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Single GPU solution for gaming @ 2560 X 1600 resolution

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maverick786us

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I am building a rig in which I can play games like Crysis, BFBC2 at medium / high settings @ 25 X 16 resolution. After reading all the horror stories of dual GPU setup, I won't consider 5970.

So this is the ideal setup I wouild like to consider

1) CPU: Core i5 2500K/ i7 2600K
2) GPU: Superclocked 6950/6970/ or Superclocked GTX 570??

Now I've read that 580 @ stock speed is the fastest single GPU solution as of now (although this might change once ATI releases Catalyst 10.12). But the biggest problem with 580 is the Power consumption and Heat.

The power consumption is slightly less than 480 and because of better cooling system, nVidia is able to control maximum temprature at load. But overall it is a tough candidate to Overclock because of PCI Expression limitation.Although I am still open for 580

Now taking these cards into consideration ATI HD (6950/6970) / GTX 570, their power consumption and heat level is considerably low compared to 580. Thus making them potential candiate to Overclock. In fact a superclocked version with a good aftermark coolar might make these cards perform better than 580.

So what is your general suggetsion about this setup? and in future I can even SLI or Xfire. So which card should I go for?
 
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HD 5950 ? I'm guessing you meant HD 6950.

Anyway, if it's a single card you want, then the GTX 580 is the best you can buy. No questions asked.
The second best are the GTX 570 and HD 6970, which trade blows (although the HD 6970 does have a more inconsistent performance then the GTX 570) and if price isn't too different, you should choose based on the games you play and see which has better performance there.
 
Currently there is no single GPU card that can play many of these games at max settings at 2560x1600.

The [H] review listed the GTX580 as being able to run Metro 2033 at 2560x1600, very high settings with AAA on

I think they were a little too generous with the minimum frame rate though. I don't personally consider 23fps playable, especially since the minimum frame rate usually occurs during particularly critical moments in the game play when a lot is going on...

I've played Metro2033 at 23fps. It's practically unplayable. To add to that, I don't believe those numbers included Advanced DOF turned on...

Surprisingly enough, Nvidia themselves are more conservative with their recommendations (Bravo Nvidia for not trying to over-pimp your product and create unrealistic expectations).

They suggest "Normal" quality settings at 2560x1600, "High" settings at 1920x1200 and "Very High" at 1680x1500.

So you have to drop down to the rather low 1680x1050 resolution to play at max settings according to Nvidia themselves.

Just goes to show that all the idiots saying there is no point to the high end video cards cause "games don't task them enough" are completely wrong...
 
I went from a 5970 to 6970. It's been a massive upgrade. I can pretty much max anything out now. Metro 2033 runs acceptably @ 2560x1600 with all details cranked. However I do have DoF off since it basically halves your framerate and I don't like the effect anyway..

25FPS is the cutoff point for me and it rarely drops below that. With some decent overclocking you may be able to push it past the 25 FPS minimum. However I haven't bothered.. already finished Metro and there's not much replay value in it. Anyways, It all depends on your standards I guess. But Metro 2033 is not a twitch shooter and does not need 60FPS IMO.

I can also run Crysis with 2xAA @ 2560x1600. On the 5970 it stuttered erratically, presumably due to hitting the VRAM ceiling. Even at the same settings I used on the 5970 (very high - noAA), though, it's perceptibly smoother despite running at around the same FPS.
 
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x3sphere said:
I went from a 5970 to 6970. It's been a massive upgrade. I can pretty much max anything out now. Metro 2033 runs acceptably @ 2560x1600 with all details cranked. However I do have DoF off since it basically halves your framerate and I don't like the effect anyway..

25FPS is the cutoff point for me and it rarely drops below that. With some decent overclocking you may be able to push it past the 25 FPS minimum. However I haven't bothered.. already finished Metro and there's not much replay value in it. Anyways, It all depends on your standards I guess. But Metro 2033 is not a twitch shooter and does not need 60FPS IMO.

