Eyefinity Card Reviews here...

Post by **Mach1.9pants** » 23 Sep 2009, 03:10

..please post 'em as you find 'em :)

If your Italian is good, or you can translate google translate the first review I have seen is here

Seems to be better than a 285 but not much of a jump over a 295 :( (on the 30" res anyway)

Looking forward to the 2gb reviews. And I really want answered- if I get 3 of these and run one display of each- without CF, will it work and what performance?

dinmaster · Post by **dinmaster** » 23 Sep 2009, 03:45

sigh mach beat me to it, ill try and watch for "here" little links, change it to something a little more descriptive like "Radeon 5870 Review (Toms Hardware Itali)" as the link please and sorry again.

Post by **Mach1.9pants** » 23 Sep 2009, 04:03

...aahhh did you check my link LOL?

neosin · Post by **neosin** » 23 Sep 2009, 04:16

me thinks all the leaked benchmarks were all FAKE to generate hype!

it gets beaten by gtx295 in heaps of tests!

disappointed, but I knew it was too good to be true lol!

dinmaster · Post by **dinmaster** » 23 Sep 2009, 05:01

guru 3d review is up

update: HardOCP + amandtech

Radeon 5870 Review (Guru 3d)

Radeon 5870 Review (Hardware Canucks)

Radeon 5870 Review (HardOCP)

Radeon 5870 Review (Amandtech)

Post by **Mach1.9pants** » 23 Sep 2009, 07:56

A good set of review links up at DailyTech

Post by **Mach1.9pants** » 23 Sep 2009, 09:04

Hexus: http://www.hexus.net/content/item.php?item=20289&page=1

and there is one CF there as well.

Post by **Mach1.9pants** » 23 Sep 2009, 09:05

Oz PC World: http://www.pcworld.idg.com.au/review/pc_components/amd/ati_radeon_hd5870/319629

YouTube · Post by **ViciousXUSMC** » 23 Sep 2009, 09:45

I read legit review & anandtech, a bit of info on there.

It was mentioned with this first release of the 5870 card that has 2x dvi, 1x hdmi, and 1x DP that you can not use both dvi ports + hdmi at the same time because the hdmi port shares something with one of the dvi ports. So you have to use an active display port --> dvi adapter.

Anybody know how much one of those cost?

Im looking at the 5870 as both a Matrox and a GPU in one, its the only way I can justify upgrading from my dual 4850's since the performance gain while higher wont be huge.

I know the 4870 is just a tad faster than the 4850, so they have the 4870X2 in a lot of tests and that is basically just two 4870's so thats how I figure my baseline of performance. Infact with my OC my dual 4850's = a 4870X2 and its only right behind the new 5870.

I do get to reduce my idle power a lot though, so that should mean a cooler room and that was another reason I wanted to go from 2 cards to just 1.

I have a feeling eyefinity will boost the number of people interested in surround gaming, and hopefully that in turn produces the demand for more games to support ultra wide fov and resolutions out of the box.

I really wonder what this is going to do to Matrox though.

Post by **Mach1.9pants** » 23 Sep 2009, 10:39

I am pretty sure you won't need an active adaptor unless you are using a res higher than 1920x1200, so the adaptors aren't that much.

YouTube · Post by **ViciousXUSMC** » 23 Sep 2009, 11:00

So your saying I just need a DP --> DVI adapter not an active adapter?

I was just going by what the review said.

Considering they will have the 6x mini display port model down the road wonder why they couldn't make this card have the 2x dvi & 1x hdmi work all at the same time.

Post by **Paradigm Shifter** » 23 Sep 2009, 11:30

Supposedly, as long as you're using a digital display and not an analogue one, you only need a passive adaptor.

edit: Some confusion after reading reviews that say you need an active adaptor if you want to run any form of DVI screen out of the DisplayPort. Perhaps our ATi rep can clear that up?

...

...

Hm. I'm reading reviews...

Thoughts:

Performs the same or better as a 4870X2, except in games where CrossFire works really well, like HAWX, where the X2 leads by a fair margin.

Performs the same or better as a GTX285 consistently.

Performs the same or below a GTX295, usually below, but occasionally manages to catch up.

Power draw. Look at the load power figures - nearly 150w less than a 4870X2 for the same performance. 75w less power for the same performance as a GTX285. ~120w less power than a GTX295. The power draw on the card is very, very impressive. Even the idle draw is exceptional now.

Should be sweet in CrossFire.

edit: Finally! Angle independent anisotropic filtering!

SuperSampling AA again! I wonder if that means that Final Fantasy VIII will render correctly with max AA on, like it with with the old Voodoo5?

