Official HD4870X2 (R700) Review Thread

[Cooper]

do note that running in Windowed mode does put the card into 3D clocks mode and you'll be running at 500/500; to properly load test you need to run full screen 3D app (3Dmark looped, 3DMark01 Nature is very good test)

Not always. Furmark is one of the examples where card kicks into 3D clocks.

[Cooperdale]

Hey guys, on another forum a guy says that not all cards have the sideport (XSP) connection physically present on them and it depends on the brand (Sapphire, Club3D...). Is this possible? It sounds like crap to me. I think there's just confusion because the sideport isn't supported by drivers yet.

[spursindonesia]

For those into Crysis, I think this is an interesting find



Crysis AA Performance: ATI HD4870X2 vs NVIDIA GTX 280 --- XP9 vs DX10

Is the IQ equal in both scenarios ?

If so, that's a pretty BIG achievement since ATi's cards seem always in disadvantage in Crysis, proportionally compared to other game performance comparison cases against nVidia's cards in its class.

[jmke]

Not always. Furmark is one of the examples where card kicks into 3D clocks.

didn't know Futuremark ran in a WINDOW?

Is the IQ equal in both scenarios ?

XP "High" vs Vista "Very High" as you can read in the quote and see in the charts
so Vista tests are actually at higher IQ!

[dasa]

So wouldnt Vsync fix all that?

i would have thought so
as long as it remains at 60fps anyway i know that when playing quake4 with x1900 crossfire while a 60fps it was smooth as silk but the moment it dropped below 60fps it started to feel like 15fps despite being somewhere between 30-60fps
im guessing this is what everyone refers to as micro stuttering

[Cooper]

Hey guys, on another forum a guy says that not all cards have the sideport (XSP) connection physically present on them and it depends on the brand (Sapphire, Club3D...). Is this possible? It sounds like crap to me. I think there's just confusion because the sideport isn't supported by drivers yet.

Reference cards include sideport interconnection. Custom designs can exclude it. Vendors are free to decide.

didn't know Futuremark ran in a WINDOW?

Furmark - not Futuremark

[Kersh]

I have a problem with this graphic card.

It needs a 6-pin cable and a 8-pin connected to works, but my PSU have only 6-pin cables (toughpower 750w) and I don't know any shop in my city who sells adapters from 6 to 8 or 8 pin cables.

So, is there any possibility to make work this card with two 6-pin or something until I get the 8-pin cable / adapter?

[2DIFF]

didn't know Futuremark ran in a WINDOW?

Furmark, not Futurmark. The question if windowed or not is in fact what interests me. I need a Tool to stress out a CF setup that runs windowed (reveals also interesting questions about the CF technology itself). Been testing the whole night with diff. Catalyst A.I. settings, got very confusing results, consolidation will take a whole day, will start a new thread about it this week if possible.
Thanks to SKYMTL for his advices, but man! if it comes to esthetics the Devil May Cry Bench Tool really hurt my eyes and gave me bad dreams with monsters in it - I could never play a game like this...

[cowie]

Yeah, like Guru3D's 3GHz C2D with 2GB DDR3 for crossfire testing with a 4GB framebuffer! When will they learn (or buy a Quad)

for what they need a quad?
i thuoght that this cards intended rez(over 1600x1200) will help the cpu bottlenecting no?

[jmke]

Furmark, not Futurmark..

woops! sorry; too early to read attentively :/

[zerazax]

for what they need a quad?
i thuoght that this cards intended rez(over 1600x1200) will help the cpu bottlenecting no?

From what I've seen, it doesn't matter what your CPU is unless you go way extreme, because nothing can feed the 2 GPUs fast enough, so you constantly get improvements

[cky2k6]

well waddyaknow, this card can run crysis! this is pretty much unbeatable, gt200b can't save nvidia from taking nosedives with aa turned on when 4870x2 keeps cruising along. how's the can of whoop ass doing...

[silverphoenix]

Bit-Tech's review is up

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/200...n-hd-4870-x2/1
Catalyst 8.52.2 (beta)

[LaMpiR]

Are there any 4850 X2 reviews?

[Cooperdale]

Reference cards include sideport interconnection. Custom designs can exclude it. Vendors are free to decide.

Well all cards just out should be reference right? I'm asking this because I have a Club3D on the way and I wouldn't like it if there was no sideport interconnection. At all.

[adamsleath]

Are there any 4850 X2 reviews?

should be interesting, i thought it was next month b4 4850x2's ?

[ether.real]

I've never used crossfire or sli myself, but i dont think you can use vsync with either. It should give a high enough framerate that you dont have to.

Not sure where you heard that. 4870X2 uses vsync just fine.

[LaMpiR]

As I recall, both cards were lauched at the same day? Am I wrong?

[Leeghoofd]

Maybe they await Nvidia's answer for the 4850X2... hopefully Asus will pull one of like they did with the 3850X2

[jmke]

Are there any 4850 X2 reviews?

Wait until september

As I recall, both cards were lauched at the same day? Am I wrong?

ANNOUNCED yes; but at different time frame; HD4870X2 is now, but availability en mass near end of the month; HD4850X2 not before september

[cakofony]

The last ati card I used was a radeon 9800, so I've been out of their loop for a while. Three different companies are selling them on newegg, what are the differences in warranties and goodies that you get with them? Sapphire is the one that Ive heard the most about, and its got the lowest price.

[Mumid]

Well all cards just out should be reference right? I'm asking this because I have a Club3D on the way and I wouldn't like it if there was no sideport interconnection. At all.

Doesnt sound like the sideport will ever get enabled so dont worry about it mate

[Cooperdale]

Doesnt sound like the sideport will ever get enabled so dont worry about it mate

These are just rumors, but who knows? I'd just like my R700 to have it.

[cakofony]

what does the sideport do?

[cadaveca]

It's an extra pci-e 2.0 link between teh gpus for communication. it remains to be seen how it works, etc, it currently is jsut a bit of heatsink right in the silicon until they enable it(a la R600 UVD engine).