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NVIDIA Fermi - GTX 470 - GTX 480 - GTX 480 SLI Review @ [H]
- Thread starter FrgMstr
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All of these cards are out of my budget, but I have to say this is even worse than I was expecting. 0-15% faster for $50-$80 more (assuming AMD doesn't drop prices) with significantly more noise, heat, and power? I'm sure it kicks ass at GPGPU computing stuff, but as a gamer that advantage is pretty worthless, I'd much rather have Eyefinity 3x1.
I was hoping it would start driving prices down, but it doesn't look like that will happen. Price/perf is still going to be worse than it was 6 months ago.
This is partially down to TSMC of course, but it's still disappointing.
I was hoping it would start driving prices down, but it doesn't look like that will happen. Price/perf is still going to be worse than it was 6 months ago.
This is partially down to TSMC of course, but it's still disappointing.Kyle/Brent,
Between now and April 12th, do you think we'll get new announcements from either card manufacturer delivering either drivers, features, or new products?
The 12th is pretty close to what should be 10.4 release, but I'm wondering if ATI can live up to their promise, or if they'll want to compete for attention during this time. Any insight?
Nvidia will be pushing these two cards and I assume that no new features will be added until they've had some time on the market first since almost all value added features Nvidia is touting will also include the 2xx series. Are you able to make a guess on that?
Between now and April 12th, do you think we'll get new announcements from either card manufacturer delivering either drivers, features, or new products?
The 12th is pretty close to what should be 10.4 release, but I'm wondering if ATI can live up to their promise, or if they'll want to compete for attention during this time. Any insight?
Nvidia will be pushing these two cards and I assume that no new features will be added until they've had some time on the market first since almost all value added features Nvidia is touting will also include the 2xx series. Are you able to make a guess on that?
"The GTX 480 is quite simply not a "Radeon HD 5870 Killer." We dont know if we were supposed to think it would be or not, but with the power consumption this beast requires, you would hope it would be providing a bit more performance than it is."
Enough said. Maybe if Nvidia had the backing of a CPU company..cough cough Intel...they would have access to better R&D for their products. This is certainly NOT good news since it's never good to have one company monopolize the graphics industry. Ati invested alot of research on their latest 5000 series products and it shows.
Enough said. Maybe if Nvidia had the backing of a CPU company..cough cough Intel...they would have access to better R&D for their products. This is certainly NOT good news since it's never good to have one company monopolize the graphics industry. Ati invested alot of research on their latest 5000 series products and it shows.
great review Kyle/Brent/everyone who helped. I really like how you guys compare the cards with similar settings, and then tell us how one card looked a little better because of this tweak or that tweak. The review gave a great impression of how the cards stack up.
I'm looking forward to the 480 sli v. 5870 cf for sure. In the meantime, price will determine which of these cards rules the land.
I'm looking forward to the 480 sli v. 5870 cf for sure. In the meantime, price will determine which of these cards rules the land.
Underwhelming. Late. Expensive. A power hog. And sounds like a hair dryer under full load. Nvidia has a real winner on their hands here. Great review despite Nvidia's poor showing. I don't see ATI adjusting their price points at all. At least it performs on par with the 5850/5870, so it's not a complete flop.
Also, with the 480, it's almost as if Nvidia paid no attention whatsoever to the power usage just so it could edge past the 5870. 100W+ more for a 10-15% perf increase is simply ridiculous. At this point I'm sure ATI could release a higher clocked version of the 5870 and pull ahead. Nvidia's cards assuredly lack the headroom for any substantial overclocking on air.
Unless you need Physx or any Nvidia-specific GPGPU features, I'd hold off and see how ATI responds. Wouldn't be surprised if a 5890 is around the corner.
Also, with the 480, it's almost as if Nvidia paid no attention whatsoever to the power usage just so it could edge past the 5870. 100W+ more for a 10-15% perf increase is simply ridiculous. At this point I'm sure ATI could release a higher clocked version of the 5870 and pull ahead. Nvidia's cards assuredly lack the headroom for any substantial overclocking on air.
Unless you need Physx or any Nvidia-specific GPGPU features, I'd hold off and see how ATI responds. Wouldn't be surprised if a 5890 is around the corner.
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I just watched the power/sound videos and wow... the 5870 uses a full 100+ watt less than the 480 and is also much quieter, and runs cooler. The 480 costs more, is hotter, uses more power, and is louder. I think I'll be keeping my 5870 thank you very much.
Won't the GTX480 (and even the old GT200 series) be supporting this.
