PowerColor HD6990 Crossfire Review
Conclusion
Published: 8th March 2011 | Source: PowerColor | Price: £550est |
Conclusion
Phew. What a hell of a bunch of results. It's rare that we come across a product that leaves us breathless. Frustrated, but breathless.
Let me take you for a little stroll into an apt comparison for a moment. Racing Drivers are separated into the quick and the slow. That's all that really matters. Sure it's important that they don't wreck every race, but in general speed trumps reliability when analysing raw talent. You can teach a super-fast guy to not crash as much, but it's infinitely harder to teach a slow guy to be quick. You've either got it or you haven't. Rough edges can always be trimmed.
Welcome back. That's the HD6990 in a nutshell. It's like a hyper-talented Rookie. Sure it's brutally hot and loud. In a war between this and the reference GTX480 we're not sure which would be the louder and hotter of the two. But... but...
Like that hypothetical Rookie driver, its speed is innate. Rip the reference cooler off and hand the PCB to the tuners, and we guarantee you'll spend the next week picking carpet fluff off your chin from where your jaw keeps hitting the floor.
That flaw is nothing to do with PowerColor though. Anyone who has even a tiny bit of experience with them knows that their PCS+ and PCS++ variants always deliver and we're positive that in this case it'll be no different.
Strap two of these beasts together and you'll never be found wanting. With a multi-monitor setup you will definitely be in gaming heaven. If you haven't got multiple monitors then it's very debatable if you'll make the most out of the Quadfire HD6990s. Although of course if you've a thousand smackers to lay down on a GPU setup it's very likely you've already got at least an Eyefinity setup, if not the 5 monitor setup capable with the PowerColor HD6990.
There is no doubt that if you want performance capable of stopping every passer by within 10 miles, the PowerColor HD6990 is the card for you. But personally, we'll advice holding out for the non-reference models with an alternative cooler equipped.
Thanks to PowerColor for providing the HD6990s for our Crossfire review. Discuss in our forums.
Most Recent Comments
Again.
Does want.
Does want.
I wonder how it would perform in wather cooled conditions? Uderwise nice card, but a little hot and loud for my taste 
very nice - but however rich i think i am, i cannot justify paying over £1000 for two cards, just for an upped framerate.
although, on their own, they handle the benches very well, considering that they are dual gpu cards.
i think AMD have also overpriced them, as they offer no new technology. for that price i would expect DX12 (whatever/whenever that may be)
although, on their own, they handle the benches very well, considering that they are dual gpu cards.
i think AMD have also overpriced them, as they offer no new technology. for that price i would expect DX12 (whatever/whenever that may be)
Wow for Quad GPUs they scale insanely well.
Wow it might be expensive but crossfire performance is insane though that's a hell of a lot of money for two graphics card regardless of performance.
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Originally Posted by Zeals
Wow for Quad GPUs they scale insanely well. |
)Alrighty. Finished reading both, now time to patiently wait for 590 results, then for results from other manufacturers' cards, on both sides.
Should be a nice march/april.
Should be a nice march/april.
Dissapointed, those 4 GPU cores have so much more to give, if only that 3Ghz i7 used in the review would push them.
I say stick a 4Ghz+ in and run a few tests again and you'll see a difference then.
I say stick a 4Ghz+ in and run a few tests again and you'll see a difference then.
I really respect your honesty tom which makes this review spot on and it seems to me that neither Nvidia or AMD care anymore about noise levels because most of these new cards sound like hairdryers when overclocked so noise is no longer an issue and if you wish to OC these cards you need to move on to custom cooling exactly like the CPU market.
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Originally Posted by almighty15
Dissapointed, those 4 GPU cores have so much more to give, if only that 3Ghz i7 used in the review would push them. I say stick a 4Ghz+ in and run a few tests again and you'll see a difference then. |
the i7 950 Tom uses has been OC'ed to 4Ghz, as he does with all his GPU tests.
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Originally Posted by silenthill
if you wish to OC these cards you need to move on to custom cooling exactly like the CPU market. |
I can understand it gets frustrating, that doesn't mean you shouldn't say anything about it though.
and yup, that's mine, ESP '06 model Signature model, best guitar I've ever owned. Sound good through my VH4S too
and yup, that's mine, ESP '06 model Signature model, best guitar I've ever owned. Sound good through my VH4S too
Meh, performance is good but to me noise and heat are what I look at as well and there is no way I would want one of those 6990's ringing in my ears never mind 2. Bring on the 590 I have high hopes for it.
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Originally Posted by wraithien
The irony being if you want to put on a water block or any aftermarket air cooler you instantly void your warranty. |
It will be interesting to see how the GTX590 stacks up against this. In all likelihood it will be faster, the question is how it will scale, and the pricing. If NVidia decide to make the cost similar to the HD6990, and I think I read somewhere that the GTX590 will be produce with minimal profit, so it can compete with the HD6990.
