Thread: Nvidia GeForce GTX 580 review

Ever since Nvidia released its first consumer-level Fermi video card, It was first out of the gate with its diversity cards, which help DirectX 11 (DX11), and had filled out its entire program earlier Nvidia fired its first return shot with the GTX 480.The GTX 480 swiftly became the market leader as the fastest single-GPU card, but its soaring cost and the the GeForce GTX 480 back in March, consumers have been thinking when we'd see a full-out version of its GF100 GPU. With Nvidia's release of its new GeForce GTX 580 that time has finally command it's worth the wait.

This won't come as a disclosure if you've been following the video card war over the past year or so. AMD fact that its performance didn't extensively outstrip AMD's top new offerings lowered its response a bit.The less lower-capability GTX 470 and GTX 465 did little to bolster Nvidia's status, but the 200-range GTX 460 was nice enough to store some faith in the Fermi plan. But Nvidia still hadn't got what it first promised: a card with a complete Fermi GPU (now called the GF110), not the chopped-down one the GTX 480 sport.

The PCI Express x16 card is open sufficient to use two expansion slots and like other cards of this size requires two direct connections from your 600-watt–minimum power supply one six-pin and one eight-pin.Like Nvidia's supplementary top gaming cards, you can attach up to three total in Scalable Link Interface (SLI) configurations and offers three video outputs in the outline of two dual-link DVI ports and one mini HDMI jack.

The card is 10.5 inches in extent about an inch shorter than AMD's top representation the ATI Radeon HD 5970 but long adequate that it won't repeatedly fit every case. As with all of the other cards in Nvidia's catalog, the GTX 580 supports the 3D Vision stereoscopic 3D technology and PhysX for improved in-game physics handling.

According to an Nvidia representative the company implemented a number of aim changes to make the card run cooler and quieter than the GTX 480 which was dishonorable for being fast, hot, and loud. First, the interior edge of the card has been beveled to allow for better airflow predominantly when using multiple cards a straight edge contracted it especially in cases where the card was very close to the drive well.

Nvidia has also revamp the card's cooling system to reduce noise levels, which with the GTX 480 were highly visible: It now pairs the fan with a custom-designed vapor chamber and adaptive GPU fan manage that lessen the speed at which the fan has to move to keep the card within safe in use limit.



Nvidia has also revamp the card's cooling system to reduce noise levels, which with the GTX 480 were highly visible: It now pairs the fan with a custom-designed vapor chamber and adaptive GPU fan manage that lessen the speed at which the fan has to move to keep the card within safe in use limit.Nvidia also implemented a new hardware watch that keeps the card's power habit in check under stressful application loads: It monitors current and voltage on each 12-volt rail in real time and dynamically adjusts performance to keep the power usage under control in apps that really throttle the card.

One such app is Furmark, a highly demanding depiction yardstick and stability test. Our test system loaded with the GTX 580 reported using only 136 watts when idle and a maximum of 286 watts under full load, and reaching a top in service hotness of 69 degrees Celsius.The GTX 480 also needed 136 watts when idle, but used 448 watts below full freight and ran at a scorching highest temperature of 95 degrees and the borderline-deafening fan noise to match.

Because of the new hardware monitor it's difficult to know how much you can trust these numbers, but the equipment should help resolve some of the criticisms Nvidia usual about the GTX 480.Coupled with the card's overall management gain however the power handling now seems even more prudent. Though the GTX 480 was reaching it for a single-GPU card the dual-GPU Radeon HD 5970 had an even higher TDP (294 watts) and accessible considerably better management.

On our 19 higher gaming tests, the 5970 came out ahead on only four: 3DMark Vantage at the severe preset (14,212 versus 12,112) the Aliens vs. marauder typical at both 1,920 by 1,200 and 2,560 by 1,600 (60.4 fps and 29.7 fps in that order as opposite to 50.8 fps and 27.2 fps); and in the DX10 version of our 1,920-by-1,200 Heaven Benchmark 2.1 test (73.3 fps versus 60.7 fps).

Nvidia has all the way come a long way in a year. At this staged in 2009 most everybody had all but ceded the future of gaming graphics to AMD and not without basis. But if the GeForce GTX 580 is finally just fulfilling an old pledge it also shows that Nvidia hasn't been slaying its time and has been both ready and able to learn from its past mistakes.With a card that handle modern titles and technology better Nvidia is well ready to tackle AMD's current generation of cards the 6000 series which lowered its defenses on the high end when it launched in the midrange area a few weeks ago.