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ATI or NVIDIA? Which is Better?

Xientie

Xientie

Xientie

Associate
Joined
6 Sep 2009
Posts
22
My apologies for the blunt title and short thread. I had originally wrote a larger more grandiose and well thought out thread but upon submiting it I was presented with the "you are logged out" general message. I had thought that not ticking the remember me box would have at least given me a day before if forgets. So I took 30 minutes to make a reply and within a split second it was 30 minutes wasted. Clearly the admins of this forum do not like large posts, perhaps a warning a maybe a footnote could be added to the rules section future users.


I have used Nvidia all my life it was my first card and my last card. I have never knowingly used an Ati card. I am somewhat biased against them due to the fact that I have no experiance with it and it's features are unknown to me, while Nvidia is like an old friend I have known throughout my entire career of PC gaming.

The reason I want to know is that I am thinking of buying a top of the range graphics card and with the Ati being slightly more expensive than the latest nvidia model I am wonder wether or not it might be better. The supject is no longer a matter of loyalty and I am prepared to dive head first into the unknown waters of Ati if they offering a better service than Nvidia.

Which brings us to the topic title. Which is Better? If that question seems childish or posibly evn to tricky to give a one or the other answer. Then perhaps someone could fill me in on some of the major and minor differences between the two brands, possibly even a pros and cons list, anything that could make the choice easier would be great.
 
Hi there,

At the minute Nvidia have the fastest single Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) in the form of the GTX 480 card, this is a bit faster than the HD 5870 - AMD's current fastest single-GPU card.

However, AMD also produce the HD 5970 - which is a single card but with two 5870 type GPUs installed on it and linked, as you can see in the above review - this card is a fair but faster than both the GTX 480 and the HD 5870. Therefore AMD produce the fastest single graphics card.

If you plan on using three or more monitors then AMD is the one to go for due to its Eyefinity technology (imho much better than Nvidia's impleemntation). If you want to do some 3D PC gaming and/or use GPU-accelerated PhysX physics in supported games then Nvidia is the one to go for.

In terms of drivers personally I wouldn't favour either side (unless you need one of the features mentioned above) - they have both had their problems, but it should be mentioned that in terms of multi-GPU scaling Nvidia is a bit a head of ATI these days, but not by a massive amount.

One thing that I must mention though is that AMD are releasing a new generation of graphics cards next month and they are going to establish a new top-end. So if you want top end graphics and are not in a huge rush then please wait till these come out and review your options.
 
1) ati 5970 (dual gpu card and fastest on the planet)

2) nv gtx480 (Fastest single gpu)

3) ati 5870 (Fastest single ati gpu. Its around 15% slower than gtx480)

4) nv gtx470 (Fast card with nice price. Will beat a gtx480 if you overclock it.)

5) ati 5850 (Fast card. Will beat a 5870 with a good overclock.)

6) nv gtx460 1gb ( Probably the best bang for buck and will overclock to atleast over gtx470 speeds)

I will end the list there as you want a top performing gpu.

This list is how it goes in terms of speed and price number 1 being the fastest and also costs the most. If i were in the market atm though i would not buy as ati are about to release the 6 series of cards which should see them have the fastest card in every segment.

Your question which is better ati or nvidia can not really be answered as they both have there strong points.
 
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I've used both, GF2 MX -> Ti4200 -> 9600XT -> 1950XT -> 8800GTX and for what it's worth...both have given the odd driver issue...apart from that it seems to me it just depends on what's best at the moment - judge the hardware not the brand
 
Uh oh...I think you might be opening a giant can of worms with that thread title. :p

I don't really have a preference myself but it's worth noting that ATI will be releasing their 6000 series of gpus soon so it might be a good idea to wait and see how they compare then instead.
 
TheRealDeal said:
1) ati 5970 (dual gpu card and fastest on the planet)

2) nv gtx480 (Fastest single gpu}

3) ati 5870

4) nv gtx470

5) ati 5850



This list is how it goes in terms of speed and price number 1 being the fastest and also costs the most. If i were in the market atm though i would not buy as ati are about to release the 6 series of cards which should see them have the fastest card in every segment.

Your question which is better ati or nvidia can not really be answered as they both have there strong points.
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Fixed...
 
cmndr_andi said:
If you plan on using three or more monitors then AMD is the one to go for due to its Eyefinity technology (imho much better than Nvidia's impleemntation). If you want to do some 3D PC gaming and/or use GPU-accelerated PhysX physics in supported games then Nvidia is the one to go for.
Click to expand...

The only thing ATI has going for it multi-monitor wise is that you can connect more than 2 displays to one GPU - in every other regard I've found nVidia Surround is better polished, better features and the more mature technology.
 
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Which of the two cards do you think would better suit my current system?

