AMD HD9970

[_o_OOOO_oo-Kanawha]

The next flying pig in graphic cards ...

Desirable as such a card may be, don't expect miracles when running TS2013 on it. The game core and graphics engine are old and perhaps even obsolete.
Also, nVidia seems to be preferred by RSC, as its logo is on the startup screen. Many of the AMD Vision Engine gaming profile settings don't work with TS2013.

I have a pretty decent 2012 AMD 6970 2 GB at 1 GHZ and the game in high/highest settings using FSAA + 2x2 SSAA only barely manages 30 fps in the relatively bare routes.
In built-up routes and with lots of activity, like NEC, at just scratches 14 fps.

For more than 500 bucks you can buy yourself or your gf a decent midrange laptop or desktop rig.
Nevertheless if you can afford it, the card will no doubt give you excellent performance in many current games.
How much juice does it need, how much heat and noise will it generate?

.. when not, there is always that next graphics card just over the horizon, or waiting there for you under the rainbow ...

[arizonachris]

Nah, I'm an Nvidia guy so I'll let y'all have these new cards. My EVGA GTX670 2Gb card runs RW and everything else so well already I'm not even interested in the latest Nvidia offering. (GTX760 I believe) Besides, I can think of a lot of other things to do with $500! For sure!

[_o_OOOO_oo-Kanawha]

AZ-Chris: Is it true that RSC favours nVidia and that Intel/nVidia deliberately discriminates against AMD/ATI with the implementation of PhysX?
When browsing the different games on sale on Steam now, there developers/game houses seem to have taken sides as to which CPU and GPU architecture/core to optimaly support.
It could just be a matter of compilers and ease of machine code programming, essential for the fast paced, high action multiplayer games of today.

IMO Intel/nVidia are leading and AMD/ATI are only following, being mainly competitive in the bang-for-the-buck market. If it weren't for AMD's perseverance, the Intel would have dominated the PC/Apple market, and that would not be a good thing for healthy competition. Intel is so much more financially powerful, it could have wiped out all competition.

I believe the PhysX is only used in the "trains taking off into space" nonsense , but I am not sure. The few dynamic train effects surely can't pose that much of a load on PhysX when implemented on a CPU core, can they?

Is their a gauge somewhere that shows GPU and PhysX load in real time? I also have a box fitted with a 2010 MSI nVidia GTX560, but MSI Afterburner v.2.3.1 only shows GPU load. Since that box only has 2,4GHz Quad Core with 4GB RAM I tend not to run too many bakckround programs on it.

[arizonachris]

@ Kanawha, I also use that MSI tool, and you are right, it doesn't show what percent of PhysX is used for any given game. Maybe RSC just has all Nvidia hardware so they code the game to run well on that hardware. I dunno. I also couldn't tell you what visuals in RW are enhanced by PhysX. Maybe that's what TSX is? But I can tell you a lot of current and older games use PhysX for visuals, some of these games look a lot more "flat" on an ATI card.

@ Brian, I don't consider my self a "fanboy" but I do know a lot of them are out there. ATI Boys as well. I just like what I like is all. Won't argue the fact that some think ATI could have run Nvidia out of business but I can't see that ever happen. As you said, bad for competition and hardware advancement. I'll tell you what else Nvidia had besides PhysX is CUDA and Fermi. Of course, that is more for designing and industrial stuff but I use my Nvidia cards for running Folding @ Home, and they beat the sox off any ATI card, hands down. Yeah, it's a niche thing but it does work very well for Folding. Runs a card at 100% usage. Yeah, these cards do run a little warm, LOL.

[artimrj]

I used nVidia for years then I got an AMD system Phenom and HD video board. After a few months I got a better AMD video board. It lasted a year and I decided to go back to nVidia, now I have a 550 TI. I will not buy an AMD board ever again. The nVidia is much nicer to work with, I can do anti aliasing now and everything looks way cleaner along with better FPS on anything I play. So it all ends up being half a dozen of one and 6 of another. Some like AMD some like nVidia. To each their own.