AMD Radeon HD 6990 Review - PAGE 15

Wow, epic card. But...

..am I the only one concerned about the 256-bit bandwidth? Nvidia seems to use 256-bit bandwidth for every 1GB of ram. Maybe it's not that crucial (2900XT had a 512-bit wide memory interface and it wasn't beneficial to its perfomance) but since it's an enthusiast card I expected some kind of improvement on this matter.

quote chautemoc

It might be the first that can properly run Metro 2033 maxed -- that's more demanding than Crysis.

QFT.

quote EdwardTheBard

..am I the only one concerned about the 256-bit bandwidth?

They've had the 256bit / 512bit ring bus in the past and it sounds like in the case of the 6990 they're using a config of 256x2 for the card. Still it would be nice to see 512x2 addressing 4GB but at least it's not as bad as it could be :/

Thanks for all the comments guys!!

We just learned that AMD will not warranty graphics cards that use the on-board overclocking BIOS switch. A little disappointing to say the least and the review has been updated to reflect this. So, if anyone does get this card it is recommended to leave the BIOS switch in the default position.

If you can get two 6970s that perform better for 100$ less then this card then why not do that unless you don't have enough slots for 3 way or 4 way x fire and keep your warranties.

That or grab three 6950 1gb's for at least $25 less than a 6990 after rebates.

Yeah if you unlocked them...even better.