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2560x1440 which card?

A

arnoldma

Junior Member
just been thinking of getting the u2711 for my new build, but as the resolution is really high - at 2560x1440, would a 6950 (my planned purchase) not be good enough to run games at that resolution smoothly?

have looked at the gtx570, will that be good enough to run new and few years in the future games, smoothly at the 2711s insane res.?

thanks!
 
I'd say you need at least a gtx 580 to run everything at max or near max details (eg. metro 2033 will run below 25fps)

I would personally go with crossfire/SLI, or a smaller resolution.
 
It really depends on what games. There are lots of games that a single GPU can run at your planned res. at high eye candy settings. Radeons tend to be stronger at higher resolutions and the 6950/70 have the advantage of 2gigs of RAM

Take some time to read some reviews. TechPowerUp is the easiest to see lots of games tested at 2560*1600
 
or you could just go with the videocard you were planning on and save hundreds of dollars by turning down a few details when a game isn't running to your liking.
 
I have a 1GB 5870 running with this exact monitor and so far it hasn't let me down. Sure, I had to drop AA from 8x to 2x in Dirt2, but it still looks gorgeous.
The witcher 2 (without the patch, GOG edition) manages 25-30 FPS on ultra with übersampling off, but I strongly suspect the CPU is the culprit here (100% usage).

I have yet to install a game that my card can't handle. So what if I can't have the top SSAA at the same time. All this coupled with a paltry E8400 @ 3.4GHz

I don't think you need to go xfire, but a 6970 would most definitely be better than a 6950.

Edit: Dam, I have no Idea why I mistook the second post 6950 for your gtx570. Adjust according to popular benchmark numbers 😀
 
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1-Radeon 6990

2-Palit GTX580 3GB version
or
3-GTX590

If that's out of your reach just get a 6950/6970 for now and add another later on. Their 2GB of memory really helps on high resolution setups.
 
thanks for the reply guys! im going towards the 6970 now, forgot about the extra ram.

i was never wanting to go nvidia only... my first choice is amd, has been for 10 years now! 🙂 i just thought the 570 was a faster card than 6950 at slightly more expensive. but i guess 6970 is even faster! especially for my res.

the likes of 6990 and 580/590 are a bit out of my price range 🙁

any suggestions for a solid 6970 at £250 below, thanks.
 
I would probably go with a 6950 and overclock it. It should do 'ok' in my opinion. But I usually look for the best value, and that's why I would go with the 6950.

The GTX580 3GB is your best single GPU option, but not work the money at all, again that is my opinion. So I would only go this route if I had the extra money to spend and didn't care if the value wasn't very good, if I just wanted the fastest single GPU that would work for me.

The 6990 would be an ok option as well, but if you are ok with multi-GPU I think two 6950's (especially overclocked) would give you pretty well near the same performance and save you a few bucks in the long run. Not to mention the 6950's exhaust the heat they create out the back of you computer's case. So unless I didn't want multiple cards, but would be ok with multiple GPU's, I wouldn't go for this option either.

So if it were me, I would buy a 6950 now, overclock it and see how it goes. I would add another if I wanted more horsepower. This would be faster than a GTX580 3GB as well as cheaper.
 
arnoldma said:
thanks for the reply guys! im going towards the 6970 now, forgot about the extra ram.

i was never wanting to go nvidia only... my first choice is amd, has been for 10 years now! 🙂 i just thought the 570 was a faster card than 6950 at slightly more expensive. but i guess 6970 is even faster! especially for my res.

the likes of 6990 and 580/590 are a bit out of my price range 🙁

any suggestions for a solid 6970 at £250 below, thanks.
Click to expand...

At lower resolutions the nvidia equivalents (gtx 570 vs 6970 and gtx 560 ti for 6950) are generally a bit faster. Once you get to 1920x1080 they are about equal. Once you get up to higher res, however, the amd cards start punching above their weight and start to get closer to the next higher nvidia card in performance (6970 vs gtx 580, 6950 vs gtx 570). I would actually recommend a 2 gb 6950, with the understanding that if you're dissatisfied with performance you can xfire with a 2nd card and end up only paying about what a single gtx 580 would have cost.
 
arnoldma said:
looking at this review the 570 is always very close to the 6970, and beating it at some tests on highest resolution.

