HD 6990 Preview/Review

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03-10-2011, 07:32 AM
InCredible

@ Hurrdurr...looking at Guru3d's review the card isn't THAT loud compared to others.. they take a closed case and a meter at 75cm for all there setups and the gtx480 is right on par as well as 6970 xfire..while 6950 xfire is 1db louder..not to mention like Wez said, you put two 6970 in xfire one right on top of another and the top card is going to get hot and the fan will have to rev up to keep it cooler, making the xfire a lot louder then a single card. I won't continue to argue against someone thats hard headed and doesn't see that this card has a perfect spot in the market, just like all the rest have..I'd prefer this card over 2 6970s. Less cabling, less clutter, same speed, noise being on par(and from what guru3d mentioned its not an annoying 46db..and i know exactly what he was referring to. Cause something can be lesser db on the meter but be way more annoying to a person)

either way if you dont like it, dont buy it. Plenty of "stupid" people will and they'll enjoy it cause it fits their needs. Not everyone has/wants/needs just like you thankfully ;)
03-10-2011, 07:39 AM
Lanek

Quote:

Originally Posted by BababooeyHTJ

I could only imagine the flaming around here if Nvidia released a $700 card that was this hot and power hungry.

Lol, if it was a single gpu card, a dual gpu card based on the high end cards is a bit different. keep in mind this card is still in 40nm, when initially all the 69xx parts was in 32nm .. But im right with you, now Nvidia will release a 750-800$ with equal Power consumption, so well finally it will be 1:1 on this.

About price, here a 580 cost barely 500-550.- ( 1 CHF = ~1.07 $ actually ), a 6970 379-399.- .. ( 580 price is starting to decrease it was more of 600 before )... The 6990 is not yet listed.. but i imagine it will be around 700 at start. ...

The only concern here is get 2x 6970 or 1x 6990... 580SLI vs 6970 ( outside ofc for Ln2 OC ), it's not even a fight, the difference is not enough for justify the difference.

Actually due to low Availability the 6990 is priced higher of the MSRP but it's specially cause it's the only card like this available, shop will try pull some money of it before the 590 is here and this one is rather high allready, so i believe they have just take some margin waiting the Nvidia 590 ones, and cut the price if needed. ( this will depend not on the performance, but specially on the price will push Nvidia on it )
AMD want make money that's for sure, and i think they have just calculate how much will cost the 590. and base themselve on it.
03-10-2011, 08:40 AM
\/icious

Wasnt the 5970 700$ to start. I have little doubt this will settle down to around 600
03-10-2011, 08:48 AM
computerpro3

The real interesting thing is that this will allow a trifire 6970 setup on mainstream boards that don't have NF200.

6990 in the 16xGPU slot
6970 in the 8x slot

Or even better, 6990 in the 16X slot and a 6950 flashed to 6970 for $230 :yepp:

So basically, $850-900 for a 3x 6970 setup. That's cheaper than GTX580 SLI!
03-10-2011, 08:54 AM
Zloyd

6990+6950(70) Yea cheaper more power to run warmer noisier buggier.

But that aside this card is plain beastly too bad its 700$.
03-10-2011, 09:24 AM
InCredible

@vicious, yes the 5970 was very expensive to start and never came down because it had no competitor. I think a lot of people here are not realizing that every dual gpu solution BEFORE now has NEVER reached fastest gpu in xfire/sli therefore always being cheaper..its cheaper because it was LESS performance. Now you have something that is the SAME performance as their fastest gpu in xfire. Now of course this is the starting spot, like others mentioned. The 6970 wasn't $349 at launch, it was $379 however prices have dropped due to having something that competes with it. The same will happen here. It's priced a little higher then what they are probably going to sell it for but after the 590 comes to market(depending on performance of course) they will drop the price here and there and either stay on par with 2x6970 price or dropping slightly below it since overall thats exactly what you are getting. If amd wanted to really hurt nvidia and get more sales out of this card then of course lowering the price down to something like $550 would make it sell ridiculously fast. They have to be saving money on less pcb,coolers etc somewhere to cut costs. I mean really overall they sell 6950's which are exactly like 6970 for under $275...so i'd assume its possible if they really wanted, on the other hand they may not want to produce a lot of these leaving it to be a higher cost/profit area.
03-10-2011, 09:33 AM
BababooeyHTJ

Quote:

Originally Posted by Linus@ncix

Reason 1: 2 slots vs. 4. This matters to me. I have a sound card, NIC, and OCZ Revodrive X2 in my rig. I don't have a ton of extra room for random PCIe cards.

Reason 2: The cost comparison breaks down for users who will be water cooling the cards as full cover blocks for dual GPU cards are only marginally more expensive than full covers for single GPU cards, so this single card with a water block on it is now a cheaper solution that takes up less space

Reason 3: 5 display support, which is not present yet on any other single AMD card other than the Radeon 5870 2GB eyefinity edition.

Thank you, now that makes sense. I guess that is one good reason to buy one of these monsters over a pair of 6950s.
03-10-2011, 09:35 AM
RacingTurtle

Mine was waiting for me when I got home - wow its big.

Comparison for you with a BB:

http://i986.photobucket.com/albums/a...tl3/6990-2.jpg
03-10-2011, 09:48 AM
MrToad

Quote:

Originally Posted by RacingTurtle

Mine was waiting for me when I got home - wow its big.

:shocked:

How big? If it doesn't fit in my PC-B10 it's going to be a no-no...
03-10-2011, 10:07 AM
Kimofil

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrToad

:shocked:

How big? If it doesn't fit in my PC-B10 it's going to be a no-no...

As big as 5970:)
03-10-2011, 10:24 AM
RacingTurtle

Here it is installed in a 700D with HD5870 on top:

http://i986.photobucket.com/albums/a...tl3/6990-3.jpg
03-10-2011, 10:49 AM
nijel

nVidia like it too :D

http://www.kitguru.net/wp-content/up...90-KitGuru.jpg
03-10-2011, 10:57 AM
Lanek

lol kitguru have some humor, im not sure the girls was even known what was this card lol .... but well the image is fun.
03-10-2011, 11:01 AM
Lanek

Quote:

Originally Posted by RacingTurtle

Here it is installed in a 700D with HD5870 on top:

http://i986.photobucket.com/albums/a...tl3/6990-3.jpg

For peoples who want to compare, don't forget the 5870pcb is shorter of the cooler ..