I can also run Crysis with 2xAA @ 2560x1600. On the 5970 it stuttered erratically, presumably due to hitting the VRAM ceiling. Even at the same settings I used on the 5970 (very high - noAA), though, it's perceptibly smoother despite running at around the same FPS.
Click to expand...

6970 is an upgrade over Dual Core 5970? Anyways Crysis and Metro 2033 are always an exception, are you able to play BFBC2 at maximum seetings with VSYNC on with decent FPS?
 
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maverick786us said:
6970 is an upgrade over Dual Core 5970? Anyways Crysis and Metro 2033 are always an exception, are you able to play BFBC2 at maximum seetings with VSYNC on with decent FPS?
Click to expand...

Yes, that's what I'm saying. Everything I've tested runs better. Massive improvement in AvP as well, I can run it with everything maxed at 4xAA, and it runs better than it did on the 5970 with no AA. I had severe microstutter with the 5970 in that game, at 2560x1600. Just Cause 2 runs about the same, but it's smoother.

When it comes to DX11 games it seems like the 6970 walks all over the 5970, at least at 2560x1600. I think the 1GB of VRAM was a huge bottleneck.

I haven't tried BC2 yet but I'll give it a go later. @ 8xAA the 5970 couldn't cope, so I'll test at 4x for comparison

EDIT: Tried BC2, I hover 50-60 frames @ 4xAA with HBAO off (turning HBAO incurs a 10 FPS hit on average and I see no difference). Big explosions can knock that down to 40. The 5970 had higher frames in this game but the experience is more responsive/smoother with the 6970. I can also run at 8xAA fine now, although it takes another 5-10 FPS hit.
 
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x3sphere said:
Yes, that's what I'm saying. Everything I've tested runs better. Massive improvement in AvP as well, I can run it with everything maxed at 4xAA, and it runs better than it did on the 5970 with no AA. I had severe microstutter with the 5970 in that game, at 2560x1600. Just Cause 2 runs about the same, but it's smoother.

When it comes to DX11 games it seems like the 6970 walks all over the 5970, at least at 2560x1600. I think the 1GB of VRAM was a huge bottleneck.

I haven't tried BC2 yet but I'll give it a go later. @ 8xAA the 5970 couldn't cope, so I'll test at 4x for comparison

EDIT: Tried BC2, I hover 50-60 frames @ 4xAA with HBAO off (turning HBAO incurs a 10 FPS hit on average and I see no difference). Big explosions can knock that down to 40. The 5970 had higher frames in this game but the experience is more responsive/smoother with the 6970. I can also run at 8xAA fine now, although it takes another 5-10 FPS hit.
Click to expand...

OK. If I am not wrong 5970 is still the fastest card in the world. So is it the internal X-Fire and less frame buffer at massive resolution of 25 X 16 that is making it slower?
 
x3sphere said:
Yes, that's what I'm saying. Everything I've tested runs better. Massive improvement in AvP as well, I can run it with everything maxed at 4xAA, and it runs better than it did on the 5970 with no AA. I had severe microstutter with the 5970 in that game, at 2560x1600. Just Cause 2 runs about the same, but it's smoother. AVP is not stuttering at all for me.

When it comes to DX11 games it seems like the 6970 walks all over the 5970, at least at 2560x1600. I think the 1GB of VRAM was a huge bottleneck.

I haven't tried BC2 yet but I'll give it a go later. @ 8xAA the 5970 couldn't cope, so I'll test at 4x for comparison

EDIT: Tried BC2, I hover 50-60 frames @ 4xAA with HBAO off (turning HBAO incurs a 10 FPS hit on average and I see no difference). Big explosions can knock that down to 40. The 5970 had higher frames in this game but the experience is more responsive/smoother with the 6970. I can also run at 8xAA fine now, although it takes another 5-10 FPS hit.
Click to expand...

For people hesitating to add another 5870, here's some interesting comparison.

