I have been looking at GPUs lately. I'll be building a new computer in about 3 weeks, I was originally looking at a 6950 up from a 6850. I had a reccomendation come in about a GTX 560. Anyone have some more feedback on a great card in the $200-$300 price range? As I mentioned I've been comparing the 6950 with others. I tried to look at some benchmarks between cards but haven't come to any full conclusions on which way I'd like to go. I play mostly World of Warcraft, but will be playing BRINK and Firefall, Battlefield Bad Company, etc.
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GTX vs Radeon advice?
- Thread starter Novakain
- Start date
More VRAM is good for very high resolutions, which is why karlowma mentioned multiple displays. Also if you happen to be on a 30" monitor gaming at 2560x1600 having more than 1GB will be helpful too.
Under most other circumstances 1GB is enough.
What resolution is your monitor?
Under most other circumstances 1GB is enough.
What resolution is your monitor?
mattchapman
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For a single monitor setup there is not much in it between the GTX 560 and 6950. Then your nitpicking between card length, noise, power, driver support, brand loyalty, etc.
For two monitors probably better off with 6950.
For two monitors probably better off with 6950.
mattchapman
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double post
Last edited:
1366 x 768 resolution on a 19 inch monitor (It's also a TV), but I may move up to a 21-23 inch (dont know the res on that yet due to not owning it lol)
I had feedback from a guy on reddit that a 6950 may not fit into my case, which cause some concern. I use a Rosewill CHALLENGER.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147153
At your current res anything you are considering will dominate. A new monitor in the size you are considering would most likely be 1920x1080.
New question. Is the performance you are getting from your 6850 not enough at 1366x768? That should be plenty as is.
That was poorly worded on my part, I don't have a 6850, this is a new build... I meant that as in I was considering a 6850 originally, and decided to go with a 6950 instead.
Nickbaldwin86
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never heard anyone refer to Nvidia as GTX...
I was more referring to the card, but I guess that could be poor choice of words again...
Falcon Punch
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Echoing this advice. You're in a great market right now.
Nickbaldwin86
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all good man, just thought it was different..
I say go with the NV. these stupid AMD/ATI cards are full of bugs and drivers suck
all good man, just thought it was different..
I say go with the NV. these stupid AMD/ATI cards are full of bugs and drivers suck
I don't understand why everyone complains about ATI's drivers. I've been using them since 2003 without issue.
Nickbaldwin86
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then you do nothing but basic everyday computing with them. or you are just a blinded fanboy or you just dont know what good drivers are
Try crossfire, eyefinity, etc etc etc
I have crossfire and had eyefinity, was the biggest waste of money I have ever spent.
terrybogard21
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Playing a YouTube video while in Warcraft; started getting stuttering & I find out that the card is down-clocking itself. Known issue when dealing with hardware acceleration that hasn't been fixed for over a year. It's really game specific as well if AMD/Nvidia drivers are better. It's not as bad as everyone makes it out to seem, but it's still an issue.
Given that the OP said he's only using one monitor, I don't see him running into any problems with crossfire (unneeded), or eyefinity (only one monitor).
I've used ATI, as my brother has, for approx the last 5 years with no driver issues associated to ATI's cards. Recently switched to Nvidia for folding purposes and again, no driver issues. I'd equally recommend both.
As to the OP, I'd say, just find comparable cards within your needed performance bracket, and buy the cheapest one. Can't go wrong there.
I'm about as hardcore as gamers come, and also a huge power user/tech enthusiast. Rest assured my rig is rarely used for "basic everyday computing". Previous build was an AMD Phenom II X2 550 BE w/ a Radeon HD5870. Currently running an i7 970 w/ 2 Radeon HD6970s in CrossfireX/Eyefinity. The only problem I have ever experienced that is driver related is an extremely infrequent cursor issue in World of Warcraft while running Eyefinity, which is resolved 100% by disabling hardware cursor.
Pretty sure most of the people claiming ATI/AMD has poor drivers are not even running their hardware.
