Zotac GTX590 SLI 5760x1080 Nvidia Surround Review
Conclusion
Published: 9th June 2011 | Source: Zotac | Price: |
Conclusion
So if you plan on multiple-screen gaming, are you better off with the twin-GPU HD6990 or the nVidia equivalent Zotac GTX590?
In some degrees it depends upon which game you want to play as some perform better than others in certain circumstances. However looking at the results in an overall manner we'd definitely suggest plumping for the Zotac GTX590.
In the single card scenarios, either with a single screen or the triple-headed monster, the Zotac comes out on top more often than not, and by quite a margin too.
The new 275 drivers from nVidia deserve special mention as the difference between the results we obtained using the 275.33s and those we saw when we first tested the GTX590 on the 267 ForceWare drivers is just incredible. For example our initial Metro 2033 tests saw 66 FPS, today on the 275s we got 117. Now that's the extreme end of the scale but even so we saw improvements everywhere. It seems nVidia have finally unlocked the insane amounts of power available from the GF110 GPUs.
Speaking of power we all know that power equals heat and removal of heat equals noise. Our largest complaint by far about the HD6990s is how hilariously hot and noisy they are. To put it in perspective our SLI Zotac GTX590 setup was quieter under load than the HD6990 was. Comprehensively quieter. That's two cards being quieter than one. Now considering that decibel is an exponential scale rather than a linear one it really emphasises how much easier the GTX590 is to live with on a daily basis. The HD6990 makes us want to put the tower in another room, the GTX590 we'd happily have it right next to us.
Of course pricing has to be taken into account. On average the Zotac is about £50 more than its AMD equivalent. However not only does that £50 buy you almost unquantifiable levels of performance but much more 'liveability' too. It's quieter, and the use of Mini-HDMI rather than DisplayPort means a reduction in cables and adaptors needed to get the cards running out the box. It's just all around a nicer product to use daily.
This earth-trembling power and usability means that as a single card the Zotac GTX590 is worthy of our OC3D Gold Award. Even at the thick end of 500 notes it's an absolute sledgehammer. The SLI setup naturally is way too expensive to overlook the price, but the potency of the cards in tandem cannot be overlooked and so it gets our OC3D Performance Award. If you've got the spare cash, it's the easy choice to go to.
Single Zotac GTX590
Zotac GTX590 SLI
Thanks to Zotac for supplying the GTX590s for review. Discuss in our forums.
Most Recent Comments
triple screen gameplay looks epic! Great review as always 
looks great, but as usual (lol) i have my concerns...
590s are dual GPU
2 are used in this sli test - cos that is the only way nvidia can run triple monitor setups
very expensive (~£1100)
HD6990 are also dual GPU
a single card is needed for triple eyefinity setups...... AND ONLY ONE WAS USED
half the price (of the nvidia counterpart) for tri-monitor (~£560)
and judging by the benchmarks - the 6990 wins (due to the forementioned)
590s are dual GPU
2 are used in this sli test - cos that is the only way nvidia can run triple monitor setups
very expensive (~£1100)
HD6990 are also dual GPU
a single card is needed for triple eyefinity setups...... AND ONLY ONE WAS USED
half the price (of the nvidia counterpart) for tri-monitor (~£560)
and judging by the benchmarks - the 6990 wins (due to the forementioned)
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Originally Posted by dugdiamond
looks great, but as usual (lol) i have my concerns... 590s are dual GPU 2 are used in this sli test - cos that is the only way nvidia can run triple monitor setups very expensive (~£1100) HD6990 are also dual GPU a single card is needed for triple eyefinity setups...... AND ONLY ONE WAS USED half the price (of the nvidia counterpart) for tri-monitor (~£560) and judging by the benchmarks - the 6990 wins (due to the forementioned) |
Might want to read the review or at least check your facts before ranting
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Originally Posted by tinytomlogan
Single 590 test was with tripple screens.... So errrrm ONLY ONE WAS USED Might want to read the review or at least check your facts before ranting |
6990CF_eyefinity vs 590SLI_surround
a dual-dual-GPU tri-monitor show-down
Good god .____. if the 590 is now ahead...does that mean ween the MARS II comes out.....I would hate to work for ATI after that XD
I've been saying all along that Nvidia was King of the Hill even if the ATI was a few fps better in benches back when first released the noise/heat ration between the two made Green Team the clear winner. Now since drivers for both have been fixed Green is ahead in all aspects. I'm not going to say it........
oh hell yeah I am
I TOLD YA SO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
oh hell yeah I am
I TOLD YA SO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Originally Posted by S_I_N
I've been saying all along that Nvidia was King of the Hill even if the ATI was a few fps better in benches back when first released the noise/heat ration between the two made Green Team the clear winner. Now since drivers for both have been fixed Green is ahead in all aspects. I'm not going to say it........ lol XD +1 for that piece of awesome. Good lord tho man, if the 590 just killed the 6990....does that mean the Mars II will freaken Vaporize it XD oh hell yeah I am I TOLD YA SO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! |
I don't get the charts,
Gtx 590 sli 5970*1080
Then gtx 590 5970*1080
Then another just gtx 590 (and this one is wayyy above the others in the chart, and the sli gets lower fps then the others... I'm confused is the chart labeled wrong?.......
