LC a 4890

[mhouck]

I've looked all over the place and have yet to find any info on ati 4890 waterblocks. Powercolor is releasing a LCS series 4890 for msrp of $339 when I read about it last. It looks like the same block they had on their 4870 LCS card. There is a hot deal thread where 4890's are going for around $185 and I've seen 4870 blocks for $90. If they are compatible I could be saving around $130. Any idea if the blocks on the 4870 are compatible with the 4890?

I'm more cheap than a DIYer. If it end up being cost effective and I don't void a warranty, buying the card with the block preinstalled may not be the worst thing I could do.

 

[mhouck]

So as soon as I post, I checked over at frozencpu and they have 4890 blocks starting at 109.95 sans barbs and shiping costs. So it's only going up.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

Wait, is it the same as the 4870 vanilla card? Cause I have an EK block for that I've never used and thought about selling.

 

[masteryoda34]

You could also get a GPU only block like the Swiftech MCP60 or D-Tek Fusion v2 and also some passive sinks for the memory and VRMs.

 

[mhouck]

Originally posted by: BTRY B 529th FA BN
Wait, is it the same as the 4870 vanilla card? Cause I have an EK block for that I've never used and thought about selling.

They are listed differently. Except for one that is listed as 4870/4890. I'm not really sure what that means since the rest are all exclusive to the 4890.

4890 blocks a frozencpu

 

[thilanliyan]

I don't think they're the same...the VRM area is slightly different I think.

EDIT: The Koolance block is for both 4870 and 4890 so maybe they're not that different.

 

[Phew]

I'll be impressed if that Powercolor card is actually $339, because that's a decent deal. I bet it's really $399. The BFG water-cooled GTX 285 is like $480.

You can get a 4890 for $200ish, and the (good) full coverage water blocks will be $100-$120. After shipping, you are looking at $320+ anyway. Getting the full package for $339 (<$300 after cashback and whatnot) while maintaining your warranty is a pretty sweet deal.

 

[mhouck]

Originally posted by: Phew
I'll be impressed if that Powercolor card is actually $339, because that's a decent deal. I bet it's really $399. The BFG water-cooled GTX 285 is like $480.

You can get a 4890 for $200ish, and the (good) full coverage water blocks will be $100-$120. After shipping, you are looking at $320+ anyway. Getting the full package for $339 (<$300 after cashback and whatnot) while maintaining your warranty is a pretty sweet deal.

That's what I'm thinking now. If I can't get it for at least a $30 less I might as well go with the factory prefit and keep the warranty. I'll be waiting for Thursday to see how much they retail for in reality. I am hopeful though because the 4890's in general came out at their MSRP and are lower at a number of stores with rebates to boot!

 

[error8]

Originally posted by: thilan29
I don't think they're the same...the VRM area is slightly different I think.

EDIT: The Koolance block is for both 4870 and 4890 so maybe they're not that different.

4890 has two extra vrm chips, if I'm not mistaken, arranged on the same line with the usual 4870 vrms. So, it should fit....

 

[aigomorla]

get the preinstalled block.

i bet its the EK LT version for the 4890, and its suposed to be cheaper then normal FC block price.

But not having to monkey with warrenty is a good win expecially with ATI cards.

The PCB revisions on ATI cards will give you a headache.