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AMD Vs. NVIDIA Cards

H

HardForumer

Limp Gawd
Joined
Oct 1, 2011
Messages
173
Which performs better, Dual GTX570s or Dual HD6970s?

Which is better between GTX590 and the HD6990?

Is it worth it to go Dual GTX580s (ASUS Matrix or EVGA) instead of Dual 570s or 6970s for $240 more?

Which cards overclock better?
 
Many of those questions could easily be answered by a quick forum search.

Also, considering most of these are answered by [H] reviews, this just kinda reeks of laziness.
 
1. Depends on resolution
2. 6990
3. No
4. Not sure but I think AMD
 
I'm kinda with Nude on this but I'll answer a bit differently.

1. Depends on resolution but mostly AMD since your not usually gonna use SLI or crossfire at 1680x1050. At 2560x1440 and up AMD takes the prize
2. 6990
3. No, unless you need to use stereo 3d and plan on utilizing PhysX and are a avid Folding at home user
4. Nvidia cards overclock better.
 
MrGuvernment said:
+1 for sure.
Click to expand...

Aww, give the guy a break it's his first day on the forum. For all we know it's his first day on any hardware forum and he may not even know how to use the search feature. We don't want to graze him just yet. :D
 
Thanks for the answers, I admit I wanted to get the answers the easy way, but whatever. 2 of you were kind enough to answer my questions, so thank you I really appreciate that.

If I go dual HD6970s or GTX570s will I be able to play any game out there at 1920x1200 resolution at max settings and good AA?
 
HardForumer said:
Thanks for the answers, I admit I wanted to get the answers the easy way, but whatever. 2 of you were kind enough to answer my questions, so thank you I really appreciate that.

If I go dual HD6970s or GTX570s will I be able to play any game out there at 1920x1200 resolution at max settings and good AA?
Click to expand...

Yes, I have owned all of the setups you mentioned besides a 590 and any will work. Bear in mind, the high end 580's can be substantially faster than the lower end cards. I'm able to match my Tri-570 setup@850mhz with a pair of 580 Matrix @950mhz, and games are smoother as well.

For 1920x1200 the 6970 CF is your best bet, 2GB Vram is just nice to have and the pricing is similar. If you can find a 6990 for a decent price it will also perform very close to 6970CF with a mild OC.
 
Will dual Matrix GTX580s outperform dual HD6970s, taking into consideration I'll be overclocking whatever I get?
XFX HD6970 is $329 right now, Matrix are $499 at newegg with coupon. Like others said probably not worth it as GTX580s will get old just as fast as HD6970s right?
I haven't searched but the cheapest HD6990 I've seen so far is $749, so that's $660 (Dual HD6970s) vs $750. Is it worth it going for an HD6990 for 90 bucks more?

I'll check some more sites for prices.
 
HardForumer said:
Will dual Matrix GTX580s outperform dual HD6970s, taking into consideration I'll be overclocking whatever I get?
XFX HD6970 is $329 right now, Matrix are $499 at newegg with coupon. Like others said probably not worth it as GTX580s will get old just as fast as HD6970s right?
I haven't searched but the cheapest HD6990 I've seen so far is $749, so that's $660 (Dual HD6970s) vs $750. Is it worth it going for an HD6990 for 90 bucks more?

I'll check some more sites for prices.
Click to expand...

I don't think the 6970's can match the 580's for overclocking. I know mine didn't even come close to matching 570's when both were overclocked. Maybe under water? They just got too hot too fast and overclocking seems to return diminishing results. They performed almost the same at 950mhz as they did at 900mhz.
 
HardForumer said:
So you're saying the Matrix are worth it in your opinion? If yes I might go with them instead.

Why is this card so expensive? isnt the 6970 much better than the 5970?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814105001&Tpk=14-105-001

Also: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...x-_-DesktopGraphicsVideoCards-_-14500184-L04A
Might not be as good overclockers as the Matrix but they're only $419 after MIR.
Click to expand...

