Tom's Graphics Card Guide: 32 Mid-Range Cards Benchmarked

[notty22]

Tom's Graphics Card Guide: 32 Mid-Range Cards Benchmarked

Some may find this interesting.

I take away :
The 560TI is tested in stock and o/c models, much like the gtx 460, the more expensive o/c models, bench well. They also use more power. And usually cost more.

For buyers that don't o/c themselves, the cards tested reflect what you can get for your dollar. Sometimes a factory o/c gtx 560 is as fast a 'stock' 6950 at 1080p, but it can also cost as much.

DirectX 11: Metro 2033

DirectX 11: Aliens vs. Predator

DirectX 10: S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat

DirectX 10: Call of Juarez

DirectX 9: Mafia II

 

[Phynaz]

Jeez, the factory overclocked 560's are pulling 300 watts.

 

[pw38]

It's like Christmas in those graphs! Christmas is July!

 

[toyota]

Jeez, the factory overclocked 560's are pulling 300 watts.

that's over 100 watts more than a standard gtx560 Ti.

 

[notty22]

The voltage on that particular gtx 560ti, must be extremely high, it also comes with a 8+6 pin power configuration.


Performance at Idle and Load:

Everything gets flipped upside down when we compare idle and peak loads. While the mid-range GeForce cards are unbeatable at idle, they require considerably more power than the other cards under full load. Later in our efficiency analysis we'll see whether they make good use of that extra power draw. The undisputed power hog in our test is a GeForce GTX 560 Ti that comes with both an eight-pin and a six-pin auxiliary power plug. We question whether this is really necessary, because even our GeForce GTX 580 doesn’t pull that wattage from the wall.

 

[RampantAndroid]

Jeez, the factory overclocked 560's are pulling 300 watts.

If the cooler works and you have a decent PSU, who cares what it draws?

Please, DO NOT say "it costs more to own it" - I don't feel like proving for the millionth time that an extra 100W costs you 4 coffees a year to run.

 

[Phynaz]

If the cooler works and you have a decent PSU, who cares what it draws?

I do.

So do others.

 

[RampantAndroid]

I do.

So do others.

Why? What reasonable justification do you have?

 

[BFG10K]

The 560TI is tested in stock and o/c models, much like the gtx 460, the more expensive o/c models, bench well. They also use more power. And usually cost more.

For buyers that don't o/c themselves, the cards tested reflect what you can get for your dollar. Sometimes a factory o/c gtx 560 is as fast a 'stock' 6950 at 1080p, but it can also cost as much.

I wouldn't touch the factory OC variants with a 20 foot pole, especially not nVidia parts. They're often faulty from the factory at those clocks, and we found out last time it's because there's only a handful of games they're tested in before they're considered "compliant".

 

[Phynaz]

Why? What reasonable justification do you have?

The reason I care has to be reasonable to you? I have to somehow convince you that my desires are valid?

Rather myopic of you.

But I'll play along. I like cool and quiet. Many people buy price/performance. I buy power/performance, up to my noise limit.

 

[toyota]

The reason I care has to be reasonable to you? I have to somehow convince you that my desires are valid?

Rather myopic of you.

But I'll play along. I like cool and quiet. Many people buy price/performance. I buy power/performance, up to my noise limit.

no kidding. that's freaking ridiculous to go from 200 watts to 300 watts for basically the same performance. I do not want all that extra heat and fan noise just for 2-3 fps.

 

[AnandThenMan]

I wouldn't touch the factory OC variants with a 20 foot pole, especially not nVidia parts. They're often faulty from the factory at those clocks, and we found out last time it's because there's only a handful of games they're tested in before they're considered "compliant".

I don't understand why they keep making these cards. There must be a demand or they would not exist. I agree though, I've seen several myself that failed at "stock" clocks, only way to make them stable was underclock them.

 

[RussianSensation]

These findings are very similar to what TechReport found:
http://techreport.com/articles.x/20777

HD6950 1GB/2GB trades blows with an overclocked GTX560ti @ 950mhz, but the NV card consumes a little more power and runs hotter.

