Current GPUs • Non-Gaming • PC Hardware • Eurogamer.net

Armoured_Bear 11 Oct 2012 06:49:23 31,233 posts
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What are the current Pros and Cons of the current AMD and NVidia cards?

I understood that NVidia cards provided PhysX and 3D as well as a lowed TDP on comparable cards, however some cards such as the 660Ti struggle with MSAA due to the limited memory bandwidth.

I was all set on getting a 660Ti until I found out about the limited memory bandwidth so maybe it would be worth getting a 670 or consider a 7870 or higher AMD card but I'd like the option of PhysX and 3D and I want the card to be as quiet as possible.

Can anyone provide real insight into the advantages of current cards in real life (especially at 1080p)?

THFourteen 11 Oct 2012 06:56:27 54,987 posts
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No but just pick your budget and pick one of these

http://m.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107.html

Armoured_Bear 11 Oct 2012 06:57:59 31,233 posts
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THFourteen wrote:
No but just pick your budget and pick one of these

http://m.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-card-review,3107.html

Cheers but the link is screwed.

THFourteen 11 Oct 2012 07:00:34 54,987 posts
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how about this

Fake_Blood 11 Oct 2012 07:19:02 11,093 posts
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Come on ecosse, we all know you won't be satisfied until you've got a 680 or 690 in there

Armoured_Bear 11 Oct 2012 09:19:03 31,233 posts
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I'm definitely keen on the ASus cards due to the quiet cooling, I hoped to keep the GPU down a bit, the 670 is CHF100 more than the 660Ti but may be the most sensible option after all.
I

Armoured_Bear 11 Oct 2012 09:22:15 31,233 posts
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Fake_Blood wrote:
Come on ecosse, we all know you won't be satisfied until you've got a 680 or 690 in there

Don't provoke me! :-)

That would be overkill at 1080p and too expensive!

THFourteen 11 Oct 2012 09:37:36 54,987 posts
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i'm hoping to do a new PC when the new intel CPUs come out. Probably my last one for a while.

Thinking i might switch to Nvidia due to the effeciency offered by the kepler architecture, especially as my PC is always-on.

Armoured_Bear 11 Oct 2012 10:20:31 31,233 posts
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@Ilovechips Thanks iLovechips.

I want a price drop on the 670 stat!

Deleted user 11 October 2012 11:28:13

@Armoured_Bear

The issues surprisingly haven't really changed even with the advent of OpenCL on AMD cards making them lean more towards superscaler design, or the complace of overclocking.

AMD GPUs typically get small performance wins when the cards are new, as the underlying micro architecture design strategy can gain good extra mileage in engine render cutscenes(see GPU faceoffs and console faceoffs) or when things aren't optimised for Nvidia cards will fully dynamic workloads(much like CISC).

But then because of the AMD micro-architecture the difference between cards makes it more costly for AMD to offer drivers across the full product range, resulting in cards like HD 4800 becoming legacy cards much sooner than even much older Nvidia cards. Nvidia's super scalar designing principle makes it easier and cheaper to provide scalable backwards compatibility driver support, as the foundations of each card design is more like RISC.

Price wise AMD tend to win. So if you want cheaper now, with shorter driver support (life expectancy) and more aggressive overclocking then AMD is probably your choice. If workhorse, compatibility, longevity and reliability at premium price is more to your liking then Nvidia is probably for you.

Tricky 11 Oct 2012 16:42:57 5,088 posts
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Too often you'll get screwed over by a particular game if you have an AMD card in my experience - something all the bang for buck comparisons tend to forget. If you want (usually) the most trouble-free compatibility experience across all games then Nvidia's the way to go.

/remembers the release of Rage
/shudders*

*and not because of the game, before the comedians start

Armoured_Bear 11 Oct 2012 18:03:42 31,233 posts
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rodpad wrote:
Yeah, I don't think he cares for any of that mate.

All he needs to know is performance, noise and cost.

Pretty much yeah..

Deleted user 11 October 2012 19:29:54

Armoured_Bear wrote:

rodpad wrote:
Yeah, I don't think he cares for any of that mate.

All he needs to know is performance, noise and cost.
Pretty much yeah..

Also, pick out the games you're likely to play and see which do better on AMD or nVidia. Many games in the nVidia TWIMTBP programme (or whatever the correct abbreviation is) will always perform worse on AMD.