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Originally Posted by Zeals
It will be interesting to see how the GTX590 stacks up against this. In all likelihood it will be faster, the question is how it will scale, and the pricing. If NVidia decide to make the cost similar to the HD6990, and I think I read somewhere that the GTX590 will be produce with minimal profit, so it can compete with the HD6990. |
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Originally Posted by Zeals
go for XFX because their warranty service covers removal of the stock cooler. Also comes with life time warranty.
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Originally Posted by wraithien
Not in the UK it doesn't you get the standard two year warranty the lifetime warranty is only in America I know of no card manufacturers (in the UK at least) which allow you to modify the card. |
Yea I don't like how they treat Europe in terms of their warranties as well. Kind of disappointing to see that kind of warranty in Europa, compared to the US.
Hey 3D man.... forgot your name.... LOL.. The thing about the fan on the second card not spinning up. You look like a tinkerer. What if you made a "Y" connector for the fan power hook ups and plugged both fans into the top cards power slot........ completely by-passing the bottom one altogether ? I think that should make both fans spin at your preset fan speed.... ???
I haven't ran Xfire in many years but for a single card running in the 40% area..( fan speed ) kept the card at a constant temp while not driving you crazy from the noise. Think you might give the "Y" connector a try ?
I haven't ran Xfire in many years but for a single card running in the 40% area..( fan speed ) kept the card at a constant temp while not driving you crazy from the noise. Think you might give the "Y" connector a try ?
My guess is the 590 will cost around $900 to $1000 .US
Now if Nvidia prices to compete with AMD it will be a big win.
Now if Nvidia prices to compete with AMD it will be a big win.
Its amazing how tom's opinions are exactly like yours.
I reckon after AMD bought ATI and dropped the ATI brand, things have been going downhill for em. Having a poor cooler on a powerful card is just a silly mistake.
GTX500 series was a big leap from the previous GTX400 series cards, AMD(ATI) 6000 series not so much of improvement over the 5000 series
For me Nvidia cards have been very solid in terms of performance and drivers so im saving for the GTX590.
I reckon after AMD bought ATI and dropped the ATI brand, things have been going downhill for em. Having a poor cooler on a powerful card is just a silly mistake.
GTX500 series was a big leap from the previous GTX400 series cards, AMD(ATI) 6000 series not so much of improvement over the 5000 series
For me Nvidia cards have been very solid in terms of performance and drivers so im saving for the GTX590.
Sounds a little high. Isn't that card a lower performing GTX570x2 ? If so I think it would be priced about the same as the 6990. Maybe even 550. Doesn't matter to me, they're both high.
Warranties are made to be broken.
@Tom, hell of a review. I was surprised at the FarCry2 results, Im still new to all this but never would have expected that.
Is it possible in CF to disable one of the cards and just run off of one for games like FarCry2 where this would be an issue, you know, without physically disconnecting anything, a desktop menue option to run only one card or 2 with just a click?
Not that I am considering this setup,but in general.
@Tom, hell of a review. I was surprised at the FarCry2 results, Im still new to all this but never would have expected that.
Is it possible in CF to disable one of the cards and just run off of one for games like FarCry2 where this would be an issue, you know, without physically disconnecting anything, a desktop menue option to run only one card or 2 with just a click?
Not that I am considering this setup,but in general.
actually meant $650. can't see it being more than that but i'm sure they'll try.
@ Dipzy,
Ummm yeah, Lets see...The improvement from the 5000 series to the 6000 series was 23% in frame rates, the scaling was very much improved (20%+) and improved tessellation and features. All with less shaders and less power usage. .....now lets see...those numbers were very close to another graphics cards manufacturers new lineup...oh yeah! it was Nvidia going from the 400 series to the 500 series.
As far as "things have going downhill for them" of course! this would explain their increased market-share.
Nice try.
Its amazing how tom's opinions are exactly like yours.
I reckon after AMD bought ATI and dropped the ATI brand, things have been going downhill for em. Having a poor cooler on a powerful card is just a silly mistake.
GTX500 series was a big leap from the previous GTX400 series cards, AMD(ATI) 6000 series not so much of improvement over the 5000 series
For me Nvidia cards have been very solid in terms of performance and drivers so im saving for the GTX590.
Ummm yeah, Lets see...The improvement from the 5000 series to the 6000 series was 23% in frame rates, the scaling was very much improved (20%+) and improved tessellation and features. All with less shaders and less power usage. .....now lets see...those numbers were very close to another graphics cards manufacturers new lineup...oh yeah! it was Nvidia going from the 400 series to the 500 series.