Anway, it will fit without problem on my HAF-X, just need to move my second 360 rads in another place ( got 1 one top and 1 on between the HDD case and the 2x gpu's. ), or just remove the middle fans.
03-10-2011, 12:25 PM
Philip_J_Fry

i wonder if Asus or MSI is going to make Twin Frozr or DrectCU version for this, and if they do, I'm guessing 2 x 8pin + 6pin PCI-E power for the DirectCU? wouldn't that be something? 3 power connectors.

this card will be a beast with decent watercooling loop (lol its already one at stock clock), oc it with like 1.15+v for 24/7
03-10-2011, 12:46 PM
hokiealumnus

Another comparison for anyone interested. Matrix 5870 Platinum on top, reference HD 6970 in the middle and the beast on the bottom.

http://www.overclockers.com/wp-conte...-hd6990-20.jpg

That doesn't really do it justice though. Here it is a bit closer with the 6970 vs the 6990. It truly is a massive card. It's the same length as the 5970 before it.

http://www.overclockers.com/wp-conte...-hd6990-19.jpg
03-10-2011, 01:28 PM
Lanek

Huum maybe more easy for compare lol .. If your case can eat a 5970, no problem with the 6990.

http://img824.imageshack.us/img824/7...comparison.jpg
03-10-2011, 01:35 PM
MrToad

Thanks for the info and the pics people :)

Same as the 5970s it'll fit... Just :) (they invade the 5.25" bays, but I have one empty and the Aquaero on the other one, so no big deal :) )

So with dimensional woes at bay, now is just a matter of numbers... Big numbers if I go ahead and buy an Areca RAID controller on top... :p:
03-10-2011, 03:25 PM
safan80

1 Attachment(s)

Quote:

Originally Posted by \/icious

Wasnt the 5970 700$ to start. I have little doubt this will settle down to around 600

No it wasn't $700 at launch. I purchased two 5970s back then.
03-10-2011, 08:03 PM
\/icious

Quote:

Originally Posted by safan80

No it wasn't $700 at launch. I purchased two 5970s back then.

Close enough and considering how much improved this dual card to its gen compared to the 5970 to its gen makes the 20$ difference negligible
03-10-2011, 08:30 PM
Dumo

Probly between Fri - Mon @ Newegg

http://img715.imageshack.us/img715/4...nshot033yp.png
03-10-2011, 08:40 PM
Zloyd

I like how AMD have put a switch on the card they wont cover, its like this card is going to die a lot I can imagine a lot of RMA's :P, AMD is gonna be like told ya so !!!

I think its just smarter to wait for nvidias card even if its as power hungry and only as fast it wont have a suicide switch on it. Trust AMD to release a 750$ enthusiast card that you cant overclock ..... freaking pathetic sad.
03-10-2011, 08:45 PM
InCredible

^ what are you talking about???
03-10-2011, 08:52 PM
Lanek

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zloyd

I like how AMD have put a switch on the card they wont cover, its like this card is going to die a lot I can imagine a lot of RMA's :P, AMD is gonna be like told ya so !!!

I think its just smarter to wait for nvidias card even if its as power hungry and only as fast it wont have a suicide switch on it. Trust AMD to release a 750$ enthusiast card that you cant overclock ..... freaking pathetic sad.

the card can keep easy 972mhz with default voltage on switch position 2.. no problem.. the card is designed for keep and draw 450W and it's not the average 350W (880mhz ) who will change this ..... If the card was badly designed and at the limit, i will say " maybe"; but in the case of the 6990 the card is "over designed "...
03-10-2011, 09:02 PM
Dumo

Quote:

Originally Posted by RacingTurtle

Mine was waiting for me when I got home - wow its big.

Any 3D results?
03-10-2011, 09:27 PM
ripken204

looks about the size of a 4870x2
03-10-2011, 10:08 PM
Zloyd

Well all im saying is you put a switch that lets you OC the hell outta the card AND that voids your warranty. Im not sure how well these will oc without touching the switch i mean there are 2 6970's(but not enough power, i know binning and all but still).

Actually all that isnt the point at all, the point isnt at all about how this card in retail will oc etc etc its just that why put a switch on it that voids warranty. Why not just let pcb partners worry about that and they would have released versions with switches and lights. But a stock card with a button to kill warranty, if it ever coughs and this is a dual gpu card thats one expensive brick.

I want to see what asus do with this now im sure we are going to see some serious gpu :banana::banana::banana::banana: from them. For sure 3x 8 pin power.
03-10-2011, 10:20 PM
CedricFP

Puts my 4870x2 to shame. Awesome card, but I can't believe they actually came out with it.
03-10-2011, 11:02 PM
STEvil

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zloyd

Well all im saying is you put a switch that lets you OC the hell outta the card AND that voids your warranty. Im not sure how well these will oc without touching the switch i mean there are 2 6970's(but not enough power, i know binning and all but still).

Actually all that isnt the point at all, the point isnt at all about how this card in retail will oc etc etc its just that why put a switch on it that voids warranty. Why not just let pcb partners worry about that and they would have released versions with switches and lights. But a stock card with a button to kill warranty, if it ever coughs and this is a dual gpu card thats one expensive brick.

I want to see what asus do with this now im sure we are going to see some serious gpu :banana::banana::banana::banana: from them. For sure 3x 8 pin power.

You should probably read some reviews, all of what you mention in your posts has been covered already.
03-10-2011, 11:11 PM
Lu(ky

I just got my new Sapphire 6990 today.. And I am not getting a very good OC score. First one is with 2600K @ 4.5Ghz memory 2133MHz 7-10-7-21 1T and 6990 stock 830/1250 scored a 34,381 then I ran it with same setting, but with new 6990 at 970/1300 only a 34,543
Could it be new drivers issue, or CPU bottle neck? Not a very big jump with a high OC compared to my 5970 card stock vs high OC.. Am I missing something here... :shakes:

And for the record the card at 100% fan speed sounds like a freaking leaf blower on steroids.. But beside going def in my left ear, the card never really got hot on my benches 59C or lower..

STOCK CARD 830/1250
http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/j...kcpuat4500.jpg

OC CARD 970/1300
http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/j...300cpu4500.jpg
03-10-2011, 11:15 PM
Lanek

clean the driver, reinstall it .. you can have some " bad registry " files somewhere.
03-10-2011, 11:26 PM
CedricFP

You overclocked it to 970MHz?
03-10-2011, 11:56 PM
RacingTurtle

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dumo

Any 3D results?

Havnt actually installed it yet - trying to hold out for a waterblock!
03-11-2011, 12:48 AM
STEvil

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lu(ky

I just got my new Sapphire 6990 today.. And I am not getting a very good OC score. First one is with 2600K @ 4.5Ghz memory 2133MHz 7-10-7-21 1T and 6990 stock 830/1250 scored a 34,381 then I ran it with same setting, but with new 6990 at 970/1300 only a 34,543
Could it be new drivers issue, or CPU bottle neck? Not a very big jump with a high OC compared to my 5970 card stock vs high OC.. Am I missing something here... :shakes:

And for the record the card at 100% fan speed sounds like a freaking leaf blower on steroids.. But beside going def in my left ear, the card never really got hot on my benches 59C or lower..