I don't think one manufacturer has any more issues than the other.
WoW looks amazing with eyefinity. Makes me want to get two more 24 inch monitors instead of the 30 inch monitor I am planning for this year
If you plan on single display GTX 560 is pretty good. But if you plan on later upgrading to multiple displays, the 6950 is the way to go. Both cards are good and pick what you're planning to do for your future upgrades.
Either one, but if you're a little brave, go for the 6950 cause of its unlocking potential. As a 6950, it is already a fantastic card, as a 6970, its even better. No guarantees though.
As far as drivers, ATI's are fine. My only complaint with them was that they ran at 1080i for DX10 on my Samsung 40" TV due to some rare bug, but DX9 was fine. My 470's have no problems though and who knows, maybe the bug is fixed now.
Personal opinion ... I feel like ATI produces better image quality.
As far as drivers, ATI's are fine. My only complaint with them was that they ran at 1080i for DX10 on my Samsung 40" TV due to some rare bug, but DX9 was fine. My 470's have no problems though and who knows, maybe the bug is fixed now.
Personal opinion ... I feel like ATI produces better image quality.
A few bucks more will get you a 6950 which definitely beats the GTX 560 and challenges the 570/580 in various situations when unlocked and overclocked. It also comes with some features which the Nvidia solution lacks, like triple monitor support (actually you can run six monitors if you daisy chain three off each of the two Display Ports) and HDMI audio, if that stuff matters to you.
But for that low resolution on a single display the GTX 560 is probably the best match for you. It's a solid performer, especially when overclocked.
Driver-wise, it's a non-issue; whichever brand you pick they have their own problems. Since you're on a single monitor using a single card, you'll avoid the worst of them. Pick your poison and enjoy!
But for that low resolution on a single display the GTX 560 is probably the best match for you. It's a solid performer, especially when overclocked.
Driver-wise, it's a non-issue; whichever brand you pick they have their own problems. Since you're on a single monitor using a single card, you'll avoid the worst of them. Pick your poison and enjoy!
stealthy123
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lol. should point the finger at yourself.
I run crossfire and eyefinity, no real problems.
I cant tell you that the current 11.1a drivers for AMD like to down clock the card if you run in a Windowed gaming mode (I like doing this as I alt tab a lot to do other crap while gaming since I have multiple screens). Didn't have this problem with 10.12 so I'll probably be rolling my driver's back. Very annoying.
This. I'm really getting sick of this argument. I've been happy running either brand and am loving eyefinity on my single 5870 right now.
To the Op: Either card will be more than enough at that resolution. Get whatever is cheaper.
I've used ATI and nVidia. I will say I generally do not upgrade drivers if they work. Lately I been needing to upgrade ATI drivers ever since I swapped over to the 6870. Every driver they came out w/ so far, fixes 1 major issue for me, and then introduces another major one. 10.12 gave me random BSOD when my monitors go to standby. Before that (10.10?), I was getting weird bugs in games like the SC2 pylon bug for example. The BSOD bug was pretty big one for me to deal with.
Personally I would say it would cost more going nVidia route since their vid cards can't power 3 monitors as a single card, so would require me to purchase a more powerful PSU + 2nd card + a new mobo that can handle 2+ PCIe 16x, but I never had this much driver issues with nVidia. They got less to worry about driverwise, but they come at a price. But I am definitely going nVidia for my next card unless ATI starts paying more attention to their drivers b4 they release them to the public.
Personally I would say it would cost more going nVidia route since their vid cards can't power 3 monitors as a single card, so would require me to purchase a more powerful PSU + 2nd card + a new mobo that can handle 2+ PCIe 16x, but I never had this much driver issues with nVidia. They got less to worry about driverwise, but they come at a price. But I am definitely going nVidia for my next card unless ATI starts paying more attention to their drivers b4 they release them to the public.
lol don't do it. 10.12 has the BSOD bug when your monitors go on standby. Makes my comp crash once every 1-2 days.
Nickbaldwin86
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with what cards?
