| NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 Video Card Performance |  |
| Reviews - Featured Reviews: Video Cards | |
| Written by Olin Coles | |
| Tuesday, 09 November 2010 | |
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Page 19 of 21
NVIDIA 3D-Vision EffectsReaders familiar with Benchmark Reviews have undoubtedly heard of NVIDIA GeForce 3D Vision technology; if not from our review of the product, then for the Editor's Choice Award it's earned or the many times I've personally mentioned it in out articles. Put simply: it changes the game. 2010 has been a break-out year for 3D technology, and PC video games are leading the way. Mafia II is expands on the three-dimensional effects, and improves the 3D-Vision experience with out-of-screen effects. For readers unfamiliar with the technology, 3D-Vision is a feature only available to NVIDIA GeForce video cards. Mafia 2 is absolutely phenomenal with 3D-Vision... and with its built-in multi-monitor profiles and bezel correction already factored this game is well suited for 3D-Vision Surround. Combining two GeForce GTX 580's into SLI allowed this game to play at 5760 x 1080 resolution across three monitors using upper-level settings with APEX PhysX enabled to deliver a thoroughly impressive experience. If you already own a 3D Vision kit and 120Hz monitor, Mafia II was built with 3D Vision in mind.
The first thing gamers should be aware of is the performance penalty for using 3D-Vision with a high-demand game like Mafia II. Using a GeForce GTX 480 video card as a point of reference, we experienced frame rate speeds up to 33 FPS with all settings configured to their highest and APEX PhysX set to high. However, when 3D Vision is enabled the video frame rate usually decrease by about 50%. This is no longer the hardfast rule, thanks to '3D Vision Ready' game titles that offer performance optimizations. Mafia II proved that the 3D Vision performance penalty can be as little as 30% with a single GeForce GTX 480 video card, or a mere 11% in SLI configuration. NVIDIA Forceware drivers will guide players to make custom-recommended adjustments specifically for each game they play, but PhysX and anti-aliasing will still reduce frame rate performance.
Of course, the out-of-screen effects are worth every dollar you spend on graphics hardware. In the image above, an explosion sends the car's wheel and door flying into the players face, followed by metal debris and sparks. When you're playing, this certainly helps to catch your attention... and when the objects become bullets passing by you, the added depth of field helps assist in player awareness.
Combined with APEX PhysX technology, NVIDIA's 3D-Vision brings destructible walls to life. As enemies shoot at the brick column, dirt and dust fly past the player forcing stones to tumble out towards you. Again, the added depth of field can help players pinpoint the origin of enemy threat, and improve response time without sustaining 'confusion damage'.
NVIDIA APEX Turbulence, a new PhysX feature, already adds an impressive level of realism to games (such as with Mafia II pictured in this section). Watching plumes of smoke and flames spill out towards your camera angle helps put you right into the thick of action.
NVIDIA 3D-Vision/3D-Vision Surround is the perfect addition to APEX PhysX technology, and capable video games will prove that these features reproduce lifelike scenery and destruction when they're used together. Glowing embers and fiery shards shooting past you seem very real when 3D-Vision pairs itself APEX PhysX technology, and there's finally a good reason to overpower the PCs graphics system.
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Comments
I'm asking you, the empowered visitor, since you obviouly know the 'right' way to do this after telling me that our way was wrong.
If anything, at most a GTX490...
Quote:
##anandtech.com/show/4008/nvidias-geforce-gtx-580/17
Anand's numbers also seem to be more in line with other reviews I've looked at. So unfortunately it looks like you need to retest power consumption with another program, why not ask Anand what program they used?
Otherwise, from what I read, good review. Not planning on upgrading so I didn't read the whole article unfortunately. Been a reader for some time now, first comment so thanks for the great articles so far. BTW I have a suggestion/request for the graphics card articles: Add minimum frame rate numbers to the tests, as these are as important as average frame rates, if not more so.
Cheers
##techpowerup.com/reviews/NVIDIA/GeForce_GTX_580/3.html
##techpowerup.com/reviews/NVIDIA/GeForce_GTX_580/3.html
For the sake of performance, it is obvious that a single 470 wouldn t do it. It would have been tem time more interesting to know how would perform a SLI with more popular 460 gtx 1g HAWK or FTW or even a 470 SLI since you put a 6870 Crossfire on the stake, and that such are in pair with the mentioned cards.
That would be relevant to know how this newby 580 perform agaisnt his own kind.
I'm also sorry that all of the work I put into this article didn't provide enough information for you to develop a decent idea of where this card fits.