-snip-

Did you change the switch?
03-11-2011, 01:11 AM
tnc99

What about performance in crossfire and or eyefinity x8 vs x16??
All CF test so far is at x58
03-11-2011, 02:19 AM
Chickenfeed

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lu(ky

I just got my new Sapphire 6990 today.. And I am not getting a very good OC score. First one is with 2600K @ 4.5Ghz memory 2133MHz 7-10-7-21 1T and 6990 stock 830/1250 scored a 34,381 then I ran it with same setting, but with new 6990 at 970/1300 only a 34,543
Could it be new drivers issue, or CPU bottle neck? Not a very big jump with a high OC compared to my 5970 card stock vs high OC.. Am I missing something here... :shakes:

Can you run Vantage on the extreme preset perhaps? If there is no noticeable gain from stock and that overclock on the extreme preset then my guess is a driver issue / system issue. It is possible the performance mode is bottlenecked as 1680x1050 is a joke for a dual gup card like that. I'd test heaven and 3Dmark11 as they both scale quite well ( much better than Vantage )
03-11-2011, 02:54 AM
sutyi

Quote:

Originally Posted by STEvil

Did you change the switch?

Yup the 375W PowerTune limit is there, so setting it to 970MHz with the base profile gives about a 850MHz GPU clock due to the powerlimit.
03-11-2011, 09:04 AM
Lu(ky

Quote:

Originally Posted by STEvil

Did you change the switch?

No I never did flip the switch I wanted to see if it would work through the ATI control center, but after reading I need to flip the switch, but by doing this voids the warranty and I wanted to see how great of a card it is compared to the 5970.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chickenfeed

Can you run Vantage on the extreme preset perhaps? If there is no noticeable gain from stock and that overclock on the extreme preset then my guess is a driver issue / system issue. It is possible the performance mode is bottlenecked as 1680x1050 is a joke for a dual gup card like that. I'd test heaven and 3Dmark11 as they both scale quite well ( much better than Vantage )

I will flip switch the run some new benches by noon today... I agree I think the card really shines at higher resolutions like 1920x1200 or even 2560x1600..
03-11-2011, 11:03 AM
Heinz68

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lu(ky

I just got my new Sapphire 6990 today.. And I am not getting a very good OC score. First one is with 2600K @ 4.5Ghz memory 2133MHz 7-10-7-21 1T and 6990 stock 830/1250 scored a 34,381 then I ran it with same setting, but with new 6990 at 970/1300 only a 34,543
Could it be new drivers issue, or CPU bottle neck? Not a very big jump with a high OC compared to my 5970 card stock vs high OC.. Am I missing something here... :shakes:

And for the record the card at 100% fan speed sounds like a freaking leaf blower on steroids.. But beside going def in my left ear, the card never really got hot on my benches 59C or lower..

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lu(ky

No I never did flip the switch I wanted to see if it would work through the ATI control center, but after reading I need to flip the switch, but by doing this voids the warranty and I wanted to see how great of a card it is compared to the 5970.

Where did you read that using the BIOS switch voids the warranty? The BIOS switch sets the clock and voltage to HD 6970 level and the card is design for that. It does not make any sense to put the switch there if it voids the warranty.

Yes I believe some crazy OC which would need much higher voltages than the switch provides could void the warranty.

What voltage settings did you use for the 970/1300 OC? Why did you use 100% fan speed even for reference settings clocks.

Anyway my HD 6990 is in the mail so I should find out soon by myself.

EDIT
Just finished reading the HardwareCanuck review about the HD 6990 OC, you need to use the switch for higher OC also didn't know about the CCC Power setting slide which is new, probably for the HD 6990 only.
03-11-2011, 11:54 AM
Chickenfeed

Quote:

Originally Posted by Heinz68

Where did you read that using the BIOS switch voids the warranty? The BIOS switch sets the clock and voltage to HD 6970 level and the card is design for that. It does not make any sense to put the switch there if it voids the warranty.

Yes I believe some crazy OC which would need much higher voltages than the switch provides could void the warranty.

EDIT
Just finished reading the HardwareCanuck review about the HD 6990 OC, you need to use the switch for higher OC also didn't know about the CCC Power setting slide which is new, probably for the HD 6990 only.

Powertune is also available on the 6950/70.

As far as the warranty issue : http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/A...HD_6990/3.html

Now the question remains if all AMD board partners will treat HD6990 warranties this way or off there will be exceptions.
03-11-2011, 12:00 PM
InCredible

I cant see all manufacturers doing this(warranty void). And if they don't Asus is in for a hurting on sales imo.
03-11-2011, 12:45 PM
Lanek

AIB have allready confirm they will not, specially cause some of their card will allready be 880-900mhz out of the box without the switch " need " .
03-11-2011, 12:48 PM
Lanek

Quote:

Originally Posted by Heinz68

Where did you read that using the BIOS switch voids the warranty? The BIOS switch sets the clock and voltage to HD 6970 level and the card is design for that. It does not make any sense to put the switch there if it voids the warranty.

Yes I believe some crazy OC which would need much higher voltages than the switch provides could void the warranty.

What voltage settings did you use for the 970/1300 OC? Why did you use 100% fan speed even for reference settings clocks.

Anyway my HD 6990 is in the mail so I should find out soon by myself.

EDIT
Just finished reading the HardwareCanuck review about the HD 6990 OC, you need to use the switch for higher OC also didn't know about the CCC Power setting slide which is new, probably for the HD 6990 only.

untill MSIA afterburner allow you to change voltage.. the problem is the stock voltage is only 1.12V, and in position 2 you get 1.175 if im right. im allready surprised Lucky have been able to push it to 970mhz like that cause canucks was stuck at 870mhz.
03-11-2011, 01:28 PM
Lu(ky

Quote:

Originally Posted by Heinz68

Where did you read that using the BIOS switch voids the warranty? The BIOS switch sets the clock and voltage to HD 6970 level and the card is design for that. It does not make any sense to put the switch there if it voids the warranty.

Yes I believe some crazy OC which would need much higher voltages than the switch provides could void the warranty.

What voltage settings did you use for the 970/1300 OC? Why did you use 100% fan speed even for reference settings clocks.

Anyway my HD 6990 is in the mail so I should find out soon by myself.

EDIT
Just finished reading the HardwareCanuck review about the HD 6990 OC, you need to use the switch for higher OC also didn't know about the CCC Power setting slide which is new, probably for the HD 6990 only.

I am going by what the reviews saying about removing the yellow tape to turn the switch. I found nothing in my box that states this I am only going by what most of the reviewers are saying. And yes they contacted the manufacture of the card they are testing and that is what they told them. So that being said, it is easy just to peal back the yellow tape and move the switch which I have done and retested and I am getting the same results. I am not saying this is a bad card. I am coming away from a 5970 that basically scores almost the same when OCed in Vantage almost 34K. The only thing I have not done is remove the drivers a third time and use drivercleaner.. Which I will do and if my numbers do not improve the cards going back and I will wait for the GTX 595 card..

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lanek

untill MSIA afterburner allow you to change voltage.. the problem is the stock voltage is only 1.12V, and in position 2 you get 1.175 if im right. im allready surprised Lucky have been able to push it to 970mhz like that cause canucks was stuck at 870mhz.

