Sapphire Radeon HD 6670 and HD 6570 Video Cards Review

We look at the new low to mid-range models from AMD - the HD 6670 and TurboCache wielding HD 6570.

Published
Updated
Manufacturer: SapphireTech
15 minutes & 34 seconds read time

Introduction and Package


Introduction

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I hate these low to mid-range cards; it's nothing against them directly, but they're always just so slow. Sure, they might be great for the price etc. - but testing them is still an absolute pain as they're always so much slower than the stuff I'm used to testing.

The whole situation is made only worse by AMD releasing three models today, albeit we're only looking at the two higher end ones of these three new models. The good news for me is that we tend to only ever look at one or two of these new models and then continue looking at the fun stuff and what people wish they could afford, but can't.

That aside, these are important reviews, though, as this is where companies like AMD and NVIDIA make their money. These low end cards are the ones you might not personally see most of, but local computer shops and system integrators will. These are the kinds of cards that companies put "Huge 1GB GAMING video card" on the signs when advertising budget PCs.

Over the last few years we've also seen that video game graphics aren't really moving at the same "on speed" pace that video cards are moving at. It's a frustrating thing for people who spend the big bucks, but what it tends to mean is that these lower end cards are doing more than ever before.

So with that all said, we'll check out the package that's going on inside these cards before looking at the cards themselves and specifications. The victim today? Well, me! The torture tools, though? - Sapphires HD 6670 1GB and HD 6570 512MB with *shudders* HyperMemory.

I'm probably being a little melodramatic, but we may as well have some fun. Let's check out exactly what we're looking at today.


Package

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Sapphire Radeon HD 6670 and HD 6570 Video Cards Review 04


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There's very little difference between the packages of both cards. In the final pic we've got a bundle of everything that's included; there's two items that aren't in each bundle. The DVI to VGA connector is included only in the HD 6670 while the HyperMemory table that explains how much total memory your video card gets when combined with a HM enabled video card in included only in the HD 6570.

Card and Specifications


The Card

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You can see that both cards are nearly identical. The only way to really separate the two is by the I/O connectors. The bottom one that shows the back of the blue VGA port is the HD 6570, while the top is the HD 6670.

What's not here is probably more interesting than what is. What we don't have is a need for any extra power, nor do we have a CrossFire connector.

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As we just mentioned, the connectivity of both cards differs slightly. The right card which is our HD 6570 comes with Dual-Link DVI, VGA and HDMI. The HD 6670 carries with it also Dual-Link DVI and HDMI, but instead of VGA offers DisplayPort.


Specifications

The main specifications on the Sapphire HD 6570 include 480 Stream Processors, 1280-bit memory bus, 512MB of GDDR5 clocked at 4000MHz QDR and a core that comes in at 650MHz.

The rated power draw on the card is 60w and 44w on DDR3 models. While this one is 512MB, 1GB versions will also be on offer. Something you will want to look out for, though, is the type of memory since this model will be available in both GDDR5 like we have here today, but also the much slower DDR3. Eyefinity is supported and some partners will opt for DisplayPort over VGA, or at least offer a DP version alongside others.

The HD 6570 supports HyperMemory which draws memory from your system RAM and "attaches" it to the video card. This can allow up to 2.34GB of "HyperMemory" on a 512MB card or 2.816GB of "HyperMemory" on a 1GB card. The amount of "HyperMemory" available is based on the amount of system RAM you have.

It's great for marketing, but personally I'm not a fan of it and would prefer to have my RAM for my system and not the video card. To make use of HyperMemory it must be enabled in the BIOS. What I don't like about it is it gives computer resellers the ability to almost mislead people in to thinking they're getting a video card with more memory than it actually has.

The reference version of the HD 6570 is a single, slow, low profile card with active cooling. The one here today is of course a full height one and due to that larger cooler, a dual slot one.

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While the Sapphire HD 6670 offers the same 480 Stream Processors and 128-bit memory bus, this card carries with it a higher 1GB of GDDR5 clocked at 4000MHz QDR. As for the core, that is quite a bit higher at 800MHz.