The 58xx cards are riddled with problems with eyefinity.
Just the fact that if you plug in a DP cable into the middle monitor and try to loud up any native 1080p game it will not load, that was a DP problem that was hardware and never will be fixed.
But that is fine I understand that he isn't going to run eyefinity or crossfire, it is just little annoying fanboys like yourself that think they are right no matter what and think everyone else is doing it wrong
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I'm pretty sure the 5xx series supports HDMI audio. I'm not 100% sure but 7.1 HDMI audio is listed in the features. The NVIDIA card will give you access to CUDA and PhysX which is a nice image quality bump if you play games that support them like JC2 and Mafia2 or want to dabble in Folding@home.
I doubt anyone would be unhappy with either card.
Wow, lots of info and a great debate to come back to haha. I think in the future I will most likely go to more than one monitor with a higher resolution... so I am leaning towards the 6950 just due to that fact alone. The money I'd save with the GTX 560 is nice, and I know that WoW generally favors Nvidia cards, but I am looking at the larger picture since I'll have a machine capable of running more graphically heavy games. I've also read that you can boost the 6950 to run like a 6970 (flashing it or something). I just don't know a lot about the GTX 560. I'll have more to say in a bit, I'm at work just tryin to catch up! I really appreciate the feedback thus far!
haha. I think in the future I will most likely go to more than one monitor with a higher resolution... so I am leaning towards the 6950 just due to that fact alone. The money I'd save with the GTX 560 is nice, and I know that WoW generally favors Nvidia cards, but I am looking at the larger picture since I'll have a machine capable of running more graphically heavy games. I've also read that you can boost the 6950 to run like a 6970 (flashing it or something). I just don't know a lot about the GTX 560. I'll have more to say in a bit, I'm at work just tryin to catch up! I really appreciate the feedback thus far!WoW looks amazing with eyefinity. Makes me want to get two more 24 inch monitors instead of the 30 inch monitor I am planning for this year
If you plan on single display GTX 560 is pretty good. But if you plan on later upgrading to multiple displays, the 6950 is the way to go. Both cards are good and pick what you're planning to do for your future upgrades.
I feel like I can relate pretty well to you here just cause I am an avid WoW player too (I play on Frostmane). Right now I will be using just one monitor, but I do feel that in the future I will most likely move to at least 2 monitors, thus another reason I have leaned more towards the 6950.
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Most video cards are going to support dual monitors. Most games, however, don't work well unless you want the middle of your screen to be split between the two monitors.
terrybogard21
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Just because you're happy running your hardware doesn't mean other are not. The issues that people have been presenting are real & happen. I love both sides, my XFX 6950 2GB on a performance level is nothing short of amazing, but heaven forbid I go open youtube/hulu while gaming & the card goes to downclock mode. Both sides have their issues, you just hear about AMD's more often because they're slower at fixing them.
Does it effect your gaming a lot, or nothing too noticeable?
One other thing I was told is that a 6950 may not fit in my case (Rosewill CHALLENGER).
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147153
All true, actually the 48xx series supported HDMI audio, too. I can't remember if it went back further than that but it works quite well with my old 4890, and I helped a friend of mine who lost his speakers and had an old 4850 blow his own mind by piping his PC audio out his LCDTV.
^^ my 6970 is about the same length and dimensions as the 6950, and I have to admit, it made my 4890 look like a little toy. I think it's just a shade under 11 inches, like 10.6 exactly. Get out a measuring tape and see if you can do it. I had to end up pulling out a fan enclosure and reroute my cables to make it for my own case, but I'm not sure about yours.
samuelmorris
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My 4830 has HDMI audio. Sometimes crashes though, which is a pain. I'll blame that on it running windows server, which AMD don't support.
Get the correct length of the card and use a ruler/tape measure to see if there are any obstructions with the length that was advertised for the card you are interested in.
YamahaAlex37
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Maybe it has something to do with your using hacked drivers to use PhysX which is not even supposed to work with AMD?