ZOTAC GEFORCE GTX 580 AMP2 Review ( Price )

£400 inc VAT • zotac.com • tinyurl.com/3zzw89d

nVidia's previous-generation GeForce GTX 480 performed well, but it ran hot and was priced out of range for many gamers. ATI's top-end cards were slower, but offered better value. With the GeForce GTX 580, however, nVidia has refined the GTX 480's Fermi design and greatly improved performance and efficiency. The standard GTX 580 has 512 stream processors running at 772MHz, with a shader clock of 1,544MHz. Zotac's overclocked AMP2 lists an 815MHz core clock and 1,630MHz shader clock, and offers breath-taking performance. The Zotac dominated our games tests. It was the only card in the group to achieve more than 100fps in Battlefield: Bad Company 2 at 1920x1080 pixels, and still broke 60fps at 2560x1600 pixels. Results in Stalker: Call of Pripyat were also greatly improved over both the GTX 570 (page 66) and ATI Radeon HD 6970 (page 64). Only in Crysis' highest resolution setting of 2560x1600 pixels was its performance matched by another contender. That the HD 6970 and GTX 580 both scored 25fps here suggests that performance depends more on the CPU than the GPU at very high resolutions. The Zotac is also the most future-proof card on test. It'll set you back £400, but you won't need to upgrade it for some time to come. Part of this extravagant price tag is due to the card's generous 3GB of GDDR5 memory. This is of most help to graphics processing at higher resolutions and in games with giant textures. Surprisingly, the card is slightly shorter than ATI's top-end offering, which is testament to nVidia's more efficient design. Zotac's custom dual-fan cooler occupies two expansion slots, so the card needs three in total. Check you have room for it before purchase. If your budget stretches to it, and your desktop PC has enough memory and a powerful processor, then this is undoubtedly the graphics card to get. However, most gamers will find that a cheaper, less powerful card will suffice. VERDICT: Zotac's GeForce GTX 580 AMP2 is by far the most powerful card on test, but it also costs £140 more than any of the competition. If your budget stretches this far, you won't be disappointed.

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SAPPHIRE RADEON HD 6950 FLEX Review ( Price )

£220 inc VAT * sapphiretech.com • tinyurl.com/3nk8wfw

ATI's Radeon HD 6950 is based on the same Cayman architecture as the Radeon HD 6970 (page 65), and the cards are physically identical. The HD 6950 runs at lower clock speeds and uses only 1,408 of the 1,535 available cores. Early versions of the cards could be upgraded to a 6970 by flashing the Bios. Unfortunately, this option has since been disabled by ATI. This Sapphire Flex version has a core clock of 800MHz, and a memory clock of 1,250MHz (5GHz DDR effective). Sapphire hasn't overclocked these specifications, but it has built in support for EyeFinity, letting you add up to three monitors and run games across multiple screens without tweaking - two DVI connections and an HDMI port are used with a supplied adaptor. This is ideal for widescreen gameplay, such as flight simulators - provided that you have the screens to take advantage of it, of course. The Sapphire has 2GB of video memory; cheaper versions are available with 1GB. Its 256bit memory interface sounds insubstantial in the face of nVidia's 320bit offerings, but its high memory freguency enables it to deliver 160Gbps of memory bandwidth. It performed brilliantly in our tests, and slightly outran its closest nVidia rival, the GeForce GTX 560 Ti (page 66), across the board. We recorded 102fps in Battlefield: Bad Company 2 at 1280x1024 pixels, and 77fps at 1920x1080 pixels. In Stalker, the Sapphire achieved 65fps at 1920x1080 pixels, representing a 5 percent performance hike over the GTX 560 Ti. And in Crysis, it even snapped at the heels of the more expensive GeForce GTX 570 (page 66), and managed 56fps at 1280x1024 pixels and 37fps at 1920x1080 pixels. The Radeon HD 6950 offers stellar performance at this price, but factory-overclocked versions of the GTX 560 Ti may close the gap somewhat. The £15 more expensive GTX 570 offers stronger performance still, and is a better bet if you can afford it. VERDICT: Sapphire's Radeon HD 6950 Flex is a powerful graphics card that performed well across all our games tests. If widescreen gaming tickles your fancy, its support for EyeFinity may appeal.