I'm in Tri-Fire 5970+5870 @ 1000/1200, and I can play AVP and JustCause 2 with every settings maxed-out, at 2560X1600 4AA and 16AF. Same thing with BBC2. I have a rock-steady 60fps with everything maxed out. AA and AF to max. Always 60 fps rock-steady in those 3 games. No stutturing. Buttery smooth.

Metro 2033 is a little bit more problematic. Every settings maxed-out, with 4AA and 16AF, I get around 40fps, so it's playable, but it's not buttery smooth like Just Cause 2, AVP and BBC2. I have to use 2AA and then, buttury smooth. :)

Just to put things back in perspective. :)

And I'm waiting for the 6990+6970 next month. I just want to inform those staying with the 5xxx serie what to expect with Tri-Fire.
 
LEVESQUE said:
For people hesitating to add another 5870, here's some interesting comparison.

I'm in Tri-Fire 5970+5870 @ 1000/1200, and I can play AVP and JustCause 2 with every settings maxed-out, at 2560X1600 4AA and 16AF. Same thing with BBC2. I have a rock-steady 60fps with everything maxed out. AA and AF to max. Always 60 fps rock-steady in those 3 games. No stutturing. Buttery smooth.

Metro 2033 is a little bit more problematic. Every settings maxed-out, with 4AA and 16AF, I get around 40fps, so it's playable, but it's not buttery smooth like Just Cause 2, AVP and BBC2. I have to use 2AA and then, buttury smooth. :)

Just to put things back in perspective. :)

And I'm waiting for the 6990+6970 next month. I just want to inform those staying with the 5xxx serie what to expect with Tri-Fire.
Click to expand...

To clarify, do you have a 4GB 5970 and 2GB 5870? BC2 was NOT playable at 8xAA on my 5970. It would run out of VRAM and drop to single digit FPS. I had the 2GB version (which is essentially 1GB effective memory). I imagine in my case adding a 5870 would not fix that.

I had the same issue in Metro 2033. Turning tesellation ON at very high settings was just not possible, even the menu screen lagged. Obvious VRAM limitation.

Also, benchmarks confirm my findings that the 6970 is faster or only slightly slower than the 2GB 5970 at high resolutions - look at the 4800x900 results here, as that's near the same pixel count as 2560x1600. And I think not having the overhead of xfire makes things smoother when you're averaging near the same FPS.

http://www.widescreengamingforum.co...a/6970-FarCry2EF.jpg/800px-6970-FarCry2EF.jpg

http://www.widescreengamingforum.com/wiki/images/thumb/0/0b/6970-HAWXEF.jpg/640px-6970-HAWXEF.jpg

http://www.widescreengamingforum.co...EREF-Night.jpg/800px-6970-STALKEREF-Night.jpg
 
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I'm deciding whether to go to a single card in lieu of my CF 5870, too. I'm leaning in favor of the 6970 because of its 2GB RAM... its $370-ish price ain't bad, either. That's exactly what I paid for a single 5870, in February.
 
6970 is only 20% faster than a 5870, so it's a downgrade from crossfire.
The reason the 6970 fares well against the 5970 in certain cases is when it's out of video memory, normally the 5970 is still a good 25% faster than the 6970. That said, the 6970 is still a better card for being a single-GPU for such a low price and power requirement. The 5970 is also totally obsolete to crossfire 6950s, which for $600 offer performance substantially above that of the 5970 thanks to better scaling.
Fact is though, the OP is actually asking for a single GPU solution (though at 2560x1600 that is a bit silly, as no single GPU can properly handle this resolution, I use four and they could barely keep up when they were new, let alone now).
Frankly I'd try and convince maverick to go crossfire (I assume he does realise the 5970 was 2 GPUs as he mentions it) with 6950s if he can afford it. Plenty of GPU power (60% more than a GTX580) and 2GB per GPU means no memory issues at the 2560 res.
The 6970 is overpriced for what it is really, the $70 extra doesn't get you much extra performance, 10% at best.
 
If you want the best performance get the 580 and later get another to sli.

