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ATI 6870 performance - does this seem right?

Secret_Window

Secret_Window

Secret_Window

Soldato
Joined
10 Aug 2006
Posts
5,207
Running HL2 source based games, with my ATI 6870 I'm not sure if my performance is normal or something weird is going on. I'm using Catalyst 11.3.

In Left 4 Dead 2, using 4xMSAA and 8xAA, with everything else on high and vsync disabled, I get fps from anywhere from 200 down to 90. In TF2 with pretty much the same settings I get the same fluctuations, and the same in CSS as well although fps is slightly higher. Other games are more consistent, and I am not getting the fluctuations anywhere near as much. It's like in the HL2 source engine games, the fps is never stable and I see the numbers go up and down much more.

What I'm also finding odd is that when I briefly had my 8800 GTX in this system, the fps were more stable although slightly lower for HL2 source engine games - it was more stable and didn't dip as much. And, what I am puzzled by, is shouldn't the ATI 6870 be much, much better?

Maybe I am expecting too much, after using 8800 GTX for so long, but I just feel like the 6870 is lacking and whether it's simply just the way the card performs or there is another issue such as a driver or hardware one, remains to be determined.

Thoughts?
 
Can't link to the source as it may be a competitor to OCUK, but a review @ 1920x1080 8xAA 16xAF had Max 169fps, Min 97fps and Ave 129fps.
 
Source based games aren't really a good indicator as the performance level of your hardware due to the age technology, if your getting 90 to 200 FPS then frankly the numbers lose all meaning.

I suggest you try running the latest version Haven and compare your score to what others are getting and that will tell if your 6870 is performing to its best.
 
Googling seems to suggest this is about what everybody else gets.

Try it on Black Ops. If it spits and stutters and crashes, it's working fine ;)
 
auraindigo said:
Can't link to the source as it may be a competitor to OCUK, but a review @ 1920x1080 8xAA 16xAF had Max 169fps, Min 97fps and Ave 129fps.
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Well, I haven't tried 16xAF only 8xAF at the moment, but I'd imagine the fps would be even lower at 16xAF. So, I'm really not sure if this performance is about right or not.

The thing that bothers me so much is how it dips so often and never stays consistent. It will be anywhere from 160-230 and then it will dip to 90 and back up. Using my 8800 GTX it would dip but by only about 20fps the off the maximum fps. The 6870 gets a much higher maximum fps, but doesn't stay there for very long.

Edit: I'll try the Haven benchmark like you suggest and see how that does. I don't have Black Ops to try, but is there anything else I can do to test the performance of my card?
 
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Thing is mate, your max fps is so much higher than with your old card, that's why there is so much fps variance. You'll dip right down when there is a lot of rendering to be done at that moment.

Black Ops was a joke btw ;)

Corsair HX450
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Cutting it very fine here m8?
 
auraindigo said:
Thing is mate, your max fps is so much higher than with your old card, that's why there is so much fps variance. You'll dip right down when there is a lot of rendering to be done at that moment.

Black Ops was a joke btw ;)

Cutting it very fine here m8?
Click to expand...

No not really. It's modular, it's a well known brand, sandy bridge uses very little power, the 6870 also is very power efficient. I have done my homework on all this before I committed. I even came here for advice on the PSU with the 6870, and was shown a lot of graphs showing it's total power wattage to be low, even overclocked and alongside a much more power hungry older i7 system.

Having checked my performance some more, it seems to be just 'me' and nothing wrong with it at all. I guess the 6870 doesn't feel as big of a jump as I was expecting. When I got the Nvidia 8800 GTS and GTX cards they were quite a big leap from my X1900XT at the time, and were significantly faster and better in nearly all games. I just don't really feel the same with the 6870, although the numbers say it should. I may have to opt for something more powerful in the future or add another for CF (as well as a new PSU) to satisfy the leap I was hoping for but until then I should be grateful for what I've got.:o
 
Yeah, it is a top branded PSU, that's for sure :)

I've mentioned here before, I wasn't absolutely blown away with the 6870 but it was an upgrade from a 1gig 4870 so I wasn't expecting miracles. I only really bought it because I was building a second rig, it was still cutting the mustard, at least in the games I was playing anyway. The 4870 was an upgrade from an 8600GT so the difference was astonishing as you can imagine. Both 8800GTS and 4870 were top end cards of their era, maybe it's just this. 6990 and GTX590 owners might be saying exactly the same thing in 3 years time when they upgrade to the latest behemoth! :D

Having said all this, if I was getting 90fps with high settings on any game now or in the future, no way would I upgrade. Maybe if I was in the market for a 120hz screen, sure but this will server my purpose just fine :)
 
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