Graphics nVidia or ATi? Pros/Cons for/against ATI please!

Having been an NVIDIA fan for many years and the cards I've alway's used being NVIDIA cards I'm tempted to sway to the other side and actually give an ATI card a look in as I've never used one and I just feel tempted to see if they're any good.

So all you ATI users out there, what pros/cons do you have to tell me about ATI cards that might sway me into buying an ATI card for a change?

I've no specific reason for wanting an ATI card other than I'd like to possibly try one to see what they're like compared to NVIDIA cards (which I know like the back of my hand) lol.

 

Its more about what card best suits your needs & budget at the time of asking.

Some nvidia cards are better at one thing at a certain price point than ATIs, but some ATI cards beat the Nvidias are certain things in a particular price range.

Questions is, what do you want it for? what monitor resolution do you have? and what is your budget?

 

I just want it to play games, web browsing that sort of thing, just the same stuff I use my NVIDIA card for, my monitor's max resolution is 1680x1050, budget isn't really an issue but obviously I wouldn't want to go mental on my first ATI purchase lol.

 

I'd like to hear what you have to say when you do get a new ATI/AMD card. What are the drivers like, is it truly quiet, is image quality the same etc.

Oh, and I'd probably go for a 6870 right about now.

 

+ 3 screens (6 with the HD6-series)

Other than that it's pretty much business as usual.

HD6850 seems to clock very nicely, so maybe it would be a good choice?

 

Some quick pro's and cons off the top of my head.

Pros:

• Usually cheaper
• Lower power consumption
• Better support for gaming with multiple screens
• Generally more potential for overclocking

Cons:

• Doesn't have the PhysX
• Inferior for 3D gaming
• Tends to have buggy drivers compared to Nvidia

Also, if you can, I would wait for the upcoming Radeon HD 6890s that will be the replacement for the Radeon HD 5870s. As for manufacturers, Sapphire should be your first and last stop for ATI cards.

 

Well I'm currently looking at possibly getting a Sapphire 5970 from someone in the Marketplace forum but if someone else comes through and buys it before I've got the money then I'll have to look elsewhere, because it's a really GREAT price for that card!!

 

I've never actually had an ATi card, but from what I know from keeping up with tech and discussions is this:

ATi cards of recent tend to run slightly cooler than nVidia designs, and require less power. They do of course tend to be slightly less powerful as well - but in real world gaming, the difference is not noticeable.

Meanwhile, ATi cards are quite horrible at GPGPU applications. Folding@Home for example - even the high end cards are quite rubbish and are beat by rather old nVidia designs.

They also do not scale as well in Crossfire as nVidias GPU's do in SLI

PRO's
-Use less power
-Run cooler

CON's
-Slightly less powerful
-Rubbish at GPGPU applications
-Don't scale as well in Crossfire

 

From what I've read (I'm looking at getting a new vid card now as well) the 5970 is just 2 5870s slapped onto the same PCB and underclocked to keep heat down. So you lose some overclocking potential, and are better off going with 2 5870s in crossfire. but if you can get a good deal on one, then go for it! you might have to do some overclocking though to boost your core clock.

 

1 thing I'm quite certain of is that the 3D Gaming performance of a 5970 would be a heck of a lot better than a GTX 275 , as for crossfire and all that stuff I don't use SLI and highly doubt I'd use Crossfire as I don't game that much, just every so often.

I also don't think I'd worry too much about ATI cards being rubbish at GPGPU applications either because I don't know what one of those is lol.

 

"Cons:
Doesn't have the PhysX
Inferior for 3D gaming
Tends to have buggy drivers compared to Nvidia"

-Both companies have their share of driver issues. Most hardware manufactuers do. The "ATI have crap drivers complaint" dates from their 2xxx? series. While true then they've improved since and it was nVidia's that were causing cards to cook themselves back in Jan!

-If you have any games that are physX heavy then there are work arounds available on the net for when the main card is an ATI(AMD) card. Your 275 would make a great physX slave!

-As for 3D gaming ...are you about to invest in a 120hz monitor and 3D glasses package costing upwards of £450? If not then you not gonna get a 3D gaming system worth the name by 'just' getting yourself the latest GTX!

If you've got £250-£350 to splash on a gpu then wait for the reviews of AMD's new 6950 and 6970(master-spanker of the gtx580?) ... and be fully informed in your choice

 

@Lord-Vale3 "They also do not scale as well in Crossfire as nVidias GPU's do in SLI" ...a challenge for you...

Go find me a review that DOESN'T show a pair of 6850's in crossfire spanking a 580, in Crysis

..please!

 

Don't get me wrong, I would take an ATI over NVIDIA any day now.. .I was just trying to provide a "balanced" view

3D gaming is rubbish too.

 

Never mind the 6850, you can get a pair of 6870s for less than a single 580. Still, the argument made was that SLI scales better than crossfire, so it should really be a 2x6850 vs 2x460 or even 2x6870 vs 2x 470 comparison, not a comparison of single vs multiple GPUs.

 

Slightly confused as to how thats relevant, think he was comparing SLi scaling versus crossfire scaling and all you have stated is that a 6850 crossfire setup will spank a single 580? That's not comparing SLi scaling to crossfire.

P.S. I have no preference.

 

I'm coming at from price/performance. A pair of 6850's at £140 each v the cheapest 580 at £399 (both Scan and inc VAT).

 

price/performance it still isn't relevant to scaling!

 

http://www.hexus.net/content/item.php?item=27167

Please stop talking crap. Linked article clearly demonstrates how 6850 scaling is superior to 460 scaling.

 

Hmm I'm talking crap am I, how pleasant, if you look back at my comments I was refering to finger bobs reference to 6850 crossfire being better than a single 580 when earlier comments were about SLi vs Crossfire.

Your arguement makes sense his doesn't

I made no comment regarding SLI scaling better than crossfire, did I?

 

He never said it wasn't.