AMD vs. Nvidia - Prefs & Why

[Gordon Freemen]

So you're saying when you used a DX10 card it wasn't a quality image? I bet back in 2009 it was no? What changed?

Image quality has little to do with whether or not it used DX11, we had this discussion in the Crysis IQ thread.

I was trying to just add facts to my point and making known that there are differences on the hardware level that effect IQ going from the 2xx to 4xx series Nvidias and above. I can do a review between the Nvidia 5xx & 2xx series IQ comparison if you guys like and it would be showing the good the bad and the ugly warts and all cause I have a 5xx series Nvidia in my rig as we speak and a 2xx Nvidia card that I am staring at right now as I type sitting on my desk.

 

[cmdrdredd]

I have a GTX 295 and a GTX 670. When switching from one to the other there was no IQ upgrade apart from DX11. I also have a HD6950, same thing there too.

 

[Gordon Freemen]

nVidia's image quality has been pretty consistent since the 8800 GTX with AA sample positioning and anisotropy quality. I don't know what you mean by busted IQ.

I would hope that nvidia would have learned and improved a great deal on there IQ since the 8xxx series GTX era over 5 generations and almost 6 years ago.

 

[SirPauly]

I was trying to just add facts to my point and making known that there are differences on the hardware level that effect IQ going from the 2xx to 4xx series Nvidias and above. I can do a review between the Nvidia 5xx & 2xx series IQ comparison if you guys like and it would be showing the good the bad and the ugly warts and all cause I have a 5xx series Nvidia in my rig as we speak and a 2xx Nvidia card that I am staring at right now as I type sitting on my desk.

With Fermi, nVidia improved upon CSAA by offering more color samples, offered more flexibility with transparency super-sampled -- for example: If one did choose x8 multi-sampling -- one can use x2 or x4 or x8 super-sampled transparency -- in the past, it was locked to multi-sampling. Also, one could use transparency and super-sampled to DirectX 10+ content and exposed more super-sampled modes for Direct 9 and below.

Also, nVidia improved efficiency with the x8 AA setting.

 

[Gordon Freemen]

I have a GTX 295 and a GTX 670. When switching from one to the other there was no IQ upgrade apart from DX11. I also have a HD6950, same thing there too.

Sure but we will see about that because I beg to differ.

 

[SirPauly]

I would hope that nvidia would have learned and improved a great deal on there IQ since the 8xxx series GTX era over 5 generations and almost 6 years ago.

Their foundation of multi-sampling quality and filtering has been very high quality since the 8800 GTX. There has been efficiency gains, more flexibility, further enhancements like CSAA, FXAA.

I don't understand where you're getting busted IQ with the GTX 275.

 

[Arzachel]

Good lord! It was the developers decision! Not some zany conspiracy.

Batman AA GOTYE

http://store.steampowered.com/app/35140

This title has in-game AA for Radeons.

The developers added more tessellation to improve the title like these examples -- not some zany conspiracy.

http://forums.anandtech.com/showpost.php?p=32286552&postcount=554

AMD received an email dated Sept 29th at 5:22pm from Mr. Lee Singleton General Manager at Eidos Game Studios who stated that Eidos’ legal department is preventing Eidos from allowing ATI cards to run in-game antialiasing in Batman Arkham Asylum due to NVIDIA IP ownership issues over the antialiasing code, and that they are not permitted to remove the vendor ID filter.

As for the second part of your post, what about the tessellated water present in every map and being rendered even when unseen? Or the fact that the tessellation factor is so high that the created polygons are too small to be seen? Or the fact that even flat objects get tessellated?

 

[Gordon Freemen]

Also, nVidia improved efficiency with the x8 AA setting.

I will vouch for that for at leased in Skyrim the IQ and performance is night and day going from my previous GTX 275 to my current GTX 560 with 8x (Sexysample) turned on Via nvidia CP Skyrim looks better than ever.

 

[Ventanni]

I buy whatever the best sub-$200 value is at the time regardless of brand, but I will admit that within the last 2 years I've been more focused on performance/watt than anything, and until Kepler that's pretty much been exclusively AMD's Radeon line. If Nvidia can release a very power efficient Geforce 660 Ti this season, then I'd be delighted to consider purchasing one.

With that said, I've never had a driver issue with either company.

 

[SirPauly]

As for the second part of your post, what about the tessellated water present in every map and being rendered even when unseen? Or the fact that the tessellation factor is so high that the created polygons are too small to be seen? Or the fact that even flat objects get tessellated?

It was the developer/company that decided to do the lock out based on it was nVidia's work and was supported by nVidia, imho. AMD was asked by the developer to do the same exact thing as nVidia for their customers to get AA in the earlier version of Batman AA, imho!

What may be a Logical explanation:

Eidos didn't desire to have any liabilities on AMD hardware based on it was nVidia's work and supported for nVidia hardware, imho


Because, from my understanding the land masses are built upon water with CryTech - it was there with Crysis as well. How about AMD offering more robust tessellation instead of offering that the 5XXX series was good enough and balanced.

 

[Gordon Freemen]

It was the developer/company that decided to do the lock out based on it was nVidia's work and was supported by nVidia, imho. AMD was asked by the developer to do the same exact thing as nVidia for their customers to get AA in the earlier version of Batman AA, imho!

What may be a Logical explanation:

Eidos didn't desire to have any liabilities on AMD hardware based on it was nVidia's work and supported for nVidia hardware, imho


Because, from my understanding the land masses are built upon water with CryTech - it was there with Crysis as well. How about AMD offering more robust tessellation instead of offering that the 5XXX series was good enough and balanced.

