AMD Radeon HD 6990 Pictured Up Close

[bear jesus]

While DP has the potential to be the way of future, we costumers will suffer till it becomes the standard on all monitors, entry through enthusiast ones.

I agree it is a bit of a pain in the ass until more monitors have display port but the ability to use adapters meant i could use £100 screens and one £20 active display port adapter to have an eyefinity setup for the price many people pay for a single screen or graphics card so in a way a pain in the ass but in another way it's great.

I admit it was worse when eyefinity was new as most active adapters were around £60 to £80 but the ability to use cheap monitors and a cheap adapter made me very happy

Until display port becomes more standard on all monitors i like many others are very happy to use adapters, i see it as pretty much the same as going from VGA to DVI, when i was using a VGA only monitor i just used a DVI to VGA adapter until in the future i got a DVI monitor.

 

[cadaveca]

@cadaveca:

While DP has the potential to be the way of future, we costumers will suffer till it becomes the standard on all monitors, entry through enthusiast ones. (BTW, miss you on teamspeak )

But if there are adapters in the box, who is really suffering? Surely not the consumer...

OEMs want to sell cards, plain and simple. They should, you'd expect, include enough adapters.

And while DP is not on every single monitor, it IS featured on many, and those that do have it aren't more expensive than any other monitor...so I fail to see any negatives about DP.

I have 4 monitors with DP. I will more than likely buy at least one of these cards, and should Eyefinity work well with 2 of them, I'll buy two. I really want to play F1 2010 again...

Scaling with 2x 6970 or 2x 6950 is pretty good. I'm waiting for this card to launch before buying into the 6-series...but it's pretty hard to wait.

Just sent my 5870 in for RMA...again...maybe XFX will send me a 6950 in replacement?

 

[newtekie1]

I don't understand, Newtekiie, why you are fighting the progession of technology so much.

As bear jesus posted, Intel AND AMD are pushing DP forward. Samsung and Dell, as panel makers, are on the same boat.

DP, i gues unfortuantely for you, is the way of the future. It offers more than HDMI does, simply by having USB as part of it(thanks to Dell, and thier monitors having USB hubs).

As teh flagship of a generation of cards, and the extreme enthusiast product, it would be foolhardy of them to not push such technologies forward. I can alsmot guarantee that you'll get at least one adapter in the box, if not 4 or 5. Your option of using multiple DVI onnections is mroe than possible..it will happen.

I mean, don't get me wrong...I tihnk the lack of adapters in the box would be a failure...but not on AMD's part. AMD doesn't sell consumers videocards...they sell GPUs to OEM who then sell them to us. It would be the OEM's failure, not AMD's.

I'm not fighting the progression of technology, I'm not saying DP should be left off completely. What I'm fighting is the abandonment of the most commonly used current technology in favor of a technology that is currently more expensive, and currently less readily compatible. This doesn't help the consumer.

If moving to more DP connecters on the card also comes with the requirement of included adapters to convert it to DVI or HDMI, then what are the benefits of using DP in the first place over just including DVI/HDMI on the card? So you have the possibility of 3D? Well, that doesn't go away, because there would still be some DPs on the card. Cost advantage? No, DP costs more in reality, both for the consumer and/or the manufacturer.

I understand the push for DP, however on a current product I don't see the need or advantage of 4 DPs at the expense of more widely used connectors. The card would have been more useful in more situations with a DVI, a HDMI, and 2 or 3 DPs.

And while DP is not on every single monitor, it IS featured on many, and those that do have it aren't more expensive than any other monitor...so I fail to see any negatives about DP.

Oh, I very much beg to differ. I've yet to see a monitor with DP that is cheaper or even the same price as monitors available without. What monitors have you found that were the same price with DP? And it is a feature on many? So many that newegg doesn't seem to care a single one that I can find...

Edit: Wait, I found one on newegg. A 23" 1080p LCD for $270. Of course a few monitors away from that was a 23" 1080p LED for $170 or a 24" 1080p LED for $260...but I guess monitors with DP are going for the same price. Perhaps you know a place to get great deals on monitors, particularly DP capable ones, that you could fill us in on?

 

[cadaveca]

Meh. I could jsut simply say, if ya are complaining about price, this product wasn't designed with you in mind anyway. Plain and simple.

But me, oh yeah, this product was designed for users like me. I don't care about cost...I want what I want, and am willing to pay for it.

Any high-end SKU is like that. Look at all the other cards...they meet your needs...so clearly they are designed for users like you, and this is not.

As much as you want to pull a bad side to this card, this isn't one. It is what it is, and people will buy it no matter what. DP dongle is as low as $20. No big deal.

