GTX 590 or Radeon HD 6990

[Darkleoco]

CPU: Intel core i7-2600k
CPU Cooler: CoolerMaster V6GT
MotherBoard: Asus P67 SaberTooth TUF
Power Supply: Corsair AX1200W
RAM: Kingston 8GB DDR3
Case: CoolerMaster HAF X

I want to eventually upgrade to either a Quad-SLI or Quad-Crossfire system and I want to know what people prefer to use, the GTX 590 or HD 6990, I have seen that the 590 can be prone to "exploding" when you attempt to overclock it, but what is the consensus on which card is better?

 

[erocker]

They're both powerfull cards. You should check out reviews and see what the pro's and con's are to each card.

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ASUS/GeForce_GTX_590/
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ASUS/Radeon_HD_6990/

 

[Darkleoco]

I've read both of those reviews already but I dont know if the Radeon not have CUDA/PhysX support is a huge problem also their is a review for the SLI Radeons but not for the 590's which I think would be helpful to be able to compare how my final system would perform.

 

[Frizz]

They're both cards that won't be a walk in the park to overclock as having 2 GPU's on one board means almost twice the heat produced similar to crossfire but that doesn't necessarily mean you'll be running over 100C if you OC them, just means you will need to consider the airflow in your case. Those exploding GTX590's are probably just bad samples but in regards to that it also received one of the lowest GPU scores in TPU, personally I'd play it safe when spending 700-800 USD or so with GPU's and go for the flagship that achieved better reviews.

And also about PhysX and CUDA it really depends if you only game then you will see if anything minimal differences, there are select titles where PhysX gives a slight performance gain but again they are very few and nothing that a 6990 or any high end card and CPU won't be able to handle at constant frames over 60 fps at HD resolutions.

 

[Darkleoco]

Hm I guess I'm leaning towards the Radeon now I just need to try and find somewhere that has them in stock and won't try to rob me on shipping, hopefully the airflow in the HAF X will keep temperatures down, but I could always take out the drive bays behind the front fan to improve airflow if I needed it.

 

[entropy13]

Buy the "GTX 580X2", ASUS Mars II.

 

[Darkleoco]

I have to admit that looks pretty amazing but my budget does not stretch anywhere near that far atm

 

[Frizz]

I have to admit that looks pretty amazing but my budget does not stretch anywhere near that far atm

lmao the price of that GPU alone is as much as my whole system put together! >.<

Anyhow goodluck with your upgrade!

 

[Darkleoco]

How loud do the 590/6990 run I keep seeing that they run very loud but idk whether its even worth concerning myself with since I typically use a surround sound headset when I'm on my computer doing anything. And the GTX 580x2 wouldn't it be beaten by 2 6990's in Crossfire for about the same price?

Edit: 1am or so here so I'll check back on this thread when I'm back up again, to those who have given input, thanks for the advice

 

[bbmarley]

they both perform near the same just get the cheaper one in your country

 

[micropage7]

high temp on high end cards is 'normal' but if you make it dual or triple its gonna be REAL hot
the difference between 590 and 6990 is just a slight, some people prefer one than another

 

[Outback Bronze]

Personally id go 6990. Generally cheaper and i think performs better(debatable i know). It really goes on what games u play. Have a look at reviews and see what suits u best.

 

[HammerON]

Are you buying either card for gaming? If so what monitor(s) are you using (resolution)?

 

[LDNL]

590 is quiter and runs cooler but doesnt have that much ocing headroom. The 6990 sounds like a jet engine but ocs as well as any other card. They both are quite equal and trade blows depending on the title.

 

[Melvis]

6990 at least it doesn't have a chance of blowing up.

 

[n-ster]

If you want the option of 3D gaming, perhaps you should lean towards the NV card

If you are thinking of maybe doing bitcoin mining (google it) then go AMD

 

[techtard]

As someone who has used overclocked Radeon and GTX cards paired with their respective reference coolers ... go into the bathroom and turn on a hair dryer. That is what your card will sound like at 100% fan speed while gaming.

Right now, the 6990 seems to overclock better. But people say the gtx 590 is quieter.
If you are dead set on one of these, go with whatever brand has the best deal on price matching websites.

PS Triple SLI and Triple-crossfire seems to be the sweetspot for multi-card setups, so you may want to go 6990+6970 or gtx 590+580.

