6970 worth it over GTX 295 for 1080P

[Dkcode]

Anyone had any experience coming from a GTX 295 to a 6970 at this resolution?

 

[1h4x4s3x]

Don't think you'll gain much but you'll get rid of all the dual GPU disadvantages.

 

[Martimus]

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/292 is the HD6970 benches http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/168 is the GTX295 benches

In Crysis at 1920x1200 the HD6970 scores 51.5 FPS and the GTX295 Scores 43 FPS.

I don't have time to compare more scores, but the benches are available in the links. I actually thought they would be pretty even, so I was surprised that the 6970 was 20% faster. Still it may be closer in other benches if you take a look at the rest of them.

 

[Dark Shroud]

Well the HD 6970 will consume less power and produce less heat. The HD 6970 should also have a larger faster buffer with 2GB of DDR5 memory for a single GPU.

 

[Dkcode]

Nice one lads!

 

[Skurge]

Not to mention the 6970 has a bunch of features th 295 doesnt. That 295 will regularly run out of memory at the resolution. Also the 6970 is much faster in modern games.

 

[Dark Shroud]

Not to mention the 6970 has a bunch of features th 295 doesnt. That 295 will regularly run out of memory at the resolution. Also the 6970 is much faster in modern games.

DX11 & better OpenGL support for starters.

And of course AMD's HD 6900 series cards use part of their new architecture for 28nm so it will have more longevity with driver support.

 

[bryanW1995]

Not to mention the 6970 has a bunch of features th 295 doesnt. That 295 will regularly run out of memory at the resolution. Also the 6970 is much faster in modern games.

at 1920x1080 the 295 should have plenty of memory. Biggest reasons to upgrade would be if OP is having dual gpu issues or if he plays lots of dx11 games and wants/needs those features for gaming. 20% performance improvement alone certainly isn't the reason, especially at such a low res.

 

[MrK6]

Anyone had any experience coming from a GTX 295 to a 6970 at this resolution?

I went from a GTX 295->58xx->6950 and enjoyed each step. I'd say it'd be worth it, especially if you can fetch a fair price selling your GTX 295. I'd actually recommend grabbing a 6950 instead if you don't mind overclocking just to save cash. Really, there's not much difference between the 6950 and the 6970 beyond clockspeed (the extra shaders and TMUs are worth an ~3% performance increase). You can't go wrong with either one though, as mentioned, you'll get a cooler, quieter, more efficient, and faster graphics card with the newest features (DX11, 2GB RAM, etc.).

 

[tweakboy]

Don;t know but always use WHQL drivers only. Latest nVidia etc botched drivers or cunky interface and resource consuming mf is what probably did u in...

 

[3DVagabond]

They are too close to compare. You should have gone with nVidia,, ur obiously not a simple big red customer, but who is. botched drivers or cunky interface and resource consuming mf

Cuz we all know just how awesome nVidia drivers are? Two card killing releases in 1 year.

You really need to give the rhetoric a rest. The OP asked for opinions on upgrading from a 295 to a 6970.

If I owned a 295 at that res, unless I was having SLI scaling issues in a particular game(s), or needed ~20% more performance to make something playable, or wanted Dx11, or had an AMD chipset mobo and wanted to crossfire, I'd hold pat. New cards will be out soon enough.

 

[Dkcode]

Thanks for your comments.

I have a 30" sitting next to this 1080P 120Hz screen - the 295 has had a run for its money.

 

[betasub]

^ In that case, I guess you could put the card with more video memory to good use.

 

[Dkcode]

For gaming I have moved away from the 30", though its a good point and for slow placed strategy games and RPG's it might be worth using the 30 for.

 

[tweakboy]

You notice the difference my friend.

 

[Dkcode]

Hmmm OcUK have Asus GTX 480's in stock for £191. This worth taking advantage of over the 295?

From the benchmarks its about on par with a 6970.

 

[1h4x4s3x]

Hell no.
The 480 is extremely loud, hot and power hungry.

 

[Arkadrel]

Hmmm OcUK have Asus GTX 480's in stock for £191. This worth taking advantage of over the 295?

From the benchmarks its about on par with a 6970.

If you can get a 6950 for same price? thats really the way to go, flash it to a 6970, and oc it as much as stability allows for.


480 avg. power comsumption ~223watts
6950 avg. power comsuption ~109watts

(3 years from now,... that could be alot of saved up $ from electric bills)

source:
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/HIS/Radeon_HD_6950/27.html
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/NVIDIA/GeForce_GTX_480_Fermi/30.html


6950 Idle noise= 29 dB, full load= 34 dB
480 idle noise= 30 dB, full load= 50 dB

same Techpowerup sources for noise figours.



6950 idle temp= 34C , full Load= 80C
480 idle temps= 65C, full Load= 96C

same Techpowerup sources for noise figours.



Now unlock the 6950, and it becomes a 6970, and is faster than a 480 stock/ 570 by a little bit.

so its beat at temp/power use/noise/performance... maybe price too?
480 is not the card you want to buy unless its significantly cheaper.

 

[Dkcode]

Thanks for your informative post but I am not interested in throwing a warranty away by flashing a card.

The 570 is also on offer for £240.

Seems to be more consistent in games than the 6970 and a little faster too.

 

[Kenmitch]

Thanks for your informative post but I am not interested in throwing a warranty away by flashing a card.

The 570 is also on offer for £240.

Seems to be more consistent in games than the 6970 and a little faster too.

It's not a bad card....But it does seem to be plagued with some quality issues.

I'd suggest looking for the evga one with a lifetime warranty....You may need it at some point in time and evga is one of the best to deal with in your time of need

 

[Dkcode]

It's not a bad card....But it does seem to be plagued with some quality issues.

I'd suggest looking for the evga one with a lifetime warranty....You may need it at some point in time and evga is one of the best to deal with in your time of need

Which card are you referring to bro? The 480 or 570?

 

[Arkadrel]

@DKcode,

I believe hes refering to the 570 (when he says quality issues).
The 480 has "other" issues, being that it was load/hot/powerhungry vs its performance.

If you buy a 570, getting a Evga like above user said is probably a good idea, you *might* need to RMA it.

 

[Dkcode]

Sounds like some focus group bullshit to me.

You guys being paid by the hour?

lol

Seriously if you guys are genuine then i'll take that back otherwise link me to some sources.

 

[Arkadrel]

http://www.overclock.net/nvidia/929152-have-you-killed-570-a.html

At stock its probably not a issue, worth mentioning, but I always just assume everyone overclocks.
You can google it, something like dead 570's and your bound to find some threads about it.

Most of it is self inflicted, ei. users that overclock.
But the 570 still has a rep. for dieing on you pretty easily.

The 580 for exsample, is a overclock champ, it does was its supposed to when you overclock it, and usually doesnt die on you.

 

[load81]

Most of it is self inflicted, ei. u...this issue everywhere not just overclock net.