Update my max OC so far is 980 core 1500 memory. I have ran many Vantage, 11, and Heaven benches to make sure it is stable.. It looks like a I have a great OCing card compared to others but the higher OCing of the card is not showing in my scores why I am so frustrated..
03-11-2011, 03:36 PM
CedricFP

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lu(ky

Update my max OC so far is 980 core 1500 memory. I have ran many Vantage, 11, and Heaven benches to make sure it is stable.. It looks like a I have a great OCing card compared to others but the higher OCing of the card is not showing in my scores why I am so frustrated..

It's probably just throttling, no? Seems the most likely explanation.
03-11-2011, 04:32 PM
\/icious

Have you tried game benchmarks
03-11-2011, 05:11 PM
Lu(ky

1 Attachment(s)

Well I tried driver cleaner and seems to work had allot of " bad registry " files, but now after many reboots I can not re-install the 11.4 drivers. It keeps saying about half way in install this below..
03-11-2011, 05:19 PM
cold2010

This happened to me with hd 6850 :D
03-11-2011, 05:35 PM
Heinz68

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lanek

untill MSIA afterburner allow you to change voltage.. the problem is the stock voltage is only 1.12V, and in position 2 you get 1.175 if im right. im allready surprised Lucky have been able to push it to 970mhz like that cause canucks was stuck at 870mhz.

Guess you didn't finish reading the HardwareCanucks article I linked. Canucks was stuck at 870 without using the switch.

Quote:

Default BIOS Overclocking (Position 2)
Max Stable Core Clock: 870Mhz
Max Stable Memory Clock: 5444Mhz

“Performance” Profile Overclocking (Position 1)
Max Stable Core Clock: 972Mhz
Max Stable Memory Clock: 5444Mhz

Maybe with the CCC PowerTune setting there is no need for MSI Afterburner.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lu(ky

I am going by what the reviews saying about removing the yellow tape to turn the switch. I found nothing in my box that states this I am only going by what most of the reviewers are saying. And yes they contacted the manufacture of the card they are testing and that is what they told them. So that being said, it is easy just to peal back the yellow tape and move the switch which I have done and retested and I am getting the same results. I am not saying this is a bad card. I am coming away from a 5970 that basically scores almost the same when OCed in Vantage almost 34K. The only thing I have not done is remove the drivers a third time and use drivercleaner.. Which I will do and if my numbers do not improve the cards going back and I will wait for the GTX 595 card..

Update my max OC so far is 980 core 1500 memory. I have ran many Vantage, 11, and Heaven benches to make sure it is stable.. It looks like a I have a great OCing card compared to others but the higher OCing of the card is not showing in my scores why I am so frustrated..

I don't think removing the tape and using the switch automatically voids the warranty. I believe it's just standard OC warning, read more here. Just make sure you have the right minimum requirements mainly the right PSU.

I checked few other reviews and they all show the OC works, maybe try some games and the 3DMark Vantage with the Extreme preset.
03-11-2011, 05:50 PM
Heinz68

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lu(ky

Well I tried driver cleaner and seems to work had allot of " bad registry " files, but now after many reboots I can not re-install the 11.4 drivers. It keeps saying about half way in install this below..

Not the best idea to use 3rd party uninstall software. Since it's done already here is what caveman-jim recommends when having install problems. Good luck!
03-11-2011, 05:53 PM
STEvil

Quote:

Default BIOS Overclocking (Position 2)
Max Stable Core Clock: 870Mhz
Max Stable Memory Clock: 5444Mhz

“Performance” Profile Overclocking (Position 1)
Max Stable Core Clock: 972Mhz
Max Stable Memory Clock: 5444Mhz

Yeah, thats why I was asking whether you guys that were getting the same scores at stock vs overclocked had changed the switch or not. Seems to me the switch to the second bios does a bit more than a voltage and clock bump, and the power use figures support this..
03-11-2011, 10:18 PM
Dumo

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lu(ky

I just got my new Sapphire 6990 today.. And I am not getting a very good OC score. CPU bottle neck?

OC CARD 970/1300
http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/j...300cpu4500.jpg

Seems like it. Comparo with my Vantage run with cpu much higher oc and GTX580...

http://img52.imageshack.us/img52/414...enshot031i.png
03-12-2011, 04:21 AM
saaya

soooo let me get this straight...
700$ for a card that is pretty much as fast as 6950 Xfire...
so why exactly would anybody buy this over 2 69502GB cards for 500$? which you can unlock to 6970s and then have MORE performance, LESS noise, LOWER temps and save 200$?
03-12-2011, 04:23 AM
RacingTurtle

Quote:

Originally Posted by saaya

soooo let me get this straight...
700$ for a card that is pretty much as fast as 6950 Xfire...
so why exactly would anybody buy this over 2 69502GB cards for 500$? which you can unlock to 6970s and then have MORE performance, LESS noise, LOWER temps and save 200$?

All you're looking at is synthetic benchmarks - no one has put up any gaming results yet. Which is where this card should be making its presence count.
03-12-2011, 06:02 AM
InCredible

Quote:

Originally Posted by saaya

soooo let me get this straight...
700$ for a card that is pretty much as fast as 6950 Xfire...
so why exactly would anybody buy this over 2 69502GB cards for 500$? which you can unlock to 6970s and then have MORE performance, LESS noise, LOWER temps and save 200$?

actually, according to guru3d. 2x6950 are louder then a single 6990. And the bottom card will be the only card running cooler, the top card will run noticeably warmer for obvious reasons. I do understand what you're saying and id go this route because its cheaper but some people have different things in mind. If i did have the money to blow I'd get a 6990 because imo it will look cleaner in my rig then two cards with 4 power cables(more sleeving ugh) however ill stick with one 6970 :)
03-12-2011, 01:09 PM
Lu(ky

Quote:

Originally Posted by RacingTurtle

All you're looking at is synthetic benchmarks - no one has put up any gaming results yet. Which is where this card should be making its presence count.

Well I took your advise and put on METRO 2033 on max setting res @ 2560x1600 ran it pretty dang good with no lag... With my 5970 OCed at 1000/1300 I could only run this game at 1920x1200 with little lag.
Like others have said, there must be throttling on the card on the benchmarks maybe in a couple of driver updates things will change. I also tried Stalker Clear Sky @ 2560x1600 smooth as butter game play.. This is the main reason of getting this card is to play at high resolutions 2560x1600 with 1 monitor showing all the eye candy etc.. I also notice there were allot of reviews of this card showing many benchmarks only at low resolutions 1920x1080 or lower, in my opinion this will not show the true power of this card a 1920x1200 or higher is a must.
03-13-2011, 01:54 AM
hurrdurr

Quote:

Originally Posted by saaya

soooo let me get this straight...
700$ for a card that is pretty much as fast as 6950 Xfire...
so why exactly would anybody buy this over 2 69502GB cards for 500$? which you can unlock to 6970s and then have MORE performance, LESS noise, LOWER temps and save 200$?

