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also @ TechSpot: Building a Thin Mini-ITX PC: Small and Silent Performance
Considering next-gen cards are still months away, we didn't expect to bring any more GPU reviews until the second quarter of 2013. However, we realized there was a gap in our current-gen coverage: triple-monitor gaming. In fact, it's been almost two years since we pitted the HD 6990 and GTX 590 against each other to see how they could cope with the stress of running games at resolutions of up to 7680x1600.
We're going to mix things up a little this time. Instead of using each camp's ultra-pricey dual-GPU card (or the new $999 Titan), we're going to see how more affordable Crossfire and SLI setups handle triple-monitor gaming compared to today's single-GPU flagships.
On AMD's side, we'll test a pair of HD 7850s (~$360) and an HD 7970 (~$430), while Nvidia's corner will feature two GTX 660 Tis (~$580) and the venerable GTX 680 (~$470).
Related Products from Product Finder
AMD Radeon HD 7850 2GB GDDR5 PCIe
The AMD ATI Radeon HD 7850 measures 24cm (9.4 in) long. The core clock frequency of the AMD ATI Radeon HD 7850 has been lowered from 1GHz to 860MHz. The GDDR5 memory still works at 1.2GHz, which is effectively 4.8GHz DDR. The HD 7850 has 1024 SPUs and 64 TAUs, while the ROPs remain at 32. It is also PCI Express 3.0-compatible
Nvidia GeForce GTX 680 2GB GDDR5 PCIe
The Nvidia GeForce GTX 680 contains four GPCs with a total of eight SMXs, 1536 CUDA cores, eight geometry units, four raster units, 128 texture units, and 32 ROP units. The base clock is 1006MHz, the GTX 680 also carries 2GB of GDDR5 VRAM running at 6008MHz with a 256-bit interface providing 6.0Gb/s of throughput. Dual six-pin power connectors feed the card's TDP of 195W.
AMD Radeon HD 7970 3GB GDDR5 PCIe
The AMD ATI Radeon HD 7970 measures 27 cm long (10.6 in), the GPU core is clocked at 925MHz, and the GDDR5 memory operates at the same frequency of 1375MHz (5.5GHz DDR). Still, pairing that frequency with a 384-bit memory bus gives the HD 7970 264GB/s of theoretical bandwidth. The HD 7970 carries 2048 SPUs, 128 TAUs and 32 ROPs, up 33% from 1536 SPUs and 96 TAUs, it's also the first PCI Express 3.0-compatible card.
User Comments: 64
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and ,as for 1080p is only noticeable if you are using 40"+ big monitor and several inch away from monitor...
don't go for market scam,720p hd is still a great resolution for gaming man....see the below uld for that...
Market scam? you genuinely can't see the difference between a 1366x768 resolution monitor and a 1920x1080?
Because the difference is pretty noticeable, I presume any retina display is also marketing rubbish as well?
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Souvs said:
Market scam? you genuinely can't see the difference between a 1366x768 resolution monitor and a 1920x1080?Because the difference is pretty noticeable, I presume any retina display is also marketing rubbish as well?
http://www.geek.com/hdtv-buyers-guide/resolution/
"That all said, if you are considering buying a smaller television, or even if you just want to save a couple of hundred bucks, 720p is a perfectly acceptable resolution that will still impress eyes used to the blurry appearance of standard definition television. All 1080p content will still be watchable on your 720p display, with a marginal decrease in quality. In addition, most streaming high definition media maxes out at 720p, as well as all Xbox 360 content. If you need to save some money or your HDTV is primarily aimed at gaming or streaming media, going down to 720p is a decent bang for your buck."
(Our eyes can see millions of pixels but our brain determines how much we can analyse it.....720p vs 1080p is barely noticeable unless the conditions and screen I posted above...if those people wants to spend money on bigger monitors then it's their choice)
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4 people like this |LNCPapa said:
Wow - we really must implement that dislike button soon.
