Welcome to the first post of Tech Talk where out first battle will roam on the grounds of Graphic Cards. A long debated topic in the computer industry is between the main two competitors :
- AMD
- Nvidia
Today I will discuss the best and worse of both companies and maybe give you an insight on your next video card selection. Nvidia and AMD have both been at a knives edge for competition and both offer an array of graphical options for you to indulge in !
Nvidia offers their Pascal line up of series 10xx GPUs with a choice for everyone from those who opt for a lower end choice such as the GTX 1050 whereas other will love the graphical horsepower of the GTX 1080ti and Titan XP however they are hinting to release their Volta line up of 11xx video cards.
AMD are equally able and can offer you a selection from their Radeon series and Vega Series. Their 5xx series boast from the high powered beast , the RX 580 which can deliver high performance in games at an affordable price-point and their RX 550 for the budget orientated gamer. However those who want
PERFORMANCE
Nvidia has dominated the higher spectrum of gaming but with the release of AMD's Vega line up, Nvidia do have something to worry about. The Vega series consists of the Vega 64 and Vega 56 (as well as the Vega 64 liquid) . They can definitely compete with the higher end of the range with the GTX 1070 matching up with the Vega 56 and the GTX 1080ti still outpacing the Vega 64 and the liquid edition.
Of course most people look for the best value to performance GPU for their requirements and the Red team have praised their video cards for their amazing value but due to the boom in cryptocurrency mining , Nvidia outshines AMD for the best value. Just look out for discounts and deals to save some bucks. AMD still haven't created a direct competitor to the GTX 1080ti.
However , it is a fair battle between the GTX 1080 and Vega 64 in many benchmarks, with each card pulling ahead in certain aspects. The Vega is ahead in texture detail and complex splatting whereas the GTX 1080 pulls ever so slightly ahead with faster N-Body calculations and quicker multi rendering calculations. Of course not everyone knows what these terms mean so in simple terms : They are neck and neck but it really comes down to what games you play , graphical settings and other factors.
Really what we need is benchmarks so here are some :
Nvidia pulls ahead in most benchmarks but the Vega cards outshines Nvidia in DX12 games.
Moving on to the lower end of the spectrum , where most gamers sit on ; They rely on cards such as the :
However , it is a fair battle between the GTX 1080 and Vega 64 in many benchmarks, with each card pulling ahead in certain aspects. The Vega is ahead in texture detail and complex splatting whereas the GTX 1080 pulls ever so slightly ahead with faster N-Body calculations and quicker multi rendering calculations. Of course not everyone knows what these terms mean so in simple terms : They are neck and neck but it really comes down to what games you play , graphical settings and other factors.
Really what we need is benchmarks so here are some :
Nvidia pulls ahead in most benchmarks but the Vega cards outshines Nvidia in DX12 games.
Moving on to the lower end of the spectrum , where most gamers sit on ; They rely on cards such as the :
- GTX 1050ti
- RX 560
- GTX 1050
- RX 550
- GTX 1060
The same trends seems to continue to the cheaper cards with the GTX 1050ti outperforming the RX 560 in certain games. Here are some links to some benchmarks : GTX 1050 ti and RX 560.
PRICE
Most gamers think price before performance as they do not want a card which can give mediocre performance at high prices when they can buy a similar but better value card. Cards can vary from extremely low prices such as the GT 710 to moderately priced cards ( RX 550) , higher end cards e.g. GTX 1060 and RX 570/80. Then a lot higher up are the monsters of video cards like the Titan cards or Vega series which can run at really high graphical settings but cost a fortune and something which everyone cannot afford ! This is why you should buy the best value to performance card which should tailor for your needs.
Here are some for the best categories (e.g. GTX 1050ti for 1080p 60) :
Here are some for the best categories (e.g. GTX 1050ti for 1080p 60) :
- Perfect for E - Sports : GTX 1050 and the RX 550/ 560
- Perfect for 1080p - 60: GTX 1060 ( You can get away with the GTX 1050ti in some games) and the RX 570 4GB / 8GB
- Perfect for 1440p gaming : GTX 1070 and the GTX 1070ti for higher refresh rates & Vega 56 or Vega 64
- 4K gaming - GTX 1080ti or Titan XP (however the 1080ti is at a lower price point with similar performance ). The Vega 64 can handle it but cannot deliver to the 1080ti.
DRIVERS , SOFTWARE , PROGRAMS
Although AMD have introduced Crimson Relive , Nvidia has always taken the spot for Software with their Geforce Experience which allows optimisation for quality settings for games , not only this but it can automatically check for any new driver updates and can download them with your permission. It allows features such as streaming to Nvidia's Shield and their recording service called Shadow-play in a few easy clicks . They also have the Nvidia control panel where you can also go more in to depth with tweaking your video card settings but can be a bit intimidating to the new user so it is best to use the Geforce experience. Nvidia drivers are normally well performing but with the odd here and there bug it can drastically lower performance but is rare.
On the other AMD has their Radeon software Crimson Relive Edition ( Quite a mouthful so I will refer it as AMD control panel ). It has taken over the role from the AMD Catalyst control panel for a more sleek and cleaner UI , more user - friendly and quicker speeds . It can also diagnose any issues with displays and has shown a slight increase in performance in certain games tailored to the GPUs. It does have the option to have a driver installer but you will need to enable it when installing the control panel . It still has support for lower gen video cards such the "Kabini" APUs and the GCN architecture + newer releases of GPUs.
The control panel also comes with other goodies such as "Radeon Chill" which has shown to lower temperatures and electricity consumption by dynamically adjusting frame rates based on what is occurring in the game. This has shown to reduce temperatures and wattage up to 30% in supported games. It can support most games except UWP games but performance can vary to the games.
Really the software which you receive depends on the video card you buy depending on the other two factors so you shouldn't base your video card choice on software and drivers exclusively unless you have a really good reason to do so !
NVIDIA :
On the other AMD has their Radeon software Crimson Relive Edition ( Quite a mouthful so I will refer it as AMD control panel ). It has taken over the role from the AMD Catalyst control panel for a more sleek and cleaner UI , more user - friendly and quicker speeds . It can also diagnose any issues with displays and has shown a slight increase in performance in certain games tailored to the GPUs. It does have the option to have a driver installer but you will need to enable it when installing the control panel . It still has support for lower gen video cards such the "Kabini" APUs and the GCN architecture + newer releases of GPUs.
The control panel also comes with other goodies such as "Radeon Chill" which has shown to lower temperatures and electricity consumption by dynamically adjusting frame rates based on what is occurring in the game. This has shown to reduce temperatures and wattage up to 30% in supported games. It can support most games except UWP games but performance can vary to the games.
Really the software which you receive depends on the video card you buy depending on the other two factors so you shouldn't base your video card choice on software and drivers exclusively unless you have a really good reason to do so !
SUMMARY
Summarising all these points show that neither is better than each other but really comes down to you for your requirements and preference as they are there to give you a wide array of choices. Each video card can tailor to specific needs such as E - sport gaming or 4K gaming. What you have to do is first step down on what you need this video card for and then find benchmarks for each cards. Try to find the best value card and look out for deals.
NVIDIA :
- They have very high performance cards
- Can be expensive at times
- Geforce Experience can make it easier to configure your settings
- Can meet everyone's requirements for gaming
AMD
:
- Great value cards but due to mining , prices have increased
- Not a vast difference in performance to Nvidia
- Easy to use software and can lower temperature
- Large range of selection for different purposes
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