ASUS HD 6850 or ASUS GTX 560 (non-Ti, DirectCU, 810MHz)?

Helllo everyone,

I wanted to buy the Radeon HD 6870 but it's not on the market here anymore, so I will have to buy another one -- hopefully not the HD 7850 xD. So, which one should I pick: the ASUS EAH6850, or the ASUS ENGTX560. Give your reasons please. I need the answer before Wednesday (2nd of May)

I read stuff about both of these, I'm really "new" to NVIDIA but I am also confused now. Asked people, some say Radeon, some say GeForce... I really don't know. Help me out, I'll appreciate it.

Ask away for more info if you need to.

nekov4ego said:

ASUS ENGTX560.

This.

Give your reasons please.

The GTX 560 (non Ti) outperforms the 6850.

Performance is similar, but the 560 has the edge in most games.

Personally, I've found Nvidia drivers to be less problematic and overall more 'stable' than AMD CAT drivers. They also tend to get fixes out for 'new' titles quicker than AMD.

Nvidia drivers are better in Linux than AMD (if you use Linux)


(Just keep in mind neither camp is perfect, but having owned several cards from both AMD and nvidia - I prefer nvidia drivers.)

I need the answer before Wednesday (25th of April)

It's the 29th mate

Asked people, some say Radeon, some say GeForce... I really don't know.

That's always the way


Basically both cards are decent and should overclock well.

Also, the Asus DCII coolers are great. (I've got a GTX 580 DCII in my machine and a 6950 DCII in my old (now sisters machine). Both are nice and quiet and cool efficiently.

But for the performance edge and arguably better drivers - I'd personally go for the GTX 560.

(If you could afford the extra, this would be even better than both)

im an AMD/ ATI fan but id say go with the gtx560. reasons i know of a few people struggling to play bf3 at half decent seetings with a 6850. i had an xfx6850 myself and they are an ok card but but the 560 is the better card out of the 2 plus nvidia has physics.

nekov4ego said:

@clearfire62 Yep, ASUS offer better warranty than any other brand here. And I like that DirectCU top ^^

@M1GU31 Amazon isn't an option for me, I can't afford the delivery from there. I play at 1920x1080p (see my PC specs for more info)

@smarteyeball Nope, I can't afford the Ti you sent. I don't think I plan to overclock... I can't afford to hurt or even kill my GPU and have to buy another one, because I won't be able to xD So I'm not in the position to risk.
- Just realized I'd picked the wrong Wednesday. I'll change it, thanks for the note.

So basically I can't go wrong with either? I read and was also told that the GTX 560 will outperform the 6850 and it's only 10 euros more so it's worth it, and didn't NVIDIA have some fetures like PhysX for some games out there? I think that would be nice too.

Also some said AMD has had problems with shadows. No idea what problems those would be but if you know anything about that, please let me know.

Yes. PhysX is there in nvidia cards which provides realistic cloth, paper, smoke etc animations but there's a catch.
The game your playing needs to support physX to utilise this feature.
Some games like Mafia 2, Batman AA support it.

nekov4ego said:

@ganjiry Yeah in different games each of the cards will perform differently and sometimes the 560 may be better, sometimes the 6850 may have the advantage. Pesonally I doubt I will be able to notice the difference unless I have FRAPS showing me the FPS I'm getting.

@EzioAuditore Yeah, I know. But it's still a plus over AMD. Add it to the better performance of the 560 and it's worth the €10, isn't it? : ) I'm an AC fan too by the way xP

Yeah it is indeed a plus over amd. I'm sure it'll be a upgrade well worth.
And hop aboard then on the ac fan tower and prepare for leap of faith.
Waiting eagerly for ac3.

nekov4ego said:

@smarteyeball Nope, I can't afford the Ti you sent.

That's fair enough. Then non-Ti is still a decent performer.

I don't think I plan to overclock... I can't afford to hurt or even kill my GPU and have to buy another one, because I won't be able to xD So I'm not in the position to risk.

Honestly, there is minimal risk involved in OCing a GPU, but it's your card and your choice :)

You can always search about what's involved or ask here later if you feel more comfortable with the idea.

(I personally OC all my video cards and haven't hurt one yet )

So basically I can't go wrong with either?

Neither are a bad choice.

Also some said AMD has had problems with shadows. No idea what problems those would be but if you know anything about that, please let me know.

I vaguely recall reading one or two games (can't remember which though) had some issues with shadows rendering. It may have been fixed by now