Is this [H]ardOCP or [F]rugalOCP?.
I'm broke so I don't get a vote
I'm just saying, usually you would want the fastest. :shrug:
You're trying too [H]ard, really!
Heh, so I just got an RMA request for the card I just bought minutes after reading this review. I had hopes for the 480 to not suck as much as it does so i could trade it up. Was a good deal but now the restocking fairy is taking some of my cash.
oh well, looking forward to a refresh for the ATI camp if there is one. Im guessing there will be, but if not I see a 5870 in my future....that is if I can find one made by XFX anytime soon!
oh well, looking forward to a refresh for the ATI camp if there is one. Im guessing there will be, but if not I see a 5870 in my future....that is if I can find one made by XFX anytime soon!
psychoticdream
Weaksauce
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are you saying you already have a card in your hands?
In for 480, Here's hoping the pre-order actually ships from Amazon.
Brand new drivers going up against mature drivers and still tie/win while adding 4X more AA? I'm in.
Heat and power are not my concerns at the high end, Enjoy/keep your 5870s, While your at it convince yourself your saving the planet by keeping it, lol.
Brand new drivers going up against mature drivers and still tie/win while adding 4X more AA? I'm in.
Heat and power are not my concerns at the high end, Enjoy/keep your 5870s, While your at it convince yourself your saving the planet by keeping it, lol.
Lol, no I dont have a 480.... I meant the GTX 285 I had bought thinking a 480 would be worthwhile trade up through BFG.
I suppose I could make a trade up work... Id have to practice playing BC2 with a dustbuster going the entire time I played... you know... to get that authentic 480 feel!
Hope you realize the power usage at stock and high temp severely limits its OC potential compared to a 5850/5870. If you have a water cooled setup this is not as much of an issue but the power usage can still prove to be a barrier to higher overclocks..
At Techpowerup they OC'ed a 5870 and 480 as far as they could on air and guess what card came out on top? 129.4 FPS versus 132.3 FPS, the latter being the 5870.
you need to get outside more
point 1 ati has good drivers ive used them for years not a problem, also ati has yet to recall a driver that kills cards
point 6 what does the 480 bring that is future tech amd is already sporting 3d support, opencl programing language and eyefinity not to mention an open physics api
nv has its sli version of eyefinity and 3d not to mention cuda and its proprietary physics standard
tech standpoint ati is ahead due to the use of open standards
you need to get outside more
point 1 ati has good drivers ive used them for years not a problem, also ati has yet to recall a driver that kills cards
point 6 what does the 480 bring that is future tech amd is already sporting 3d support, opencl programing language and eyefinity not to mention an open physics api
nv has its sli version of eyefinity and 3d not to mention cuda and its proprietary physics standard
tech standpoint ati is ahead due to the use of open standards
Though I will say that his post wasn't flat up confrontational (as he even pointed out)... You do make some valid counters in your reply...
Nvidia is trying to lock down the future into their very own hands while ATI is trying to bring a future where everyone including their competitors can join them in the process...
psychoticdream
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Lol, no I dont have a 480.... I meant the GTX 285 I had bought thinking a 480 would be worthwhile trade up through BFG.
I suppose I could make a trade up work... Id have to practice playing BC2 with a dustbuster going the entire time I played... you know... to get that authentic 480 feel!
damn.. was gonna ask you to bench yours lol
but i know no one will be able to get theirs for a week due to late supply
For the most part, I'm unimpressed with Nvidia this time around. The 480GTX may have a tad better performance than the 5870, but I don't think that justifies the extra money and power consumption. I probably won't be buying any gpus this generation simply because of budget restraints, but if I could there's no question that I'd get an ATI card.
That is pretty much my feeling on the subject. Though on the high end with no budget constraints, I'd consider a GeForce GTX 480 SLI or GeForce GTX 480 3-Way SLI setup.
SnowBeast
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the nfucking we just took.
Well hey, i will go eat my crow. nVidia made an ass out of those of us waiting for their next big thing. Being someone who actually pays the power bill, I will just go get me a Radeon 5870. Jesus Christ I am getting pissed reading this. Not only is the GD card more expensive, use more power, I have to buy a freakin psu also. (corsair 550w isn't gonna handle that to nicely runnin 90-100% load all the time).
Thanks for the sound test on this Kyle. I can't figure which was pissing me off more. Wattage used at wall or sound or the fuckin combination.
( I am really burnin up, friend offered me an R5870 for $250 at xmas, and I said nah, I can hold out to see whats next from nVidia.)
