RX 480 vs 1060, several month ago vs now, the AMD driver improving over time is not a myth

[jboydgolfer]

FYI those considering an RX 480 can pick up a Powercolor 4GB 480 for $164.99 with free shipping today:
https://slickdeals.net/f/9498892-powercolor-red-dragon-radeon-rx-480-4gb-for-164-99?v=1

It's too Late now but yesterday the red Devil version was selling for $160 on Newegg.com, but I don't know if that one's better or worse...may pop up again FWIW

 

[cdawall]

If RTG can drop a 1080 matching (in DX11) and 1080 beating (in DX12) Vega 10, the dream is real. Fury X was not too far behind 980ti. Fury X was hampered by the HBM implementation (for voltage lock outs and unknown variables of memory/core overclocks). I don't see why Vega cannot be 50% faster than Fury X. Same number (4096) of cores infers far higher clocks at lower process node. Refined GCN arch would allow Vega to hit the sweet spot though I sincerely doubt it will topple Titan Xp. Only unknown is pricing.... and date.

It is just a matter of it actually getting released. We all know how well that works on the AMD side.

 

[RejZoR]

It would be ideal if both could release cards against eachother within 2-3 months time. That would benefit consumers the most and also both GPU makers, so they don't fall asleep.

 

[the54thvoid]

It would be ideal if both could release cards against eachother within 2-3 months time. That would benefit consumers the most and also both GPU makers, so they don't fall asleep.

Yeah, that would be sweet. Hell, no - weeks apart - with leaks.

 

[RejZoR]

2-3 is also about right. But the way we waited half a year for Fury and again half a year for Vega, that kinda sucks. It's why I have GTX 980 instead of R9 Fury even though I kinda liked Fury a bit more.

 

[Ungari]

It's too Late now but yesterday the red Devil version was selling for $160 on Newegg.com, but I don't know if that one's better or worse...may pop up again FWIW

I checked Newegg, and it's back on sale for a limited time.
Normally, I'd say hold out for the 8GB VRAM, but at this price it is absolutely the best bargain for anyone looking to game at 1080p. Only a few games right now will exceed 4GB, and that is usually due to 3rd Party modifications, or optional developer HD Texture Packs.

With Polaris being so new, driver improvements were expected for specific games, but what many are surprised about is how the hidden potential of this architecture is being unlocked.
Not only does it seem that newer stock has improved chips due to improvements in the manufacturing process, but it looks like we shall see a total Refresh of Polaris in the near future.

 

[Recon-UK]

Christ.. yet another slinging match.

If i were to buy that tier of GPU it would be an AMD RX 480 8GB but that's due to me having a bad time with nVidia and drivers, and the fact that some games i would like to play play better on Radeon hardware like Hitman.

1440P and above? nVidia rule the roost.

 

[phanbuey]

2-3 is also about right. But the way we waited half a year for Fury and again half a year for Vega, that kinda sucks. It's why I have GTX 980 instead of R9 Fury even though I kinda liked Fury a bit more.

^ my point exactly...

now I have 1080, and probably wont go for vega for the exact same reason...

 

[medi01]

Fury X was not too far behind 980ti.

Yes, but it was perceived as too far behind (which was true, to an extent, due to great OC-ing on AIBs).

However, people buy 1050Ti in mass, which is a freaking shame considering how thoroughly 470 that is priced roughly the same, stops all over it (30%-ish lead)

 

[the54thvoid]

Yes, but it was perceived as too far behind (which was true, to an extent, due to great OC-ing on AIBs).

However, people buy 1050Ti in mass, which is a freaking shame considering how thoroughly 470 that is priced roughly the same, stops all over it (30%-ish lead)

Yeah, problem here though is cheapest 1050ti is £140, cheapest 470 is £180 (on OcUK)..... Seems the price difference matches performance difference. My dad needs a new card (still on R7 270X). Wish the 480's were cheaper.

 

[Ungari]

Yes, but it was perceived as too far behind (which was true, to an extent, due to great OC-ing on AIBs).

However, people buy 1050Ti in mass, which is a freaking shame considering how thoroughly 470 that is priced roughly the same, stops all over it (30%-ish lead)

AdoredTV shows historically beyond any doubt that no matter how good, or even superior an AMD GPU is, that the masses will overwhelmingly buy Nvidia:

 

[EarthDog]

32 minutes? Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

 

[Ungari]

32 minutes? Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

I guess historical documentaries are out of the question then?