Exactly what I have been saying all along... previous dual GPU cards were at a significant discount compared to their CF counterparts so you had some reason to get them (5870CF was $800, 5970 was $600) but with 6990 this is not the case...
03-13-2011, 02:56 AM
Johnny87au

Anyone ran these in CF with 5760x1200 res with 16aa ??
03-13-2011, 04:39 AM
cold2010

AMD HD6990 will not be warrantied in OC mode: confirmed

Quote:

Yesterday KitGuru published several articles on the HD6990, one with an official card in single mode and later two HIS HD6990′s in a Dual CrossfireX configuration. Today we woke up with many emails from readers asking about the warranty situation.

We noticed that the press pack said ‘AMD product warranty does not cover damages caused by overclocking, even when overclocking is enabled via AMD software and/or the Dual-BIOS Function’.

This actually means in position 1 that if you run into any hardware problems AMD will not be supporting the warranty. We aren’t sure how this will affect support from AMD partners such as Sapphire, Powercolor, HIS or XFX – although from calls we made this morning it seems that many of them don’t actually know yet

Quote:

AMD confirmed with us this morning that the warranty will be invalid if the user switches to the ‘OC mode’ - which translates of a core increase to 1.175 volts and a clock speed of 880mhz.

We would strongly advise that if you are buying a HD6990 to leave it in the default position. Our testing shows that the cooler is doing a reasonably good job, but we can’t comment on the long term reliability right now. It is an unusual decision to offer an optional bios setting ‘out of the box’ and not deliver warranty support, but we would assume AMD might also have concerns with partnered power supply failures.

KitGuru says: Updated information will be published on Kitguru as soon as we find out.
03-13-2011, 04:57 AM
El Mano

Quote:

Originally Posted by cold2010

AMD HD6990 will not be warrantied in OC mode: confirmed

LOL AMD kiss my ass, if they want to sell this product here they must abide to our laws, which by the way clearly state the duration and conditions of the warranties.
This product is advertised as having a dual BIOS and of being capable of hitting certain clocks, so if this product dies because a user simply used this advertised features they MUST accept an RMA on that card.
And that's ll about it.

I suspect that this whole issue about the 6990 warranty is necessary for AMD in order to have its card PCIe certified.
03-13-2011, 05:05 AM
MrToad

Quote:

Originally Posted by saaya

soooo let me get this straight...
700$ for a card that is pretty much as fast as 6950 Xfire...
so why exactly would anybody buy this over 2 69502GB cards for 500$? which you can unlock to 6970s and then have MORE performance, LESS noise, LOWER temps and save 200$?

Well, is all "situational" really...

In my case I'm very limited (albeit by my own doing)

I have a micro-ATX board, and moving to ATX would involve changing case and modding/redoing the WC loop.

On the other hand the board's storage solutions are seriously crippled, the Marvell SATA III controller is less than stellar (even with "unofficially" update firmware and ROM) and the Intel RAID controller's ROM is grossly outdated and unusable with Sandforce drives, the manufacturer doesn't seem keen on releasing an updated BIOS (despite countless requests in the past three months) and it can't be "unofficially" updated because it doesn't support ROMs bigger than 64k.

So if I get one of these I can put an Areca controller on the other x16 slot, and chances are a single waterblock (however expensive it may be, as there won't be much demand and is going to be one either huge or complicated block due to the design of the board) is going to be cheaper than 2 x 6970 waterblocks.

For me on paper it looks an easier solution than changing computer case, board, board block(s) and modding/redoing the whole thing... And the money saved on those can be invested on the Areca controller, which will always perform better than the Intel RST and frees me from the tyranny of manufacturer's shoddy after-sales support...

So perhaps is a niche product, but not a purpose-less one...
03-13-2011, 05:20 AM
Gaul

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lu(ky

I just got my new Sapphire 6990 today.. And I am not getting a very good OC score. First one is with 2600K @ 4.5Ghz memory 2133MHz 7-10-7-21 1T and 6990 stock 830/1250 scored a 34,381 then I ran it with same setting, but with new 6990 at 970/1300 only a 34,543
Could it be new drivers issue, or CPU bottle neck? Not a very big jump with a high OC compared to my 5970 card stock vs high OC.. Am I missing something here... :shakes:

here compare 560 ti SLI oc

http://img850.imageshack.us/img850/3722/vantagej.jpg

and 570 sli def

http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/3175/vandef.jpg
03-13-2011, 06:03 AM
saaya

Quote:

Originally Posted by RacingTurtle

All you're looking at is synthetic benchmarks - no one has put up any gaming results yet. Which is where this card should be making its presence count.

sorry, that doesnt make any sense... i guess im misunderstanding something?
it sounds like you have no idea what your talking about :P

your saying sli with two cards is faster than sli with one card in benchmarks, but in games sli with one card is faster than sli with two cards? :confused:
and why exactly would that be?
cause less bandwidth per gpu makes them... faster? :D

Quote:

Originally Posted by InCredible

actually, according to guru3d. 2x6950 are louder then a single 6990.

which can be fixed easily

Quote:

Originally Posted by InCredible

And the bottom card will be the only card running cooler, the top card will run noticeably warmer for obvious reasons.

which would be... bad case ventilation and using a board with poor pciE spacing? :D

Quote:

Originally Posted by InCredible

If i did have the money to blow I'd get a 6990 because imo it will look cleaner in my rig then two cards with 4 power cables(more sleeving ugh)

again that can be fixed easily? youd rather spend money than properly route cables in your case and add some neat cables sleeves to them? :P

Quote:

Originally Posted by hurrdurr

Exactly what I have been saying all along... previous dual GPU cards were at a significant discount compared to their CF counterparts so you had some reason to get them (5870CF was $800, 5970 was $600) but with 6990 this is not the case...

yeah, it should either be cheaper, or it should have an advantage over 6970s/6950s in xfire... it doesnt... at all... its a pure marketing/e-peen product... e-peen for people who wanna show off without actually knowing whats good and fast... :rolleyes:

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrToad

Well, is all "situational" really...

In my case I'm very limited (albeit by my own doing)

I have a micro-ATX board, and moving to ATX would involve changing case and modding/redoing the WC loop.

On the other hand the board's storage solutions are seriously crippled, the Marvell SATA III controller is less than stellar (even with "unofficially" update firmware and ROM) and the Intel RAID controller's ROM is grossly outdated and unusable with Sandforce drives, the manufacturer doesn't seem keen on releasing an updated BIOS (despite countless requests in the past three months) and it can't be "unofficially" updated because it doesn't support ROMs bigger than 64k.

So if I get one of these I can put an Areca controller on the other x16 slot, and chances are a single waterblock (however expensive it may be, as there won't be much demand and is going to be one either huge or complicated block due to the design of the board) is going to be cheaper than 2 x 6970 waterblocks.

