Whats the best Desktop GPU?

lol, ive always have gone for AW laptops, but i have no idea on whats good in a desktop GPU-wise.

how is the AMD 6950? how does it fair against the 580? if price wasnt an issue, whats the best Desktop GPU?

 

6990 = Overkill, CrossfireX it and you will be poor. use it with a 2600k or 990x and create a baby Chuck Norris.

 

I want to build a desktop so bad. Last one I built had this case:

Newegg.com - Sunbeam Transformer IC-TR-US-BA-WOPSU Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case

My brother uses it for a music production rig now

Also, inb4 desktopreview.com

 

the best desktop gpu are the 6990 and the gtx 590, both which i believe are dual gpu cards on a single PCB

also, the 580 beats the 6950, i believe the gtx 580 is the best single gpu option. for best price/performance, two gtx 570's for almost the price of one 580, and u get killer killer performance

 

The 6990 and GTX 590 are pretty much equal in terms on performance (and price). However, the 590 runs quieter and cooler.

 

what about 6990m vs 580m? 580m seems better judging by tests is this correct?

 

no. you might be looking at 2x 580m gpus.

the 590 and 6990 trade small blows, except in SC2, where the 6990 gets like double performance for some reason, but that's an anomaly.

2 580's is probably a better performance outlook overall. 2 6970's is also probably a better choice for pure performance.

 

To the OP: if you consider a manufactured dual GPU as a GPU, then the above two are the best. If not, then the best is the 580 GTX, the 6950 doesn't match it.

And.... you may want to follow your Desktop-based questions at Desktop Review. The crew there (albeit smaller) is very knowledgeable on all desktop matters.

Hope it helps.

 

At the moment, although ATI is cheaper I'd go with nvidia. The ATI cards (I refuse to call them AMD) sound like a hair dryer running constantly whereas the nvidia cards are comparitively silent.

If you want a decent performer for price then go with a 560 TI, if you want a high end system then go with a 580 or 570 in SLI as it will run cooler and can clock higher than a 590. Also with an SLI setup, if one of your GPU's goes then you can replace it but with a 590 you have to replace the whole thing.

In short, go with SLI or Xfire over a double layer card unless you're running out of slots or need a double layer card for another reason.

 

So notebook check is wrong when stating that those are somewhat equal?
AMD Radeon HD 6990M - Notebookcheck.net Tech

Sorry to jump on the thread. My friend is choosing sager now and he can get either 580m or 6990m. Gotto help him

 

Tell him to go with 6990M, the minimal performance difference is not worth the $250 price difference.

 

notebookcheck is probably looking at the notebook variants of those graphics cards, which are not the same.

 

This thread is about desktops, your asking about laptop cards....

 

go for a gtx 570 and if not satisfied, then buy another one and set them up in SLI. You will get a pretty unbeatable deal while also staying on the safe side if not satisfied with the performance. (my 2 cents)

 

for cost/ performance I kind of liked the 6970 as you can find them for close to the same price as a 560

 

I have a GTX 560 and have been very satisfied so far. Can play Portal 2 at 1920x1080 with everything set to max.

Silky smooth gameplay. Probably north of 60fps, need to measure it. Same for Team Fortress 2.

Not the best examples, but that's all I have right now. Waiting for Battlefield 3 and Skyrim.

 

The Desktop GTX 580 is the fastest single GPU period.
AMD does not make a single-gpu card that competes.
(the 6970 competes with the 570, but isn't a match for the 580)
Obviously the best Desktop performance would be an SLI solution with two or more GTX 580.

That being said, the GTX 580 is a $420+ card. Two of them is $840+...

As sad as it is, a 6990 or 590 coming in at $730-$750 makes little sense as the 580 SLI combo actually will get more performance. (unless you have slot issues on your motherboard) Yes that's right, the 580 SLI is better than what is effectively two 580s on a single card... why? Because they had to downclock it so it doesn't melt.

A 570 SLI combo will set you back $580 after rebates... This combo beats a single 580 my a decent margin in most games. (pretty much anything which doesn't ignore SLI)

A 6970 xfire combo will set you back $680 right now...

In truth, I wouldn't bother with more than a pair of 570/6970s, (pick whichever has the best deal at the time of ordering) as quite frankly the higher ones aren't really that much better, or you are just paying to pay.

One caveat... the GTX 580 is the #1 card for a game or application which doesn't play well with SLI/xfire. (but its insane to pay that much for a single GPU)

 

Check my desktop in sig.
It's not an high end machine by any means, but a sandy bridge running at 4,03ghz and a gainward gtx570 Gs ghl (factory overclocked,6+8 power phases) basically kills every possible game I thrown at it.
If you don't want to spend a fortune in a gpu go for an overclocked gtx570, youll be more than happy.

 

you don't have a sig

 

As per forum rules, please discuss desktop GPUs at DesktopReview. Thanks; thread locked.