The rated power draw on the card is 66w; while this card is a 1GB GDDR5 one, 512MB cards will also be on offer. Unlike the HD 6570, though, the card carries only GDDR5. Unlike the HD 6570, the HD 6670 doesn't offer any HyperMemory.

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Eyefinity is also offered, but instead of three like the HD 6570, four can be achieved depending on the display output setup. The reference HD 6670 is a full height card, but this one is single slot only.

These cards are hardly beasts in any sense of the word, but let's see how they handle some of today's games.

Test System Setup and 3DMark 11


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We would like to thank the following companies for supplying and supporting us with our test system hardware and equipment: Intel, ASRock, Kingston, Mittoni, Noctua and Corsair.

Being lower end cards than we're used to and the lowest end cards we've looked at in recent times, we haven't got heaps in the comparison database. We will see how both the Sapphire HD 6670 and HD 6570 go against the HD 5770, HD 6790 and GTX 550 Ti Cyclone II.

Let's get started!


3DMark 11

Version and / or Patch Used: 1.0
Developer Homepage: http://www.futuremark.com
Product Homepage: http://www.3dmark.com/3dmark11/
Buy It Here




3DMark 11 is the latest version of the world's most popular benchmark. Designed to measure your PC's gaming performance 3DMark 11 makes extensive use of all the new features in DirectX 11 including tessellation, compute shaders and multi-threading. Trusted by gamers worldwide to give accurate and unbiased results, 3DMark 11 is the best way to consistently and reliably test DirectX 11 under game-like loads.

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Straight away we get a good idea of how the model compares to other AMD offerings and the new GTX 550 Ti.

3DMark Vantage




Version and / or Patch Used: 1.0.1
Developer Homepage: http://www.futuremark.com
Product Homepage: http://www.futuremark.com/products/3dmarkvantage/
Buy It Here




3DMark Vantage is the new industry standard PC gaming performance benchmark from Futuremark, newly designed for Windows Vista and DirectX10. It includes two new graphics tests, two new CPU tests, several new feature tests, and support for the latest hardware.

3DMark Vantage is based on a completely new rendering engine, developed specifically to take full advantage of DirectX10, the new graphics API from Microsoft.

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Compared to the older HD 5770 the new HD 6670 does seem to come in a bit behind that. Compared to the HD 6790 you can see there's quite a large gap between it and these new models.

Unigine Heaven Benchmark




Version and / or Patch Used: 2
Developer Homepage: http://www.unigine.com
Product Homepage: http://unigine.com/press-releases/091022-heaven_benchmark//



New benchmark grants the power to unleash the DirectX 11 potential in the gift wrapping of impressively towering graphics capabilities. It reveals the enchanting magic of floating islands with a tiny village hidden in the cloudy skies. With the interactive mode emerging experience of exploring the intricate world is ensured within reach. Through its advanced renderer, Unigine is one of the first to set precedence in showcasing the art assets with tessellation, bringing compelling visual finesse, utilizing the technology to the full extend and exhibiting the possibilities of enriching 3D gaming.

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Unlike our previous tests you can see that performance looks a bit better for the HD 6670 here when compared to the HD 5770. As for the HD 6570, you could say its performance is half that of the new HD 6790.

Benchmarks - Resident Evil 5


Resident Evil 5

Version and / or Patch Used: Demo Benchmark
Developer Homepage: www.residentevil.com/
Product Homepage: http://www.residentevil.com/




Resident Evil 5 is a survival horror video game developed and published by Capcom. The game is the seventh installment in the Resident Evil survival horror series, and was released on September 18. Resident Evil 5 revolves around Chris Redfield and Sheva Alomar as they investigate a terrorist threat in Kijuju, a fictional town in Africa.

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Under something a bit older like Resident Evil 5 the HD 6670 is able to actually put out some alright FPS. In this scenario its performance is actually similar or better than the HD 5770. The HD 6570 struggles to hit the 60 FPS mark at 1680 x 1050, but it would only take a detail drop to bring that number up to a more confortable figure.

Benchmarks - Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X. 2


Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X.2

Version and / or Patch Used: Benchmark Demo
Timedemo or Level Used: Built-in Test
Developer Homepage: http://www.ubi.com/UK/default.aspx
Product Homepage: http://www.hawxgame.com/




Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X. 2 is an arcade-style flight action game developed by Ubisoft Romania and published by Ubisoft. The game is the sequel to Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X., released in 2009.

