ATI Radeon HD 5970: The Undisputed Performance Champ

[Shayla]

The ATI Radeon HD 5970 slaughters the competition in pretty much every benchmark thrown at it. It's outrageously fast.

MaximumPC put the 5970 to the test, and found that it lives up to its promise. The 2GB dual-GPU card is the first to support DirectX 11, and basically doubles its wholly respectable predecessor (the 5870) in specs, capable of delivering nearly 5 teraflops of raw processing power. It's a massive card, about a foot long, designed mostly for heat dissipation, at which aim it apparently succeeds. It's also got easy access to overclocking via AMD's OverDrive, and can drive up to three displays simultaneously with a maximum resolution of 7680x1600. So it's pretty much the greatest thing ever, and it's got a pricetag to match: $600 upon its undisclosed release.

Full review on MaximumPC

Source : Gizmodo

[svnO.o]

Yep read the reviews. Is on par with 2 5850s in CF running at stock speeds in benchmarks (2 5850s on separate x16 lanes obviously give them advantages, despite the power discrepancy). In terms of actual hardware it's pretty much 2 5870s with 1 PCB and down clocked a bit to meet the 300W requirement for various system builders/OEMs and to yield better temps/lower overall power usage. It has some great overclocking potential too which is nice.

Wish I could afford one of these but I'd need a $2000+ system to make it worthwhile :(

[ReDFoX2200]

Nice review, but the only question what is Nvidia waitting for?

[McCordRm]

^^

Agreed. Where the hell is Nvidia in all this? ATI just keep cranking out the greatness.

[ReDFoX2200]

^^

Agreed. Where the hell is Nvidia in all this? ATI just keep cranking out the greatness.

What make things even worse all NVidia?s latest cards are not stable and having lots of issues? that is not all? they are discontinuing cards. My 9800GTX+ is driving me crazy it just keeps freezing all the time even with low graphics games like Quake live.

I?m wondering is it time to move to ATI?

[Richard Hammond]

Annoys me when they do benchmarks of these cards with a rig only a few % of people will ever be able to afford, why not pair it with a mid range config to see what sort of performance the average person will get.

[Blackhearted]

Annoys me when they do benchmarks of these cards with a rig only a few % of people will ever be able to afford, why not pair it with a mid range config to see what sort of performance the average person will get.

You honestly think someone who purchases a $600 dollar card will have a 'mid-range' system? I don't. People who can afford that much on a single part are the same people who have the absolute top of the line systems. People who can only afford 'mid-range' for everything else wont be buying this.

[Sethos]

You honestly think someone who purchases a $600 dollar card will have a 'mid-range' system? I don't. People who can afford that much on a single part are the same people who have the absolute top of the line systems. People who can only afford 'mid-range' for everything else wont be buying this.

Exactly.

[Raa]

What make things even worse all NVidia?s latest cards are not stable and having lots of issues? that is not all? they are discontinuing cards. My 9800GTX+ is driving me crazy it just keeps freezing all the time even with low graphics games like Quake live.

Errm. Whayouou have got trouble that's not really nVidia's fault is it? I've had nVidia cards for years and they've always been rock solid, same with all my mates and customers I sell/recommend them to.

I think you need to look at your own system before pointing the finger mate, no offense.

nVidia are shaping up their new card/s which should rock the joint... Looking forward to Christma:Dnow :D

[watchthisspace]

It's exiting times in the GPU world :D

[Richard Hammond]

You honestly think someone who purchases a $600 dollar card will have a 'mid-range' system? I don't. People who can afford that much on a single part are the same people who have the absolute top of the line systems. People who can only afford 'mid-range' for everything else wont be buying this.

I have a midrange Quad Core system are you telling me i cant afford a $600 card?

I dont need a Core i5 or i7 my Quad core runs everything i throw at it fine, my GTX260 however doesnt cut the mustard so much anymore, would be easier for me just to upgrade the GPU and still have good CPU performance.

[Cheshire Wolf]

You honestly think someone who purchases a $600 dollar card will have a 'mid-range' system? I don't. People who can afford that much on a single part are the same people who have the absolute top of the line systems. People who can only afford 'mid-range' for everything else wont be buying this.

I think its highly more likely that people who have mid range systems are upgrading one piece at a time. I've seen multiple threads lately where a mid to low range system is getting an "upgrade". So maybe people already have a mid range system and they want to put a $600 dollar card in it.

[Richard Hammond]

Exactly, its not like i cant afford it its just my Core 2 Quad has served me well and is still going strong, i dont see the i5/i7 as a worthwhile upgrade for myself at the moment, so the only other thing i can upgrade is the GPU.

[McCordRm]

That's pretty much the boat I'm in.

I think my CPU is just fine. My Nvidia 8800, however, could do with a replacement.

But a $600 replacement? Not likely. lol

[Felix_]

GPU is bottlenecked by how much information the CPU can throw at it.

nVidia are concentrating on Fermi and don't think directx 11 will be all that important...

[ReDFoX2200]

GPU is bottlenecked by how much information the CPU can throw at it.

nVidia are concentrating on Fermi and don't think directx 11 will be all that important...

No that is not really true

check

http://www.insidehw.com/Reviews/CPU/Gaming...ore-2-Quad.html

it only might be true if you are comparing a P4 or a Core 2 Due.

Edit : even a better article

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/cpu-gp...grade,1928.html

[FloatingFatMan]

Edit : even a better article

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/cpu-gp...grade,1928.html

LOL! You're seriously quoting an article on Tom's as BETTER!? :rofl:

[Felix_]

However, games are not 100% dependent on the graphics card; the Geforce 8 and 9 require a basic level of power, otherwise they are unable to exploit their 3D potential. The speed of the CPU should lie somewhere between 2600 and 3000 MHz; any lower, and the new graphics chips lose considerable performance.

Quote taken from the conclusion page of the second article referenced.

Basically sums it up really. The more powerful your GPU is, the more it will require of the other components in your system. I don't want to go too far into this as it'll take the discussion off topic.

[ozgeek]

What make things even worse all NVidia?s latest cards are not stable and having lots of issues? that is not all? they are discontinuing cards. My 9800GTX+ is driving me crazy it just keeps freezing all the time even with low graphics games like Quake live.

I?m wondering is it time to move to ATI?

I have had excat opposite. My 7600GS card still works fine, but my GTX260 was found to be faulty at first install. RMA'ed that for free.

Isn't ATI owned by AMD now anyhow?

[Yusuf M. Veteran]

I so wish I had dual-HD 5970s right now. :(

[svnO.o]

I so wish I had dual-HD 5970s right now. :(

Dual 5970s would be a waste unless you got a $2000+ custom built PC (obviously OC'd) with 3 30" monitors xD

[Vice]

It's a nice card. Would run nicely in my system, but I'm still waiting to see what NVIDIA do. Even if I do end up getting one of the new ATi cards computer hardware has shown me time and time again to wait to see what everyone releases.

Least we forget the QX6700 was released by Intel at $1200, then a mere 5 months later a 266MHz slower version the Q6600 was released for about $300. And of course the GTX260 192 Cores -> GTX260 216 Cores after only 3 months on the market.

Basically, anyone considering this card now should wait just to see what NVIDIA do as if their cards are faster ATi will either release a faster card themselves or lower the price of their current range, either way the consumer wins.