Fans of computer games dream that their PC could pull any new action. To do this, annually have to update their "hardware". In addition to the need to replace certain parts of the computer, there are times when a complete replacement of all parts is necessary. Today we’ll talk about gaming graphics cards, in particular, the nVidia GeForce GTX 580.
Confrontation
As in all areas of technology, in this segment there are also two main competitors. nVidia and AMD annually release video cards, competing with each other in speed, quality and optimization. Each new model from AMD entails a similar one from nVidia. The choice between these two companies is completely individual. Someone had a good experience using nVidia, someone completely trusts AMD.
Of course, during periods when a particular model of a video card from these companies appears on the technoscene, a lot of controversy arises in the press and on the forums. Especially among those who really understand this issue and have their own opinion and view. These conflicts are endlessly accompanied by a huge number of reviews and tests. We will talk about how to make the right choice when buying a video game card later, and now we will consider the well-forgotten new nVidia GTX 580.
Giant's heart
This model of the video card appeared in 2010. After it, a huge number of real game giants were released, which are not just an order of magnitude better - they are a hundred times more productive.
Nevertheless, there remained those who are still devoted to their beloved GTX 580. The characteristics of this video card turned out to be really impressive. The graphics processor that fits in the flagship GF110. Prior to this, video processors with an index of 104, 106, and 108 had already been released, but they all belonged to the four hundredth version of the "video card".
The new generation began to work on the "heart" of the GF110. It was modified from the hundredth version, which fit in the GTX 465, 470, and 480. The difference between these flagships was the amount of activity of the kernel blocks.
Modification
To understand how the new “brain” is better than the previous one, it is necessary to focus on some details. Both models (100/110) have four clusters responsible for graphics processing. Each of them structurally resembles a separate GPU. Clusters are equipped with everything they need to process graphics. They lack only memory controllers and ROPs.
The scheme for both processors is the same. It consists of four clusters that each have four multiprocessors. They contain 32 CUDA cores. It turns out a total of 512 pieces. The scheme also includes 8 ROP blocks in six groups, a total of 48 pieces. Each of the 6 categories has its own 64-bit memory controller. There are also two levels of cache memory. The first has a reserve of 256 Kb, and the second - in 768 Kb.
And now it’s worth moving closer to the truth. It turned out that such a scheme was first presented for the GF100, but due to uncertain circumstances, the market turned out to be a more "raw" graphics processor. According to official data, the developer could not produce high-quality crystals, and therefore, during the production process, part of the active blocks of the core had to be suspended.
Such an event could not pass by specialists. Therefore, the opinion was circulated on the Internet that nVidia decided to slow down and preserve its potential for the future, as if hinting at the version that later settled on the GTX 580. The characteristics of the new “heart” that were previously conceived were embodied only in the GF110.
Implementation
Due to the fact that there are differences between the two GPU models, I do not want to call the GF110 an updated version. The architecture of texture units has also undergone changes. Thanks to this, the process of processing and filtering textures occurs without loss of measures. Although this scheme is not new, yet in this model it was able to fully realize itself.
We also touched on the Raster Engine restorative engine. He received an improved unit, which deals with the rejection of surfaces that are invisible in the frame. Added new file formats. Implementation turned out with a bang. The developers said that the performance of the new GPU should increase. In practice, his work in games improved by 6-7% on average.
The main thing
So, now it’s clear that the new video card has become an order of magnitude more productive, despite the fact that the GPU has not received fundamental changes in the architecture relative to its predecessor GF100. Now it is possible to evaluate the very GTX 580.
Graphics card performance has improved markedly. This is especially noticeable in comparison with the previous model GTX 480. The core clock speed increased by 72 units and became 772 MHz. The clock frequency of the shader domain has changed - 1544 MHz.
The type of graphic memory and its volume remained unchanged, as did the bit capacity of the bus. The real and effective frequencies of graphic memory 1002/4008 significantly increased against 924/3696. This improvement led to the fact that the memory bandwidth also expanded to 192.4 GB / s. Obviously, such indicators could not ignore other characteristics. Hence the increase in the speed of filling the scene by several units, as well as increased mathematical performance.
Reasons for improvement
The growth of many characteristics is associated with a number of reasons:
- The main of them can be considered that in nVidia GeForce GTX 580 it was still possible to start the activation of all core blocks.