The game begins with Colonel David Crenshaw participating in a routine patrol mission in the Middle East. After halting an insurgent attack, a volley of missiles is fired at the Air Force base that Crenshaw was stationed at, with one of the missiles disabling Crenshaw's aircraft, resulting Crenshaw being in enemy captivity. A joint strike force composed of the U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force, and a Ghost Recon squad executes an operation to rescue Crenshaw. In Scotland, Royal Navy Pilot Colin Munro encounters an unidentified passenger aircraft that explodes from an on-board bomb when undergoing training exercise. In Russia, an air force squadron led by Colonel Denisov and Captain Dmitri Sokov engages separatist aircraft but is ordered to retreat from the region after numerous Russian military installations have been attacked.

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H.A.W.X. 2 favors the NVIDIA offerings and we can clearly see that here. Both the new cards struggle to get that 60 FPS we want at these high in game settings, but if you dropped them down just slightly the HD 6670 would offer some good numbers while the HD 6570 would need a bit more of a major decrease.

Considering that H.A.W.X. 2 isn't all that old a game, though, the numbers these cards get aren't too bad.

Benchmarks - Mafia II


Mafia II

Version and / or Patch Used: Latest Steam Update
Timedemo or Level Used: Built in Benchmark
Developer Homepage: http://www.2kczech.com/
Product Homepage: http://www.mafia2game.com/
Buy It Here




Mafia II is a third-person action-adventure video game, the sequel to Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven. It is developed by 2K Czech, previously known as Illusion Softworks, and is published by 2K Games. The game is set from 1943 to 1951 in Empire Bay (the name is a reference to New York's state nickname "The Empire State"), a fictional city based on San Francisco and New York City, with influences from Chicago and Detroit. The game features a completely open-ended game map of 10 square miles. No restrictions are included from the start of the game. There are around 50 vehicles in the game, as well as licensed music from the era.

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Across the board you can actually see we only see one card is able to break the 60 FPS barrier at these settings and it's only by a single FPS. With a detail drop you could probably get at least the HD 6670 up to a almost playable level at 1680 x 1050, it will be a bit harder on the HD 6570, though, which would probably like both a drop in detail and resolution.

Benchmarks - Lost Planet 2


Lost Planet 2

Version and / or Patch Used: Benchmark Demo
Timedemo or Level Used: Built in Benchmark - Test A Scene 1
Developer Homepage: http://www.capcom.com/
Product Homepage: http://www.lostplanet2game.com/




Lost Planet 2 is a third-person shooter video game developed and published by Capcom. The game is the sequel to Lost Planet: Extreme Condition which is also made by Capcom, taking place ten years after the events of the first game, on the same fictional planet. The story takes place back on E.D.N. III 10 years after the events of the first game. The snow has melted to reveal jungles and more tropical areas that have taken the place of more frozen regions. The plot begins with Mercenaries fighting against Jungle Pirates. After destroying a mine, the Mercenaries continue on to evacuate the area, in which a Category-G Akrid appears and attacks them. After being rescued, they find out their evacuation point (Where the Category-G appeared) was a set-up and no pick up team awaited them. The last words imply possible DLC additions to the game, "There's nothing to be gained by wiping out snow pirates... unless you had some kind of grudge."

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No surprise that under Lost Planet 2 these cards really struggle like most the others. A detail drop isn't even going to help push performance up to the almost 300% - 600% we want.

Benchmarks - Aliens vs. Predator


Aliens vs. Predator

Version and / or Patch Used: Standalone Benchmark
Timedemo or Level Used: Built in Benchmark
Developer Homepage: http://www.rebellion.co.uk/
Product Homepage: http://www.sega.com/games/aliens-vs-predator/




Aliens vs. Predator is a science fiction first-person shooter video game, developed by Rebellion Developments, the team behind the 1999 original PC game, and published by Sega for Microsoft Windows, the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360. The game is based on the Alien vs. Predator franchise, a combination of the characters and creatures of the Alien franchise and the Predator franchise. There are three campaigns in the game, one for each race/faction (the Predators, the Aliens and the Colonial Marines), that, while separate in terms of individual plot and gameplay, form one overarching storyline.