 

[[H]@RD5TUFF]

Hopefully this does not suffer from the same crap driver issues the 69xx's suffered from, and it needs to be priced sub $550 or it's not worth it and the reference cooler needs to be changed so it doesn't vent inside the case.

 

[bear jesus]

Apparently Nvidia is doing the same with the fan in the middle venting half in half out and plans to try and take the wind out of AMD's sales with the 590 launch around the same time.

Source

I can't wait to see how these card perform, how they do against each other and how they do in crossfire/sli.

 

[mdm-adph]

I'm not fighting the progression of technology, I'm not saying DP should be left off completely. What I'm fighting is the abandonment of the most commonly used current technology in favor of a technology that is currently more expensive, and currently less readily compatible. This doesn't help the consumer.

I swear, AMD can do no right in your eyes. If this was Nvidia, you'd be lauding how "forward-thinking" they were being in promoting DP.

 

[Wrigleyvillain]

But me, oh yeah, this product was designed for users like me. I don't care about cost...I want what I want, and am willing to pay for it.

"Willing" really means "able". I'd be "willing" too if I had that much disposable income. I'd be willing to do a lot of things I can't as it stands today. Fairly pertintent distinction, if you ask me.

 

[newtekie1]

Meh. I could jsut simply say, if ya are complaining about price, this product wasn't designed with you in mind anyway. Plain and simple.

But me, oh yeah, this product was designed for users like me. I don't care about cost...I want what I want, and am willing to pay for it.

Any high-end SKU is like that. Look at all the other cards...they meet your needs...so clearly they are designed for users like you, and this is not.

As much as you want to pull a bad side to this card, this isn't one. It is what it is, and people will buy it no matter what. DP dongle is as low as $20. No big deal.

You're right, people will buy it no matter what. And just because someone is willing to pay $600 for a graphics card doesn't mean they enjoy paying extra for something that offers no practical advantage to them. Paying $100 more for a monitor(or $300 total) just because they use DP is asinine. It doesn't matter if you willing to put out big money for a graphics card, the graphics card offers you something for that large amount of money, right now DP doesn't, and the extra $100 gets you a lower quality LCD to boot. You're the one that wanted to say DP is less expensive, and the monitors cost the same, you brought up the price issue remember. I'm just responding. Not everyone looking to buy cards in this price point has an unlimitted budget, they still do take notice.

As I said, I don't know why anyone would want DP right now. It might show the advantage in the future, but right now, it doesn't. I see people wanting DVI and HDMI far more than DP. I don't see anyone that would be using this card asking that they drop DVI/HDMI in favor of DP.

Yes, DP is a good technology, yes it is going to grow in the future. That's great, include a couple ports. But don't force the majority of your users to use adapters just so you can have an ass load of the new connectors.

I swear, AMD can do no right in your eyes. If this was Nvidia, you'd be lauding how "forward-thinking" they were being in promoting DP.

I think you have the reversed. You think anyone that doesn't say AMD is the best is an Intel/nVidia fanboy. Of course you would probably never think I would disagree with something nVidia did, right?

Of course, you probably never see anyone disagree with Intel or nVidia, you tend to just glance over those comments for some reason...I wonder why...

 

[cadaveca]

Yes, DP is a good technology, yes it is going to grow in the future. That's great, include a couple ports. But don't force the majority of your users to use adapters just so you can have an ass load of the new connectors.

But that's the whole point of flagship cards..to feature new technology. Saving a back isn't part of it. Plain and simple.


And that whole bit about DP being on lesser quality panels is garbage, sry. I've got 4 S-IPS panels here with DP(3xU2311H, + 3008WFP). All Dell high-end LCD's have DP.

Dell U2311H, S-IPS, $250:

http://accessories.dell.com/sna/pro...bk=gr:CategoryRec_default,g:RecentPopular,rk:

I mean, I suppose for pricing, we don't see the same deals, as we are in different countries, but if you are paying more for DP with a good panel, that's purely up to the retailer.

 

[TheMailMan78]

You're right, people will buy it no matter what. And just because someone is willing to pay $600 for a graphics card doesn't mean they enjoy paying extra for something that offers no practical advantage to them. Paying $100 more for a monitor(or $300 total) just because they use DP is asinine. It doesn't matter if you willing to put out big money for a graphics card, the graphics card offers you something for that large amount of money, right now DP doesn't, and the extra $100 gets you a lower quality LCD to boot. You're the one that wanted to say DP is less expensive, and the monitors cost the same, you brought up the price issue remember. I'm just responding. Not everyone looking to buy cards in this price point has an unlimitted budget, they still do take notice.