- GPU and video memory frequencies improved by an average of 9%.
- We also improved the architecture of texture units and raster engines.
Reliability in detail
The designers of nVidia were able to improve the material characteristics in the GTX 580. It’s not so easy to bend the circuit board now. The length remains the same, so the whole case looks quite compact. Especially considering the fact that the card was released in 2010. At present, it certainly looks large.
There are three connectors on the panel, one for mini-HDMI, the other two dual-channel DVI. In principle, this set was enough for all gamers, although rivals of nVidia still did more for the user. The only question in all this beauty is the presence of two grilles that cover the openings for the exit of heated air. If the first is in a completely familiar place and blows air to the rear panel, then the second is located on the back side.
Pay
Now it’s worth looking under the casing of the GTX 580 graphics card. The price, by the way, at the time of the release of this flagship was $ 500, which was insignificant, albeit expensive, for such a giant. But back to the insides.
You can distinguish the board from the previous model by the read characteristics. The new design has lost the very turbine air intake connector, but for some reason the layout itself has been preserved. Previously, there were also traditional electrolytic "banks", now in their place the desoldering of ceramic capacitors. But the main visible difference is the presence of additional chips that are responsible for hardware monitoring of the load. They track the current that comes to the board through the connectors.
Cooling
The previous model of the video card was equipped with a very complex cooling system. This was due to the fact that there remained a need to cope with the power of the “burning” GF100. Despite all its engineering masterpiece, the system was unable to solve a number of problems that the nVidia GeForce GTX 580 developers had to fix later. They created an evaporation chamber technology. At that time, it has long been promoted on the market. AMD also liked to use it.
When disassembling it is easy to separate from the main part of the body. The rigid metal frame on which the evaporation chamber is located is a support for the entire structure. The cooling system works simply: a special liquid evaporates from the heating side, condenses onto the cooled part and flows back again. On these sides are not a tube, as it was before, but plates that cover the heat-distributing cover of the processor.
Tests
The GTX 580 graphics card passed the test successfully, and not one. Although there were unsuccessful "exams". For example, checking the filtering of RGB8 textures showed that the new model is much weaker than its competitors from AMD. But testing the speed of shaders showed good results, especially regarding the GTX 480. But in many of them, the new model noticeably lost to its competitors.
As a result, testing “viduha” showed that it turned out to be the best in performance and consumer characteristics. It is distinguished by a large number of active blocks, has an increased clock frequency, as well as some architectural changes.
Clones
There are clones of this video card. Based on the GF110, it has become the strongest in its segment. The GTX 580, whose price was very high, has become the most powerful. But competition is always present. Manufacturers decided to release modified versions. They differed from the original in that they had factory acceleration or an improved cooling system.
One such fairly successful project was the Zotac GeForce GTX 580. A standard reference turbine was used here. The design was not remarkable for anything remarkable. The core has 6 phases of the power node. Microcircuits - from Samsung. Viduha was improved, as indicated by the increased core frequency up to 810/1620 MHz.
This variation of the model is practically no different from the original. Its advantage remains factory overclocking, although not significant. But increased power affects noise and heat. Gamers were pleased with the equipment, which included the new toy "Prince of Persia."
Modernity
It is worth noting that now it is difficult to evaluate this flagship, since the GTX 580 graphics card is noticeably outdated and looks very weak compared to others. 2016 really turned out to be fruitful for this segment. Gaming graphics cards have become even better and more powerful.
Compiling their rating is not easy, given that even gamers have different preferences. NVidia introduced the GeForce GTX 1080, while AMD launched the model on the market an order of magnitude worse. But the Radeon RX 480 was still able to enter the middle segment and compete there. Everyone has already stopped waiting for some giants from the last company. And nVidia gaming video cards are “missing” aside, as there is no competition from the “worst enemy”.
Those who are willing to give less than 5 thousand rubles for “viduha” should take a closer look at the GIGABYTE GV-N730D5OC-1GI. The price range of up to 10 thousand rubles includes the Palit GeForce GTX750Ti StormX Dual, which, although the generation before last, will still be able to cope with almost all games. For those who are ready to part with 15 thousand rubles, the market has prepared two competitors - the GTX 960 and R9 380. If you are ready to spend 20 thousand rubles or more, take a look at the GeForce GTX 1080.