Nvidia Geforce GTX 295 or ATI Radeon HD 5970?

[Keysplayr]

Well the monitor I have is not exactly a bank breaker.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...ion=hanns+g+28

Also, when I tried it they didn't have SLI profiles for 3D-Vision, so it was effectively like having one GTX260 that further took a performance hit. I'm talking about my rig getting choppy frame rates with L4D. I think I remember a recent story about SLI support being added, but still, the fact remains that you take a performance hit (most, if not all of the initial reviews used a single card and reported signifigant drops in FPS).

Well, they do now, and have for a while. Now, for you, it would be GTX260's in SLI using 3D Vision. It may have helped if you mentioned how long ago your eVGA testing was. I thought you meant like "right now". And of course the fact remains, and always will remain, that there is a performance hit. But when we are dealing with cards as powerful as the OP is considering, is this still a factor? 60fps instead of 100 but in 3D? Tradeoff sounds nice.

 

[scooterlibby]

Good point.

 

[Grooveriding]

Pointless comparison, this is like saying should I get a 9800GX2 (295) or a 4870X2 (5970), or should I get an 8800GTX or a 4890.

You're comparing a card that is nowhere in the league of the other. If you are only interested in using 3d vision then get the 295. Otherwise the 295 should not even be considered.

 

[terentenet]

5970 wins every benchmark and has DX11. If ultimate performance is your aim, get it. You are also future proof with DX11.
3D Vision, even the cheap version, with the red-blue glasses is very nice. I use the cheap one, just because I don't want to switch to a smaller monitor. Having the sense of depth is great.
I am waiting for Fermi to launch and I will get what card is better for me then.

 

[Gikaseixas]

5970 for sure. You seem to be ready to wait for Fermi, so if you don't mind the wait then just wait for it to be released.

 

[Synboi]

Hey there mate, I was in the exact same position around the 15th/16th of this month. Either upgrade to the 5970 stick with the 295 I had decided to get or wait for fermi. I went with the 5970 and it was easily worth the buy. It is significantly more powerful and loss of phsy-x and CUDA isn't really a big thing. I was almost going to delve into the 3D scene and stick with the nivida card, but after seeing the 3D avatar games running on a few gaming rigs at NZs latest games expo I'd say don't bother. It's quite nice but the additional cost and loss of detail due to the 3D effects is a real bummer, and I personally prefer the sharper detail and high FPS rates I get with the 5970. So I'd say go with the 5970 (I got the Sapphire HD 5970 OC edition for the ass rappingly bad price of $1300 NZD), you won't regret it unless you desperately want the 3D stuff. Otherwise it suits all my programming and work needs (I'm a Mechatronic Engineer) as well as my gaming ones and I'd totally recommend it to ya.

Oh and just for reference to your own rig this is my whole setup:

i7 - 920 2.66 ghz no OC (stock intel cooler too, will change that soon O.-)
Asus Rampage II Mobo
6 gb Super Talent - Chrome ram
1.5 tb 7200 rpm baraccuda HDD
Sapphire HD 5970 OC edition
1000 W Cool Master SilentPpro
LG DVD drive
Antec 900 case with addition side fan

 

[TJCS]

If you upgrade your GPU annually or semi-annually then it doesn't matter which one you get. If you change GPU every 2 years then the ATI 5970 should be your only option.

 

[nemesismk2]

I've read that a few people are waiting for Fermi instead of getting a 5970. Is there a confirmed water tight release date for Fermi yet?

 

[Elganja]

if you have to buy now... i would go with the ATI card.

Another option is to just get a 4870 for now and wait until next year for fermi to come out then make a decision on a big dollar card