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Souvs said:
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1 person liked this |LNCPapa said:
I'm missing something here - when did the focus change to TVs? Who before you said anything about TVs? Most people use Televisions and computer monitors in very different ways and at very different distances.
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JC713 said:
I'm missing something here - when did the focus change to TVs? Who before you said anything about TVs? Most people use Televisions and computer monitors in very different ways and at very different distances.A lot of pro gamers on xbox and PS3 actually like using small computer monitors for some reason
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LNCPapa said:A lot of pro gamers on xbox and PS3 actually like using small computer monitors for some reason
Interesting. I did see a lot of strange stuff when I used to play competitively. I wonder why.
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JC713 said:Interesting. I did see a lot of strange stuff when I used to play competitively. I wonder why.
Maybe it has something to do with the field of view... I am actually pretty interested why.
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720p vs 1080p is barely noticeable
Completely disagree. First off, all console games are just 720p upscaled to 1080p, so using them as a comparison is irrelevant.
Play games at 720p and 1080p on a PC and there is a big difference in scale, ecpecially for games like Starcraft, Dragon Age, Warcraft, SimCity, etc etc. Shooters are programmed to fit to scale so other then a cleaner look sometimes they won't look much different, its technologies like dynamic range, PhysX, MSAA/TXAA, advanced lighting effects etc etc that set them apart.
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Just out of curiosity, could you please link me the review, or multiple ones as well, where I see a full representation of multi-threading performance in games? I'm always willing to learn something new.
That link also wasn't intended for you. It is for people who are new to the whole thing. Also, you made your profile private so people like me aren't allowed to drool over your specs. :'(
I see what you are saying with not including low-budget CPU's, but this review isn't meant to review CPU performance in triple monitor setups. It's a standoff of
"SLI vs. Crossfire vs. Single High-end GPU"
I don't think this review is trying to say "this is a budget build that is perfect for triple monitor gaming", simply "this is how budget SLI vs. Crossfire vs. Single High-end GPU will compare against each other when CPU bottlenecks are eliminated". TechSpot could/should do a follow up review saying something along the lines of "based on our recent review about budget triple monitor graphic card configurations, we found Crossfire 2GB HD 7850's to be the best value solution. Now let's see how low we can go with processors that are cheaper than an 1155 i5 3570k/2500k without bottlenecking the GPU's performance."
I hope TechSpot would do that, as part of a "Budget gaming series" or something. I'm sure we would agree that that would be beneficial, informative, and educational to all of us.
I sure as hell hope this guide was intended to be more than a showdown between single and multiple GPUs.
As per your request:
[link]
My Techspot profile should be unlocked now and show my current specs. If you are still having problems, here are some pictures of two of my last two personal builds. I have not taken any pics taken since my last few upgrades. The dual 6950's were sold because I needed the money, and replaced them with a 7870, with another to follow shortly, upgraded my SSD, added 2TB of HDD space, and bought a new mouse and mouse pad.
Eye Candy:
[link]
Conclusion:
I still think the guide is incomplete.
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StaffSteve said:
Anyone who tires to tell you that 1080p offers no noticeable visual improvement over 720p probably doesn't have 20/20 vision
Movie and gaming quality aside anyone who uses a HTPC will tell you it is so so much better using a full HD TV opposed to a 720p TV.
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JC713 said:Anyone who tires to tell you that 1080p offers no noticeable visual improvement over 720p probably doesn't have 20/20 vision
Movie and gaming quality aside anyone who uses a HTPC will tell you it is so so much better using a full HD TV opposed to a 720p TV.
I notice a huge difference when I change my TVs cable box from 720P (default) to 1080i... but other people in my family cant haha.
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LNCPapa said:
Yeah - everyone is different. Always have to keep that in mind for stuff like this as what is applicable to you may not be for everyone. You may even be outside of the norm and something you find vital no one else will care about. I find myself in that situation all the time especially when it comes to audio. My friends think I'm nuts because I'm about to buy a pair of Audez'e LCD-2.
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My friends think I'm nuts because I'm about to buy a pair of Audez'e LCD-2.
Yeah, I agree with them xD
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