That card is expensive because a 5970 is faster than both a 6970 and a GTX580.
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2010/11/14/geforce_gtx_580_vs_radeon_hd_5970_2gb_performance/1
 
does it overclock good? its going for 399 right now. If better than GTX580 matrix (both overclocked) This could be my choice.
Any disadvantages?
 
I think your best bet if you can spend ~500 is to buy dual 6950's and unlock them. They will smoke a single GTX 580 (overpriced IMO) or a 5970 (last gen tech). Really the best bang for your buck when it comes down to it.
 
NukeDukem said:
I think your best bet if you can spend ~500 is to buy dual 6950's and unlock them. They will smoke a single GTX 580 (overpriced IMO) or a 5970 (last gen tech). Really the best bang for your buck when it comes down to it.
Click to expand...

+1 to this.

Dual unlocked 6950 > the folliowing single cards
Radeon 6990
GTX 590
GTX 580 Matrix
Radeon 5970
possibly even the Mars 2 GTX dual GTX 580 in some apps and eyefinity resolutions.
 
MavericK96 said:
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2009/11/18/amd_ati_radeon_hd_5970_video_card_review

More specifically:

http://www.hardocp.com/article/2009/11/18/amd_ati_radeon_hd_5970_video_card_review/7
Click to expand...
Yes I finished reading after I posted the question, sorry I got a little excited. Performance is all over the place due to only 1GB memory.

Why not HD6970s instead of 6950s?
And I was considering dual GTX580s not a single card, but if I cant find it for around 400 bucks I dont think they're worth it over the HD6970s...
 
IMO, the AMD 6970s are the best graphics cards currently available. I prefer the 6970s over any current Nvidia graphics cards. IMO, the 6970s are simply superior and provide better and smoother real-world gameplay performance, especially in multi-GPU setups.
 
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HardForumer said:
Which performs better, Dual GTX570s or Dual HD6970s?
Click to expand...

No resolution specificed. I can't really say which is better without any specifications.

Which is better between GTX590 and the HD6990?
Click to expand...

As a Crossfire in a single card user, I can say it's better to get two single GPU premium cards over one dual GPU card. Why? Well I do run furmark just to see when thermal throttling will kick in. On my last test before I reapplied TIM. My GPU 2 was hitting the thermal throttle temp while my GPU 1 stated stable. It's because alll the heat that was become force out of GPU 1 was inadvertently increasing the GPU 2 temps. While two single GPU cards can be well within the "safe" margin with adequate airflow and spacing (or maybe watercool it and never have to worry about it again). People have been going apeshit over 6990+6970 combo at widescreen gaming forums. So they could have improved the air cooler on the 6990.

Is it worth it to go Dual GTX580s (ASUS Matrix or EVGA) instead of Dual 570s or 6970s for $240 more?
Click to expand...

EVGA released the new classified 580s. I still haven't got any solid numbers on that card. But it's supposed to better than the stock 580s and it has 3GB of RAM. I would personally go with EVGA.

Which cards overclock better?
Click to expand...

Depends on if you're getting a reference design or a custom design from XFX, EVGA etc etc. Those new EVGA 580 classified has a bigger fan and bigger heatsink. It should be on paper, be better than stock. But overclocking is always a mixed bag. Some people get really good overclocks with the same brand and same video card while others don't.
 
HardForumer said:
Yes I finished reading after I posted the question, sorry I got a little excited. Performance is all over the place due to only 1GB memory.

Why not HD6970s instead of 6950s?
And I was considering dual GTX580s not a single card, but if I cant find it for around 400 bucks I dont think they're worth it over the HD6970s...
Click to expand...

Dual GTX580 is overkill for 1920x1200.
 
So the only difference between single GTX580 and dual GTX580s is that I'll get the same performance, but be able to go to higher resolutions?
at 1920x1200 there wont be ANY difference?
 