For me on paper it looks an easier solution than changing computer case, board, board block(s) and modding/redoing the whole thing... And the money saved on those can be invested on the Areca controller, which will always perform better than the Intel RST and frees me from the tyranny of manufacturer's shoddy after-sales support...

So perhaps is a niche product, but not a purpose-less one...

why did you get an matx board if you demand top of the line quality and performance? :confused:
03-13-2011, 06:25 AM
RacingTurtle

Quote:

Originally Posted by saaya

sorry, that doesnt make any sense... i guess im misunderstanding something?
it sounds like you have no idea what your talking about :P

Seems like you have no idea what this card is for
Who cares what scores it gets in OMGmark2001, that doesn't directly translate into better performance in games.
That's why i bought mine, so if you don't like it, DON'T buy one!
Not rocket science dude.

And just because you've got 30k posts doesnt give you the right to be rude.
03-13-2011, 07:10 AM
Lanek

to lucky: try 3Dmark 11, i think vantage don't scale with the drivers correctly.
i got 39K + with 2x 5870 OC and a 2600K ... breaking 40K if push it.. ( GPU scores only ofc )

if you want to compare score, don't forget to kill AA and AF; mipmap etc.. not the first time i see someone compare their score with full graphics enabled with peoples who put the minimal quality possible.
03-13-2011, 07:19 AM
Postmodum

At what resolution was that 3DMark 2010 run with the 6990 done?
With a single GTX580 @ 960Mhz i can get 30500Marks ... those 34k's seem way too low ... but, talking about gameplay experience... how's like? Smooth ? Or are Nvidia SLi solutions smoother?
03-13-2011, 07:32 AM
Lanek

not the problem, i have see allready peoples breaking 40K gpu score withe 6990 ) look the result on Lab501 http://lab501.ro/placi-video/amd-rad...-6990-review/6

Vantage is higly cpu dependant ( and physX for the first test ofc if you enable it ).. i have gain +4000 pnts on gpu scores with a 2600K@5ghz vs a 950@4.3ghz..
03-13-2011, 07:57 AM
MrToad

Quote:

Originally Posted by saaya

why did you get an matx board if you demand top of the line quality and performance? :confused:

Because I wanted to fit the gaming rig and a Mo-Ra 3 in the tiny space I've got left between the TV cabinet and the front right speaker, inside a case that doesn't actually stand out like a sore thumb in my living room?

Edit: Please read the reply "as is", is not meant to be inflammatory or sardonic, is just a simple reply to the question...
03-13-2011, 08:02 AM
[XC] Synthetickiller

Quote:

Originally Posted by saaya

soooo let me get this straight...
700$ for a card that is pretty much as fast as 6950 Xfire...
so why exactly would anybody buy this over 2 69502GB cards for 500$? which you can unlock to 6970s and then have MORE performance, LESS noise, LOWER temps and save 200$?

It's the SSS.... no not what you're thinking. Single Slot Solution.

SSF can't do Crossfire/SLI, here's the answer. You pay for the ability to do this inside of small cases.
03-13-2011, 08:04 AM
SKYMTL

Quote:

Originally Posted by cold2010

AMD HD6990 will not be warrantied in OC mode: confirmed

Sorry but....no :banana::banana::banana::banana: it's been confirmed. AMD said it in their presentation and most reviews stated exactly that.
03-13-2011, 08:07 AM
Heinz68

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gaul

here compare 560 ti SLI oc

http://img850.imageshack.us/img850/3722/vantagej.jpg

and 570 sli def

http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/3175/vandef.jpg

You can't compare with PhysX on.
03-13-2011, 08:20 AM
InCredible

Quote:

Originally Posted by saaya

which can be fixed easily

which would be... bad case ventilation and using a board with poor pciE spacing? :D

again that can be fixed easily? youd rather spend money than properly route cables in your case and add some neat cables sleeves to them? :P

yeah, it should either be cheaper, or it should have an advantage over 6970s/6950s in xfire... it doesnt... at all... its a pure marketing/e-peen product... e-peen for people who wanna show off without actually knowing whats good and fast... :rolleyes:

why did you get an matx board if you demand top of the line quality and performance? :confused:

First, you shouldn't need to fix anything on a setup.
Second, why would I or anyone else change their mobo to get the best cooling from a card? or change their case for that matter. shouldn't be necessary..

as far as cabling. yes i route my stuff and sleeve it accordingly HOWEVER id rather route 2 8 pins then 2 8 pins + 2 6pins.

Lastly its faster then two stock 6950 xfire and just as fast as 2x6970..the price is on point with performance and will come down. Products usually start out launch day a little higher but then they come down to a more reasonable price especially with the 590 right around the corner..Now if 590 is slower(some are speculating so) then i can see price either A) staying where its at as it will be the fastest card on the market. or B ) coming down to make the 590 look worse and make a few more sales.
03-13-2011, 08:34 AM
Heinz68

Quote:

Originally Posted by saaya

soooo let me get this straight...
700$ for a card that is pretty much as fast as 6950 Xfire...
so why exactly would anybody buy this over 2 69502GB cards for 500$? which you can unlock to 6970s and then have MORE performance, LESS noise, LOWER temps and save 200$?

Not every HD 6950 can be unlocked to HD 6970.

Anyway none of the Nvidia or AMD/ATI dual GPU card was ever made to compete with 2cards SLI or CF setup. The single most important reason for the dual GPU card is to compete as fastest graphic card on the market. I wonder why you still don't get it.

Also AMD strategy is to develop much smaller GPU chips and use the dual GPU as flagship card. IT looks like for the last 3 generation the strategy worked well for AMD, so what is there to argue about?

I prefer the dual GPU card because it is much more suitable for my setup.
03-13-2011, 09:11 AM
JohnZS

Quote:

Originally Posted by Heinz68

You can't compare with PhysX on.

Why not? :confused:
It is a feature which is supported by many games Mafia 2, Metro 2033, UT3, Batman AA and Mirrors Edge.

Anyway not meaning to get involved in a mass debate or anything, but I also prefer dual GPU cards. The reasons I prefer them are:

1) You only need 1 PCI-E Slot

2) Less heat is dumped/trapped in your case

3) Usually less power consumption than 2 cards

4) You are not limited to choice of motherboard (SLi cannot officially be ran on boards where chipset vendor has not parted with money and put into nVidia's pockets).

5) You have the option to Quad at a later date.

Having sad that though, Saaya is right you do get more performance from 2 cards rather than 1 dual cards.

Take for example underclocking 2 GTX 275 graphics cards to the same clock speed as a GTX 295. the two 275 cards will always be a shade faster due to more available bandwidth per GPU.

YES our NF200 and your PLX chips are pretty magical in what they can achieve, but they cannot make up for the bandwidth loss.

Either way I respect everyone's choice, your money, your choice of card :D

At the end of the day those who have purchase a radeon 6990 have purchased an AWESOME graphics card which is EXTREMELY fast.