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/HIS/Radeon_HD_6970/7.html

dont know what to go for now...
Click to expand...

you need to look at this page: http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/HIS/Radeon_HD_6970/29.html

specifically, at 1920x1200 gtx 570 is 98% and gtx 580 is 113% of 6970. Going to 2560x1600 gtx 570 is 95% and gtx 580 is 110% of 6970. Based upon other reviews I've seen, once you crank up AA to 8x, gtx 580 is more like 106% of 6970. They are all very good buys, and gtx 570 is definitely very fast, but I still think that 6950 is your best bet.
 
6950 Crossfire is your best bet if you are conscious of cost. If not 580SLI, 6970CF or 6990 would be your other choices. For that resolution you will hit a wall with any single gpu configuration.
 
I would take 6950 crossfire even over a 6990 unless you only have one gpu slot. 6990 is better than gtx 590, but they are both terrible unless you're on water.
 
If you like playing with max detail settings, you will be disappointed with any of the single gpu cards. I'll echo what others have said and say Crossfire 2GB 6950's. If cost is a concern, I'd go with one 2GB 6950. The small performance increase going to a 6970 isn't worth it IMO. The 570 GTX has a decent amount of grunt but 1.2GB will be insufficient in some games.
 
http://www.yoyotech.co.uk/item-detai...cts_id=4373447

Here's a ref model xfx for £256. Get the 6970, pretty sure its as quick as a 570 and a bit cheaper too.
The extra memory on 6950/6970 means better details (AA for example) at high resolution. This may be a non reference model
which on my 5870 meant no voltage control with afterburner so i'd check if you intend overclocking.
 
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bryanW1995 said:
I would take 6950 crossfire even over a 6990 unless you only have one gpu slot. 6990 is better than gtx 590, but they are both terrible unless you're on water.
Click to expand...


The water/6990 statement is pure fiction, I have crossfired 6990's on air at 890/1450 overclock and don't hear them when gaming. Also they don't blow up at the drop of a hat. Why do people with no experience post this nonsense? They also scream with power.
 
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wow, 6990 crossfire, u have too much money! and im jealous 🙂

thanks for the reply guys, im really confused now... but i think i might just go for the 6970.

after reading many reviews, most common outcome was 6970 wins on higher resolutions such as 2650. but 570 is closer on lower resolution - which i have no need for
smile.gif


this way, single 6970 hopefully will last me for at least half a year, until i get enough cash to crossfire another 6970 in, which should be enough to run anything for at least a few years?

What do you guys think?

also, if going for 6970, do i want to get a reference card? or doesnt it make a difference? i.e. 6950 refernce can unlock etc.. but 6970 reference can??

Thanks.

ps. regarding unlocking 6950, i just dont think the hassle/risk (as most reference are gone) is worth the £40: 200-6950 240-6970, plus 6970 can o/c better.

Skurge said:
http://www.computerbase.de/artikel/...2-x-lightning-von-msi/3/#abschnitt_benchmarks

Yes, I know its in German, but has some good info. Just ignore the 2 Lightning cards.
Click to expand...

thanks for this awesome link! perfect for what i need.

looks like the 6970 is kicking ass at 2560 resolution! running at 13-20% better than 570/6950 and coming 4-5% of 580, even!
 
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I would get a reference card if 1, I wanted to add an aftermarket cooler or water block or 2, I wanted to vent as much heat as possible out of the case.

I would get a MSI Lightning or Asus Direct Cu II (3 slot monster) if I was most concerned with noise, cooler running card, maximum O/C'ing, highest quality construction, and I wasn't too price sensitive.
 
Don't get a 3 slot card if you're going to xfire in future, the 6970 runs plenty cool enough and there won't be room for the 2nd card in all probability or if there is (on a P67 mobo for example) then the second card will have to be reference anyway and no two cards overclock to the same extent.
 
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