
here`s the nivida
http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/s....html?MSI-P7ND
was thinking about sli or crossfire
u got msn ??
trillian aim/icq wmdieselmc/158743320
The intel board will knock crossfire down to 8x/8x, kinda defeats the purpose and does take a performance hit.
I would use a single nvidia in the ATI variant board before i ever used a nvidia based chipset intel board.
yea true thts does . wht u think i should do jus have a single powerful card ? which is more powerful 4870 or 260 gtx i would of thought it be the 4870 beacuse of ddr 5 ram n cpu speedQuote:
Originally Posted by chew*
They are preety much matched, seeing as how Xfire would be pointless, in the p5q pro i would just get the 260. I know you don't want to OC but you could always flash an OC'ed bios to your card and call it a day.
just so you know that nvidia chipset board is one of the worst boards ever made, all nvidia chipsets are bad, but that one takes the cake
Quote:
Originally Posted by chew*
if there pretty much matched .. thn i get the 4870 be abit cheaper n save money n get a a nicer board or cpu .. pick up a 4870 512mb £189 .. 260gtx £240 so bit of a price diffence
yea could flash the bios ..
yah you could do that to, the asus top bios is nice for the 4870's. I would opt for an x33/x48 board if you went that route. I know your dealing in euro's but if you can find an open box like this ;)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...2E16813131219R
overclocking 4870's is very easy in the catalyst control center. they come @ 750mhz and the bios allow's to go to 790. if you flash with the ASUS top bios (very easy process) you can unlock up to 900mhz overclock. 830 is reachable for any card.Quote:
Originally Posted by yatesy17
asus top bios ? thts does sound nice :P could do tht .. would give a extra boast
either cards are good but with your 19inch monitor resolution be holding them back from fully performing ?:up: good luck man.Quote:
Originally Posted by yatesy17
either card will overclcok mine"s sitting at 750-1540-1250 ps sorry for double post.Quote:
Originally Posted by yatesy17
dont bother wasting money on a 260-216 or 4870 1gb.
the 4870 512mb will save you money and perform like a champ @ 1440x900
Yah the 512mb is no slouch, i'm using one. Keeping right up there with xfired setups and 1gig cards.
http://service.futuremark.com/compare?3dm06=9502086 * real cpu speed is 3.6, bug with using 8x multi 24/7 stable score.
The only place where i would likely notice a difference with 1 gig is crysis/crysis warhead with very high and or 4XAA. All other games are more than playable maxxed out.
I game at 1680x1050 for reference on a 22.6.
44-44:rofl: Is this a joke thread?
Why are you kids so f*cking retarded?? Can't you read or are you just LAZY? Earlier in the thread is posted a link that shows which does better (260 vs 4870) in various games. In fact, I quoted the part of that review that showed the games each card was better at.Quote:
Originally Posted by yatesy17
>LEARN HOW TO READ< IDYUTS!!! IT MIGHT TAKE YOU MORE THAN 5 SECONDS SO GET USED TO IT!!! WHILE YOU'RE AT IT, LEARN HOW TO SPELL TOO!!!
AND IT'S NOT "WOULD OF" OR "COULD OF", IT IS "WOULD HAVE" OR "COULD HAVE". GET YOUR HEADS OUT OF YOUR ASSES!!!
Also as SNiiPEDoGG said, don't waste your money on more vRAM than you need. If you're using around 1680x1050 or lower, 512MB is all you need. 896MB-1GB won't do any good unless you're doing higher res.
4870 because you can add another one later (no need for SLI-able mobo) and also price.
I voted for the 4870. I upgraded my monitor and am playing Fallout 3, Left 4 Dead, and other new games at 2560x1600 with all the settings on the highest, 60FPS+. Granted no AA due to the card being vRAM limited at this resolution, but I am still amazed at the performance this card offers. Definitely recommend it.
yea true can always add one later .. 512mb was quick :P..... yea was thinking about a 20inch montior