As I said, I don't know why anyone would want DP right now. It might show the advantage in the future, but right now, it doesn't. I see people wanting DVI and HDMI far more than DP. I don't see anyone that would be using this card asking that they drop DVI/HDMI in favor of DP.

Yes, DP is a good technology, yes it is going to grow in the future. That's great, include a couple ports. But don't force the majority of your users to use adapters just so you can have an ass load of the new connectors.

If I can afford 600 bones I can afford adapters. I can afford a new monitor. I can afford pretty much anything I want. You pay that because you want the best. If you want to get down to brass tacts paying 600 bucks for a GPU is asinine. With todays games there is no need. Your argument is null.

 

[[H]@RD5TUFF]

Apparently Nvidia is doing the same with the fan in the middle venting half in half out and plans to try and take the wind out of AMD's sales with the 590 launch around the same time.

Source

I can't wait to see how these card perform, how they do against each other and how they do in crossfire/sli.

I have my eyes on the Dual GPU 570 EVGA showed at CES.

IMO either the reference cooler needs fixed, or 3rd party needs to step up and make a version with a better cooler.

 

[newtekie1]

But that's the whole point of flagship cards..to feature new technology. Saving a back isn't part of it. Plain and simple.


And that whole bit about DP being on lesser quality panels is garbage, sry. I've got 4 S-IPS panels here with DP(3xU2311H, + 3008WFP). All Dell high-end LCD's have DP.

Dell U2311H, S-IPS, $250:

http://accessories.dell.com/sna/pro...bk=gr:CategoryRec_default,g:RecentPopular,rk:

I mean, I suppose for pricing, we don't see the same deals, as we are in different countries, but if you are paying more for DP with a good panel, that's purely up to the retailer.

I disagree, the purpose of the flagship card is to perform better than all the rest, not feature new technology. And it isn't even featuring any new technology, it is just featuring more of the same technology found on the lower cards.

That dell monitor is $280 in the states, that actually is still pretty comparable to an IPS panel without DP, so I'll give you that point.

If I can afford 600 bones I can afford adapters. I can afford a new monitor. I can afford pretty much anything I want. You pay that because you want the best. If you want to get down to brass tacts paying 600 bucks for a GPU is asinine. With todays games there is no need. Your argument is null.

It isn't about being able to afford it, I can afford it, that doesn't mean I like spending money that I don't have to.

 

[TheMailMan78]

It isn't about being able to afford it, I can afford it, that doesn't mean I like spending money that I don't have to.

See the thing is they don't ether. So they sell you something they know the market will absorb without extra cost to them. You will buy a 600 GPU and love it. Its like buying a Corvette and bitching it doesn't come with a spare tire.

 

[cadaveca]

I disagree, the purpose of the flagship card is to perform better than all the rest, not feature new technology.

So whut? Clearly AMD doesn't agree with you, so I don't understand the complaining about it.

I mean, your points are valid. It does kinda suck, that eyefinity is restricted to DP usage. But at the same time, I am glad that it's DP now, and not something that they will have to upgrade in the future. When eyefinity is really ready for prime-time(or we get much higher-res panels), they will have years of experience with DP


But, with nVidia...you got to buy a whole second card. I'll take DP rather than the second card.

 

[[H]@RD5TUFF]

So whut? Clearly AMD doesn't agree with you, so I don't understand the complaining about it.

I mean, your points are valid. It does kinda suck, that eyefinity is restricted to DP usage. But at the same time, I am glad that it's DP now, and not something that they will have to upgrade in the future. When eyefinity is really ready for prime-time(or we get much higher-res panels), they will have years of experience with DP


But, with nVidia...you got to buy a whole second card. I'll take DP rather than the second card.

So you only have to use 1 card, but you have to pay for more expensive monitors or $30-$50 dollar adapters that may cause things not to work properly.

I'll take the second card and drivers that don't suck.

 

[cadaveca]

Well that's it, isn't it. At the high end, you have to make concessions to get what you want.

Nvidia wants you to buy multiples of thier product.

Amd wants you to spread the wealth around to other companies.

I personally don't have much issue with AMD drivers. both multi-monitor solutions have a fwe driver bugs, but software itself is a much larger part of nVidia's solution, and as such, in my mind, has a higher chance of failure.

I've been trying to build a rig for racing games with three monitors, wheel and such for some time. Still waiting for the right VGA for it. I am hoping the 6990 is it...but that doesn' exclude nVidia fro mthe options..time will tell.

And really, that's what I am comparing for purchase. NV vs ATI, for multi-monitor use, and of course, with decent framerates. Seem 6990 is gonna come before a dual card from nV...but you never know.

