Zaključak

AMD je sa HD6950 karticom uspio u onome najbitnijem – podigli su razinu teselacijskih performansi, snizili buku rashladnog sistema i ono možda najbitnije zadržali istu razinu potrošnje kao sa HD5870. Odnos dobivenih performansi u DX11 naslovima po utrošenom Wattu električne energije je odličan, tj. znatno je unaprijeđen u odnosu na HD5870 seriju. Nvidijina GTX570 se prema HD6950 čini kao rastrošan američki V8 big block automobil u odnosu na jednako ili malo manje snažan downsized turbo motor. Njenih 3 milijarde tranzistora, velika površina jezgre i nešto manje napredan sistem nadzora i upravljanja potrošnjom učinili su svoje. HD6900 serija donosi i novi nivo tweakanja grafičih kartica sa dvostrukim BIOS-om, što će entuzijasti znati cijeniti. Dobre teselacijske performanse su ulog u budućnost, u 2011. godinu koja će nadamo se donijeti mnoštvo novih, dobrih DX11 naslova. Poboljšanja u prikazu slike kao što su dodavanje EQAA filtera uz mali pad performansi te dodatna poboljšanja u Compute performasama su dobro došla, a uskoro stižu i novi Catalysti 10.12 koji donose novo poboljšano sučelje i podižu razinu performansi. Njih nažalost zbog kratkoće vremena nismo stigli isprobati sa starijim modelima, pa to očekujte uskoro u drugim testovima. PowerTune je dobrodošao dodatak koji uz mogućnost ručne kontrole ipak ne donosi ograničenja u overclockingu kao što smo to vidjeli kod GTX570 kartice.

Što reći na kraju? HD6950 je odlična kartica jer donosi daljnji napredak u DX11 performansama uz izvrsnu razinu potrošnje i smanjenu buku u odnosu na HD5870. Preporučena je cijena 299 USD za oko 50 USD niža ali i opet dosta bliska GTX570 modelu koji ima nešto više preformanse, ali vidjeli smo i dosta više troši. Uz to GTX570 ima i nešto tiši rashladni sistem. No, odnos performanse po Wattu definitivno odlazi u korist HD6950 kartice. Sve se dakle na kraju svodi na individualni izbor korisnika, ali nema sumnje da je AMD napravio odličan posao.

 

Conclusion

With HD6950 AMD succeeded in what is most important – raise the level of tessellation performance; reduce the noise of cooling system and what might be the most important keep the same level of consumption as the HD5870. The relationship between obtained performances in DX11 titles per Watt of electricity consumed is excellent, and it is much improved in comparison with the HD5870 series. Nvidia GTX570 looks like a wasteful American V8 big block engine in comparison to equal or slightly less powerful downsized turbo engine. Its 3 billion transistors, large die area and less advanced power monitoring and management system are to blame. HD6900 series delivers a new level of tweaking with dual BIOS, which will be greatly appreciated by enthusiasts. Good tessellation performance is a good stake for the future and 2011 will hopefully bring many good DX11 titles. Improvements in image display, such as adding EQAA filter with a small drop in performance and further improvements in Compute performance are most welcome. Soon new Catalyst 10.12 will bring a new and improved interface and raise the level of performance. Unfortunately, we didn`t have the necessary time to test them but expect to see it in reviews to come. PowerTune is a welcome addition in terms of power consumption, and the possibility of manual control does not limit overclocking as it was the case with GTX570 card.

What to say at the end? HD6850 is a great card because it brings further progress in the DX11 performance with an excellent level of consumption and reduced noise compared to the HD5870. Suggested price is around 299 USD which is around 50 USD lower but still quite close to the GTX570 model. GTX570 brings a little more performance, but also consumes a lot more power – although it does have a slightly quieter cooling system. However, the ratio of performance per watt definitely goes in favor of the HD6950 card. Everything then comes down to the individual’s choice, but there is no doubt that AMD did a great job.