Oh yea, what about for BF3? The days of insane FPS on current titles is over as us PC gamer are finally rescued with BF3 pushing the graphics envelope to new levels.
 
HardForumer said:
So the only difference between single GTX580 and dual GTX580s is that I'll get the same performance, but be able to go to higher resolutions?
at 1920x1200 there wont be ANY difference?
Click to expand...

There will probably be a difference, but it's like...200 FPS versus 100 FPS. You're not going to see a difference.
 
Why is it overkill then to get dual gtx580s? I'm pretty sure I wont get 200FPS on BF3, it'll be more like 30FPS vs 40-50FPS right? (dual HD6970s vs dual GTX580s, all maxed out at 1920x1200.)
 
C_A_V_E_M_A_N said:
IMO, the AMD 6970s are the best graphics cards currently available. I prefer the 6970s over any current Nvidia graphics cards. IMO, the 6970s are simply superior and provide better and smoother real-world gameplay performance, especially in multi-GPU setups.
Click to expand...

This is the polar opposite of reality.

I own both 6970 crossfire and GTX 580 SLI and in performance, smoothness, and most importantly drivers NVIDIA is so far ahead it isn't even funny.

99% of people who say one way or the other haven't actually owned and used extensively both setups. I have, so take that FWIW.

Also, it is not overkill. If you want to use AA in battlefield 3 at 1900x1200 you will need GTX 580 SLI. IT chugs around 30FPS with one card in outdoor areas. With 2 cards, I never dip below 60fps all settings maxed 4xaa.
 
computerpro3 said:
This is the polar opposite of reality.

I own both 6970 crossfire and GTX 580 SLI and in performance, smoothness, and most importantly drivers NVIDIA is so far ahead it isn't even funny.

99% of people who say one way or the other haven't actually owned and used extensively both setups. I have, so take that FWIW.

Also, it is not overkill. If you want to use AA in battlefield 3 at 1900x1200 you will need GTX 580 SLI. IT chugs around 30FPS with one card in outdoor areas. With 2 cards, I never dip below 60fps all settings maxed 4xaa.
Click to expand...

1 card chugs around 30FPS all maxed out 4xaa? That's awesome... overclocked?
I used to play console games a lot and this is usually what we get on man games.
 
It's not awesome at all because that's average. You'll dip into the 20's when looking at fire or shader effects, during zooming, fast mouse movement, etc.

Unless you totally suck and don't care about getting accurate mouse tracking, hit reg, etc, you need 45 FPS to feel smooth in this game.

I play competitively so that matters to me, hence why I switched from a 6970 crossfire setup to GTX 580 SLI. IT's just way smoother.
 
I was reading the forums and it seems the HD6950 is the EXACT SAME as an HD6970 once unlocked?
Are there any differences at all?
 
computerpro3 said:
This is the polar opposite of reality.
Click to expand...
Caveman is trolling, look over his forum history.

I've had dual 570s as well as 6950 Crossfire @ 6970 speeds, in the same computer, so here:

1. At 2560x1440 the 6970s are better, at least in the games I played.
2. 6990, but it's supposedly louder
3. Probably not, but it depends on what your money is worth to you.
4. Not sure.

I still generally prefer Nvidia cards for what I feel are better drivers. Plus, like it or not, there are plenty more PC games with the Nvidia logo on them and what I suspect is gimped day-one performance on non-Nvidia cards.

HardForumer said:
I was reading the forums and it seems the HD6950 is the EXACT SAME as an HD6970 once unlocked?
Are there any differences at all?
Click to expand...
They are identical performance, the difference is that one is performing out of specification so it's not guaranteed to be stable.


