Rajat Giri
Journeyman
HD 7950 is faster and future proof. it can max out any current game and upcoming big titles like Crysis 3 , GTA V
Sapphire HD 7950 Vapor-X OC 3GB is the way to go...
Sapphire HD 7950 Vapor-X OC 3GB is the way to go...
vickybat
I am the night...I am...
Get a 660-ti if you want to game in 1080p. Its almost as fast as a 7950 in 1080p.
It also has TXAA support which is implemented in a number of titles like AC3 and COD black ops 2 with extremely positive results.
However crysis 3 is the most notable and awaited game to test TXAA's advantages as it will support the same.
Its seen to have a much lesser performance hit than MSAA (being much less dependent on memory bus) and offers much better AA.
Crysis 3 will shed more light to all this.
There are also reports of 79xx series to have a frametime lag or latency which leads to minimal lags in single gpu mode and notable stuttering and lag in crossfire.
There are methods to fix these but at a cost of fps drop.
Considering all these things, i think 660-ti is a better option if gaming is all you do especially at 1080p.
ghost_z
Ghost From Hell !
With new drivers and ghz edition hd 7950 is a better investent, moreover i have read about those frame latency issues and amd has released official statement recognizing the issue and a driver update is in the works to resolve that !
As of now hd 7950 is a bit ahead of gtx 660 ti but due to frame latency issues the gameplay experience is slightly smoother on gtx 660 ti, but as the solution is already in the works, it would not hurt to wait and watch and then decide !
As of now hd 7950 is a bit ahead of gtx 660 ti but due to frame latency issues the gameplay experience is slightly smoother on gtx 660 ti, but as the solution is already in the works, it would not hurt to wait and watch and then decide !
Powercolor_radeon_hd_7870_myst_edition_review :Hardocp
Sapphire HD 7870 XT Review :Hardwareheaven
PowerColor PCS+ HD7870 Myst Edition :Hardwareheaven
PowerColor PCS+ HD 7870 MYST Edition
vickybat
I am the night...I am...
@ Myth
Yup amd hasn't released a reference card for 7870 XT. Its all upto the board partners to come up with their versions.
This gen , frames are not an outright measure of performance as things stand, especially with amd. The way they have managed to up the performance with new drivers , definitely has a catch.
Its not very clear though but AMD admitting to that frametime issue is really something.
Even in this review , despite a 7970 cfx giving consistently higher frames than a 680 sli was not praised for its performance.
Somehow, those extra frames seems not to be evident in real gaming experience and were inferior in most cases too.
HARDOCP - Introduction - ASUS GeForce GTX 670 DirectCU II 4GB SLI Review
Check especially this:
Screenshots | [H]ard|OCP
So i have some huge doubts.
Our member "The incinerator" will post some AA visual tests conducted on a GTX 680 and according to him, after 310.90 drivers, AA performance was more consistent and smooth.
He might post some screenies as well.
I don't want to detract op here but just putting my points. Maybe for single gpu these aren't that evident but one reviewer had put some interesting results even for single gpu.
Anyway, its upto OP to decide.
Yup amd hasn't released a reference card for 7870 XT. Its all upto the board partners to come up with their versions.
This gen , frames are not an outright measure of performance as things stand, especially with amd. The way they have managed to up the performance with new drivers , definitely has a catch.
Its not very clear though but AMD admitting to that frametime issue is really something.
Even in this review , despite a 7970 cfx giving consistently higher frames than a 680 sli was not praised for its performance.
Somehow, those extra frames seems not to be evident in real gaming experience and were inferior in most cases too.
HARDOCP - Introduction - ASUS GeForce GTX 670 DirectCU II 4GB SLI Review
Check especially this:
Screenshots | [H]ard|OCP
So i have some huge doubts.
Our member "The incinerator" will post some AA visual tests conducted on a GTX 680 and according to him, after 310.90 drivers, AA performance was more consistent and smooth.
He might post some screenies as well.
I don't want to detract op here but just putting my points. Maybe for single gpu these aren't that evident but one reviewer had put some interesting results even for single gpu.
Anyway, its upto OP to decide.
havoknation
Journeyman
Radeons always suffer with bad drivers and whenever a new game is released, AMD will launch its performance fix for that particular game after 2-3 weeks that spoils our gaming experience. Nvidia is trusted for better Image quality and better driver support.. I think you should go for 660ti without second thought.
and yes, Zotac GTX660ti is retailing for 19k. You can save straight 3k if you go for it.
and yes, Zotac GTX660ti is retailing for 19k. You can save straight 3k if you go for it.