 

[newtekie1]

See the thing is they don't ether. So they sell you something they know the market will absorb without extra cost to them. You will buy a 600 GPU and love it. Its like buying a Corvette and bitching it doesn't come with a spare tire.

No, its like buying a corvette and bitching if it requires E100. Yes, E100 is better, yes it is the new technology. But it is expensive, hard to find, and unnecessary. Not everyone that has the money is willing to burn it on unnecessary things.

So whut? Clearly AMD doesn't agree with you, so I don't understand the complaining about it.

I mean, your points are valid. It does kinda suck, that eyefinity is restricted to DP usage. But at the same time, I am glad that it's DP now, and not something that they will have to upgrade in the future. When eyefinity is really ready for prime-time(or we get much higher-res panels), they will have years of experience with DP


But, with nVidia...you got to buy a whole second card. I'll take DP rather than the second card.

Well with this solution you essentially are buying a second card, aren't you? And that is my point, if you are essentially buying two cards, then why not use the most popular display outputs of both cards. With the nVidia solution you get to use 4 DVI monitors. I'm not saying the nVidia solution is better, I'm not even comparing it, I'm just saying it is possible when you have 2 cards to have more DVI monitors. One of the biggest draw backs of eyefinity is the requirement of DP, and with this card that requirement is essentially removed, because it is two cards in one. IMO, AMD missed the opertunity to make eyefinity more user friendly by not including more DVI ports.

And again, my issue isn't with eyefinity requiring DP on a single GPU card, that as I said is a necessity. My issue is that I don't see it to be a necessity to have 4 DP ports on this card, especially not with at the expense of DVI or HDMI. And again, I'm not saying leave DP off completely either, I'm glad they have it, and are using it, and are moving it mainstream, however I just don't think it is to the point where there should be more than 2 on each card and they should be leaving off other more popular connectors to get more than 2.

 

[cadaveca]

No, its like buying a corvette and bitching if it requires E100. Yes, E100 is better, yes it is the new technology. But it is expensive, hard to find, and unnecessary. Not everyone that has the money is willing to burn it on unnecessary things.

Sure. But the level of product that is intended "for everyone" is "mainstream", and this card isn't it.


I mean, if that's all you can come up with that is bad about this card, i think they are doing pretty good. I can overlook the extra DP port(s)...heck, I only need three myself!

And guess what...becaues of timing issues, DP and DVI together for multi-monitor use just plain old sucks balls(even nV isn't mixing display output types). I haven't bought 68xx or 69xx just because of that..from my expereince with eyefinity, you need three native DP ports. 3x DVI just isn't possible with AMD's solution, and I accepted that many moons ago when I bought my monitors.

Because, in the end, you are very right, this is two cards in one...and only eyefinity really needs that sort of grunt. Seems to me that it'd be like the eyefinity6 card, except they left the single DVI for those that will use a single monitor.

I mean, I haven't been talking about the multistream DP boxes and daisy-chainable monitors being the only viable solution for eyefinity for months for no reason. Seem like AMD kinda listened, because I much prefer the right number of DP ports than a completely seperate box, that most likely, would have sold for $99 or better...I paid that for the DP-DVI adapter already.

 

[TheMailMan78]

No, its like buying a corvette and bitching if it requires E100. Yes, E100 is better, yes it is the new technology. But it is expensive, hard to find, and unnecessary. Not everyone that has the money is willing to burn it on unnecessary things.

Then you shouldn't be buying a Vett. I picture you more as a Gremlin driver anyway.

 

[wahdangun]

I disagree, the purpose of the flagship card is to perform better than all the rest, not feature new technology. And it isn't even featuring any new technology, it is just featuring more of the same technology found on the lower cards.

That dell monitor is $280 in the states, that actually is still pretty comparable to an IPS panel without DP, so I'll give you that point.



It isn't about being able to afford it, I can afford it, that doesn't mean I like spending money that I don't have to.

to be honest. The problem with eyefinity was because they mix it with DVI, and causing cursor coruption, btw if someone want to eyefinity they will just buy an lcd with dp in it or buy it alltogether with lcd, and btw what make its difficult to buy a $30 adaptor? This is enthusiast card, i mean what is the different with this than buying after market cooler for your cpu,

 

[newtekie1]

Sure. But the level of product that is intended "for everyone" is "mainstream", and this card isn't it.

Where did you get that I was talking about things for everyone?

Again I'll say it. Not everyone that has the money to burn is willing to spend it on unnecessary things.

I mean, if that's all you can come up with that is bad about this card, i think they are doing pretty good. I can overlook the extra DP port(s)...heck, I only need three myself!

