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Ati or overpriced nVidia for modelling

atocp

atocp

atocp

Associate
Joined
16 Dec 2007
Posts
76
Hello all once again,

I was wondering if anyone had any advice for the choice of three graphics cards. I was reading through the specs as usual, and something didn't really add up.
My main aim for getting a new computer is to do 3D modelling, rendering, engineering models and computations. But I am still going to play the occasional game, ie BF3.

I was looking at 3 cards (see below) and as I was going through the specs (and looking at the prices) I started to notice something.
Nvidia have CUDA, which is supposedly an advantage for the main reason I want the cards, modelling, but the GTX570 is 20 quid dearer than an ATI 6950? And the best nVidia card that is close to the price of the ATI is a 560 Ti?

My question is this: Are the nVidia cards really that good, that even the lower numbered (and therefore older) cards are more than a match of the ATI? Or are nVidia cards just overpriced for what they offer? The ATI beat out the other two in pretty much all the specs on comparison. For this level of card, is CUDA really going to do that much more if i use CUDA enabled software?




Many thanks for any help on this issue, as its not just the usual run of the mill which graphics card question.

Ta Muchly,
atocp
 
560Ti is newer than both the 6950 and 570. For Nvidia it's the first digit that denotes the generation, the second digit shows you which class it's in. Also don't look at the specs of the cards, they both are on completely different architectures, so speed means nothing when comparing the two companies.

6950 vs 570: http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/293?vs=306

6950 vs 560Ti: http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/293?vs=330

In terms of gaming performance the 560Ti and 6950 trade blows in different games, so overall they perform pretty similiar. The 570 outperforms both of them, in terms of performance the 6970 is roughly on par with it.

Hence for your work if you don't want to spend that much then go for the 560Ti. You will still get great gaming performance and have CUDA for your 3D modelling work.
 
I humbly bow down to the fast response and information. Thank you.

Can I ask, if I was to then get the ATI 6950 instead, and overclock it to 6970 speeds as some suggest, would that be more advantageous that going for the 560 Ti, as I'd be running on par with the GTX570 but for 6950 prices?

Many thanks again for the quick reply,
atocp
 
You could, but bare in mind you won't get the CUDA support for your work. I would suggest an Nvidia card for the sake of it as it will help with the rendering times.

However, there are some software which uses OpenCL, an open source alternative to CUDA which can run on the 6950. But this depends on the software you use and if it supports OpenCL. I would still get an Nvidia card as it supports both CUDA and OpenCL, so you can get the best of both worlds for your 3D work.
 
Thank you again.
I think im going to find the extra 20 quid to get the 570 Asus. I really want one that is very quiet as well, and the reviews seem to suggest as much. Plus I don't expect to SLI it, so the 3 deep design doesn't matter.

Thanks for clearing things up for me. Im no longer going to trust the specifications that are given in order to compare the graphics cards.

Many thanks for quick and informative responses,
atocp
 
atocp said:
I humbly bow down to the fast response and information. Thank you.

Can I ask, if I was to then get the ATI 6950 instead, and overclock it to 6970 speeds as some suggest, would that be more advantageous that going for the 560 Ti, as I'd be running on par with the GTX570 but for 6950 prices?
Click to expand...
The thing is...you can overclock the GTX560Ti 2GB to same level as well, so the 6950 2GB don't really have advantage in this area.

One the other hand if you get the GTX570, you would be able to overclock to a stock GTX580 speed :P
 
Hi there,

The advantage came from the reduced cost. I could buy a cheaper card and get the more expensive card's results. But in the end I have added the Asus 570 to my basket. As for when Im actually going to get round to buying it, i'll have to double check with George Osborne on that one.

Thanks,
atocp
 
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