The New $250 Price Point: Radeon HD 4890 vs. GeForce GTX 275

Here it is, what you've all been waiting for. And it's a tie. Pretty much. These cards stay pretty close in performance across the board.

Looking at Age of Conan, we see something we didn't expect. NVIDIA is actually performing on par with AMD in this benchmark. NVIDIA's come a long way to closing the gap in this one, and for this comparison it's paid off a bit. Despite the fact that this one is essentially a tie, NVIDIA gets props for being competitive here.

While NVIDIA usually owns Call of Duty benchmarks, the 4890 outpaces the GTX 275 at 16x10 and 19x12 while the GTX 275 leads at the 30" panel resolution. As long as its still playable, then this isn't a huge deal, but the fact that most people have lower resolution monitors who might want one of these GPUs isn't in NVIDIA's favor.

Crysis Warhead is really close in performance again.

AMD leads Fallout 3, and this is the first game we've seen any consistent significant difference favoring one card over another.

FarCry 2 takes us back to the norm with both cards performing essentially the same.

The 4890 does have a pretty hefty lead under Race Driver GRID. The gap does close at higher resolution, but it's still a gap in AMD's favor.

Left4Dead is also pretty much a tie with the card you would want changing depending on the resolution of your monitor.

Overall, this is really a wash. These parts are very close in performance and very competitive.

The Cards and The Test What will an Extra $70 Get You? Radeon HD 4890 vs. Radeon HD 4870 1GB
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  • SiliconDoc - Friday, April 24, 2009 - link

    I agree but you'll never get that here since ati gets stomped in fs9 and fsx even more.
    This is red rooster ragers central - at the reviewer level for now.
    Put in the acelleration pack, and go for nvidia - the GT200 chips do well in FS9 - and dual is out for FSX so....
    A teenage friend just got a 9800GTX (evga egg) and is running ddr800 2 gigs with a 3.0 P4 HT, on a G35 Asrock and gets 25-30 fps in FSX on a 22" flat Acer with everything cranked.
    He oc'ed the cpu to 3.4 and pulled like 5 more frames per.
    That's what he wanted, very playable on ultra - on his former 8600GTS he couldn't even give it a go for fsx.
    However, moving up from 8800 I'm not certain what the gain is specifically. I've seen one or two reviews on HardOcp for fsx with a few cards. Try them.
  • 8KCABrett - Friday, May 8, 2009 - link

    Well, now that I've picked up a GTX 285SC, I've done some rudimentary benchmark comparisons between it and my 8800GTS in FSX and IL-2. I will add BlackShark results soon as well.

    http://www.txsquadron.com/forum/index.php?topic=26...">http://www.txsquadron.com/forum/index.php?topic=26...
  • SiliconDoc - Monday, June 22, 2009 - link

    Very interesting, and not a great increase - Tom's lists FSX benchies in most of his card charts - the 9800GTX+ is way up there(3rd I believe), as are some of the 8800 series.
    It's weird.
    The old HD2900 (pro even) does well with a good overclock - even the strange saphhire version which was 256 bit with 320 shaders - on a 25% oc it makes FSX quite playable. ( another friend on an E4500 w 4gigs/800).
    I saw the ati1950XTX at hard does pretty well - well the 1950GT does NOT.
    ---
    That 8800 chip is still - well, if not the best, still darn close.
  • lk7900 - Monday, April 27, 2009 - link


    Can you please die? Prefearbly by getting crushed to death, or by getting your face cut to shreds with a
    pocketknife.

    I hope that you get curb-stomped, f ucking retard

    Shut the *beep* up f aggot, before you get your face bashed in and cut
    to ribbons, and your throat slit.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGt3lpxyo1U">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGt3lpxyo1U

    I wish you a truly painful, bloody, gory, and agonizing death, *beep*
  • lk7900 - Monday, April 27, 2009 - link

    http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3539...">http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3539...
  • asq - Monday, April 13, 2009 - link

    My friend working for Anandtech and told me that ATI paying for articles good for them and in disadvantageous to Nvidia..what we can clearly see in that article..
  • lk7900 - Monday, April 27, 2009 - link

    Die of aids moron.
  • SiliconDoc - Friday, April 24, 2009 - link

    Ahh, yeah well people have to get paid.
    It's nice to see the reaction there from the red rooster though, huh - cheering it on while he spews his brainwashed communist-like hatred of nvidia.
    It's amazing.
    Good for you noticing, though.
  • joeysfb - Tuesday, April 28, 2009 - link

    I don't hate Nvidia. I own 5 nvidia cards and 1 ati card. I m buying what gives me the best value. To me, its ATI for now. I think AnandTech did a good job reporting on matter the happens behind the scene. They just report it and it up to individual to form their own thoughts.

    You obviously only buy Nvidia which is good... no fuss on deciding on what to get next!! hahaha....
  • SiliconDoc - Monday, June 22, 2009 - link

    Well incorrect entirely. They didn't do a good job reporting on behind the scenes, because they left out the ATI prodding and payment parts.
    Furthermore, ati is still in a world of hurt losing billions in consecutive years.
    If you were to be HONEST about things, if all the people here were to be, the truth would be: " WHERE THE HECK WAS ATI FOR SO LONG ? !! THEY'VE ALWAYS BEEN AROUND, BUT NVIDIA SPANKED THEM FOR SO LONG, WE HATE NVIDIA FOR BEING TOP DOG AND TOP PRICED - BUT IT'S REALLY ATI'S FAULT, WHO ENTIRELY BLEW IT FOR SO LONG.."
    ---
    See, that's what really happened. ATI fell off the gaming fps wagon, and only recently got their act back together. They shouldn't be praised, they should be insulted for blowing competition for so long.
    If you're going to praise them, praise them for losing 33% on every card they sell, in order to have that 5-10 dollar pricepoint advantage, because if ati were to JUST BREAK EVEN, they'ed have to raise all their gaming cards prices about $75 EACH.
    So they're losing a billion a year... by destroying themselves.
    Nvidia has made a profit all along, however. I think the last quarter they had a tiny downturn - while ati was still bleeding to death.
    PRAY that Obama and crew has given or will give ati a couple billion in everyone else's tax money and inflation for everyone printed out of thin air dollars, to save them. You better so, or for a multi-billion dollar sugar daddy corporateer.

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