The real stand-out in this test for me is the HD6870. It isn't far behind the 560ti/6950 cards, but consumes way less power (for those who care). Also, the 6950 series wasn't that much better than the 6870 series, which means the VLIW4 design is hardly any more efficient than VLIW5 design is in modern games. And the extra shaders on the 6950 series don't seem to be doing it any favors. This somewhat explains why AMD is eager to ditch the VLIW architecture (for GCN) as soon as possible (hopefully starting with HD7900 series).

Speaking of the GTX560 Ti and 6950 1GB/2GB (esp. the overclocked cards), and looking at this chart, I don't recall the last time that there was so little performance difference between a $230 videocard card and a $450+ high-end card (GTX580). Also, with 6870 hovering for $150-160, almost any modern PC could be turned into a nice gaming system without breaking the $200 range.

 

[cusideabelincoln]

Also, the 6950 series wasn't that much better than the 6870 series, which means the VLIW4 design is hardly any more efficient than VLIW5 design is in modern games. And the extra shaders on the 6950 series don't seem to be doing it any favors. This somewhat explains why AMD is eager to ditch the VLIW architecture (for GCN) as soon as possible (hopefully starting with HD7900 series).

The extra shaders are certainly helping the 6950. The 6950 is about 15% faster, on average, than the 6870 with 11% reduction in shader clockspeeds. The overclocked 6870s provide about a 10% performance boost over reference, which helps it close the gap to the 6950, resulting in the shaders being clocked 20% higher (975 mhz vs. 800 mhz).

AMD would have been planning to switch to Graphics Core Next before they made the switch to VLIW4, especially if GCN shows up in the 7000 series.

 

[Imouto]

But ppl still read Tom's? Seriously?

I mean, there isn't a single HD 6950 with Factory OC like MSI 6950 Twin III and there is like 3-4 in NVIDIA's side.

Crappy review imo.

 

[iGas]

I wouldn't touch the factory OC variants with a 20 foot pole, especially not nVidia parts. They're often faulty from the factory at those clocks, and we found out last time it's because there's only a handful of games they're tested in before they're considered "compliant".

Perhaps the GTX 560 are differen.

But, my MSI GTX460 Hawk Talon Attack manufacture OC is 811mhz, and I managed to get it boot and run tests at 1011mhz.

It run fine at 950mhz but I have to crank the fan speed up, and absolutely normal at 900mhz.

 

[-Slacker-]

But ppl still read Tom's? Seriously?

I mean, there isn't a single HD 6950 with Factory OC like MSI 6950 Twin III and there is like 3-4 in NVIDIA's side.

Crappy review imo.

Well, truthfully, you can't really expect them to own every variant of every model of every video card for their tests. They don't get all those cards for free, so it's conceivable that's all they have/ can afford.

 

[Imouto]

And four OC cards from NVIDIA and none from ATI makes it a damn fair review.

Everyone knows that 6950 and 560 Ti are almost the same and maybe the first one getting a minimal fps advantage in a few benches. But hell no, lets put in the review 4 damn NVIDIA factory OCed cards to make green the top of every single bench.

When anyone links a Tom's review I just click on it, grin like Dexter and enjoy the biased fanboyishm and damn wrong methodology.

 

[RampantAndroid]

The reason I care has to be reasonable to you? I have to somehow convince you that my desires are valid?

Rather myopic of you.

But I'll play along. I like cool and quiet. Many people buy price/performance. I buy power/performance, up to my noise limit.

Gee, I seem to remember saying

If the cooler works and you have a decent PSU, who cares what it draws?

Plenty of cards draw a decent amount of power and still are silent. As for temperatures....if you're worried about the card running warm and it's within specs and below TJunction Max, again, who cares? It doesn't affect you very much, now does it? As long as it is within spec, the card will last and will function as expected.

At least no one is pulling the cost card...

And certainly, someone with a Hummer for their avatar I would have expected to be of the attitude wanting to just use as much power as possible

no kidding. that's freaking ridiculous to go from 200 watts to 300 watts for basically the same performance. I do not want all that extra heat and fan noise just for 2-3 fps.

As someone pointed out to me (thanks!) the 560 Hawk actually consumes 197W and still hangs at the top.

And four OC cards from NVIDIA and none from ATI makes it a damn fair review.