As far as "things have going downhill for them" of course! this would explain their increased market-share.
Nice try.
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Originally Posted by tesla1776
@ Dipzy, Ummm yeah, Lets see...The improvement from the 5000 series to the 6000 series was 23% in frame rates, the scaling was very much improved (20%+) and improved tessellation and features. All with less shaders and less power usage. .....now lets see...those numbers were very close to another graphics cards manufacturers new lineup...oh yeah! it was Nvidia going from the 400 series to the 500 series. As far as "things have going downhill for them" of course! this would explain their increased market-share. Nice try. |
people have different experiences and opinions about videos cards, What i mentioned before was mine
I don't want to get in the middle of this but........... I will say that I am very disappointed with both camps as far as performance is concerned. They. like the CPU makers seem to be intentionally holding back to a degree. The only way to have substantial gains is to over clock any more. Not something, I think, most people can do or do successfully. Why has it taken SO LONG for a manufacturer to break the 1Ghz barrier ? Just one has done it ( Gigabyte ) straight out of the box and the newest stuff still hasn't done it. Why ?
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Originally Posted by south side sammy
I don't want to get in the middle of this but........... I will say that I am very disappointed with both camps as far as performance is concerned. They. like the CPU makers seem to be intentionally holding back to a degree. The only way to have substantial gains is to over clock any more. Not something, I think, most people can do or do successfully. Why has it taken SO LONG for a manufacturer to break the 1Ghz barrier ? Just one has done it ( Gigabyte ) straight out of the box and the newest stuff still hasn't done it. Why ? |
Also had an XFX 5970 black edition and sucked so hardly chopping at the bit to use this.
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Originally Posted by south side sammy
I don't want to get in the middle of this but........... I will say that I am very disappointed with both camps as far as performance is concerned. They. like the CPU makers seem to be intentionally holding back to a degree. The only way to have substantial gains is to over clock any more. Not something, I think, most people can do or do successfully. Why has it taken SO LONG for a manufacturer to break the 1Ghz barrier ? Just one has done it ( Gigabyte ) straight out of the box and the newest stuff still hasn't done it. Why ? |
Sound familiar.
570=480, 580=480+the balance of the cores.
Switch the cooler and no-one shouts foul. There is no big story between 4xx and 5xx. A few years ago people would be crying "re-brand".
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Originally Posted by OEOTS
I can understand it gets frustrating, that doesn't mean you shouldn't say anything about it though. and yup, that's mine, ESP '06 model Signature model, best guitar I've ever owned. Sound good through my VH4S too |
j/k mate. Just so long as you love it and play the heck out of it it makes no difference, does it? Maybe we could jam the next time you're in Lakefield, ON, Canada.
hehehe, very nice,
personally the problem that I have with the Strats is that first volume button placement, just killed it for me (when playing something with mutes at least). But I do really love the smoothness of the neck on the Strats. And I'll remember to give you a heads up if I'm ever heading that way
personally the problem that I have with the Strats is that first volume button placement, just killed it for me (when playing something with mutes at least). But I do really love the smoothness of the neck on the Strats. And I'll remember to give you a heads up if I'm ever heading that way
Nice review Bry.
Disappointing results though
Disappointing results though
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Originally Posted by Zeals
Warranty depends completely on the manufacturer. While I'll personally recommend MSI because of the Twin Frozer III coolers. If you're going to use custom water cooling or Arctic Cooler VGA coolers; go for XFX because their warranty service covers removal of the stock cooler. Also comes with life time warranty. |
After all the tests and benchmarks I have seen in many sites I can say that AMD still beaten Nvidia.
HD 6970 perform the same or less a little bit from GTX 580 and coast $160 less and if you get CF you will get the same or better a little bit from GTX 580 SLI.
When you com to the dual GPU the HD 6990 beaten the GTX 590 at 80% of the tests and they are the same price.
The HD 6950 coast the same like GTX 560 and give performance near or equal to GTX 570.
It's obvious that AMD walking on the right way and still having control since the HD 4000 series.
HD 6970 perform the same or less a little bit from GTX 580 and coast $160 less and if you get CF you will get the same or better a little bit from GTX 580 SLI.
When you com to the dual GPU the HD 6990 beaten the GTX 590 at 80% of the tests and they are the same price.
The HD 6950 coast the same like GTX 560 and give performance near or equal to GTX 570.
It's obvious that AMD walking on the right way and still having control since the HD 4000 series.
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Originally Posted by Zeals
Warranty depends completely on the manufacturer. While I'll personally recommend MSI because of the Twin Frozer III coolers. If you're going to use custom water cooling or Arctic Cooler VGA coolers; go for XFX because their warranty service covers removal of the stock cooler. Also comes with life time warranty. |
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