The AnandTech review is interesting. The 5870 does pretty well against the GTX295 in most of the benches... beats it in some, draws in others, loses in some... I suspect it's down to the dual-GPU nature that the 295 has an advantage...

...

Pricing:

UK pricing is OK. The lower end is basically where I expected it to be. eBuyer seem to be avoiding price-gouging the way that some are. To be honest, I'm pretty horrified that Scan are trying to charge 11% more than eBuyer for the same cards...

Post by **Mach1.9pants** » 23 Sep 2009, 11:48

A real pity non of the reviews that I have read thought to put up some 3x1680x1050 or 3x1920x1200 figures to go with the standard sizes.

I was also quite disappointed by the Anandtech reviewer, not 'getting' FoV etc. You'd think he would have had a little look around about TH gaming before he talked about it!

Still questions I want answering are:
#Active or passive adaptors required always or only at a specific res?
#Can we run 2 or 3 gpu in non-crossfire mode and run one monitor per card; all as one screen (I guess we can with the massive 24 screen displays they put up)
#Is CF a definite for EF in the future? Better be cos I want the x2 version to run on my (non CF) mobo
#Will we be able to run EF AND HYDRA at the same time? :p

Post by **thales100** » 23 Sep 2009, 12:00

I think ill crossfire two of these 5870 and keep using my matrox triplehead2go if the new ATI drivers can actually run DX 10 (and DX 11) at 5040x1050 + matrox.

Post by **Paradigm Shifter** » 23 Sep 2009, 12:02

To be honest, the GTX295 being a bit faster is not too much of a worry. Well, it is kind of a worry, but when you're talking about 2560x1600x4AA and still looking at over 100fps, there really isn't too much to worry about. ;) By the time games that use that power come out, the 5x00 series will be a couple of generations old. :lol:

Can't help feeling a little disappointed all the same, though.

A real pity non of the reviews that I have read thought to put up some 3x1680x1050 or 3x1920x1200 figures to go with the standard sizes.

I was also quite disappointed by the Anandtech reviewer, not 'getting' FoV etc. You'd think he would have had a little look around about TH gaming before he talked about it!

I agree. But hey, reviewers do that a lot. The issue I have is that AnandTech is so widely read and usually well respected that I fear a lot of enthusiasts will go, "But Anandtech says... [EyeFinity is [a gimmick]]" or something.

Still questions I want answering are:
#Active or passive adaptors required always or only at a specific res?

I'm gonna be asking or ATi rep that. Gimme a few. PM sent.

#Can we run 2 or 3 gpu in non-crossfire mode and run one monitor per card; all as one screen (I guess we can with the massive 24 screen displays they put up)

Supposedly not, right now. Might come in a driver update.

#Is CF a definite for EF in the future? Better be cos I want the x2 version to run on my (non CF) mobo

They want it to be. I'd say its suicide if they can't get the two working together, as EF needs CF for the ultra-high-end.

#Will we be able to run EF AND HYDRA at the same time? :p

No idea. :(

Post by **Paradigm Shifter** » 23 Sep 2009, 12:12

Jesus... Anandtech really hammered those cards in load power draw tests. Still, 5870CF draws 430w with WoW loading. I'd like to see Crysis loads, then I'll decide whether 5870CF is doable on my 620w Corsair. (Two won't fit in the case, but hey...!)

...

Having now looked at multiple reviews, on those occasions where the GTX295 does beat the 5870 handily, it usually has low minimum framerates. Which you go for depends on whether you like consistent fps or high averages...

Post by **Paradigm Shifter** » 23 Sep 2009, 13:14

OK. Scan have dropped their prices more in line with other etailers from what the Hexus pricing was saying. And... they have stock of a £318 Sapphire card...

..tempting. Purely for the decreased power draw.

Post by **thales100** » 23 Sep 2009, 13:19

I've just bought two Sapphire 5870. :triplewide

Post by **Paradigm Shifter** » 23 Sep 2009, 13:39

Nice, man. Nice. Let us have some benchies? :D

I've just spotted that the 5850 is £100 less than the 5870. £210 I can stomach. Now, while it's not like the 4850 which had the same number of Stream Processors (the 5850 is down 160 SP's from the 5870) for 1/3rd less money, I'd be really interested in seeing benchmarks.

All the reviews are of the 5870, though. :( I wonder how good the 5850's idle and load power draw is? If it's the same (or lower) then that's excellent! :D Also wonder how much performance impact that GDDR5 speed drop and 160SP's lost makes...

Post by **thales100** » 23 Sep 2009, 14:01

Nice, man. Nice. Let us have some benchies? :D

Sure, as soon as i get these beauties here. :P

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