7950 is a vry gud card and yes with the latest drivers it outperforms most of its competitors...both the thing is if a new game comes out..i would have to wait for new drivers for getting the best performance in any new game...
i can even get a MSi 660ti at 19k
theproffesor
saze017 here...quite a go
flip a coin ..!
get whichever you want both cards will be great for 1080p
if you don't overclock get gtx660ti but if you overclock. and want more performance ,then hd7950 is way to go...and guys don't type bullshit about amd drivers ..I didn't had any problems with their drivers!
get whichever you want both cards will be great for 1080p
if you don't overclock get gtx660ti but if you overclock. and want more performance ,then hd7950 is way to go...and guys don't type bullshit about amd drivers ..I didn't had any problems with their drivers!
techdabangg
Broken In
@vickybat -
Agreed nvdia has TXAA but what about GCN architecture and loads of other things in favour of AMD? Also nvidia has not optimized their scheduler for Compute Performance which eventually will make Kepler suffer. In my opinion GCN architecture is superior than Kepler.
Please don't make TXAA so much of magic word since saying "TXAA offers much better AA" is very subjective and depends on person to person. There are people out there who prefer MSAA and dont care about TXAA since it actually makes graphics plastici instead of realistic. The amount of blur TXAA gives is actually equal to that used in film CGI. The problem with that is that that blur is part of the "experience" and the image quality of film running at 24 FPS. So it is really bad to see it on a game that is NOT film, nor is it running at 24 FPS
Now related to micro stuttering in current gen games, HD7950 suffers only in Far Cry 3 as per my own hands on experience with it (dont get me to be an AMD fanboy, as I have tested both HD7950 and 660Ti, and both of them are good cards), but HD7950 a hell of an overclocker which significantly increases its value for money. Micro-stuttering is cause of slight concern only in case of multi-GPU setup where in even nvidia cards suffer from it in many titles. All other games like AC III, Hitman Absolution, Max Payne 3, Battlefield 3, Crysis 2, Metro 2033 run absolutely without any issues on HD7950. It all depends on games supporting GCN or Kepler. See, for Hitman Absolution HD7950 performs far better than 660Ti - Source hardocp.com
*www.hardocp.com/images/articles/1355966357333LikoxjM_4_3.jpg
Even in Far Cry 3 HD7950 is slightly fatser than 660Ti - Source hardocp.com
*www.hardocp.com/images/articles/1355517972SmtzmJYEeY_6_3.gif
Infact here is what they say in conclusion for Hitman Absolution -
"The GeForce GTX 680 and Radeon HD 7950 with Boost video cards seemed to be on par in this game. We found 1080p playable with 2X MSAA and Enhanced Alpha to Coverage. With the GeForce GTX 660 Ti we had to turn off Alpha to Coverage, but that allowed 2X MSAA to be playable. Whereas with the Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition we had to turn off AA altogether. It is clear the GTX 660 Ti is sitting pretty between the 7870 GHz Edition and 7950 Boost in this game."
Here is what they say in conclusion for Far Cry3 -
"If you want the best from Far Cry 3 we would probably skip the Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition, and would even be wary of the GTX 660 Ti. The GTX 660 Ti performed better than the 7870 GHz Edition, but we still couldn't enable Alpha to Coverage unless you have a very highly clocked card. I would probably set my sights on the Radeon HD 7950 Boost or GeForce GTX 670 as the lowest end card for Far Cry 3 to get the best experience at 1080p, and then I'd overclock both."
And one more thing to add is that people have been saying that 3GB of memory on gfx is overkill for 1080p but in reality the games which are going to be released this year will make use of it. And here the 384-bit bus interface of AMD cards will get benefited.
So basically, I really dont see any advantage of 660Ti over HD7950.
@havoknation - AMD driver issues are faced only in case of multi-GPU setup. And even nvidia takes 2-3 weeks time to release their optimized drivers. In my opinion the hierarchy is like HD7870 --> GTX660Ti--> HD7950 --> GTX670 --> HD7970 --> GTX680. Hence the differences of 3k in pricing as well between the two cards under our discussion. But then HD7950 overclocks to the levels of HD7970 and totally justifies the price of 22k.
Agreed nvdia has TXAA but what about GCN architecture and loads of other things in favour of AMD? Also nvidia has not optimized their scheduler for Compute Performance which eventually will make Kepler suffer. In my opinion GCN architecture is superior than Kepler.
