When was AMD / ATI last performance leader for singel GPU?

[Innokentij]

From top of my head im thinking 9700? If you know better list them cards boyz so i can do proper research after.

 

[Qwertilot]

The 290x got awfully close on release. (~= to the extant Titan.). The 780ti dropped as a response but it had a little bit of time.

Considerably downhill since then of course.

 

[Konan]

2010 - ATI 5970 (nov 2009) Vs GTX 480 (march 2010)
About 18-20% better and both were the high end at the time.

 

[tential]

The 290x got awfully close on release. (~= to the extant Titan.). The 780ti dropped as a response but it had a little bit of time.

Considerably downhill since then of course.

I think the 290x was "trading blows".

RussianSensation is greatly missed for his analysis of what GPU to get. He's been spot on.

 

[96Firebird]

2010 - ATI 5970 (nov 2009) Vs GTX 480 (march 2010)
About 18-20% better and both were the high end at the time.

OP says single GPU...

But the 290X was slightly faster than the original Titan at higher resolutions, so that is my answer.

 

[MangoX]

Could it have been the 5870?

 

[boxleitnerb]

Depends on your point of view. Nvidia and AMD rarely had synchronized releases the past 5+ years.

• Go by "generational top tier" or look at the whole timeframe including lower tiers? Example:
  POV 1:
  - 7970 < 680
  - 680 < 7970 GHz
  - 7970 GHz < Titan
  - Titan <= (?) 290X
  - 290X < Titan Black
  
  POV 2:
  Only top tier per generation is valid:
  290X < Titan Black
• Only take into account performance at the time of the comparison or include "Fine Wine Technology (tm)"? How often do top tier buyers change GPUs? The more often they do, the less relevant is longevity.
• How should a late response from the competition be factored in? If a product runs unopposed for a certain amount of time, but is slightly overtaken after 6-9 months, how should that be regarded? It leads, but for how long?
• What API - the newest one at the point of release or the most common one? How is relevancy factored in?
• Only AAA games or small productions with often diverging results, too? That's a matter of optimization and resources by the driver team.
• What resolution? Some play at 4K@30-60fps, some at 1440p@120+ fps - depends on the game and genre and personal preference.
• Only reference or AIB factory OCed? I don't think customer OC should be a valid point since many people seem to think they achieve a certain OC level but then in some game they don't have it may be unstable nonetheless. Too many variables...
• As for price points - leader would imply the fastest available, so lower tiers or price/perf and perf/W seem irrelevant in that context

I think one can argue in all kind of directions here depending on brand preference. Thus the question cannot be answered easily.

Personally, I would say that Nvidia never lost the single GPU crown since 2006. That is my own interpretation including all the above factors. But someone else might see that differently, of course.

 

[mohit9206]

Well AMD was the leader for highest single gpu perf not requiring pcie cable with HD7750 from 2012-2014 until Nvidia came out with 750Ti and now with 1050Ti,AMD cannot ever hope to match that.

 

[naukkis]

What is available at time matters, not generations. 7970 was the fastest gpu for couple of months at early 2012.

 

[Creig]

Personally, I would say that Nvidia never lost the single GPU crown since 2006. That is my own interpretation including all the above factors. But someone else might see that differently, of course.

Someone else like.... AnandTech video card reviews perhaps?

2009 - AnandTech HD 5870 Review - "Let’s be clear here: the 5870 is the single fastest single-GPU card we have tested, by a wide margin."

2012 - AnandTech HD 7970 GHz Edition Review - "The Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition isn’t quite fast enough to outright win, but it is unquestionably fast enough to tie the GeForce GTX 680 as the fastest single-GPU video card in the world today."

2013 - AnandTech HD 290X Review - "at 2560x1440 – what I expect will be the most common resolution used with such a card for the time being – AMD is essentially tied with GTX Titan, delivering an average of 99% of the performance of NVIDIA’s prosumer-level flagship. Against NVIDIA’s cheaper and more gaming oriented GTX 780 that becomes an outright lead, with the 290X leading by an average of 9% and never falling behind the GTX 780."

 

[Centauri]

From top of my head im thinking 9700?

ATI owned most of the 2000s.

 

[Cookie Monster]

From the top of my head, the last time they had a clear winner was with the HD5870 and HD5970. The former was a fantastic card with great all round performance and power efficiency.

The flagships that really stick out are:
R300 - 9700PRO
Cypress - HD5870

A special mention to the HD4870/4890. Maybe the R580?

Other than this, Hawaii/Tahiti etc doesn't seem so clear cut. R520 wasn't that great, R600 was a disaster and the RV770 was somewhat average. On top of this, the nVIDIA parts were pretty damn competitive (NV40, G7x, G8x, G9x, GF1x0, GM2x0 etc).

 

[MangoX]

Yeah I felt the 5870 was a winner too. I had a GTX295 and then upgraded to the 5870 for single gpu. The GTX480 was fast but had heat issues so the 5870 wins that round. The 9700 Pro was sick too. I bought a 9500 Pro instead and BIOS unlocked it. It was bliss.

 

[tamz_msc]

Speaking of the last 10 years - RV770(HD 4870, HD 4850), special mention to the HD 4890, and Cypress(HD 5870/5850) - these were the best times for AMD/ATi GPU's when you look at the overall picture. Maybe missing out on outright performance by a hair(HD 4890), and winning it with the HD 5870, but on every other metric - price, die size, power consumption - they were the clear winner.