Despite the flood of graphics card launches we reported in last month's update, two more models were introduced on April 19th: the Radeon HD 6570 and 6670. Both of these cards use the new Turks GPU equipped with 480 ALUs, 24 texture units, and eight ROPs. You may notice that this is a slight upgrade compared to AMD's Radeon HD 5570/5670's 400 ALU, 20 texture unit, and eight ROP configuration. And, and since the new cards run at similar clock rates, game performance is only marginally improved over the older products.
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| AMD Radeon 6990 |
There are two other new products that you might see at retail: The Radeon HD 6750 and 6770. Unfortunately, these aren't new at all. They're simply re-branded Radeon HD 5750 and 5770 cards. That's not to say they're bad buys at the right price, but it's important to note that they do not offer Radeon HD 6000-series features like UVD3 or the ability to accelerate Blu-ray 3D playback over HDMI. Re-badging a product for marketing purposes is something we're never happy to see because of the confusion it can create, so hopefully this is a one-off slip-up, and not the start of a trend at AMD.
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| Powercolor HD 6850 Silent |
Aside from this there's not a lot to report except slight price increases across the field. Many products have gone up by five dollars or so over the past month. Check our specific recommendations to learn more!
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| EVGA GTX 580 |
Chris Angelini On High-End Cards
I have, for a while now, thought about taking retrospective looks at graphics card launches with the intention of keeping AMD and Nvidia more honest. Ahead of a big debut, both companies will scramble to slice their prices or devise new overclocked SKUs that better position one against the other.There's all of this frenzied jockeying, and then nothing. Nobody follows up to make sure those aggressive tactics were really in the best interest of you, the gamer.
Well, the Radeon HD 6990 and GeForce GTX 590 launches were particularly heated (in more ways than one). So I thought I'd circle back to see how the two competitors are faring with regard to pricing and availability. Almost not surprisingly, there isn't a single GeForce GTX 590 for sale, though you can get in line for one if you're alright spending $750 on it. Radeon HD 6990s are a little more plentiful, which again, is hardly a surprise to me given how much noise they generate under load. But you won't find them for AMD's $700 launch price; expect to pay $730 or more.*
Given the current state of high-end graphics, I stick by the conclusions I made in both dual-GPU reviews: buy a pair of GeForce GTX 570s or two Radeon HD 6950s if you want a performance-oriented graphics subsystem. You'll get similar frame rates, you'll manage your thermals more effectively, and you'll save a boatload of money.
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| EVGA GTX 590 Hydro Copper II |
Some Notes About Our Recommendations
A few simple guidelines to keep in mind when reading this list:- This list is for gamers who want to get the most for their money. If you don’t play games, then the cards on this list are more expensive than what you really need. We've added a reference page at the end of the column covering integrated graphics processors, which is likely more apropos.
- The criteria to get on this list are strictly price/performance. We acknowledge that recommendations for multiple video cards, such as two Radeon cards in CrossFire mode or two GeForce cards in SLI, typically require a motherboard that supports CrossFire or SLI and a chassis with more space to install multiple graphics cards. They also require a beefier power supply compared to what a single card needs, and will almost certainly produce more heat than a single card. Keep these factors in mind when making your purchasing decision. In most cases, if we have recommended a multiple-card solution, we try to recommend a single-card honourable mention at a comparable price point for those who find multi-card setups undesirable.
- Prices and availability change on a daily basis. We can’t base our decisions on always-changing pricing information, but we can list some good cards that you probably won’t regret buying at the price ranges we suggest.
- The list is based on some of the best U.S. prices from online retailers and localised for the UK. In other countries or at retail stores, your mileage will most certainly vary.
- These are new card prices. No used or open-box cards are in the list; they might represent a good deal, but it’s outside the scope of what we’re trying to do.
source:www.tomshardware.com
