Which graphics card would be better?

[Hentai Seeker]

I have to replace my graphics card and am looking at upgrading to either a nvidia gtx580 or AMD HD6970, which would run modded oblivion better?

[HentaiGnome]

Either one is good, honestly. They're top of the line cards in today's standards. Just note that with an HD 6970 you can force better AA but I think the GTX 580 has better fps. In the end, both cards bring great visuals and depending on the game one outperforms the other like a balance beam, so it's really up to how much you're willing to pay (since the GTX 580 costs more than the HD 6970).

As for a modded Oblivion, again you really can't go wrong with either card. I currently have an HD 6970 (and will be Crossfiring as soon as I can save up enough for another one) and I'm really loving it, but I previously played Oblivion with a GTX 285, which was an awesome card for its time, and still be able to play with decent fps on a heavily-modded game. So I can only imagine how much better it will be with a GTX 580.

[Ofinfin]

And don't forget that Oblivion relies on:

-a decent amount of graphical memory (as long as the card is decent)

-the frequency of one core in a processor... that's why sandy bridge processors, with their great turbo mode, give a boost to the game

-an ssd, to have less stuttering in-game, especially in heavily modded games(optional)

[snarfies]

In my experience, ATI cards recover more gracefully from errors than Nvidia cards do. However, every ATI card I've ever owned has keeled over and died after about a year of usage. Mind you, the last ATI card I owned was a Radeon X550, so YMMV.

[Ryanhabs]

I personally use Nvidia cards in everyone of my personal builds. The rig I use 90% of the time for playing oblivion has 2 1gb GTX560 ssc's and I average about 60 to 75 fps running a close to 250 mods in my oblivion setup.

When testing more demanding mods I use my hardcore rig which come tuesday will be upgraded from 1 GTX580 to 2 GTX 590 classifieds. Yes I know its overkill as the 580 did a great job as a single card but the 590's are a business write-off so when the upgrade cost is free... thats sort of a no brainer.

I can only speak on behalf of the nvidia card your looking at, my GTX580 was OC'd and had the waterblock but performed wonderfully. It did in 1 card what my 2 560's do as SLi. Ofinfin is correct though, you should have no real issues if you keep in mind the basics of what Oblivion wants in a GPU.

[sora3]

I've been using the 6970 and it's great. But the engine needs a decent CPU speed so upgrading that CPU might be a better option than wasting it on graphics.

[LilDevil]

The cards you posted are all very nice cards, the ATI 6970 is the card I've had my eyes on as my next card (I run an old ATI 4800 currently).

My experience with Nvidia has been horrible. I've had to replace my game rig because my card decided it was a pyromaniac and burnt my whole computer and part of my floor.

[sora3]

The cards you posted are all very nice cards' date=' the ATI 6970 is the card I've had my eyes on as my next card (I run an old ATI 4800 currently).

My experience with Nvidia has been horrible. I've had to replace my game rig because my card decided it was a pyromaniac and burnt my whole computer and part of my floor.

[/quote']

Ouch. I haven't had the pleasure of a card hot enough to be a heater or a pyromaniac...

[Newbility]

As everyone have mentioned you can not go wrong with either card, but if you are favoring the GTX 580, as I am, may I suggest buying the 3-gigabyte EVGA GTX 580 version. For a little more money (~90 more dollars), not only do you get the extra memory bandwidth but you also have access to a very dynamic and intuitive forum that can help in all aspects of your purchase. Not to mention the "limited" lifetime warranty once you register the product and the Step-Up program if you decide to buy more up to date video cards...600 series or what have they in the future. Or another candidate that might interest you is the 2-gigabyte EVGA GTX 460 2Win. Supposedly it performs better than the regular 580, I believe, for a cheaper price. It is not SLI-able though.

As for recommendations for which I am pretty sure google and everyone knows about...

And don't forget that Oblivion relies on:

-a decent amount of graphical memory (as long as the card is decent)

-the frequency of one core in a processor...

-an ssd' date=' to have less stuttering in-game, especially in heavily modded games(optional) [/quote']

I also highly agree with these recommendations and to "add my two cents," here are some of what I think I would recommend:

+ The (SSD) might be too expensive considering the dollar per gigabytes a person pays for one, so an alternative option would be to have two or more of (x) amount of gigabytes of (HDD's) and put them into a (RAID) array; preferrably on a (RAID-1) type setup for multi-user computer or even a (RAID-3) type setup for a single-user computer.

+ Software is just as important as the hardware in any computer system, so optimize Oblivion with these websites if not mentioned to anyone before:

a) Prevent Crashes in Oblivion

Oblivion Tweak Guide

Slightly Off Topic

...the 590's are a business write-off so when the upgrade cost is free...

You got a link? All I heard was free 590's...hahaha...just kidding.

[Ryanhabs]

Slightly Off Topic

...the 590's are a business write-off so when the upgrade cost is free...

You got a link? All I heard was free 590's...hahaha...just kidding.

LOL, there is no link. I just had to place the order through my company. I build custom high end computers. So when I decide that I need a new rig or want to upgrade one of my current rigs, I just call in the order of parts and have them sent to the shop. Later I write it off as a demo.

[Hentai Seeker]

I've decided to go with the GTX 580.