Specifications
Antec 1200 Twelve Hundred Ultimate Gaming Case
Intel Core i7 975 Extreme Edition 3.33GHz
Coolermaster V8 Performance CPU Cooler
Gigabyte EX58-UD5 Intel X58 DDR3 Motherboard
Corsair Dominator 6GB PC3-12800C9 1600MHz DDR3
Gainward GeForce GTX 295 1792MB Single PCB (Broken)
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Elite Pro 7.1 Sound Card
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit Edition

I would use the card for maxed out enthusiast graphic settings for PC gaming and very little else (software wise), which card would you recommend?

Also. Would is the new Nvidia Card duel compatible like the 295? Can I have two in a single system?
 
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Xientie said:
Which of the two cards do you think would better suit my current system?

Specifications
Antec 1200 Twelve Hundred Ultimate Gaming Case
Intel Core i7 975 Extreme Edition 3.33GHz
Coolermaster V8 Performance CPU Cooler
Gigabyte EX58-UD5 Intel X58 DDR3 Motherboard
Corsair Dominator 6GB PC3-12800C9 1600MHz DDR3
Gainward GeForce GTX 295 1792MB Single PCB (Broken)
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Elite Pro 7.1 Sound Card
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit Edition

I would use the card for maxed out enthusiast graphic settings for PC gaming and very little else (software wise), which card would you recommend?

Also. Wood is the new Nvidia Card duel compatible like the 295? Can I have two in a single system?
Click to expand...

Fixed.

Seriously I wood wait about a month and get a 6970...
 
Ejizz said:
Seriously I wood wait about a month and get a 6970.
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I can't really wait a month Civilization 5 was just released, along with Deadrising 2, then there is DC Universe, Star Trek, Lost Planet 2, Hunted, Fallout New Vagas, Medal of Honor, Gothic 4 and I think you get the picture. October is a busy month for an Extreme Gaming Enthusiast to be without his (or her) PC. Right now I'm on a system thats over 5 years old, It's so slow that Internet browsing is akin to watching paint dry (16-18 seconds a page). There is also the large matter of my card's warranty with Overclockers.

Incidently what is the 6970, a small search of those 4 digits on Overclockers and Google reveals nothing. I am more game savy than tech savy, I apologise for my lack of common (techie) sense :(. Can someone explain what it is or redirect me a thread that is currently discussing it?
 
Xientie said:
Incidently what is the 6970
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As mentioned by me and some others in this thread, it's ATI's new series of graphics cards that will be released soon.

They will pressumably be better than the current 5000 series that ATI offers with the 6970 being their new top performing card.
 
Very interesting Nyoron, very interesting indeed. It is definitely some food for thought. Is there an actual release date for the card or is it just speculation at this point?
 
Xientie said:
I can't really wait a month Civilization 5 was just released, along with Deadrising 2, then there is DC Universe, Star Trek, Lost Planet 2, Hunted, Fallout New Vagas, Medal of Honor....snip
Click to expand...

In that case your options are:

A: ATi 5970 the fastest dual gpu card on the market and generally quite a bit quicker than your GTX 295 - comparison here

B: Nvidia GTX 480 the fastest single gpu card available and is roughly the same if not a little quicker than your 295 but without any of the issues of a dual gpu setup - comparison here

C: ATi 5870 which is on a par with your GTX 295 perhaps a little slower dependant on game - comparison here
 
Xientie said:
Very interesting Nyoron, very interesting indeed. It is definitely some food for thought. Is there an actual release date for the card or is it just speculation at this point?
Click to expand...

October the 18th has been slated for an ATi release of some sort, however nobody seems to really know whether this is going to be the new top end card (6970) or the 6870 which apparently is the mid range 5770 replacement :)
 
Ejizz said:
Seriously I would wait about a month and see what ATis new cards are like - check the prices, read the reviews etc, then get a 6970

It was still broken, all better now though...
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So you're recommending a product that nobody has any performance figures for yet? unless of course you can point me in the direction of the ***Official ATi 6970 benchmark thread*** as I've obviously missed it :p

That's some red tinted blind loyalty right there for you ;)
 
If you can't wait a month you will regret it, the games won't go anywhere and will be more fun with some anticipation :) Waiting for the 6XXXX ATi cards will either save you money or get you an even faster card.

As an aside it's worth keeping your eye on the financial state of the green team. They seem to be going through a sticky patch right now, will they come out the other side and will their products/service suffer in the meantime?
 
You can't wait? 480 it is then, you don't want all the hassle that can come with a dual GPU setup, the 480 will do all the games you mentioned and future titles for fun. And in general Nvidia's driver support for the latest games is better than ATI's from my experience, they just seem more polished. 90% of games that are released are under Nvidia's TWIMTBP program and so in theory they should run better on Nvidia hardware.
 
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