Enjoy your purchase(s) :)

John
03-13-2011, 11:10 AM
InCredible

^ The only thing to note is that this is the first dual gpu card to actually run on par with the two of the highest cards the manufacturer makes. Every other dual gpu card was slower then 2 of whatever was fastest single gpu. This time the power envelope is a little higher allowing for this to happen and unleash a full 2x6970 on a single pcb..amazing to say the least..and 2x6970 wont be any faster then a 6990 if clocked the same..they will be within 2-3% of each other. The only time i think this will factor is for EXTREME overclocks where water or ln2 is needed but maybe not even then. Wait til the cards are out and benched before saying for sure. But as far as testing goes now the 6990 at 6970 clocks is equally as good as 6970 xfire..sometimes it wins sometimes 6990 wins.
03-13-2011, 11:23 AM
Heinz68

Quote:

Originally Posted by JohnZS

Why not? :confused:
It is a feature which is supported by many games Mafia 2, Metro 2033, UT3, Batman AA and Mirrors Edge.

John

It's proprietary software, I guess that's why it does not get approved in Futuremark Benchmarks.

Quote:

Approval Condition(s)
Based on the original specification and design of the CPU tests, GPU acceleration of either of the CPU tests is not permitted. Any benchmark result produced using this driver version can be considered approved and accurate only when the GPU did not have an effect in the CPU test results. When using these drivers PhysX hardware acceleration must be manually disabled prior to running the benchmark.

I noticed Gaul test was run with PhysX on that's why such big CPU score 72 675 which also increases the overall score, probably even the GPU score.
03-13-2011, 11:32 AM
l0ud_sil3nc3

Quote:

Originally Posted by RacingTurtle

Seems like you have no idea what this card is for
Who cares what scores it gets in OMGmark2001, that doesn't directly translate into better performance in games.
That's why i bought mine, so if you don't like it, DON'T buy one!
Not rocket science dude.

And just because you've got 30k posts doesnt give you the right to be rude.

you do realize that this is Xtreme Systems?
03-13-2011, 01:44 PM
RacingTurtle

Quote:

Originally Posted by l0ud_sil3nc3

you do realize that this is Xtreme Systems?

And? Your point?
03-13-2011, 01:57 PM
JohnZS

Quote:

Originally Posted by RacingTurtle

And? Your point?

Are you enjoying you new graphics card RacingTurtle?
Or are you still waiting for an EK Block?

John
03-13-2011, 02:16 PM
RacingTurtle

Quote:

Originally Posted by JohnZS

Are you enjoying you new graphics card RacingTurtle?
Or are you still waiting for an EK Block?

John

Nah waiting for a block. Don't want to tear the whole think apart to put the new card in then do it all over again once EK/Koolance bring out a block.
It's tough to hold out though!
03-13-2011, 02:26 PM
JohnZS

How on earth can you resist the temptation, are you not just a little bit curious to see how it fairs up to your existing 5870?
Hopefully you do not have to wait too long, the only positive from waiting is that you will have new(er) drivers to play with :)
John
03-13-2011, 02:28 PM
Johnny87au

Leave your case open and remove the Ovid pins when the block comes, easy dude.. I'd be gaming on that asap.. Screw
Waiting for a block hehe
03-13-2011, 10:30 PM
Neova

Quote:

Originally Posted by Johnny87au

Leave your case open and remove the Ovid pins when the block comes, easy dude.. I'd be gaming on that asap.. Screw
Waiting for a block hehe

Seriously! You have a 700 USD paperweight sitting there WAITING for parts to run it cooler?

Go play some games and tell everyone how smooth and fast it is! :D
03-13-2011, 11:08 PM
MaddMuppet

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neova

Seriously! You have a 700 USD paperweight sitting there WAITING for parts to run it cooler?

Go play some games and tell everyone how smooth and fast it is! :D

Yeah show us the love :)
03-14-2011, 12:02 AM
RacingTurtle

Ah the pressure! I might just do that now - Only gaming benchmarks I can offer tonight will be:

Dragon Age 2
L4D
L4D2
Crysis 2 Demo

I'll get some more in the next few days...
03-14-2011, 01:12 AM
wez

Quote:

Originally Posted by RacingTurtle

Ah the pressure! I might just do that now - Only gaming benchmarks I can offer tonight will be:

Dragon Age 2
L4D
L4D2
Crysis 2 Demo

I'll get some more in the next few days...

You could also try some tri-fire with that 5870 of yours :up:

I'm also impressed that you've managed to hold out this long without testing the card :D
Its a good idea to test the card before slapping a water block on it anyway, so it doesn't turn out to be DOA, after all the work of mounting block, bleeding etc.

Have fun :)
03-14-2011, 06:02 AM
Lanek

Quote:

Originally Posted by wez

You could also try some tri-fire with that 5870 of yours :up:

I'm also impressed that you've managed to hold out this long without testing the card :D
Its a good idea to test the card before slapping a water block on it anyway, so it doesn't turn out to be DOA, after all the work of mounting block, bleeding etc.

Have fun :)

Huum is it really possible to cfx a 6970 based cards and a 5870? the architecture is quite different.
03-14-2011, 06:31 AM
Postmodum

Anyone tested the 11.4 Catalysts? From what i read ... i think AMD did the first good drivers for the 69xx series ...
Would be nice to see how they improve 6990 performance...
03-14-2011, 06:37 AM
wez

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lanek

Huum is it really possible to cfx a 6970 based cards and a 5870? the architecture is quite different.

Doubt its officially supported, but seen weirder mixes of cards in crossfire before, so worth a shot imo if he is bored :)
03-14-2011, 06:45 AM
japamd

Quote:

Originally Posted by Postmodum

Anyone tested the 11.4 Catalysts? From what i read ... i think AMD did the first good drivers for the 69xx series ...
Would be nice to see how they improve 6990 performance...

I did and 11.4 Mjölnir is very good on my CFX setup.

BTW, all HD 6990 reviews already used that driver. Mjölnir will have versions II and III to be released on upcoming months and they are promising improvements for entire HD 6000 series.
03-14-2011, 07:01 AM
Postmodum

Nice! :) It would be good to see AMD with stable drivers ... :)
03-14-2011, 11:46 PM
tajoh111

Quote:

Originally Posted by Heinz68

Not every HD 6950 can be unlocked to HD 6970.

Anyway none of the Nvidia or AMD/ATI dual GPU card was ever made to compete with 2cards SLI or CF setup. The single most important reason for the dual GPU card is to compete as fastest graphic card on the market. I wonder why you still don't get it.

Also AMD strategy is to develop much smaller GPU chips and use the dual GPU as flagship card. IT looks like for the last 3 generation the strategy worked well for AMD, so what is there to argue about?

I prefer the dual GPU card because it is much more suitable for my setup.

