Which is better...?

A search in the forums would give you the answer.
5970 performs better than a GTX 480

The 5970 performs better, runs much cooler, and uses less power. Although Nvidia could improve the 480 in time with better drivers..

But what about this....


http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/high_end_gpus.html

Look up some charts from the GTX 480's release; there'll be comparisons agains tthe HD5970 with those. It's an obvious in.

Passmark isn't the only thing to look at,check for the performance in games.
http://www.guru3d.com/article/geforce-gtx-470-480-revie...
http://www.anandtech.com/show/2977/nvidia-s-geforce-gtx...
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-480,258...

Guys stay on topic,the OP is asking about 5970 vs GTX 480 and no one knows about the future,so talk about current time to help him
Had to delete some replies so i had to mention this