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PNY GEFORCE GTX 570 PERFORMANCE Review ( Price )

£235 inc VAT * www3.pny.com • tinyurl.com/3ub8u3g

If money doesn't enter the equation in your quest for ultimate gaming performance, both ATI and nVidia sell incredibly pricey graphics cards that make even our most expensive nVidia GeForce GTX 580 (paqe 67) seem a bargain. The dual-GPU GTX 590 costs around £600, for example - a colossal amount of money to spend on a graphics cards upgrade. If you've sensibly got your sights set a little lower, PNY's Performance Edition GTX 570 will make mincemeat out of any game you throw at it - both now and in years to come. The PNY sticks closely to nVidia's reference design, with a 732MHz core clock speed and 480 stream processors running at 1,464MHz. It has 1,280MB of video memory and a mighty 480bit interface, which delivers a whopping 152Gbps memory bandwidth. Its texture fill rate is slightly lower than that of the GTX 560 Ti (reviewed left), however, at 43.9GTps. The PNY blew the similar-price ATI Radeon HD 6970 (paqe 64) out of the water in our games tests. We recorded 125fps in Battlefield: Bad Company 2 at 1280x1024 pixels, which is around 8 percent faster than the HD 6970's 114fps. At 1920x1080 pixels it had a smaller lead of 90fps compared with 88fps. The GTX 570 performed significantly better at lower resolutions in Stalker: Call of Pripyat, although the results were broadly similar at 1920x1080 pixels. The HD 6970 had the edge in Crysis. The GTX 570 requires two six-pin power connectors (adaptors are included). nVidia recommends a 550W-rated PSU as the minimum that should be used with this card. The HD 6970 also specifies a 550W PSU, but requires one six-pin and one eight-pin connector. Although the GTX 570 isn't the most powerful card in our group test - that award goes to the Zotac GeForce GTX 580 AMP2 - it offers the best compromise between price and performance. With a small performance lead at some resolutions and a lower price tag than its closest ATI rival, the HD 6970, we think it's the better deal. VERDICT: PNY's GeForce GTX 570 Performance offers a high-value graphics upgrade that'll repay you for years to come. If the HD 6970 drops in price, however, that card may offer better value.

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NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 560 Ti Review ( Price )Price

£182 inc VAT * nvidia.co.uk • tinyurl.com/3d6wzef

Mid-range graphics cards tend to offer the best value for money, providing adequate performance for most users without emptying their wallets. The GeForce GTX 560 Ti is the dearest option of several mid-range nVidia offerings, and costs around £182 online. While we wouldn't dare to suggest this was an 'affordable' option for gamers, it's significantly less expensive than the top-end GTX 580 (page 67). There are some major differences between this card and nVidia's cheaper GTX 550 Ti (reviewed on the paqe 65). Whereas the GTX 550 Ti is based on the GeForce 116 core and cuts a few corners to keep down the price, nVidia's GeForce 114 core-based GTX 560 Ti has high-spec hardware that ensures consistent performance. In several areas, you can take a GTX 550 Ti specification and double it. This card has almost twice as many transistors, with 1,950 to the GTX 550 Ti's 1,170. It has 384 stream processors compared with 192, and its memory bandwidth has increased by 30 percent to 128Gbps. Crucially, its texture fill rate has almost doubled, which gives the GTX 560 Ti a major performance boost. The GTX 560 Ti delivers smooth framerates in any game you care to play. We recorded 100fps in Battlefield: Bad Company 2 at 1280x1024 pixels, and 72fps at 1920x1080 pixels. The card averaged 93fps and 61fps at the same resolutions in Stalker: Call of Pripyat. In Crysis, our most intensive test, the nVidia recorded just 31fps at a full-HD screen resolution (1920x1080 pixels), but this is still a playable framerate. We're certain that this card will be able to cope with almost any PC game released in the next couple of years. nVidia's GTX 560 Ti is priced to compete with ATI's pricier Radeon HD 6950 (paqe 67), but lagged behind that card in our tests. Factory-overclocked versions of this standard card will narrow the gap somewhat, so shopping around may net you better value. Both cards require two six-pin power connectors from the PSU, although this nVidia model is physically shorter than the ATI. VERDICT: The GTX 560 Ti offers considerably better performance than the 550 Ti, but it's not able to match ATI's more expensive HD 6950. You may find a factory-overclocked version offers better value.