Mind you, if you're going to go for something like a 670 or equivalent outputting to a TV screen (is this for your HTPC?), I'm pretty sure you'll notice bugger-all difference between either manufacturer.

Armoured_Bear 11 Oct 2012 20:37:33 31,233 posts
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Bremenacht wrote:

Armoured_Bear wrote:

rodpad wrote:
Yeah, I don't think he cares for any of that mate.

All he needs to know is performance, noise and cost.
Pretty much yeah..
Also, pick out the games you're likely to play and see which do better on AMD or nVidia. Many games in the nVidia TWIMTBP programme (or whatever the correct abbreviation is) will always perform worse on AMD.

Mind you, if you're going to go for something like a 670 or equivalent outputting to a TV screen (is this for your HTPC?), I'm pretty sure you'll notice bugger-all difference between either manufacturer.

Yep, it's for the HTPC, 670 seems to make the most sense, cheers.

quadfather 11 Oct 2012 20:55:42 39,069 posts
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Hijacking slightly, but I've just gone for the 660 ti. The evga version.

Reading this thread, do you think I'll need more fans to keep the base unit cool? I've only got 2 chassis fans and the previous comment about the bad design of this card and if there's one thing that I am in the world, its paranoia about things overheating!

Deleted user 11 October 2012 21:13:29

Armoured_Bear wrote:
Yep, it's for the HTPC, 670 seems to make the most sense, cheers.

If it's for the HTPC then it doesn't make so much sense - I think it's over the top. I'm pretty sure less powerful cards will provide a maximum 1080p TV experience for less money, heat and noise.

I'm assuming you're connecting to a 1080p TV of course, and nothing fancier.

Checkout that THG link posted above.

Armoured_Bear 11 Oct 2012 21:18:21 31,233 posts
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Bremenacht wrote:

Armoured_Bear wrote:
Yep, it's for the HTPC, 670 seems to make the most sense, cheers.
If it's for the HTPC then it doesn't make so much sense - I think it's over the top. I'm pretty sure less powerful cards will provide a maximum 1080p TV experience for less money, heat and noise.

I'm assuming you're connecting to a 1080p TV of course, and nothing fancier.

Checkout that THG link posted above.

It is just a 1080p telly, maybe the 660Ti will be enough but the 670 seems almost as quiet and will allow more flexibility in the future..

Armoured_Bear 11 Oct 2012 21:19:33 31,233 posts
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Ilovechips wrote:
@Armoured_Bear

Make sure you have the space, the ASUS is a big bugger, felt like doing a fisherman's pose it's like a nice fat carp in the hands. The power comes in top too so you will need some headroom.

Thanks for that mate, I'll check the dimensions again.

quadfather 11 Oct 2012 21:39:35 39,069 posts
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@Ilovechips - right, with you. Thanks.

To be honest its been a bit of a lottery upgrading. I haven't really paid attention to pc hardware since my last upgrade (2009). Gone for a z77 mobo for futureproofing and an i3 for the meantime. New monitor (24" ) and that's why I went for the ti-my current card is a 4870. Think it'll all work ok?
Forgot, got an ssd too. I'm hoping I've got the basics right but its bloody confusing when you've been out the loop for a while

Edited by quadfather at 21:40:14 11-10-2012

quadfather 11 Oct 2012 23:09:37 39,069 posts
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@Ilovechips - makes sense to me. That's the kind of thing I'd research more, had I the time etc.

I got the 660 ti for �197 in the end. I'm on a fairly strict budget (which I've gone over now, but can't be helped) but with the extra monitor and cpu, I think it would have been a bit daft to not get a recent gpu.

I'm not totally blind to whats going on, and I know the ti is a cut down model, but I'm not too fussed on overclocking - i just want it to be fairly up to date so I can play the majority of things without experiencing the annoying drag factor.

The 670 for me was at least 70 quid extra from what I found, and again, because of budget, I plumped for the ti. The main thing is that I've hopefully got a fairly future proofed mobo, so I can at least get an upgraded 1155 cpu at some point, and hopefully, the ti will see me ok for a while

never works like this though, does it

Edit - I'm also glad to be going back to nvidia. The 4870 is great, but I just prefer nvidia cards. No evidence to back it up, other than all my previous cards have been nvidia and the only issues I've ever had with gpu's has been with the 4870, driver and tweaking wise. Again, nothing major, but I'm looking forward to going back

Edited by quadfather at 23:12:32 11-10-2012