Please don't make TXAA so much of magic word since saying "TXAA offers much better AA" is very subjective and depends on person to person. There are people out there who prefer MSAA and dont care about TXAA since it actually makes graphics plastici instead of realistic. The amount of blur TXAA gives is actually equal to that used in film CGI. The problem with that is that that blur is part of the "experience" and the image quality of film running at 24 FPS. So it is really bad to see it on a game that is NOT film, nor is it running at 24 FPS
Now related to micro stuttering in current gen games, HD7950 suffers only in Far Cry 3 as per my own hands on experience with it (dont get me to be an AMD fanboy, as I have tested both HD7950 and 660Ti, and both of them are good cards), but HD7950 a hell of an overclocker which significantly increases its value for money. Micro-stuttering is cause of slight concern only in case of multi-GPU setup where in even nvidia cards suffer from it in many titles. All other games like AC III, Hitman Absolution, Max Payne 3, Battlefield 3, Crysis 2, Metro 2033 run absolutely without any issues on HD7950. It all depends on games supporting GCN or Kepler. See, for Hitman Absolution HD7950 performs far better than 660Ti - Source hardocp.com
*www.hardocp.com/images/articles/1355966357333LikoxjM_4_3.jpg
Even in Far Cry 3 HD7950 is slightly fatser than 660Ti - Source hardocp.com
*www.hardocp.com/images/articles/1355517972SmtzmJYEeY_6_3.gif
Infact here is what they say in conclusion for Hitman Absolution -
"The GeForce GTX 680 and Radeon HD 7950 with Boost video cards seemed to be on par in this game. We found 1080p playable with 2X MSAA and Enhanced Alpha to Coverage. With the GeForce GTX 660 Ti we had to turn off Alpha to Coverage, but that allowed 2X MSAA to be playable. Whereas with the Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition we had to turn off AA altogether. It is clear the GTX 660 Ti is sitting pretty between the 7870 GHz Edition and 7950 Boost in this game."
Here is what they say in conclusion for Far Cry3 -
"If you want the best from Far Cry 3 we would probably skip the Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition, and would even be wary of the GTX 660 Ti. The GTX 660 Ti performed better than the 7870 GHz Edition, but we still couldn't enable Alpha to Coverage unless you have a very highly clocked card. I would probably set my sights on the Radeon HD 7950 Boost or GeForce GTX 670 as the lowest end card for Far Cry 3 to get the best experience at 1080p, and then I'd overclock both."
And one more thing to add is that people have been saying that 3GB of memory on gfx is overkill for 1080p but in reality the games which are going to be released this year will make use of it. And here the 384-bit bus interface of AMD cards will get benefited.
So basically, I really dont see any advantage of 660Ti over HD7950.
@havoknation - AMD driver issues are faced only in case of multi-GPU setup. And even nvidia takes 2-3 weeks time to release their optimized drivers. In my opinion the hierarchy is like HD7870 --> GTX660Ti--> HD7950 --> GTX670 --> HD7970 --> GTX680. Hence the differences of 3k in pricing as well between the two cards under our discussion. But then HD7950 overclocks to the levels of HD7970 and totally justifies the price of 22k.
Attachments
Chaitanya
Cyborg Agent
GeForce GTX 660 Ti Review: Nvidia's Trickle-Down Keplernomics : The Kepler Trickle-Down Continues
After browsing through benchmarks what i can conclude is that both cards are good performers at their fields (ex. At image processing Lowest AMD outperforms the biggest kepler but when things come to video processing lowest end kepler easily kills the Highest AMD card.
If I were you I would wait for a bit of time & look for the performance of cards in C3, GTAV cause its only about 2-3 weeks, then its deal done..
Yeah I forgot to add with nVidia you get 3D & with AMD you get HD3D. Now if you want 3D then nvidia is way to go..
After browsing through benchmarks what i can conclude is that both cards are good performers at their fields (ex. At image processing Lowest AMD outperforms the biggest kepler but when things come to video processing lowest end kepler easily kills the Highest AMD card.
If I were you I would wait for a bit of time & look for the performance of cards in C3, GTAV cause its only about 2-3 weeks, then its deal done..
Yeah I forgot to add with nVidia you get 3D & with AMD you get HD3D. Now if you want 3D then nvidia is way to go..
Last edited:
Cilus
laborare est orare
Yes, it affects badly if you use high conventional AA and AF and unless games are using special post Processing AA like FXAA or SMAA. TXAA is not any magic and not at all proven till date. In future games if you use high level of AA then the 384 bit bus will always come handy with it and this a thing you cannot overcome by using software level optimization for a 192 bit Bus Memory BUS.
N@m@n
Journeyman
Check this out A driver update to reduce Radeon frame times - The Tech Report - Page 1... AMD has fixed frame latency in upcoming 13.2 beta driver
vickybat
I am the night...I am...
^^ Thanks a lot for the link N@m@n. Finally the issue has been addressed thanks to 13.2 drivers.
Amd's driver team has done some serious improvements this time i think.
I take back my previous words and now we can safely recommend radeon products without second thoughts. I guess crossfire will be smooth from now too.
Op can now choose the 7950 with all issues resolved.
Also thanks to tech report from bringing this issue out in the open forcing AMD to take serious action.
Amd's driver team has done some serious improvements this time i think.
I take back my previous words and now we can safely recommend radeon products without second thoughts. I guess crossfire will be smooth from now too.
Op can now choose the 7950 with all issues resolved.
Also thanks to tech report from bringing this issue out in the open forcing AMD to take serious action.