Are Next-Gen Games Really Optimized for AMD GPUs?

[Cs342]

I was thinking of getting a GTX 770, but there have been loads of rumors and discussions about how new games will perform better on AMD graphics cards like the 7950, 7970, upcoming 9970 etc. Are these claims really true? I've always been an Nvidia user, not because I'm a fanboy but just because I like their products, drivers, extra features etc. especially right now with Shadowplay, PhysX and more. Should the fact that next-gen consoles are powered by AMD sway my decision to get a GTX 770, or should I go ahead and grab one? 

Extra question: how much of a boost in performance will I see going from a GTX 460 to a GTX 770?

[I'm Batman]

CAMARON SAİD İT. (he is the god of PC's)

[ComputerNoob]

Wait for the 9000 series !!!

[micedits]

"Optimized" is normally quite vague when it comes to a game being better on a certain make of GPU's and even if it is, soon after release they will have pretty similar performance with the alternative card, this is just from personal experience however I feel it is more of a rumor than anything else. 

[Cs342]

CAMARON SAİD İT. (he is the god of PC's)

Wtf??

 

Wait for the 9000 series !!!

Are you serious? I have a GTX 460 right now lol. 

[ExDreamer]

AMD Gpu have Graphics Core Next (GCN) Architecture same as in ps4 and xb1.

 

“The consoles are really the target for a lot of the game developers, if it’s a Radeon heart powering that console, like the PS4 or Xbox 360, that means these games devs are going to be designing their games, designing their features and really optimising for that Radeon heart” said AMD’s Devon Nekechuk around the launch of the Radeon HD 7990. But why, specifically, will that be the case? I asked AMD’s worldwide manager of ISV gaming engineering, Nicolas Thibieroz for the nitty gritty.

 

“We paid a lot of attention to the DirectCompute processing capabilities in the GCN architecture because we know that this can enable all kinds of features, from physics simulations to advanced lighting schemes. Now those capabilities are going to be the baseline development platform for a lot more developers and we know that this is an area developers will explore more and more.”

 

http://www.pcgamer.com/2013/06/16/how-amds-hardware-in-next-gen-consoles-will-affect-pc-gamers/

[Vitalius]

By the time devs have wrapped their heads around optimizing for the Jaguar Architecture AMD will have released new CPU/GPU architectures, so even if there are boosts for similar architectures for current gen pc hardware, it will be outdated by the time anything significant is done.

AMD Gpu have Graphics Core Next (GCN) Architecture same as in ps4 and xb1.

“The consoles are really the target for a lot of the game developers, if it’s a Radeon heart powering that console, like the PS4 or Xbox 360, that means these games devs are going to be designing their games, designing their features and really optimising for that Radeon heart” said AMD’s Devon Nekechuk around the launch of the Radeon HD 7990. But why, specifically, will that be the case? I asked AMD’s worldwide manager of ISV gaming engineering, Nicolas Thibieroz for the nitty gritty.

“We paid a lot of attention to the DirectCompute processing capabilities in the GCN architecture because we know that this can enable all kinds of features, from physics simulations to advanced lighting schemes. Now those capabilities are going to be the baseline development platform for a lot more developers and we know that this is an area developers will explore more and more.”

 

http://www.pcgamer.com/2013/06/16/how-amds-hardware-in-next-gen-consoles-will-affect-pc-gamers/

The second part of that quote from the article is the important bit, I imagine.

[Cs342]

So is it safe for me to go for the GTX 770?

[FabulousOtter]

So is it safe for me to go for the GTX 770?

 

Of course it is. Developers aren't going to alienate half? (don't know figures, just a guess) or a large chunk of their potential customers on the PC platform. It isn't about bias, it's about them needing to make money - dev's don't make much as it is and not optimising for both of the two biggest platforms is suicide both financially and in terms of reputation.

[Vitalius]

GCN will be outdated by the time any dev makes real headway with optimizing for it.

 

Take current gen consoles. It took until now for devs to wrap their heads around it, Granted it wont take that long with this gen being x86 and all, But even if it takes a realistic 3 years to properly optimize for the tech your looking at 2 new desktop gpu and cpu architectures. If you plan on holding onto a 8350 and 7970 for the entire next gen, then sure, enjoy your 10-15 percent performance increase from optimization.