If you want best performance/cost then look at 570 / 6970.
 
The question is, is it worth the extra $150 for 10% extra performance? I would probably say no.
 
samuelmorris said:
6970 is only 20% faster than a 5870, so it's a downgrade from crossfire.
The reason the 6970 fares well against the 5970 in certain cases is when it's out of video memory, normally the 5970 is still a good 25% faster than the 6970. That said, the 6970 is still a better card for being a single-GPU for such a low price and power requirement. The 5970 is also totally obsolete to crossfire 6950s, which for $600 offer performance substantially above that of the 5970 thanks to better scaling.
Fact is though, the OP is actually asking for a single GPU solution (though at 2560x1600 that is a bit silly, as no single GPU can properly handle this resolution, I use four and they could barely keep up when they were new, let alone now).
Frankly I'd try and convince maverick to go crossfire (I assume he does realise the 5970 was 2 GPUs as he mentions it) with 6950s if he can afford it. Plenty of GPU power (60% more than a GTX580) and 2GB per GPU means no memory issues at the 2560 res.
The 6970 is overpriced for what it is really, the $70 extra doesn't get you much extra performance, 10% at best.
Click to expand...

Thank you, Yes I am open for X-Fire. But not a multiple GPU solution (unless their internal X-fire scalling much improves with 6990). Initially it might not be possible to spend on multiple cards. I might get an HD6950 / HD6950 initially and then within 2-3 months put another one
 
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Internal crossfire scaling is much the same as external crossfire scaling. It's rare to find a situation where they don't match up. Currently I can only think of one example.
To be honest though, two cards is a better way to go anyway, it's quieter, runs cooler, and assuming you don't have a tiny case, actually easier to work with. Buying an HD6950 and then another in short order is a fairly sound idea, they'll still be around by then and should still sit well within the market. I only tell people to stay away from the 'buy another later' idea if I feel that they're going to a wait a year + to buy the second card, after which time it's usually better to just sell and buy the next single GPU instead, for obvious reasons.
 
I thought only the 6970 had 2GB VRAM. Glad I read this thread more carefully. Now, going for a CF 6950 seems like the best option for me. Not sure how much better it would be over my current CF 5870, but all that extra VRAM has gotta make a nice improvement for gaming at 2560x1600.
 
Typically about 15-20%, so not a great deal. However, once you turn up the AA I've seen it go as high as 70% [Crysis Warhead]
 
I went from a 5870 1gig to a 6970 and it's a world of difrence. I can play JC2 wide open and it runs smooth now. World of Warcraft maxed and it's smooth. The extra memory makes it soo much better. I say go with a 6970.
 
Makeroflostsouls said:
I went from a 5870 1gig to a 6970 and it's a world of difrence. I can play JC2 wide open and it runs smooth now. World of Warcraft maxed and it's smooth. The extra memory makes it soo much better. I say go with a 6970.
Click to expand...

Thanks. 6950 Overclocked and then X-Fire definately seems to be the best option

samuelmorris said:
Internal crossfire scaling is much the same as external crossfire scaling. It's rare to find a situation where they don't match up. Currently I can only think of one example.
To be honest though, two cards is a better way to go anyway, it's quieter, runs cooler, and assuming you don't have a tiny case, actually easier to work with. Buying an HD6950 and then another in short order is a fairly sound idea, they'll still be around by then and should still sit well within the market. I only tell people to stay away from the 'buy another later' idea if I feel that they're going to a wait a year + to buy the second card, after which time it's usually better to just sell and buy the next single GPU instead, for obvious reasons.
Click to expand...

Although I am opeen to buy 6970 as well. I am waiting for SB to release then I will see how good 69XX series perform when overclocked and combined with a Core i7 2600K and an SSD like C300.

I know its a wiered question and slightly off topic. 5870 is EOL, I've seen in some websites that it is slightly faster than 6950 in some of the games. So keeping the budget into consideration, does 5870 2GB version performs exactly the same as 6950?
 
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