Gtx 590 sli 5970*1080
Then gtx 590 5970*1080
Then another just gtx 590 (and this one is wayyy above the others in the chart, and the sli gets lower fps then the others... I'm confused is the chart labeled wrong?.......
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Originally Posted by Chaney
I don't get the charts, Gtx 590 sli 5970*1080 Then gtx 590 5970*1080 Then another just gtx 590 (and this one is wayyy above the others in the chart, and the sli gets lower fps then the others... I'm confused is the chart labeled wrong?....... |
Mentioned in the review tho, you do get some crazy unexpected results sometimes, and it can be down to drivers/coding of the games. (in my opinion, I've been begging reviewers, not just on here, to look at the way they deploy windows cos it has things in it that will hamper performance on seemingly random occasions. you see it when you bench rigs.)
Anywho, over the 2 tripple screen reviews, both stables are pumping out fps that game-coders can't keep up with! It's going to leave pc-gamers demanding more quality textures, more filtering, higher resolutions and detail and better programing on a whole.
Apart from the prices, which I've always stood by the reasoning that if you can afford 3x quality monitors and 1 or 2 of these cards from either stable - £50/£100 means very little to you, your girlfriend still isn't going to speak to you for a month whichever you get. Pricing isn't that important at this end of the market - imo. You don't pose the question 6850 or 6990 ? You're in one market or the other. Imo anyway.
What it all boils down to for me, is that shelling out onzes of cash on setups including these things, both camps cover the playable-fps, the only thing that remains is the in-game quality, and to be fair AMD are on a loser from the get-go. Lower quality samples and no PhysX just as a starter. Spend big bucks and settle for less quality ? Why would you ?
Like to know how long it takes to get used to using 3 screens for gaming tho
did you ever wonder why AMD's 6990 is a lot cheaper (496£ at SCAN) than NVIDIA's GTX 590 (568£ at SCAN) that's 72£ a 115 US, well that's because AMD have realised that they have cocked it up with the 6990 and not to mention that you don't get 3D vision surround which is amazing with a three monitor setup or the Physx which is also amazing on some game like Mafia 2, so the way I see it is that AMD are playing catch-up with both Intel and Nvidia and they really need to pull their socks up soon.
Good review, there is no denying the 590 is a beast and if I had the money i'd buy it over the 6990 any day.
I'm not interested in a card that sounds like a hoover and is only slightly faster as in 2-3 FPS that you wouldn't physically notice the difference, just to say that I have a faster card, silence is bliss and the 6990 ain't.
I think we need to see a review of a 6990 and a 590 running together on a BBM though, just for laughs.
I'm not interested in a card that sounds like a hoover and is only slightly faster as in 2-3 FPS that you wouldn't physically notice the difference, just to say that I have a faster card, silence is bliss and the 6990 ain't.
I think we need to see a review of a 6990 and a 590 running together on a BBM though, just for laughs.
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Originally Posted by Chaney
I don't get the charts, Gtx 590 sli 5970*1080 Then gtx 590 5970*1080 Then another just gtx 590 (and this one is wayyy above the others in the chart, and the sli gets lower fps then the others... I'm confused is the chart labeled wrong?....... |
Oh god... your going to make me buy a 590gtx for my new 2600k build aren't you?
I only have one concern, if for example you have SLI "issues" with a new game (e.g. Witcher 2) and have to disable one of the cores to get it to render correctly (I understand that you can do this, I've never tried in a SLI setup) how fast is the down-clocked 580 core on it's own, faster than a 570gtx?
EDIT: Just to make it clear the above is for a single 590 gtx... I'm not made of money
I only have one concern, if for example you have SLI "issues" with a new game (e.g. Witcher 2) and have to disable one of the cores to get it to render correctly (I understand that you can do this, I've never tried in a SLI setup) how fast is the down-clocked 580 core on it's own, faster than a 570gtx?