New video cards are rumored to be right arounf the corner, so it might be worth waiting and seeing.

 

[the54thvoid]

As someone who has used overclocked Radeon and GTX cards paired with their respective reference coolers ... go into the bathroom and turn on a hair dryer. That is what your card will sound like at 100% fan speed while gaming.

Right now, the 6990 seems to overclock better. But people say the gtx 590 is quieter.
If you are dead set on one of these, go with whatever brand has the best deal on price matching websites.

PS Triple SLI and Triple-crossfire seems to be the sweetspot for multi-card setups, so you may want to go 6990+6970 or gtx 590+580.

New video cards are rumored to be right arounf the corner, so it might be worth waiting and seeing.

You have source for that? The info I've come across (or not come across as the case may be) is that Kepler won't be out till next year. AMD's newer cards should be out first but not the performance cards. But that's all speculation as nothing is confirmed.

As for cards. Why waste your time on either a 6990 or a 590? 3D is extra bucks and multi screen 3D gaming through NVidia would cost an absolute packet (beyond your budget if you can't afford a MARS II). Physx is nice but desperately over-rated. CPU physics can do the job well enough.
A 6990 is too loud by all accounts from almost every review.

I'd at least go x-fire 6970's with custom coolers or likewise with sli 580's. That way you get a 6990 or a MARS II.

 

[Funtoss]

I'd go for the GTX 590 but thats me because i love NVIDIA

 

[micropage7]

I'd go for the GTX 590 but thats me because i love NVIDIA

yeah thats why someone in this case prefer one over another

 

[n-ster]

You have source for that? The info I've come across (or not come across as the case may be) is that Kepler won't be out till next year. AMD's newer cards should be out first but not the performance cards. But that's all speculation as nothing is confirmed.

As for cards. Why waste your time on either a 6990 or a 590? 3D is extra bucks and multi screen 3D gaming through NVidia would cost an absolute packet (beyond your budget if you can't afford a MARS II). Physx is nice but desperately over-rated. CPU physics can do the job well enough.
A 6990 is too loud by all accounts from almost every review.

I'd at least go x-fire 6970's with custom coolers or likewise with sli 580's. That way you get a 6990 or a MARS II.

I agree about the time frame for the new GPUs. 3D is only a 200~300$ price premium over a normal screen so it ISN'T out of his price range IMO.

I would suggest against Tri-fire, and instead, go with a single 6990/590 or SLI 580s or CFX 6970s or 6950s. Hell, if your resolution is ~1080p, then CFX 6950 1GB will be the best bang for buck for everything maxed out. By the time you want to tri-fire or quad-fire, the 7000 series will be close enough to be worth the wait. If you want to be cost effective, right before the 7K series comes out, sell your 6950, then, when the new 7000 series champ comes out, sell your second one and buy the big monster

 

[Darkleoco]

My price range is "severely" limited to a GTX 590/HD 6990 or SLI/CFX with cheaper/equivalently priced cards and a standard 24 inch monitor and my 32 inch 1080p Sony tv, do you think using my tv as my primary monitor would cause any problems? If I were able to know that I could do that without much worry I could tweak other things such as getting a graphics card cooler to run an SLI/CFX setup. Also I don't mind about the noise levels that will be generated. Also how much of a noticeable increase is their in resolutions above 1080p?
This might help a bit:
Budget in usd: 750 roughly for a graphics card and 200 for a monitor or i can use my tv as a monitor and do up to 950 for the graphics card(s) and or coolers for them.

 

[Darkleoco]

If i were to get 6950's in Crossfire would I need much more than the stock HAF X cooling? And if so could you please recommend some fans I could use (watercooling is out of my price range and not very interested in dabbling with it right now).

 

[_ALB_R3D X]

If i were to get 6950's in Crossfire would I need much more than the stock HAF X cooling? And if so could you please recommend some fans I could use (watercooling is out of my price range and not very interested in dabbling with it right now).

I'm using 2 hd6950 on my HAF X and the fan u should add to your setup is the first top fan which doesn't come by default.
HAF X cooling is more than enough and designed specially for "hot" GFX
U get side 200mm fan blowing directly to GPU,VGA Duct blowing behind and VGA Holder blowing on top...

 

[Wile E]

I'd go 590, personally. I have just had better luck with nVidia drivers recently.