4870 vs 4890

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iBaker

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I'm looking at a couple cards that are on my local Craigslist.

Sapphire 4870 512MB $110

or

VisionTek 4890 1GB $140


I've referenced the the GPU performance list more times than I can remember and obviously the 4890 > 4870 generally speaking.

But looking at the cards, the Sapphire 4870 has a much beefier and better looking cooler than the visiontek 4890, does that mean the Sapphire 4870 is better than the Visiontek 4890?

I'm basically asking, are all GPU's (version specific) the same regardless of who makes them? are all 4890's created equal no matter who's name is on it?
 
The way the sticker looks like on the cooler means nothing on how it performs. Depending on what you would like to spend, go with whichever gives you better performance for your money.

Picture this: a pinto with a glossy paint job vs a 67 camaro with a faded paint job. Both cars run. But does that mean that the pinto is faster or better than the camaro because of the paint? no.

Ps- The card faces down anyway. The sticker doesn't really matter because you won't see it!
 
I'm not really concerned with how the card looks other than one looking like it can cool better than the other.

The Sapphire 4870 looks higher performance (because of the heat sink, not the sticker) than the visiontek 4890 so that raised my question, is it? or is a 4870 always lower performance than a 4890 no matter who makes it?
 
the GPU itself is made by ATI, saphhire and visiontech make the PCB, the cooler, and package it and stuff. The memory is made by a 3rd party. The 4870 chip is the same for all makers and the 4890 is the same as well. They may have different specifications, like some companies will overclock and things like that, but its generally the same. If the sapphire has the better cooler that'll mean that the card will run cooler, but it won't mean that its faster. But obviously you'd want your card as cool as possible, but just because the heatsink looks cooler it doesn't mean it cools better.. you never know... look for product reviews for the visiontech to see how good their heatsink is. They both look like good deals to me.. and i'd lean towards the 4890.

hope that made sense, because it did in my head ;)
 
Yes, it made sense and I have a much clearer understanding now, thank you.

I'm waiting to hear back on the 4890. *fingers crossed*
 
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