I think what saaya and alot of reviewers are saying is that their is little benefit going with the 6990 compared to two card solution aside from the form factor and even the form factor benefit is none applicable because of the compromises of the card. It is unlike past dual GPU cards from AMD for several reasons. No cost savings(actually you pay a penalty), underspec'd compared to the single cards, possibly louder noise(depending on the review), lower overclock headroom and similar power consumption. Additionally quadfire is a terrible solution as shown by tech powerup. The extra card gets some of the worst bang for your buck ever. I think three cards would be better for scaling and significantly cheaper.

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/P...ssFire/19.html

When AMD made this card, it was of course to be a halo project. But considering the unfair asking price compared to their single card solutions(and past dual cards) and the warranty limitations to unlock it true performance, its and impractial beast that has a smaller niche than ever before for a videocard(atleast a massed produced one).

This niche being people with only a single graphic card slot with a wider case but for some odd reason with alot of depth who want ultimate performance. They also need super good cooling in this cramped case since this card blows hot air back into the case.

This niche is even smaller because anyone for the most part considering this part should have a crazy beefy CPU, a big case and a MB to match with multiple PCIe slots. For some water coolers it is somewhat more practical but I would be scared to water cool such an expensive card and only to have something break because of improperly cooled VRM or something.

This card has so many compromises that it is impractical for even alot of power users. And especially for people on xtremesysystems, warranty should be available for the most part and having none when overclocking is a big issue on a card this expensive.

Also, why is the 6990 better for your setup? Your case is huge and your MB is spaced for 3 cards in CFx?
03-15-2011, 12:14 AM
MaddMuppet

Quote:

Originally Posted by tajoh111

Also, why is the 6990 better for your setup? Your case is huge and your MB is spaced for 3 cards in CFx?

I'd say because like all of use (if we can afford it) is because we all want the latest and greatest. :)
03-15-2011, 01:25 AM
tajoh111

Quote:

Originally Posted by MaddMuppet

I'd say because like all of use (if we can afford it) is because we all want the latest and greatest. :)

Greatest in what sense? Sure it might be the fastest single slot card, but at the same time, trifire to me if you have the right MB has made more sense than quadfire. The cost is better and the performance is the same. I am not going to open my case up and brag I have the single fastest slot card, there seems like there is so little practicality or advantage this time.

Cost more, performs a bit worse and if I want to OC with extra voltage, my warranty is gone. Not to mention lack of availability at the moment is jumping up prices. Latest and greatest is one thing, but some logic has to go into these purchases.

The serious lack of games taking advantage of the videocard power and the overall timing of this card does not make it a desirable purchase. This card consume up to 450 watts and sounds like a heating monster.

In someway, it reminds me like the original fermi because of the looming arrivals of faster cards or in this case 28nm cards. These cards will have the same power as the dual cards this generation while use alot less power. Usually this isn't a issue and people still buy, but when the cards are 700 dollars, the games aren't that good and the successor cards should be coming in 6-9 months. It seems like a larger waste of money than usual.
03-15-2011, 02:35 AM
MaddMuppet

I just mean't single card. From what I have read Quad fire is a complete waste of time. Tri fire does well though and scales nicely with the 6970's.

I do agree about the gaming part as consoles are holding back PC gaming. For bench marking though these should do quite well.
03-15-2011, 04:39 AM
Levesque

So if it's such a niche product, why are they selling them faster then they can make them?

Because people like the card, and are buying them the second they are in stock. So resellers are price gouging because the product is selling like hot-cakes. That's all.

Case closed. No matter what people think, AMD made their homeworks, and the product is selling. So they were right to do it. Since they are selling them faster that they can make them.
03-15-2011, 07:09 AM
saaya

Well, I'm surprised how many people are interested in this card...
Sounds like to you guys it really makes sense... good for you :)

To me this is a dual 6950 with a dual 6970 pricetag, and if you want to make it a REAL dual 6970 you lose your warranty... :shrug:

That doesn't make it a bad card though... just expensive...
03-15-2011, 07:18 AM
Postmodum

Partners will warrant the OC specs ... at least, XFX will ;) I don't believe others won't do the same ...

Source
03-15-2011, 07:18 AM
tajoh111

Quote:

Originally Posted by Levesque

So if it's such a niche product, why are they selling them faster then they can make them?

Because people like the card, and are buying them the second they are in stock. So resellers are price gouging because the product is selling like hot-cakes. That's all.

Case closed. No matter what people think, AMD made their homeworks, and the product is selling. So they were right to do it. Since they are selling them faster that they can make them.

As you can imagine, these were made in seriously low quantities, which i can imagine was part of the delay. What will determine if these cards are a real success is on how much marketshare they pick up over the long term in this segment vs their predecessor.

Also what will also make these cards a long term success is the effect on the end user as well. Not simply just a sale. E.g if people have negative experiences from these monster cards(both AMD and NV) from heat, noise, power or warranty issues, they may not buy from that GPU maker again.

Considering that some highend boutique brands are not offering dualCF 6990 like falconnw because of noise issues and are giving warning for noise for even the purchase of one card, these issues are very real. And although the initial batch of 6990 may sell out, user feedback may deter other users. Atleast for anandtech, the 6990 was the loudest setup by far and in OC mode(13 decibels louders than a gtx 480 which was supposedly a dustbuster). Considering that equates to something more than 13 times louder, that seems to make this card unusable for everyone but the water cooling crowd.

I thought my 4870x2 was loud, but this is 16 decibels louder according to anandtech in its (880mhz form) and even at 830mhz, it is 9 decibels louder than the 4870x2.

I worry for NV card as well considering it seems to use a 11" PCB, perhaps even more so.

I would rather wait for the next generation considering the caveats of this generation of ultra high ends.

As for warranty, I wouldn't trust xfx as their reputation has gone to mud.

http://www.overclock.net/ati/761201-...denial-82.html

Although the user had a good result in the end, he had to jump through many hoops and the warranty service at the end seemed more of a way to hush the user considering the size of the complaint forums at the end. None the less other users have had similar bad experiences.
03-15-2011, 07:27 AM
Levesque

Do you have a 6990? I have one. And it's not noisier then my friend 580 SLi set-up. Guru3d already report lower noise then others. I don't know how the others made their measurement, but it was not right compared to guru3d, that even made a comment on others measurements. I know, I have one in the computer I'm typing on. You?

Myself, I'm waiting for a waterblock for my XFX 6990. So using the stock cooler for now.

It's not hoter or noisier then my 5970 at 1000/1200, and that card is going strong 24/7 since 1 year and 4 months. No negative experience on my part. Rock-solid, rock-stable in Tri-Fire with a 5870 since 16 months, OCed to 1000/1200 24/7!.

Also doing Tri-Fire 6990+6970 right now and it's rock-stable. The 6970 is watercooled, so I hear only the 6990. And noise level is ok. Heat level is ok in a well ventilated case (Mountain Mods Extended Ascension). I have heard 580 SLI and it's worst IMHO.

Like usual on the internet multi-verse, it's an overblowed ''problem'' that people are copy and pasting all over the net, without having tried or heard the card for real. The usual day. Copy and paste parrots.

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