HardForumer said:
So the only difference between single GTX580 and dual GTX580s is that I'll get the same performance, but be able to go to higher resolutions?
at 1920x1200 there wont be ANY difference?
Click to expand...
There would definitely be a difference. You won't be able to absolutely max out a game like Crysis 2 with a single GTX 580 and get a perfectly smooth experience, but dual GTX 580s would be simply overkill for 1920x1200. Something like dual GTX 570s or even GTX 560 Ti's would be a better pick for 1920x1200. I run GTX 560 Ti SLI ever since I downgraded to a 24" monitor, and the performance per dollar just blows me away.
 
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I play at 1920x1200, mostly Hard Reset, Crysis 2, HAWX 2, Deus Ex HR and BF3 beta right now. Note that HAWX 2 is not playable on any AMD card setup I've tried with terrain tesselation enabled.

Here are my observations, I have tried all of these setups within the past month so this is using Catalyst 11.8/11.9 and Nvidia 280.26/285.38 drivers. Settings are maxed everything including AA/AF.

1x580 is playable but hovers in the 40's for average fps
2x580 is about what it takes to absolutely max those games and get 60fps average
2x6970 can do it as well, but does not make 60fps average in the DX11 titles
1x6990 is about the same as the 2x6970 but a little quieter
1x570 can play it but frequently drops below 30fps
2x570 is about on par with the 6970's just a little slower
3x570 can max everything with no issues, usually around 80-100fps

HardForumer said:
I was reading the forums and it seems the HD6950 is the EXACT SAME as an HD6970 once unlocked?
Are there any differences at all?
Click to expand...

They don't have the same memory or VRM design any more (the original did AFAIK) so they may not tolerate the same OC and temps as a 6970. Cards like the sapphire toxic 6950 actually beat a 6970 when unlocked but are built on a custom PCB to do so.
 
How the hell did you try all of those combinations in a month? That's crazy :eek:

BTW, whenever I see your posts my brain switches it to "LitGasm" ... like a literary orgasm or something :rolleyes: :p
 
Zinn said:
How the hell did you try all of those combinations in a month? That's crazy :eek:

BTW, whenever I see your posts my brain switches it to "LitGasm" ... like a literary orgasm or something :rolleyes: :p
Click to expand...

I had started with just one 570, got two more for decent prices. Then I tried the 6970's but didn't like them, I sold them for almost the same I paid for them so that was a wash. Got the 6990 but it only ran for a few days and died so I returned it, by that point I had sold my 570's so I picked up my 2 580's. Basically spending the same money over and over.

And yeah, my SN is kind of weird. Not even sure where I got it from when I made this account to be honest.
 
LigTasm said:
I had started with just one 570, got two more for decent prices. Then I tried the 6970's but didn't like them, I sold them for almost the same I paid for them so that was a wash. Got the 6990 but it only ran for a few days and died so I returned it, by that point I had sold my 570's so I picked up my 2 580's. Basically spending the same money over and over.

And yeah, my SN is kind of weird. Not even sure where I got it from when I made this account to be honest.
Click to expand...
would you go back to 3 570s instead of 2 580s?
 
HardForumer said:
would you go back to 3 570s instead of 2 580s?
Click to expand...

No. The 2x 580's are much smoother stock for stock than 3-way 570's. I run mine at 950mhz for gaming and they match the 3x570's for fps, however in my previous post I was noting how all the cards were stock for people who are uncomfortable overclocking.
 
HardForumer said:
If I were to get GTS480s, which one would you get? Do I need 3GB of memory?
Click to expand...

480's or 580's? I'm not aware of a 3GB 480 model. However, if you play at 1080p or around there you don't particularly need 3GB. If you have a high res monitor such as 2560x1440 or 2560x1600 then it would be a wise investment.
 
LigTasm said:
480's or 580's? I'm not aware of a 3GB 480 model. However, if you play at 1080p or around there you don't particularly need 3GB. If you have a high res monitor such as 2560x1440 or 2560x1600 then it would be a wise investment.
Click to expand...

Sorry, I accidentally pressed 4 instead of 5. I meant 580s.
What about future though? I don't want to upgrade in at least 1-2 years.
 
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