Well hey, i will go eat my crow. nVidia made an ass out of those of us waiting for their next big thing. Being someone who actually pays the power bill, I will just go get me a Radeon 5870. Jesus Christ I am getting pissed reading this. Not only is the GD card more expensive, use more power, I have to buy a freakin psu also. (corsair 550w isn't gonna handle that to nicely runnin 90-100% load all the time).
Thanks for the sound test on this Kyle. I can't figure which was pissing me off more. Wattage used at wall or sound or the fuckin combination.
( I am really burnin up, friend offered me an R5870 for $250 at xmas, and I said nah, I can hold out to see whats next from nVidia.)
psychoticdream
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bake a cake!
D
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Just read/listened to the review.
Excellent as usual. Although, as I was listening to the 480 ramp up, I couldn't help but think that thing was gonna get up and take off into the air...
I was playing Dirt 2 tonight and I looked over at my Kill-a-watt meter and I was pumping out about 140w with my rig...I'm one of those guys who watches his wattage...so I appreciate the addition of these videos with the Kill-a-watt meter.
Best,
Liquid Cool
Excellent as usual. Although, as I was listening to the 480 ramp up, I couldn't help but think that thing was gonna get up and take off into the air...
I was playing Dirt 2 tonight and I looked over at my Kill-a-watt meter and I was pumping out about 140w with my rig...I'm one of those guys who watches his wattage...so I appreciate the addition of these videos with the Kill-a-watt meter.
Best,
Liquid Cool
FragMagnet
[H]ard|Gawd
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Thanks for the review Kyle n Brent, while the architecture is interesting I think I'll wait until the next round before considering Fermi. It will be interesting if the next gen for both camps arrives at the same time later this year.
the nfucking we just took.
Well hey, i will go eat my crow. nVidia made an ass out of those of us waiting for their next big thing. Being someone who actually pays the power bill, I will just go get me a Radeon 5870. Jesus Christ I am getting pissed reading this. Not only is the GD card more expensive, use more power, I have to buy a freakin psu also. (corsair 550w isn't gonna handle that to nicely runnin 90-100% load all the time).
Thanks for the sound test on this Kyle. I can't figure which was pissing me off more. Wattage used at wall or sound or the fuckin combination.
( I am really burnin up, friend offered me an R5870 for $250 at xmas, and I said nah, I can hold out to see whats next from nVidia.)
LOl, epic win right there guys. @OP: I feel ya! I didnt think there was any way NV could ACTUALLY release a card like this MUCH LESS be 6 months late! However they did and Ill take soem of that crow... i prefer the thighs. I could justify the power bill IF the performance was a huge jump like the 8800 GTX was at its launch. Even if it had great performance, not a chance in hell Id get one with that Turbofan they mounted on that sucker....... Very disappointed to say the least. Id say NV lowers the price on these cards sooner than people think. Specially the 470...what a joke.....
We probably will see performance increases due to driver updates as time goes on. I doubt that we will see anything that would change the landscape from what we are seeing today though. I could be wrong though.
§kynet
Limp Gawd
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Wait, what? How much worse were you expecting the power usage/heat to be? Something close to a thermonuclear event?
WorldExclusive
[H]F Junkie
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the nfucking we just took.
Well hey, i will go eat my crow. nVidia made an ass out of those of us waiting for their next big thing. Being someone who actually pays the power bill, I will just go get me a Radeon 5870. Jesus Christ I am getting pissed reading this. Not only is the GD card more expensive, use more power, I have to buy a freakin psu also. (corsair 550w isn't gonna handle that to nicely runnin 90-100% load all the time).
Thanks for the sound test on this Kyle. I can't figure which was pissing me off more. Wattage used at wall or sound or the fuckin combination.
( I am really burnin up, friend offered me an R5870 for $250 at xmas, and I said nah, I can hold out to see whats next from nVidia.)
$250???? oh my. You could have bought it and sold it at a profit if Nvidia showed up.
I also pay the power bill so when it comes to saving electricity it's very personal.
I didn't mean it as I do not want to see technology not move forward. I am justifying the purchase of my second 5870. I not inclined to go out and grab a new $500 video card every generation. My 5870's will def tide me over for another year before I upgrade. I just like getting good bang for the buck. The 5870's suit me just fine.
I am glad Nvidia came out with their new card, just not overwhelmed like I was when the 8800 GTX's came out. (I owned 2 of them) Perhaps the next round.
ciscokid454
2[H]4U
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Possibly 2x5970 CF against gtx480sli.
Would love to see the difference in performance