That is exactly why I said this is going to be a beast of a card. The DP issue isn't a deal breaker by a long rung, I never said that, I just said I would have preferred a different configuration.

As you said, you really only need 3 for eyefinity. That is my point. Why use 4? I've said this serveral times I believe now, why didn't they just use 3 and include an HDMI or Mini-HDMI port in place of the 4th DP? That makes more sense to me than 4 DPs and a single DVI.

And guess what...becaues of timing issues, DP and DVI together for multi-monitor use just plain old sucks balls(even nV isn't mixing display output types). I haven't bought 68xx or 69xx just because of that..from my expereince with eyefinity, you need three native DP ports. 3x DVI just isn't possible with AMD's solution, and I accepted that many moons ago when I bought my monitors.

See above. How many times do I have to say I'M NOT SAYING THEY SHOULD REMOVE DP COMPLETE. I don't know where you have gotten that idea.

Because, in the end, you are very right, this is two cards in one...and only eyefinity really needs that sort of grunt. Seems to me that it'd be like the eyefinity6 card, except they left the single DVI for those that will use a single monitor.

And as I have said, there are many different ways this could have been handled, including stacking the DPs in a 2x2 arrangement to make room for other ports. I believe they probably could have done this without even blocking any of the vent. And that is only if they wanted to use 4 DPs. If they only wanted 3, they could have stuck an HDMI or mini-HDMI in place of the 4th DP.

I mean, I haven't been talking about the multistream DP boxes and daisy-chainable monitors being the only viable solution for eyefinity for months for no reason. Seem like AMD kinda listened, because I much prefer the right number of DP ports than a completely seperate box, that most likely, would have sold for $99 or better...I paid that for the DP-DVI adapter already.

So you think that 4 DPs and one DVI is the right number of DPs and a better configuration than 3 DPs, and HDMI port, and a DVI?

to be honest. The problem with eyefinity was because they mix it with DVI, and causing cursor coruption, btw if someone want to eyefinity they will just buy an lcd with dp in it or buy it alltogether with lcd, and btw what make its difficult to buy a $30 adaptor? This is enthusiast card, i mean what is the different with this than buying after market cooler for your cpu,

And again, there really isn't a reason that they couldn't have just used 3 DPs a DVI and a HDMI. You could still do eyefinity with the 3 DPs. And I'll say it again, and for the last time, it has nothing to do with the money for the adapter, the point is that it isn't necessary if they just put slightly more thought into the design.

 

[cadaveca]

So you think that 4 DPs and one DVI is the right number of DPs and a better configuration than 3 DPs, and HDMI port, and a DVI?

You missed the part where I said I actually have 4 DP monitors, eh?

And again, there really isn't a reason that they couldn't have just used 3 DPs a DVI and a HDMI. You could still do eyefinity with the 3 DPs. And I'll say it again, and for the last time, it has nothing to do with the money for the adapter, the point is that it isn't necessary if they just put slightly more thought into the design.

I told you, this card is for me. Not you. Hey look, it's got everything I need.

I mean, I understand this card isn't for you, so why are you even posting in the thread?

You can get waht you want, and probably the same functionality, by buying 2x6970. Those have exactly what you need, and probably, more grunt to boot.

Me, I've moved on to Micro-ATX. I want a single card that can do it all, including run all of my monitors at once. I'm not gonna use the 4th monitor to game on, but for monitoring tools, teamspeak, messenger, and IE, most likely.

And to get that all to work, and not have any timing issues that lead to corruption, I need 4 ports. I need 2GB per GPU. I need F1 2010 @ 60fps.

This card should do all that. This is MY card. Everything I've posted here on the forums that i want, this card has. Everything you want...

Is in a different product. They got you covered, too...and likewise, everyone else.

 

[newtekie1]

You missed the part where I said I actually have 4 DP monitors, eh?

Most people don't, and almost no one buying this card will. So you are saying it is a more logical combination to have 4 DPs instead of 3 a HDMI and a DVI?

I told you, this card is for me. Not you. Hey look, it's got everything I need.

...

Now you are getting selfish, the card is for the general public, and 4 DPs doesn't make sense to the general public. 3 makes sense, not 4. Why don't you get a DVI to DP adapter? Why is that so hard bad?

 

[wolf]

looks like it has the potential to perform like 6950 2gb CF or better, that boards well for AMD. can't wait to see if it holds up to the seemingly reasonable expectations.

what I'm more interested in is Nvidia's well kept secret answer, and how it is performing and priced against this card. the midrange price war is stunning at the moment, everybody wins. it would make my day if the high end competiton is as invigorating.