Nvidia GeForce GTX 590 3 GB Review: Firing Back With 1024 CUDA Cores

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AMD shot for—and successfully achieved—the coveted “fastest graphics card in the world” title with its Radeon HD 6990. Now, Nvidia is gunning for that freshly-claimed honor with a dual-GF110-powered board that speaks softly and carries a big stick.

Benchmark Results: Just Cause 2 (DX11)

Just Cause 2 might be a TWIMTBP title, but AMD’s Radeon HD 6990 flips the GeForce GTX 590 on its head here. The dual-Cayman card takes a victory at all three resolutions, outmaneuvering Nvidia’s dual-GF110 contender. AMD’s Radeon HD 5970 even shows off a bit at 1680x1050 and 1920x1080. Once we hit 2560x1600, though, the GeForce GTX 590 slots under the 6990. Performance with anti-aliasing and anisotropic filtering is much closer, and the cards underneath Nvidia’s new flagship fall off a lot faster with these demanding settings dialed in.

Chris Angelini
Chris Angelini
Chris Angelini is an Editor Emeritus at Tom's Hardware US. He edits hardware reviews and covers high-profile CPU and GPU launches.
243 Comments Comment from the forums
  • nforce4max
    Nvidia like ATI should have gone full copper for their coolers instead of using aluminum for the fins. :/
    Reply
  • The_King
    The clock speeds are a bit of a disappointment as well the high power draw and the performance is not that better than a 6990. Bleh !
    Reply
  • stryk55
    Very comprehensive article! Nice job!
    Reply
  • LegendaryFrog
    I'm impressed, good to see Nvida has started to care about the "livable experience" of their high end products.
    Reply
  • plznote
    Great card. But low clocks.
    GREAT for overclocking!
    Reply
  • darkchazz
    Wow @ low noise
    Reply
  • rolli59
    Draw! Win some loose some. What is the fastest card? Some will say GTX590 others HD6990 and they are both right.
    Reply
  • Scoregie
    MMMM... HD 6990.... OR GTX 590... HMMM I'll go with a HD 5770 CF setup because im cheap.
    Reply
  • Sabiancym
    You can't say Nvidia wins based on the sound level of the cards. That's just flat out favoritism.

    I'll be buying a 6990 and water cooling it. Nothing will beat it.
    Reply
  • Darkerson
    rolli59Draw! Win some loose some. What is the fastest card? Some will say GTX590 others HD6990 and they are both right.Thats more or less how I feel. They both trade blows depending on the game.
    Reply