I've been watching the 4770 on Overclock.co.uk for a while now and i keep noticing that it goes in and out of stock faster than you can click buy. But there's something else in that category, apparently the newly released HD 4730. Lets look at the specs:

- 750MHz Core Clock
- 512MB GDDR5 Memory - 3600MHz (900MHz GDDR5)
- VGA‚ DVI-I‚ HDMI Connectors
- DirectX 10.1 and OpenGL 2.0 Support
- PCI-Express 2.0 Interface

And the specs of the 4770:

- 750MHz Engine Clock
- 512MB GDDR5 3200MHz (800MHz GDDR5) Memory
- 2x DVI-I, S-Video (HDTV) Connectors
- DirectX 10.1 and OpenGL 2.0 Support
- PCI Express 2.0 Interface

Okay, so looking at this, i can't see any reason that i would get the 4770 over the 4730, which makes me wonder about the series numbers. Does anybody else have something to say on this matter? Because i'm having trouble understanding why the 4770 should outperform the 4730 in Crossfire.

Also, is the board below good for Crossfire? If not, is there something better for around that price? Thanks.

http://www.overclock.co.uk/product/Gigabyt...board_8893.html

In case you're wondering, this is the build as it stands:

I got a 4770 off play.co.uk recently, probably cost a bit more but its a tasty card.

Yeah, but the specs say otherwise... that's what i don't get.

Maybe people arent aware of the 4730 yet or it doesnt have enough rep

Rep doesn't make a card. Specs do. But from what i can see, it's cheaper, it's better and it's available (unlike the 4770).

I'm not arguing that and I'd probably go with the 4730, I was saying that a lot of custom builds are done based off word of mouth advice and reviews and maybe this 4730 hasnt filtered down yet.

The main difference is that HD4730 is more of a HD4830 replacer in the product line.

HD 4730 = RV770CE
HD 4770 = RV740
HD 4830 = RV770LE
HD 4850 = RV770Pro
HD 4870 = RV770XT
HD 4890 = RV790XT
HD 4850 X2 = R700Pro
HD 4870 X2 = R700XT

You're looking at the HD4730 using a larger, somewhat slower die and with higher (by 30-40%) power consumption.