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ATI 6950 or GTX 570?

greedy123

greedy123

greedy123

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About time for a gc upgrade. Current card is an ATI 3870 with a replacement fan stuck to it, 30 months old now. I've always had ATI cards apart from 1 week when I bought a nVidea Evga 7900 to replace my last ATI card (x1950). It set itself on fire after a week though so I took it back and got another ATI lol (wasn't even overclocked or anything!) so as a result I'm a bit dubious about nVidea cards in my machine though I'm sure that was pure bad luck.

Anyway couple of questions:

I mainly use the computer for 2D/3D CAD (photoshop, cinema 4d, vectorworks) with very occasional gaming, is there much benefit from openGL 4.0 over what I currently have (not sure which version my current card supports)?
The clock speeds and RAM size are much higher on the ATI but the price is almost the same as the GTX, any reason why?
Recommendations between ATI 6950 or GTX 570?

Thanks
 
The 570 is same/slightly better performance wise than the 6970 from benchmarks/Games ive seen - so its going to be much better than the 6950.

It totally depends on what your willing to spend. The 6950 can be had for less than the 570.

The clock speeds and RAM size are much higher on the ATI but the price is almost the same as the GTX, any reason why?
Recommendations between ATI 6950 or GTX 570?
Click to expand...

These cards have very different architectures and so utilise resources in a completely different way.
 
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The 570 and 6970 are about the same, it just depends which games you like to play and what resolution you play at. At the higher resolution for 6970 is far better then the 570. But really you can not go wrong with either ;)

I bought the Sapphire 6970 Silver Edition yesterday, as I sometimes play FSX on my 46" TV. This was one of the reasons I went for the 6970 instead of the 570, but I have to admit it was a hard choice between them.

Plus it only cost me £287, OC are selling it for £339. Also seen a sapphire 6950 for £223, same one at OC's is £249.99, so may be worth looking round ;)
 
Thanks for the advice guys. I'm swaying to the GTX 570 at the moment as I read the GeForce cards are more recommended for CAD work over the ATI equivalents.

Is there any difference between different makes of the cards apart from warranty?


it just depends which games you like to play and what resolution you play at.
Click to expand...

Well I play at 1920x1200 res when I do play and the games I currently have are crysis, stalker and starcraft2.
 
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No theirs no difference between the current 570, they all have stock coolers and were made in the same factory. I've seen one or two with very small overclocks, though I'm sure their will be 570's comimg out with different coolers.

Like you said it's just the warranties that are different, just get the cheapest one or the brand you prefer. Also how long do you keep your card for? If it's 2 years or less do you need a 3 year warranty or more, that tend to make the cards cost more ;)
 
Excellent, thanks for that info. I really don't get why they sell the same cards made in the same place with different 'brands' if they are the same lol, seems very bizarre to me.

Based on my previous cards lifespan, I expect to keep this card for about 3 years so I'll get one with 3 year warranty I think given their tendency to break so the ASUS looks best for me I think...
 
greedy123 said:
Anyway couple of questions:

I mainly use the computer for 2D/3D CAD (photoshop, cinema 4d, vectorworks) with very occasional gaming, is there much benefit from openGL 4.0 over what I currently have (not sure which version my current card supports)?
The clock speeds and RAM size are much higher on the ATI but the price is almost the same as the GTX, any reason why?
Recommendations between ATI 6950 or GTX 570?

Thanks
Click to expand...

Although i work on both Firepro and Quadro machines, when it comes to gaming cards and tech im not clued up. The only sound advice i can offer is check your software’s website to see if a patch/drivers/update is available to run either or both brands.

From my experience doing heavy cad work with very complex drawings requiring lots of number crunching analysis Nvidea cuda seems the better more capable choice. However for doing artistic cad work with less focus on mathematical analysis and simulation ATI Firepro is the better choice and just as fast.

In the real world most people working on typical sized files or graphic design would struggle to tell the difference. As for games cards it seems more software use Cuda than ATI equivalent tech on that basis becomes a no brainer regardless of memory and clock speeds.

hope that helps
 
I really would have asked, first off, if you need one at all, as in high end card. What level of cad work do you do, are you doing such intensive stuff that you're waiting hours on end for something to finish rendering workwise, or well how important is it.

It strikes me that if you've been using a 3870 huge Cad performance isn't a huge priority, and likewise if gaming is only occasional, maybe something much cheaper would be the better option?

It completely depends on where you feel your card is too slow right now to be honest.

If its a case of Cad isn't gpu limited for you, and its gaming thats a tad to slow these days, something midrange might suit you very well, or something with EOL pricing.

A 470gtx, ok it uses more power, not that you'd realistically notice, you could probably save yourself £100 and get a 470gtx over a 570gtx and never actually notice the speed difference in the slightest.

Again if Cad isn't really that important and its mostly gaming, you could look at some of the silly priced 5850's/5870's going at the moment. For gaming the 5850 is just a ridiculously large upgrade from a 3870, and £125 I think at the moment with a basically silent cooler and the ability for a 40% overclock potentially(30% is easy). Performance wise in terms of value a oc'd 5850, a oc'd 470gtx, will both match a 570gtx, and aren't far behind at stock, both because they are on end of line pricing, are insanely good value.

Honestly right now I wouldn't recommend anything high end and new, 6950/6970/570gtx/580gtx performance/£ they are demolished by 470/5870/5850, because there are only a few of those cards left so they are on massive sale pricing.

If you're coping with a 3870, I really get the feeling you won't "need" a 570gtx's performance so theres a lot better value from the older parts which are only 10-15% slower.

Obviously if you do need the performance and its your work, and your waiting on stuff to finish in Cad, it can easily be worth the extra money, if not while the old cards are in stock you can be saving yourself £100-150 for essentially the same level of performance.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-066-GI&groupid=701&catid=56&subcat=1810

470gtx, not As good value, loads of these were going for £165 a couple months ago, at current pricing the extra £10 for a vastly superior cooler, overclock and lower noise is WELL worth it.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-103-MS&groupid=701&catid=56&subcat=411

5850, £125, great cooler, quiet, very VERY good card, overclocked it will easily beat a 470/570gtx, they overclock like crazy, mine is sitting here right now from 725mhz stock to 1050Mhz.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-147-XF&groupid=701&catid=56&subcat=1502

5870 £190 great card, but its only 10% faster clock for clock than the 5850, which is almost 35% cheaper and with a better cooler.
 
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