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NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 550 Ti Review ( Price )

£115 inc VAT • nvidia.co.uk • tinyurl.com/3tmyqos

Both this GeForce GTX 550 Ti and the GTX 560 Ti reviewed on page 6 6 are nVidia's reference designs. They run at the standard factory speeds, and have none of the additional bells or whistles that some vendors add. You can expect identical performance from branded cards with standard specifications. The GTX 550 Ti sits at the lower end of nVidia's line-up, costing around £115 online. It's more powerful than the less expensive ATI Radeon HD 6670 (page 64), and requires a single six-pin power connector from the PSU. However, it's just as short as that card, and will easily fit into a standard system case. The nVidia has rather low specifications, with a 192bit memory bus that provides 98.5Gbps of memory bandwidth - around half that of the top-end GTX 580 (page 67). And it has just 192 stream processors; the GTX 580 has 512. Our games tests revealed a wide gap between this GTX 560 Ti and ATI's low-end HD 6670. In Battlefield: Bad Company 2, Stalker: Call of Pripyat and Crysis, the nVidia card delivered consistently better framerates. Even so, it was unable to manage a playable framerate of 30fps in Crysis at 1280x1024 pixels. The GTX 550 Ti costs around £50 more than the HD 6670 and, importantly, breaks the £100 psychological barrier. It's worth splashing out though, because the GTX 560 Ti delivers playable framerates at a full-HD (1920x1080-pixel) screen resolution. For just £20 more, however, MSI's R6870 Hawk (left) offers far better value with a 60 percent performance hike in Battlefield and Stalker, and around 40 percent in Crysis. nVidia's GeForce GTX 560 Ti isn't powerful enough to cope with games any more intensive than today's 3D titles, and keen gamers will quickly become frustrated with this card. If at all possible, stretch your budget by £20 and save yourself a second graphics card upgrade a year down the line. VERDICT: nVidia's GeForce GTX 560 Ti offers significantly better performance than its ATI rival, but it costs £50 more. The more powerful HD 6870 offers considerably better value at £135.

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MSI R6870 HAWK Review ( Price )

£135 inc VAT * uk.msi.com • tinyurl.com/3mj662b

Although ATI has simplified its numerical naming system with its latest generation of graphics chips, the Radeon HD 6870 is not the natural successor to the 5870. This card is slightly less powerful, and sits in the middle of the group for price and performance. MSI has added features and improved some key specifications in its Hawk rendition of the HD 6870. It's fitted a custom 'Propeller Blade' cooler, which delivers more air to the graphics-processing unit (GPU). MSI has also tweaked the clock speeds for better gaming performance. The Hawk is therefore in a better position to rival the GeForce GTX 560 Ti (page 66), itself an improved version of the standard GTX 560. This MSI R6870 has 1,120 stream processors and a core clock frequency of 930MHz (up from 900MHz). The card's 1GB of memory runs at the standard 1,050MHz (4.2GHz DDR effective), resulting in a memory bandwidth of 134Gbps. The custom cooler will aid further tweaking, with MSI allowing the memory and phase-locked loop (PLL) to be adjusted for more stable and precise overclocking via its bundled software. The Radeon HD 6870 performed well in our tests, and delivered smooth framerates in Stalker: Call of Pripyat and Battlefield: Bad Company 2. It managed 87fps in Stalker at 1280x1024 pixels, and 58fps at 1920x1080 pixels. In Battlefield, the MSI achieved 90fps and 71fps at the same resolutions. This graphics card also demonstrated good skills in Crysis: it scored 52fps at 1280x1024 pixels, and was still pushing out 35fps at 1920x1080. At around £135 online, the MSI R6870 Hawk is reasonably priced for an upgrade that can significantly improve graphics performance on both older and low-end PCs. It can capably handle games at their highest detail settings, even at a full-HD (1920x1080-pixel) screen resolution. However, this card has little extra power behind the scenes to take on the increased demands of future 3D games. VERDICT: A good-value upgrade for a low-end gaming PC, the MSI copes admirably with today's 3D games at their highest detail settings. However, future titles may see this card begin to struggle

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HIS RADEON HD 6970 ICEQ TURBO Review ( Price )

