Gigabyte GTX480 or Asus Matrix 5870

Hello,

Maybe you guys remember the problem I was having with my mobo Asus P5P43TD PRO, well , I couldn't fix it. I believe the PCI-E slot is damaged or the 9800GX2 I have is not compatible with the mobo.

Anyway , I want to buy a new GPU , and probably a new mobo and get rid of the P5P43TD.

Now , I see the prices and there are a few options , I don't want to buy a dual GPU card , so what is the best single GPU right now ? I saw this 5870 from Asus (Matrix) with 2GB and the price is the same as the Gigabyte GTX480 , is the Matrix better than a GTX480 ? Or should I just go for a normal (and cheaper) 5870 ? or a GTX480 ?

Thank you.

Cheers.
Malevolence

5870 2GB offers in and around the same gaming performance of the GTX480, but runs cooler, on less power, and I believe quieter. Make your choice based on how many fans are in your cases and how good your PSU is.

(I'd go with the ATI card personally)

the 480 will beat the 5870 in most benchmarks/games, if you have a beefy PSU and good cooling in your case I would get the 480 if it is the same price - although if you can save allot by getting a regular 5870 I think I would do that myself, since it will still handle any game out there just fine.

Thank you both. I will buy the Gigabyte GTX480 (cheaper than the Matrix) , should get it tomorrow

Cheers.

Wise choice. There are a few freak incidents where a 5870 beats a GTX480, but for the most part, the GTX480 crushes the 5870. The 480 sits between the 5870 and 5970 in performance. Yes, it does run hot and consumes a lot of power, but it's a very capable card.

Any 5870 that is priced near a GTX480 is overpriced garbage. The 5870 is priced at $400 USD. It's performance is aimed at that price range. The GTX480 generally beats the 5870 by a wide margin, and thus, is priced higher, at $500 USD. The $100 premium comes with a substantial gain in performance, especially under DX11 titles.

Overall the GTX470 and GTX480 are better long term investments, albeit with the expense of power and heat compared to their Radeon cousins. They almost always best their Radeon cousins in DX11 tests, and those margins will only go up as DX11 becomes more dominant in the marketplace.

Be aware... the GTX480 is a powerful CUDA card. I would highly advise you use it for video conversion...

Nice info Lord Sojar , anyway I am glad I got the gtx 480 (Gigabyte), it works perfectly with the P5P43TD PRO ! So I can keep my mobo . Performance is good, temps are tricky but with fan at 75% is enough.

The only cons is that the HDMI cable (HDMI to HDMI mini) is too short and there is not adaptor included , so I needed to buy a new cable HDMI to HDMI mini (couldn't find any adaptors) but besides that, I am very happy with this card, it works perfect since I put it in my system in one go, no problems at all.