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XFX HD 4870 1GB XXX and MSI N260GTX OC3

We evaluate our first AMD GPU video card from XFX, the Radeon HD 4870 1GB XXX. We compare to MSI’s new custom N260GTX OC3. Both are tested against an ATI Radeon HD 4890 to see which comes out on top in F.E.A.R. 2, GTA IV, Fallout 3, FarCry 2, and Crysis Warhead. In-depth overclock testing too.

Introduction

XFX is a well-known manufacturer of videos cards to most gamers. A division of Pine Technology Holdings, XFX specializes in motherboards and video cards for PC gamers and hardware enthusiasts. In the past XFX was an exclusive partner with NVIDIA delivering GeForce-based video cards. As of December 16th, 2008 that has all changed. Today on our test bench we have our first AMD GPU based video card from XFX to look at, the Radeon HD 4870 1GB XXX.

We will also be taking a look at XFX’s new Radeon HD 4890 and Radeon HD 4770 series in an upcoming evaluation as well.

Sitting next to it, we have a MSI N260GTX OC3. Micro-Star international (MSI) was founded in 1986 and is another well-known name to computer enthusiasts. They produce motherboards, video cards, barebone PCs, rackmount servers, networking equipment, and notebooks. They also cross fanboy lines by manufacturing motherboards for AMD and Intel CPUs as well as AMD and NVIDIA based video cards.

XFX Radeon HD 4870

The Radeon HD 4800 series was launched on June 25, 2008. The AMD Radeon HD 4870 has reference specifications of a frequency of 750MHz on the GPU and 512MB of GDDR5 at 900MHz. Four months after its launch AMD improved the 4870 even further by adding another 512MB of RAM for a total of 1GB, while keeping the frequencies the same. We have experienced real-world gameplay benefits with the 1GB 4870 in our testing. So it is not just another gimmick.

The XFX Radeon HD 4870 1GB XXX is the later version with 1GB of memory. Clocked at 775MHz the GPU is a mere 25MHz higher than reference. The memory is clocked 200MHz higher at 3.8GHz. It is a rather small increase in frequency for this being the "XXX" edition in our opinion, which is supposed to represent a very high clocked video card.

The box is fairly narrow, measuring just 6.5"x12.75"x3.75." On the front, we see a glowing mask, a "XXX Edition" sticker that wraps around the side and a 1GB GDDR5 memory icon. On the side we see the continuation of the XXX Edition sticker, the system requirements, and what is in included inside box. The back of the box goes over some of the key features of the 4870 HD series.

On the top of the video card, we see the glowing mask theme continued. XFX has chosen to stick with the reference heatsink, which with its double slots exhaust hot air out the back of the case. Underneath the exhaust port are the two standard DVI ports and one S-video port. On the tail end of the card are the two six-pin auxiliary power connectors.

The video card comes with the basics: a Driver CD, an installation guide, a quick setup guide, a DVI to HDMI adapter, a DVI to D-sub adapter, two four-pin to six-pin power adaptors, a HDTV cable, and a crossfire bridge. It also comes with an "I’m gaming do not disturb" door hanger.

MSI N260GTX OC3

The GeForce GTX 260 was launched on June 16th of 2008. In its original incarnation, it was built on a 65nm manufacturing process with 192 streaming processors and 64 texture units. Three months later NVIDIA refreshed the GeForce GTX 260 and added an additional 24 streaming processors and 8 more texture units, though it remained on the 65nm manufacturing process.

At the beginning of this year (2009) NVIDIA quietly made another refresh to the GeForce GTX 260 (216 core); it now uses a 55nm manufacturing process versus 65nm. These 55nm GTX 260s are all 216 core versions, and were simply quietly placed into the channel.

The MSI N260GTX OC3 is one of the newer 55nm revisions, and to some it may look familiar. That is because we reviewed its bigger brother the MSI N285GTX SuperPipe OC recently. Although as we can see from the different names the GTX 260 doesn’t use the "SuperPipe" technology. It does however have a 79MHz boost on GPU frequency, a 100MHz increase on the memory, and a 166MHz higher shader frequency then a reference GTX 260.

On the front of the box, we see the standard mythical creature. We also see the number of streaming processors (216 cores), the amount of memory (896MB DDR3), and a dual fan logo on the right side of the cover. On the back of the box, the features and the minimum system requirements are listed.

MSI has a magnificent cooling solution as far as aesthetics are concerned. The 3mm aluminum top, the dual fans, and the 5 heat pipes make it appealing heatsink. There is one technical issue with the cooling solution though. Since it does not direct all the air out the rear exhaust port like the reference cooling solutions some of the hot air will remain inside your case. Other than that, it is your standard GTX 260 with two DVI ports and one S-Video port on the head. On the tail are the two six-pin auxiliary power connectors and the S/PIDF audio connector.

The video card comes with the standard accessories: a Driver CD, installation manuals, a DVI to D-sub adapter, a DVI to HDMI adapter, a composite cable, an internal audio cable and an S-Video to S-Video cable.