EDIT: Just to make it clear the above is for a single 590 gtx... I'm not made of money
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Originally Posted by Chaney
I don't get the charts, Gtx 590 sli 5970*1080 [Quad GPU- Triple Monitor] Then gtx 590 5970*1080 [Dual GPU- Triple Monitor] Then another just gtx 590 [Dual GPU- Single Monitor] (and this one is wayyy above the others in the chart, and the sli gets lower fps then the others... I'm confused is the chart labeled wrong?....... |
can i have these cards.....
god they are good, will trade my gf for them
god they are good, will trade my gf for them
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Originally Posted by SieB
Good review, there is no denying the 590 is a beast and if I had the money i'd buy it over the 6990 any day. I'm not interested in a card that sounds like a hoover and is only slightly faster as in 2-3 FPS that you wouldn't physically notice the difference, just to say that I have a faster card, silence is bliss and the 6990 ain't. I think we need to see a review of a 6990 and a 590 running together on a BBM though, just for laughs. |
S.I.C.K
About FRAPS, TTL have you tried the On-Screen Display that comes with MSI Afterburner?
You can adjust the zoom of the stats to huuuooge levels...
You can adjust the zoom of the stats to huuuooge levels...
Can the 6990 and 590 setups handle 5760x1200 ?
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Originally Posted by Rastalovich
Can the 6990 and 590 setups handle 5760x1200 ? |
We was on about gpu drivers on another forum a few weeks back and during the last 12 months(at that time) ati had gained about 10% more fps while nvidia had jumped to near double in most of the popular game titles.
Ati seem to spend their time fixing micro stutter and flashing issues while nvidias driver team are constantly trying to unlock more fps.
If I was spending the kind of money these go for I would want them to be giving me the best drivers for them too and with these things in mind I think my choice is clear.
Ati seem to spend their time fixing micro stutter and flashing issues while nvidias driver team are constantly trying to unlock more fps.
If I was spending the kind of money these go for I would want them to be giving me the best drivers for them too and with these things in mind I think my choice is clear.
How much ?
For f**** sake
/afk to drool... also, need to ask the missus summit.
*Edit* The answer was NOOOOO!!!
For f**** sake
/afk to drool... also, need to ask the missus summit.
*Edit* The answer was NOOOOO!!!
They scale way better than I would have thought, Would love to see the PPD of these cards in SLI.
Might sell my car and get 2 of these =] hahah
Might sell my car and get 2 of these =] hahah
correct me if im wrong,,, but you did do a 6990 cross-fire review did you not??? any reason for not including those stats in with this review???
bitch'n review otherwise......great topic for the watercooler monday
bitch'n review otherwise......great topic for the watercooler monday
Hey bud,
Can you run the 580 SLI scores with the 275.33 WHQL Drivers you are using for the 590's in this review?
I see you got your scores from your original 580 SLI review which are using 8 month old release drivers. This would give a better comparison of 580 SLI vs a single 590.
And, do you have 6990 CF review by any chance?
Thanks!
Can you run the 580 SLI scores with the 275.33 WHQL Drivers you are using for the 590's in this review?
I see you got your scores from your original 580 SLI review which are using 8 month old release drivers. This would give a better comparison of 580 SLI vs a single 590.
And, do you have 6990 CF review by any chance?
Thanks!
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Originally Posted by badtaylorx
correct me if im wrong,,, but you did do a 6990 cross-fire review did you not??? any reason for not including those stats in with this review??? bitch'n review otherwise......great topic for the watercooler monday |
the same games were not tested in all the benchmarks. there are benches for the 6990CF, but not in a multi-monitor (eyefinity) setup, to compare to the 590SLI(surround)
the 6690eyefinity benches are in the graphs in this review, but are NOT crossfire+eyefinity
why no overclocking didn't zotac let you do it ? afraid it is going to explode ? lol
Were there any resolving suggestions to what TTL was talking about at the end of the main review for the 590's, About how you have a single stretched desktop instead of 3 separate monitors? Because i am doing a 590 setup and that would be a buzz kill if i can not get 3 separate monitors when not in gaming i might have to go to a crappy 6990 setup... >.> and then i would have to WC them which i did not want to have to figure in to my costs.. :/ any info would be great,.
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Originally Posted by AraS
why no overclocking didn't zotac let you do it ? afraid it is going to explode ? lol |
I just don't get the Metro 2033 test. It says that the single 590 got 117 FPS Average in 1920x1200, almost 3 times more than a 580. In most other tests of the 590's the fps in metro has been around 45-60. Has this something to do with drivers, cuz the boost is quite significant.
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Originally Posted by Andreas
I just don't get the Metro 2033 test. It says that the single 590 got 117 FPS Average in 1920x1200, almost 3 times more than a 580. In most other tests of the 590's the fps in metro has been around 45-60. Has this something to do with drivers, cuz the boost is quite significant. |
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Originally Posted by Chaney
Were there any resolving suggestions to what TTL was talking about at the end of the main review for the 590's, About how you have a single stretched desktop instead of 3 separate monitors? Because i am doing a 590 setup and that would be a buzz kill if i can not get 3 separate monitors when not in gaming i might have to go to a crappy 6990 setup... >.> and then i would have to WC them which i did not want to have to figure in to my costs.. :/ any info would be great,. |
Matt
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