"liabilities on AMD hardware" Are you trying to get people to not take you seriously for you make yourself look like an extreme fanboy with them kind of posting IMHO.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

I prefer AMD/ATI over Nvidia because I'm usually 2 generations behind and the prices on AMD cards drop faster.

 

[Gordon Freemen]

I prefer AMD/ATI over Nvidia because I'm usually 2 generations behind and the prices on AMD cards drop faster.

That's funny how nvidia is always exclusive to higher pricing what gives ?

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

That's funny how nvidia is always exclusive to higher pricing what gives ?

Both companies overprice the latest and greatest but, I've noticed that similarly performing cards when they are now 2 generations old are much cheaper from AMD/ATI.

 

[Gordon Freemen]

Both companies overprice the latest and greatest but, I've noticed that similarly performing cards when they are now 2 generations old are much cheaper from AMD/ATI.

Well Nvidia is allllways more expensive even when it initially looks like AMD was to be the higher priced product this time around with the 7xxx cards right when 680 dropped the 7970 dropped to $100 below the 680 LOL

 

[SirPauly]

"liabilities on AMD hardware" Are you trying to get people to not take you seriously for you make yourself look like an extreme fanboy with them kind of posting IMHO.

Exactly -- why else would the developers ask AMD to do the same thing as nVidia for their customers?

AMD had an opportunity to add in-game AA -- asked by the developers -- declined -- and did go public attacking nVidia.

 

[cmdrdredd]

"liabilities on AMD hardware" Are you trying to get people to not take you seriously for you make yourself look like an extreme fanboy with them kind of posting IMHO.

That means that if they released it and let AMD cards change AA they would get messed up gameplay or IQ because it was an exclusive Nvidia path that was used. They would have rather lock it out than to have a million emails asking to fix something that is not their fault to begin with. AMD is free to put their support into a developer to get specific features added in with support from their team. Nothing prevents this. They even get a bit of free advertising when you load up the game and see their logo like in Dirt 3. Nvidia just likes to do this more often and have a more working relationship with some developers. They don't pay them, they offer support to ensure that their cards are supported well with a new title. It's free advertising for them and do you know how many people who don't know much about hardware look at a game and see Nvidia on the box or in the trailers think they need an Nvidia card so they buy one?

Well Nvidia is allllways more expensive even when it initially looks like AMD was to be the higher priced product this time around with the 7xxx cards right when 680 dropped the 7970 dropped to $100 below the 680 LOL

Then the 670 makes it worth even less.

 

[NIGELG]

I prefer Ati....I still have an ATi Radeon 5850..... all Nvidia cards I've owned have either sucked or died prematurely.I have been using ATi cards since December 2008 after my last Nvidia 8800 card burned out.

My next card purchase is leaning heavily toward a 670 GTX though but the 7950/7970 is still in my sights.

 

[tigersty1e]

I paid $650 plus tax so close to $700 for my XFX 8800GTX back in the day when was it in 07 I think and I have to say it was one of the worst GPU investments into gaming I have ever made to be honest.

Really? The performance jump for the 8800 gtx was legendary. In fact, it was still going strong well into 2009.

I remember it being closer to 550. And the 640 gts was 450.

 

[Gordon Freemen]

Really? The performance jump for the 8800 gtx was legendary. In fact, it was still going strong well into 2009.

I remember it being closer to 550. And the 640 gts was 450.

Problem was it was not very long after the 8800GTX released that it started to lag in new games so it's life was not very long less then two years before it started going down hill and an upgrade or use of lowered IQ settings was in order. In comparison the GTX 460/560 is still going strong today and is still a highly viable & potent option for 1680x1050 resolution gaming.

 

[SolMiester]

I prefer NV, not that I can afford much these days. I LOL when people mention NV & Vista issues, because AMD didnt even have a DX10 card out so the only option was NV which didn't have much time to prepare drivers.
I think AMD makes class hardware and the only time I had issue with them was the x19xx series which draw too much power. The only thing that stops me buying AMD which are better priced in NZ, is the software....Its not as polished or refined as NV IMO, plus NV lead the way with innovation....
AMD did well with Eyefinity, a great feature which they excelled with in the 6xxx series.

 

[3DVagabond]

That means that if they released it and let AMD cards change AA they would get messed up gameplay or IQ because it was an exclusive Nvidia path that was used. They would have rather lock it out than to have a million emails asking to fix something that is not their fault to begin with.

Nowhere does it say that. They said they locked it out for legal reasons with nVidia's IP. Not for support reasons. (Unless I missed it? If so feel free to correct me.)

Anyone can argue that AMD could have coded their own AA, and didn't. That's a legit point. Albeit one we have no answer to as why they didn't. Whatever the reason to chalk it up to laziness, like some are trying to do, is fantasy.

 

[moriz]

I've owned cards from both camps, and I'm confident to say that there are no driver stability differences between the two. Anyone who say otherwise ate deluding themselves, or don't have a large enough sample size.

 

[Piano Man]

Its back and forth with me, but right now is nvidia. Better price/perf, better efficiency. Drivers are fine for both in WinX, but in RHEL/CentOS (my work environment), AMD blows chunks compared to nV.

 

[SlowSpyder]

6970 is more comparable to the 580. 6950 to the 570

Why? How? The 6970 obviously competed with the GTX570.