AMD’s Radeon HD 6870 & 6850: Renewing Competition in the Mid-Range Market
by Ryan Smith on October 21, 2010 10:08 PM ESTKicking things off as always is Crysis: Warhead, still the toughest game in our benchmark suite. Even 2 years since the release of the original Crysis, “but can it run Crysis?” is still an important question, and the answer continues to be “no.” One of these years we’ll actually be able to run it with full Enthusiast settings…
For reasons we’ve yet to determine, Crysis continues to do a very good job serving as an overall barometer for video card performance. Much of what we see here will show up later, including the order that cards fall in.
As we’ve been expecting, the 6800 series cannot keep up with the 5800 series – Barts is still a “rebalanced” Cypress after all. The performance gap isn’t too severe, and it certainly couldn’t justify 5870 prices at today’s prices, but the 6870 and 6850 definitely aren’t perfect replacements for their 5800 series counterparts.
Focusing on 1920x1200, we have a 3-way race between the GTX 470, EVGA GTX 460, and the 6870. The 6870 comes out ahead, with the EVGA and then the GTX 470 bringing up the pack at under a frame behind. Meanwhile near the 6850 is the GTX 460 1GB, and it’s 2fps behind; while even farther down the line is the GTX 460 768MB, which officially is only $10 cheaper than the 6850 and yet it’s well behind the pack. As we’ll see, the 6850 will quickly assert itself as the GTX 460 1GB’s peer when it comes to performance.
Meanwhile taking a quick look at Crossfire performance we see an interesting trend: the 6800 series cards are much closer to their 5800 series counterparts than they are in single card mode. Here the 6850CF even manages to top the 5850CF, an act that nearly defies logic. This is something we’ll have to keep an eye on in later results.
Moving on to our minimums, the picture changes slightly in NVIDIA’s favor. The 6870 drops to the bottom of its pack, while the 6850’s lead narrows versus both GTX 460 cards. Meanwhile in CF mode now both 6800 series cards top their 5800 series counterparts. Crysis’ minimum framerate has always been a bit brutal to AMD cards due to how AMD’s drivers manage their memory, a problem compounded by Crossfire mode. Perhaps something has changed?
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krumme - Friday, October 22, 2010 - link
No it more looks like NV have been playing around with rivatuner.Their cards at stock speed is a toaster. Overclocking again just before an AMD release does not make it better.
If they can sell cards at higher speeds do it. Release it. Dont talk about it, or coverdly hide behind factory overclocked cards. Pathetic and weak.
The sad thing about it is they made Anand change their methology.
What a sad result when the start was just bad gfx cards.
MrSpadge - Friday, October 22, 2010 - link
Not sure it was mentioned before: Cypress and RV770 run FP64 at 2/5th the FP32 speed, not 1/5th as written on the first page.MrS
Quantumboredom - Friday, October 22, 2010 - link
It's 2/5 for addition, but 1/5 for multiplication and FMA as I recall it.krumme - Friday, October 22, 2010 - link
I you want real world testning for solid buying knowledge and no idiotic mixing of oc and non oc cards go to HardocpAnand needs to do a solid review of his own gfx reviews. This is stoneage methology with a fishy smell.
For the ssd there was an excellent revision with the real world bm suite introduction, - a revision far deeper is needed here.
chillmelt - Friday, October 22, 2010 - link
I agree. Comparing a non-OC'd card to an OC'd one is in no way fair. The 6870 clearly clubbered 460 gtx in virtually all benchmarks, at stock speeds.krumme - Friday, October 22, 2010 - link
Yes. Think about this scenario: For this review anand (kyle) decided to use an overclocked Sapphire 6870 and compare it to a stock speed 460.What would happen? How would that look?
Its the same thing happening here.
mindbomb - Friday, October 22, 2010 - link
if they are in the same price range, they should be compared.it gives the consumer more information on his purchasing decision.
idk why this arbitrary oc/non-oc rule comes into play. It was a factory overclock, and required nothing on the part of the end user.
krumme - Friday, October 22, 2010 - link
Okey. Now take an OC 6850, 900Mhz, and compare it to a far more expensive stock 460 1G?Where does this end. AMD and NV suplying the sites with factory overclocked cards for reviews. Its going to be a f..king mess. No one knows about availability, time period and so on.
Regarding pruchasing decision all the methology is plain wrong. Go to Hardocp if you consider buying a card. Here you have real world testing. Not like this old bad - and now fishy - methology of anand.
Why does he change methology just when he is getting the new cards. Hmm. Thats simply very bad science.
NV should concentrate on making cards that performs instead of using ressources putting pressure on sites like anand. If they have faster 460 models release it, or stop spinning.
Its a pain to read and watch. And its a shame for a site, that have the ressources to do proper testing, but dont have the balls any more.
We dont like AMD, Intel nor NV to influence the reviews. Right now there is an obvious bad influence from especially NV. And you, and everyone can see it. Dont underestimate the consequenses.
bji - Friday, October 22, 2010 - link
You COMPLETELY missed the point. *IF* the OC 6850 was a factory overclocked card, sold at a price that puts it in the range of cards reviewed, then it *WOULD* make sense to compare it.So your example just further makes the point.
krumme - Friday, October 22, 2010 - link
Well as it stands now they dont release oc cards at launch day, but that will soon change..., if Anand and others dont stick to their policy