£260 inc VAT • hisdigital.com • tinyurl.com/3f7yv48

As the top-end model in ATI's graphics card line-up, the Radeon HD 6970 goes head to head with nVidia's far more expensive GeForce GTX 580 (page 67). ATI's designs tend to be simpler and less powerful, but cost less to build and can offer better value for money. Performance and pricing are therefore more in line with the PNY-branded GeForce GTX 570 Performance (page 66). Although nVidia's GTX 580 has only 512 stream processors, they run faster than ATI's 1,536 at 1,544MHz rather than 880MHz. The nVidia card also has more ROPs and tessellation units, and a higher 384bit memory interface. This is clocked at 1,025MHz and delivers 192 gigabits per second (Gbps) of memory bandwidth. The standard Radeon HD 6970's 256bit memory interface is faster at 1,375MHz (5.5GHz DDR effective), however, providing a bandwidth of 176Gbps. This HIS version has been overclocked to 1.4GHz (5.6GHz DDR effective), with a core clock of 900MHz. This gives it some serious clout in games. The HD 6970 also packs in 2.6 billion transistors, and can process texture maps at a rate of 84.5 gigatexels per second (GTps). HIS' HD 6970 features a custom IceO cooler, with four copper heat pipes protruding from the side of the graphics card. HIS has added this so it runs 23 degrees cooler than the standard card, and should withstand further overclocking. In games testing, it achieved some impressive performance scores. The HIS recorded 114fps in Battlefield: Bad Company 2 at 1280x1024 pixels, and 88fps at 1920x1080 pixels. While the GTX 580 left it standing, the HD 6970 beat the PNY GeForce GTX 570 Performance in Stalker: Call of Pripyat at 1920x1080 pixels, and was significantly faster in Crysis. It was also able to deliver 25fps in the highest 2560x1600-pixel resolution setting of Crysis; the GTX 570 was unable to complete this test. VERDICT: Set against the fierce competition of the GTX 570, only a £25 price difference caused the HD 6970 to lose out on our Best Buy award. It isn't the fastest graphics card in our group test, but it provides an excellent balance of performance and value for money.



As the top-end supporter in ATI's graphics card line-up, the Radeon HD 6970 goes caput to juncture with nVidia's far writer overpriced GeForce GTX 580 (diplomat 67). ATI's designs lean to be simpler and little ruling, but toll inferior to flesh and can give improved evaluate for money. Show and pricing are thence more in series with the PNY-branded GeForce GTX 570 Execution (page 66). Though nVidia's GTX 580 has only 512 course processors, they run faster than ATI's 1,536 at 1,544MHz kinda than 880MHz. The nVidia bill also has solon ROPs and tessellation units, and a higher 384bit retention port. This is clocked at 1,025MHz and delivers 192 gigabits per endorsement (Gbps) of retention bandwidth. The
received Radeon HD 6970's 256bit memory interface is faster at 1,375MHz (5.5GHz DDR good), nonetheless, providing a bandwidth of 176Gbps. This HIS writing has been overclocked to 1.4GHz (5.6GHz DDR trenchant), with a nucleus timepiece of 900MHz. This gives it whatsoever sensible advantage in games. The HD 6970 also packs in 2.6 1000000000 transistors, and can knowledge texture maps at a order of 84.5 gigatexels per endorse (GTps). HIS' HD 6970 features a bespoken IceO refrigerator, with quatern copper modify wind protruding from the cut of the graphics salutation. HIS has further this so it runs 23 degrees cooler than the casebook paper, and should withstand encourage overclocking. In games investigating, it achieved any thundering action scores. The HIS filmed 114fps in Battleground: Bad
Companionship 2 at 1280x1024 pixels, and 88fps at 1920x1080 pixels. Spell the GTX 580 unexpended it upright, the HD 6970 commove the PNY GeForce GTX 570 Execution in Stalker: Meet of Pripyat at 1920x1080 pixels, and was significantly faster in Crysis. It was also able to verbalize 25fps in the highest 2560x1600-pixel papers setting of Crysis; the GTX 570 was unable to perfect this attempt. Finding: Set against the rough contention of the GTX 570, exclusive a £25 cost disagreement caused the HD 6970 to regress out on our Foremost Buy makings. It isn't the fastest graphics paper in our radical prove, but it provides an excellent residuum of show and see for money.

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ASUS RADEON HD 6670 Review ( Price )