Not many 6950s that are OCed exist, it seems. And the ones that do, look to be over 300. Compared to some of the 560s, that seems to be a higher cost than they wanted to include. Oh, and there ARE OCed AMD cards in there. Just not 6950s.

 

[GaiaHunter]

As someone pointed out to me (thanks!) the 560 Hawk actually consumes 197W and still hangs at the top.

Which is interesting. One could say that it must have better components and that is why it is also one of the most expensive cards on that review, but then I checked other reviews of the Hawk.

In those reviews the Hawk doesn't seem to match the achievements of the tomshardware review hawk.

http://www.hardocp.com/article/2011/04/25/msi_n560gtxti_hawk_video_card_review/9

http://www.pcper.com/reviews/Graphi...-Review/Results-Metro-2033-BFBC2-Power-and-He

http://www.guru3d.com/article/msi-geforce-gtx-560-ti-hawk-review/7



And don't you love when people use PM as a medium of communication? It makes one happy.

 

[Phynaz]

Gee, I seem to remember saying



Plenty of cards draw a decent amount of power and still are silent. As for temperatures....if you're worried about the card running warm and it's within specs and below TJunction Max, again, who cares? It doesn't affect you very much, now does it? As long as it is within spec, the card will last and will function as expected.

I never said I was worried about the card running warm did I?

I said I like "cool and quiet". I don't give a flying fart about card temperature, and have never measured mine.

I care about *my* temperature.

Stop trying to make up arguments. Just accept that everyone doesn't have to be like you and move on.

 

[ZimZum]

I don't understand why they keep making these cards. There must be a demand or they would not exist. I agree though, I've seen several myself that failed at "stock" clocks, only way to make them stable was underclock them.

And four OC cards from NVIDIA and none from ATI makes it a damn fair review.

Thats why they exist, to look good in reviews. Most non-enthusiasts skim reviews or merely look at performance charts when comparing cards to make a purchase. They see the 560 Ti OC at the top of the graph. The vast majority of them wont know that there is a difference between standard and OC models. And thus the OC model has served its purpose. To shine in reviews and drive sales of non-OC parts due to "confusion" for lack of a better word. From a marketing standpoint its quite ingenious actually.

 

[SlowSpyder]

If the cooler works and you have a decent PSU, who cares what it draws?

Please, DO NOT say "it costs more to own it" - I don't feel like proving for the millionth time that an extra 100W costs you 4 coffees a year to run.

If the overclocked GTX560 costs as much as a 6950, gives you roughly the same performance, costs the same, has almost no overclocking heardroom due to the factory OC, and uses 100+ watts more...

It's not the cost of the power use, but it would appear the GTX560 is really pushed to it's limits here, it's a bit outside of it's comfort zone. I think what makes the GTX560 (and 460 before it) so appealing is that you can buy a cheap reference clocked model and have a ton of room to push it to where you'd like. Most everyone would put up with the extra heat and power use to save money compared to the 6950. But paying nearly the same price as a 6950 for a GTX560 to come from the factory with an overclock makes it a lot less appealing in my opinion.

 

[peonyu]

Thats why they exist, to look good in reviews. Most non-enthusiasts skim reviews or merely look at performance charts when comparing cards to make a purchase. They see the 560 Ti OC at the top of the graph. The vast majority of them wont know that there is a difference between standard and OC models. And thus the OC model has served its purpose. To shine in reviews and drive sales of non-OC parts due to "confusion" for lack of a better word. From a marketing standpoint its quite ingenious actually.

Exactly. The burden of presenting a fair picture falls on the website though, im sure the people at Tomshardware have the hardware available to easily cool and overclock a 6950 by the same % that the 560's are running at.

Ocing 1 6950 card by the same % would give a apples to apples comparison atleast and wouldn't give the false impression that the 560 dominates everything [in the eyes of people who dont realize those are overclocked cards atleast].

Just skimming the article its easy to believe that the AMD cards suck in comparison.

 

[Gigantopithecus]

Just skimming the article its easy to believe that the AMD cards suck in comparison.

Sure, if you're borderline retarded. "Ooh, the OC'd 560 Ti gets 5 more FPS than the 6950 - I will really be able to tell the difference between 100 FPS and 95 FPS!"