Following the storyline of the campaign modes comes the multiplayer aspect of the game. In this Multiplayer section of the game, players face off in various different gametypes in various different ways.

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Like Lost Planet 2 some of these new intensive games are just so far from the mark that it will be difficult to get playable numbers.

Benchmarks - Street Fighter IV


Street Fighter IV

Version and / or Patch Used: Standalone Benchmark
Timedemo or Level Used: Built in Benchmark
Developer Homepage: http://www.capcom.com/
Product Homepage: http://www.streetfighter.com/




While Street Fighter IV features models and backgrounds rendered in 3D, the gameplay remains on a traditional 2D plane, with the camera having freedom to move in 3D at certain times during fights, for dramatic effect. Producer Yoshinori Ono has stated that he wanted to keep the game closer to Street Fighter II. A new system called "Focus Attacks" ("Saving Attack" for the Japanese version) has been introduced, as well as Ultra moves. The traditional six-button control scheme returns, with new features and special moves integrated into the input system, mixing classic gameplay with additional innovations.

All the characters and environments in Street Fighter IV are rendered as 3D models with polygons, similar to the Street Fighter EX sub-series Capcom produced with Arika. However, there are a couple of key differences. Art director and character designer Daigo Ikeno, who previously worked on Street Fighter III 3rd Strike, opted for non-photorealistic rendering to give them a hand-drawn look, with visual effects accented in calligraphic strokes, ink smudges and ink sprays during the fights.

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Older and less intensive games like Street Fighter IV play well on both new models even with the in game settings quite high.

Benchmarks - Far Cry 2


Far Cry 2

Version and / or Patch Used: 1.01
Timedemo or Level Used: Ranch Long
Developer Homepage: http://www.ubi.com/
Product Homepage: http://www.farcry2.com/
Buy It Here




The Dunia Engine was built specifically for Far Cry 2 by the award-winning Ubisoft Montreal development team. It delivers the most realistic destructible environments, amazing special effects such as dynamic fire propagation and storm effects, real-time night-and-day cycle, dynamic music system, non-scripted enemy A.I. and so much more.

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Far Cry 2 also manages to perform well and much better then the HD 5770. We can see we've got over 30 FPS at 1680 x 1050 and near it at 1920 x 1200 on the HD 6670. The HD 6570 doesn't break the 30 FPS minimum we want but at 1680 x 1050 we're right on the edge.

Benchmarks - Batman Arkham Asylum


Batman Arkham Asylum

Version and / or Patch Used: 1.1
Timedemo or Level Used: Built-in Test
Developer Homepage: http://www.batmanarkhamasylum.com/
Product Homepage: http://www.batmanarkhamasylum.com/





Batman: Arkham Asylum exposes players to a unique, dark and atmospheric adventure that takes them to the depths of Arkham Asylum - Gotham's psychiatric hospital for the criminally insane. Gamers will move in the shadows, instigate fear amongst their enemies and confront The Joker and Gotham City's most notorious villains who have taken over the asylum.

Using a wide range of Batman's gadgets and abilities, players will become the invisible predator and attempt to foil The Joker's demented scheme.
Batman: Arkham Asylum features an original story penned exclusively for the game by famous Batman author and five-time Emmy award winner Paul Dini, whose credits include Lost season one and Batman: The Animated Series.

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Batman AA on the other hand manages to get playable numbers across the board with both cards.

Temperature Test


Temperature Tests



The temperature of the core is pulled from MSI Afterburner with the max reading used after a completed run off 3DMark Vantage and the Performance preset.

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Looking at the temperature of the cards, it comes as no surprise that they both sit towards the bottom of the pack.

Sound Test


Sound Tests



Pulling out the TES 1350A Sound Level Meter we find ourselves quickly yelling into the top of it to see how loud we can be.

After five minutes of that we get a bit more serious and place the device two CM away from the fan on the card to find the maximum noise level of the card when idle (2D mode) and in load (3D mode).