 

[EarthDog]

Well, that would be something I care more about and choose to watch... this...... not so much.

Cliff's notes please!

 

[Ungari]

Well, that would be something I care more about and choose to watch... this...... not so much.

Cliff's notes please!

TLDW; The Great Unwashed have in the past, and are still even now purchasing Nvidia cards, even when AMD/ATI makes superior processors for a lower price.

 

[rtwjunkie]

TLDW; The Great Unwashed have in the past, and are still even now purchasing Nvidia cards, even when AMD/ATI makes superior processors for a lower price.

Does someone HAVE to be Enlightened or part of The Great Unwashed? What if we reject fanboism and use both? There are plenty here that alternate as well. I just don't think it all needs to be so clear cut of one side or the other....there shouldn't even BE a side.

 

[Ungari]

Does someone HAVE to be Enlightened or part of The Great Unwashed? What if we reject fanboism and use both? There are plenty here that alternate as well. I just don't think it all needs to be so clear cut of one side or the other....there shouldn't even BE a side.

I agree, people should buy the best product for the best price, and not make a purchase just because "everyone else is".

 

[cdawall]

I agree, people should buy the best product for the best price, and not make a purchase just because "everyone else is".

Ah the gtx970...

 

[blued]

Heres my reasoning as to why the 480 has improved vs the 1060. AMD have had a solid card since day one but have a so-so driver team that needs time to get things up to speed. I would also suggest for people to pay attention to the 480 vs other AMD cards as well, ie, 390x, fury, etc. The 480 seems to have made substantial gains vs these cards too since its release.

 

[Ungari]

Heres my reasoning as to why the 480 has improved vs the 1060. AMD have had a solid card since day one but have a so-so driver team that needs time to get things up to speed. I would also suggest for people to pay attention to the 480 vs other AMD cards as well, ie, 390x, fury, etc. The 480 seems to have made substantial gains vs these cards too since its release.

It's not the Driver Team, the other cards have been benefiting from updates for some time now.
It is the newness of the architecture that is being optimized.

 

[hat]

Funny how AMD/ATi had horrible drivers, now it's switched to Nvidia having shit drivers and AMD having better drivers.

 

[Fluffmeister]

Funny how AMD/ATi had horrible drivers, now it's switched to Nvidia having shit drivers and AMD having better drivers.

The reality is Nvidia get a bad rap for offering good performance from day one, and across multiple API's.

For example... https://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Performance_Analysis/Civilization_6/4.html

1. Dev release DX12 patch a month or two later brings AMD up to where they should have been all along.

2. In turn for Nv the DX12 patch shows minor gains at best or even a performance regression over DX11 as the dev can never optimise as well as Nv.

3. Nv are the bad guys... rinse repeat.

Of course AMD do show improvements as they both do, but having a card come later, review better and then steal much needed sales is a bit of a reoccurring faux pas for AMD.

Equally, if Nv didn't bother with DX11/OpenGL, they would show nice gains too.

 

[hat]

Alright, but what about users on the forum reporting regressing performance with new iterations of Nvidia drivers, while AMD seems to be increasing?

 

[rtwjunkie]

Alright, but what about users on the forum reporting regressing performance with new iterations of Nvidia drivers, while AMD seems to be increasing?

I DID notice that in most of the tests on the link provided by @the54thvoid on last page that the 980Ti did lose fps. Most are probably not actually noticeable to most people's naked eye, and thus it makes little difference, but it did show that other than a few cases, performance dropped with newer drivers.

I understand it's just one follow up type review, and not exactly sure of all the parameters around it, but interesting nonetheless.

 

[jboydgolfer]

Alright, but what about users on the forum reporting regressing performance with new iterations of Nvidia drivers, while AMD seems to be increasing?

pay particular attention to the "frames tested" portion towards the bottom of each respective image. And to be clear, i have no opinion really either way, i am not disagreeing with you, just posting these , since i happened to have them from today, as im testing this theory you have mentioned for myself.

Does anyone happen to know where the "sweet spot "driver is? Meaning which one or which version? I'm just curious if I went to far back by using the 361.75

Spoiler: running Driver 376.19

Spoiler: running Driver 361.75

You can actually notice lesser variance in the older drivers performance graph (the blue line at the bottom )