Ususally those review are to make an opinion of what to buy according to what you use, and guide the pretenders to an upgrade.
Well it doesn t take rocket science to guess the 580 is to topple ATI best dog, this is the obvious part, everybody will do it.
But what of the average joe ? Since GTX 460 is the average card on the market and not the 470, what should he do, acquire a 580, or double his 460 ? That s the second more important question on the market, now.
If i take that the 6870 is equal to a hawk and less than a FTW,according to your own reviews, average joe could guess that 2 of those would let the 580 on the floor panting as did the double 6870.
But as other factors kick average joe can t be sure then the revue fails him, and the average joe drive the market bulk, and want the not so obvious answers.
If the review is to give an "en passant" review of the 580 its excellent, but its too obvious, everysingle review will do it.
I hope you ll have 2 NVIDIA card when your start reviewing the non vanilla 580. I can assure you its all that matters for much people.
You solved the ATI side and its great for them but we Nvidia side are left hanging.
Are they really going to have to start their next gen chip in the 600's?
Hey Olin, GREAT article BTW!
Same reason they slap 2011 on car models .... it works to sell things.
So here you go, both on and off topic. Nice review, thanks for all your efforts.
With the preponderance of video hardware turning to 3D enabled products I'd like to know how I can un-chart the costs of 3D enabling via hardware if that's possible (I have no depth perception, just ask the US Navy). So I get no bang for the buck with this evolution that others are likely fascinated by. Any general rule of thumb that you may have already gotten your mind around?
Thanks again.
You are comparing TWO 6870s to ONE gtx 580 and btw the 580 is a SINGLE gpu card while one 6970 is a DUAL gpu card!!
Ofcourse it'll always outperform a 580 but i bet if you guys at benchmarkreviews added another 580 in SLI you'd get very different results.
what a load of crap
A pair of these in SLI would be $400 - $430, and would perform better than the EVGA cards.
##newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127534&cm_re=gtx_460_1gb-_-14-127-534-_-Product
The Hawk & the Cyclone overclock very well, especially the Hawk as it can easily reach and exceed 900 MHZ. But yeah, the EVGA has pretty good clocks as well as it comes nicely overclocked.
IMO the Hawk is the better value card for a GTX 460 right now @ $215.
Excellent job on the review!
Question - Can you confirm if NVIDIA did in fact get rid of most of their Hyper Compute Performance on the 580?
"The temperatures discussed below are absolute maximum values..."
But they are NOT absolute maximum values, nor is the power consumption. You state that loaded system power with the 580 is 191W and 315W with the 480. But you also say that you tested temperatures and power consumption with Furmark, which throttles the card, this can be checked if you run the benchmark test where you will get a LOT lower performance compared to the 480 for example. ALL other reviews out there state the 580 gets you 15-25% better performance than the 480 for the same or SLIGHTLY less power.
But not 124 watts less. And the difference isn't just down to a lower VID like ivor said. Test again with another program, Vantage, Crysis or, like Nordichardware did, try with Kombustor and using the "Post-FX" setting.
Please update the article as soon as possible as it is hugely misleading right now.
thanx for the great articles
Will you comment on the noise level? This seems to be a greater concern to me more and more as I seek to spend more time and money seeking out quieter components. The only reason I didn't purchase a GTX480 was due to the noise, so I have been having to do with a GTX460. The majority of reviews point out that the GTX580 is much quieter which seems to be a positive move on nVidia's part.
A 580 = a package ( it is a stable solution for every game there is )
sli/crossfire/cf = raw power + cheaper but a more unstable way of dealing with older games even new top titles like aliens of predator.
While videocard do the same, the different versions of it are ment for different people.
Even if the gtx580 cost more and doesn't provide on every little aspect on the best way, the card = still a far better choise for most people
then any sli/crossfire/cf unstable solution.
The 580 = a perfect naming for this product. its 20-25% faster / lesser usage of watt / lesser heat / lesser noise.
2x 460's or 2x other budget cards or x2 solutions are great if the card actually produces 200% faster speeds then the 1 cored version. Which it clearly isn't doing. Its even below the 580 or with a minor fps above it. ( on only "newer games")
This game of sinking prices just ahead of launch is getting old, and it ruins my cost analysis every time. So visitors, keep this in mind when you read these reviews, and understand how prices change on a daily (and sometimes hourly) basis.
in that can buy two of them for the price of one GTX480 or GTX580 and have more performance
other wise I have become disgruntled with the swift obsolesce of today's technology