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Noise levels on both models are also very good, sitting quite low.

Power Consumption Tests






Using our new PROVA Power Analyzer WM-01 or "Power Thingy" as it has become quickly known as to our readers, we are now able to find out what kind of power is being used by our test system and the associated graphics cards installed. Keep in mind; it tests the complete system (minus LCD monitor, which is plugged directly into AC wall socket).

There are a few important notes to remember though; while our maximum power is taken in 3DMark06 at the same exact point, we have seen in particular tests the power being drawn as much as 10% more. We test at the exact same stage every time; therefore tests should be very consistent and accurate.

The other thing to remember is that our test system is bare minimum - only a SSD hard drive is used with a single CD ROM and minimal cooling fans.

So while the system might draw 400 watts in our test system, placing it into your own PC with a number of other items, the draw is going to be higher.

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Like our other tests the new cards also sit towards the bottom here when it comes to power draw.

Final Thoughts




In reference form both cards are rumored to sit below the $100 price point, but the Sapphire versions we're looking at today will indeed carry a slightly higher price tag due to the coolers. Because we don't know exact pricing, we're not sure if the below $100 tag will stay on the Sapphire HD 6670. If the MSRP on a reference one is $99, the chances are the Sapphire version with this cooler could carry a price tag of somewhere around $105.

Considering the HD 6790 can be had for $149 US, the under $100 price makes a lot of sense. Looking at the performance between the HD 6670 and HD 6790, though, and the $50 price difference, it's clear there's some room for another model to come in at around the $119 - $129 mark. A card in that area would offer playable numbers at 1680 x 1050 on most games, especially with a slight detail drop. Of course, there would be games that just wouldn't play nice like Lost Planet 2 and Aliens vs. Predator.

Really, the performance of these models isn't too bad; the HD 6670 especially, which does offer some playable numbers in games at 1680 x 1050. An average of 55 FPS under H.A.W.X. 2 is impressive and while we'd probably prefer to see a slightly higher average, many will probably find the game playable with the very high image settings. The good news is you've got so much room to move when it comes to in game detail, meaning you shouldn't have an issue getting the FPS to a point you're happy with.

While on the top of 60 FPS, it's important to know what we mean by this. So often you will hear things like "The eyes can't see the difference above 30 FPS." If this was true gaming on a 60 Hz monitor at 60 FPS would feel exactly the same as gaming on a 120 Hz monitor at 120 FPS. It doesn't, though; gamers will find the 120 FPS / 120 Hz setup smoother. The difference between 30 FPS to 60 FPS is more noticeable than 60 FPS to 120 FPS, but a difference can be seen.

When we aim for an average of 60 FPS, though, it's not so much because we need to always be seeing 60 FPS, but more so the fact that a game with an average of 60 FPS carries with it a minimum greater than 30 FPS. If we can avoid dipping below 30 FPS our gaming experience is considered very playable. While we can indeed game at 30 FPS, an average of 30 FPS would mean we're seeing dips well below 30 FPS and that means our game won't run as smooth. We can easily see the difference between 15 FPS and 30 FPS and this is the reason we aim for that 60 FPS mark.

The HD 6670 and HD 6570 is painfully slow and benchmarking is like nails on a chalkboard.....when compared to the HD 6800s, HD 6900s and other high end cards. The thing is, though, when you really ignore what $250+ cards bring to the table, these cards do offer some good performance and some playable numbers.

Like we say so often with these low end models, though, you've got to make sure you don't get tricked into a DDR3 version of the HD 6570. Don't let someone tell you that a 1GB GDDR3 is faster than a 512MB GDDR5. It's not! The cards we're looking at today, though, which are at the top of the pyramid when it comes to these models do offer some good performance, but more importantly some playable numbers in some very modern games. Worst case, a small detail drop might be needed in some scenarios at 1680 x 1050. Of course, if you game even lower than that you might be able to play with higher in-game settings.

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Shawn takes care of all of our video card reviews. From 2009, Shawn is also taking care of our memory reviews, and from May 2011, Shawn also takes care of our CPU, chipset and motherboard reviews. As of December 2011, Shawn is based out of Taipei, Taiwan.

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