£62 inc VAT • uk.asus.com * tinyurl.com/3Lni8hge

The Radeon HD 6670 is ATI's most budget-friendly graphics card. Two Asus-branded versions are available: this £62 card, which offers DVI, HDMI and VGA outputs; and another model that swaps the analogue connection for DisplayPort and costs around £10 more. The HD 6670 is supplied with 1GB of video memory, but clocked at 800MHz it lacks the processing power of pricier graphics cards. It has just 480 stream processors, and its 128bit memory interface is clocked at 1GHz (4GHz DDR effective). Compared with ATI's top-end HD 6970 (right), which has 96 texture units and 32 raster operations (ROPs), the HD 6670 has 24 texture units and eight ROPs. The HD 6670 is shorter than other graphics cards in ATI's line-up. This makes it easier to slip inside a compact PC case. The Asus occupies a single PCI Express slot on the motherboard, and doesn't require an additional power connector from the PSU - all its power is drawn from the motherboard. In our tests it displayed adequate performance at the lowest screen resolutions, but games were unplayable at 1920x1080 pixels. The Asus recorded 35fps in Stalker: Call of Pripyat at 1280x1024 pixels, which is just above the 30fps required to make a game playable. In certain parts of the game the framerate took a tumble, however, resulting in choppy onscreen action. Battlefield: Bad Company 2 told a similar story at the same resolution, with the Asus' mostly smooth gameplay interrupted in graphics-intensive scenes. Crysis brought the card to its knees, with its framerate unable to get above 22fps. Although it's possible to play 3D games using this graphics card, you'll need to drop the detail and resolution settings a few notches. Lacklustre performance doesn't rule out the HD 6670. It's capable of delivering smooth framerates in older or less-intensive games, while its small size and low price makes it an affordable, worthwhile upgrade from integrated graphics. If you want to enjoy the latest games in all their visual glory, however, this card simply won't do. VERDICT: It lacks pace, but the affordable HD 6670 is a worthwhile upgrade from integrated graphics and will improve everyday tasks.




The Radeon HD 6670 is AMD's most budget-friendly GPU we've looked at. Asus has two versions of the greeting: one that comes with DVI, HDMI and analog D-Sub recording outputs, which costs around £70, and one that replaces the analog connector with digital DisplayPort for an spare £10.
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It comes with a reasonable 1GB of remembering but lacks the processing cognition of pricier GPUs, with only 480 steam processors gushing at 800 MHz and a 128-bit storage bus, lengthwise at 1GHz (effectively 4GHz). It has only 24 texture units and 8 ROPS, compared with 96 texture units on the Radeon 6970, and 32 ROPs.

As the 6670 has inferior element on it than statesman right AMD graphics cards, it's also a lot shorter, making it easier to fit inner a smaller casing. It exclusive occupies a unique expansion receptacle, and doesn't essential any further knowledge connectors, as it can mark all the force it needs from the PCI Transport slot.
We recovered its action to be retributive most adequate at lour resolutions, but games at 1920 x 1080 were unplayable. An fair put grade of 33.4 in Stalker at 1280 x 1024 is vindicatory above the legerdemain 30 frames per ordinal barrier, but at times its show dropped beneath that medium, resulting in a few choppy sequences.

Bad Troupe 2 at the selfsame papers was a corresponding taradiddle, with the mostly velvety gameplay occasionally broken when the proceeding became too weighted. Our Crysis prove real brought the correspondence to its knees, never accomplishment over 22fps on cipher. To movableness today's games with a 6670, it's possible you'll need to unload the graphics info plume a cutting or two.

The lusterless action doesn't form the 6670 a bad purchase though. Slightly older, fewer modifier games without the graphical component we were stringent of it should solace run smoothly. Its miniscule filler and relatively low soprano piddle it a echt way to raise a PC that lacks any discrete graphics correspondence at all.

However if you're looking for an raise to savour an upcoming fearless such as Battlefield 3 in all its visual glory, you'll definitely penury something more almighty.

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Graphics Cards department

With growing consumer interest in tablet PCs, smartphones and laptops, the desktop PC is quickly becoming obsolete. There are plenty of portable alternatives for getting work done, watching video, surfing the web and playing music, but the desktop retains one trump card: nothing can beat it for gaming. An up-to-date gaming PC is more powerful than any portable device or games console. DirectX 11.0 PC games offer more visual detail than their PlayStation, Xbox and Wii counterparts, with these consoles beginning to show their age. And this gap in processing power is set to become more apparent, with intensive games Battlefield 3 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 both set to launch by the end of the year. A powerful graphics card is an essential component in a high-performance gaming PC, and required to handle the complex 3D maths and geometry that go on behind the scenes to add realism to games. ATI (owned by CPU maker AMD) and nVidia release a new generation of their graphics cards every year or so, with refined hardware and more transistors squeezed in. A graphics card upgrade allows your PC to play games smoothly at higher resolutions, with more special effects.  You'll also enjoy smooth video playback - high-resolution graphics support is important for HD movies - and faster photo and video editing. HDMI and DVI ports add digital connections to your PC too. Cards are available that suit all budgets. We look at eight models over the following pages, priced between £62 and £400. But money isn't the only limiting factor in which card you choose. If you don't have a fuIIHD (1920x1080-pixel) monitor, a card that excels at higher resolutions will be wasted. Instead choose a less expensive card that works well at lower resolutions. You'll also need a processor and motherboard that can keep up with your graphics card, and at least 4GB of RAM. If your PC's spec is low, consider spending some of the cash you put aside for a graphics upgrade on other components.

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