Should I lay the old girl to rest?

Ok so I'm starting to think about Graphics cards.... again lol

Currently running a Radeon HD4890 Vapor-x 2GB.

Specs:

http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/sapphire__hd4890_vaporx_2gb/5.htm

What I'm looking at is the Saphire HD6970 2GB.

Specs:

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102957

Now the issues I'm having is that the stock clock on the 6970 is 10mhz faster which is nothing.
The memory clock is a bit of a jump with 4.2gbps vs 5.5gbps
The 6970 also is DX11 compatible while the 4890 is not.

The Stream Pro's on the 6970 are near double that of the 4890.

So the numbers just scream "BY THE NEW ONE!"
But since I currently clock my baby up from...
870mhz - 915mhz core
1050mhz - 1115mhz mem clock

This is easy stable and running at 58C with Skyrim maxed out.

These clocks will go higher I know but I havn't needed to.

So basically my questions are.

1: How much difference does DX11 really make?

2: How much improvement will I see from the extra 700 stream pro's?

3: How much difference will that extra 200mhz make?

Now of course the 6970 can be clocked up further to totally demolish my card, but is it really worth the $350 since my card is running all the latest games maxed out with little trouble and a nice stable 30+ FPS (which I think I'm happy with.... be quiet Rikky-Superhumaneyes )

If anyone has made this jump or similar that can give me a real breakdown of how much more performance they are getting would be muchly appreciated.

Rest of system =

Win 7 64 Build 7200 (I think)
Asus Sabertooth 990FX
AMD Phenom II X6 1100T 3.3mhz
8GB DDR3 Ripjaw 1600 RAM
Rosewill 800w 80+Gold (Single 66Amp 12v rail)
Drives and fans and lights and stuff :-D

 

This should be all the reason you need to upgrade.

Game developers and going to include Dx11 more and more in future games, you might as well keep up and get a card that will have a bit more mature drivers by the time Dx11 becomes the new standard.

Stuff? What exactly is "stuff"? :confused

The single rail may get a bit over-taxed by a more demanding video card. Double-check how much you have connected and make sure it'll have enough juice to keep a new video card happy.

 

Ned why don't you just buy my GTX480 from me?

I'd forget about all the specs and just look at the final performance numbers.

http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/2011-gaming-graphics-charts/Mafia-2-Gamer,2669.html

Radeon 6790 = 106fps

Radeon 4890 = 59fps

Nvidia GTX 480 = 103fps.

You can have it for a lot less than $350...

 

Interesting.
Pm 'en route.

@Mimsy... So I'm assuming that DX11 makes quite a difference, I've looked at some videos but the quality of the video stands in the way. I've also read people saying there isn't much difference, but then I'd take your word over a hundred random guys on the web lol

 

I don't game much but I saw the difference between DX10 and DX11 since I had a GTX260 and a GTX470 ATT on two different higher-end machines using a KVM switch. The difference was quite remarkable especially water scenes where DX10 barely showed ripples whereas DX11 had much more realistic detail and it really looked like water, much higher definition. I was quite impressed. I know you'll like it.

@Rikky, hey you might finally be able to unload that VC.

 

I have my Corsair TX750W with a single rail of about the same amps powering my sig rig with the cards/CPU running at %100 24/7 for the last 3.5 years. I know Ned's PSU will perform well with the GTX 480 which just consumes 35W more than the 470. http://www.guru3d.com/article/geforce-gtx-470-480-review/2

 

Same impression as Rikky, it makes a difference. Particularly on higher settings, the games felt smoother somehow.

Never mind then.

 

I couldn't see much of a difference between DX10 and 11 part from the bump mapping its seems way improved,water 'as Augie said' looks more realistic and it has better smoke effects.