 

Realistically, optimization is just a buzzword that AMD fanboys use to try talk up their current gen products. On the PC end, wait for 9xxx series and see if it's worth it.

 

Considering AMD's usual antics of using old architectures, I would be willing to bet that GCN will still be around in 3-5 years. Even if it is on a new GPU.

Of course it is. Developers aren't going to alienate half? (don't know figures, just a guess) or a large chunk of their potential customers on the PC platform. It isn't about bias, it's about them needing to make money - dev's don't make much as it is and not optimising for both of the two biggest platforms is suicide both financially and in terms of reputation.

*looks at the history of Nvidia games and PhysX*

Suuuuuuuure.

[ExDreamer]

Considering AMD's usual antics of using old architectures, I would be willing to bet that GCN will still be around in 3-5 years. Even if it is on a new GPU.

*looks at the history of Nvidia games and PhysX*

Suuuuuuuure.

Yeah i believe they will refine that architectures,not totally eliminate it.For example 7790 use GCN 2.0 and it is the first card to use that architecture,so i think a lot more newer cards come with GCN 2.0.

[Cs342]

SO SHOULD I GET A GTX 770 NOW??

[ExDreamer]

SO SHOULD I GET A GTX 770 NOW??

In 2 month,amd new R9 gpu will be release.But if you can't wait,770 is not a bad choice either.

[Cs342]

In 2 month,amd new R9 gpu will be release.But if you can't wait,770 is not a bad choice either.

So technically if I could find a 7970 for $250 I shouldn't take the offer and just wait?

[Cs342]

Wait for 9xxx

 

At the very least it will drive nvidia prices down due to actual competition at the high end and 7xxx prices down too and you'll get abit better value for money

 

If you need a card right now, get a 7950 with an aftermarket cooler and OC that bitch till it hurts :D

I can get a 7970 for $250, is that a better deal than the GTX 770?

[Cs342]

depends what you can get a 7950 for?

 

OC'd both will be very very similar with 770 pulling ahead slightly if at all

Will the 9000 series be so amazing that I will regret getting a 7970/GTX 770? Or will they only be a marginal improvement like the 700 series over the 600 series

[Cs342]

I might get the 770 but there are some amazing 7970 deals right now

[silencerbob]

Most games have separate companies working on the different versions of the same game. While one development company makes the console version, a separate company works on the PC version. While there is some degree of cooperation, are entirely separate.

So, no. The "optimization" they quote really has nothing to do with the hardware in the short term. In the long term most definitely the software development will "catch up".... But for right now, go with the card with the features it has "NOW". Don't base your decision on what "will be".

[silencerbob]

“We paid a lot of attention to the DirectCompute processing capabilities in the GCN architecture because we know that this can enable all kinds of features, from physics simulations to advanced lighting schemes.

Wasn't that the "cloud" was for? aaahahah

[silencerbob]

You fail to take into consideration x86 architecture which is powering both next gen consoles.

 

All optimization will come from the fact that games are more likely in the future to be multi threaded and may have some, however limited optimization for Jaguar based architectures which are based off of current gen FX CPU's and the GCN GPU architecture.

 

PC and Console are basically the same thing now as soon as PS4 and Xbox one hit the market, bar PC being more powerful

I'm actually agreeing with you. It just won't matter in the short term. Show me PC games needing hyperthreading... Show me games running more than 4 threads. It will take time.

[Vitalius]

Games actually do need this, It will benefit performance in a very huge way. But yes, it will take time.

Specifically in regards to physics, particle effects, and the like, I hope.

 

9xxx is already using a very modified GCN Architecture

Yeah i believe they will refine that architectures,not totally eliminate it.For example 7790 use GCN 2.0 and it is the first card to use that architecture,so i think a lot more newer cards come with GCN 2.0.

This, essentially.

There is a difference between modified and refined though. Modified implies that the optimizations will not work anymore. Refined means that the optimizations will likely be even more apparent.

However "refined" is a type of modification. It just depends.