Gtx 560 Ti vs HD 6950 2GB

[iduhfuse]

Hey guys, i seen quite a few benches on the gtx 560 ti and HD 6950 2GB and i was thinking of upgrading to either one of them. BUT, the thing is, i dont know which one to get because i wont be purchasing anything for my system after this. Please tell me what you think and which one i should go for, try not to get off topic with other gpu's thanks.

Specs:
Intel core i3 530
Mushkin Enhanced DDR3 4GB 2x(2GB)
HD 5770 OC Vapour-x
Gigabyte H55M-UD2H motherboard
Thermaltake 500w psu with 43A in total. 12V1=25A and 12V2=18A
Resolution of games at 1600x900 nothing else higher

 

[shrkbay]

Both cards are great, for your resolution both cards will max out everything, i'd say go for 560, if it's your last then imo you will want as nice as possible gameplay and graphics *physx* , 6950 is a bit better and can be flashed into 6970

 

[Derbixrace]

your CPU will be the bottleneck if you get one of those cards, i would recommend you to check these out instead: GTX 460 1GB, HD6850 or HD6870.

 

[iduhfuse]

Are u really sure it would bottleneck these cards Derbixrace?

 

[Derbixrace]

yes in some games

 

[geekapproved]

your CPU will be the bottleneck if you get one of those cards, i would recommend you to check these out instead: GTX 460 1GB, HD6850 or HD6870.

Not true at all. i3 is proven to perform as good or better than Phenom II X4 in gaming. Overclocking your i3-530 to i3-560 speed, makes it faster than a PII X4 955 in gaming.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-gaming-cpu-core-i3-2100-phenom-ii-x6-1075t,2859-10.html

 

[iduhfuse]

well think about my res, will that really effect the gameplay? i mean 1600x900 is a lot less cpu intensive than 1920x1080 isnt it?

 

[shrkbay]

but two-cored CPUs are a little worse than 3-4 in gaming anyway

 

[Derbixrace]

i wouldnt pair up a high end GPU with a dual core but thats just me.

 

[shrkbay]

^that's what i meant, and yeah an example for games that require better CPU is BFBC2....

 

[iduhfuse]

alright maybe i choose something a little less intensive, does anyone how the HD 6870 performs against the Gtx 560 ti and HD 6950??

 

[17seconds]

With a Core i-anything CPU, I wouldn't worry about bottlenecking, especially when you are talking about midrange cards. You wouldn't want to guess wrong and find out that your system could and should have a better video card.

 

[iduhfuse]

so you think that a gtx 560 ti would work fine for my system matto17secs?

 

[17seconds]

so you think that a gtx 560 ti would work fine for my system matto17secs?

Absolutely. I am a big fan of overkill, whatever that is.

For you, I don't see the bottleneck being enough to justify lowering your sights, if you have the $250 to spend. A higher level card will stretch out the usefulness of your system as games get more demanding anyway. Bottlenecking is only a valid argument if a more expensive card doesn't have a positive impact on performance. I just don't believe that's the case with your system. I also like the GTX 560 pairing well with your lower resolution, which is where it was designed to perform.

By the way, check out the new Gigabyte GTX 560 SuperOverclock (SOC), a near silent card clocked at 950 mhz like the Zotac AMP! in the benchmark above.

 

[Liu kang baking a pie]

At your resolution you would see no difference than with your previous gpu.
Do you play with vsync on?

 

[yesitsmario]

At that resolution, a 6870 would do.

 

[17seconds]

At your resolution you would see no difference than with your previous gpu.
Do you play with vsync on?

According to the chart on this very same page, at approximately the same resolution, there will be a 51% performance increase over a 5770.

 

[17seconds]

At that resolution, a 6870 would do.

23% less performance.

 

[Liu kang baking a pie]

Absolutely. I am a big fan of overkill, whatever that is.

For you, I don't see the bottleneck being enough to justify lowering your sights, if you have the $250 to spend. A higher level card will stretch out the usefulness of your system as games get more demanding anyway. Bottlenecking is only a valid argument if a more expensive card doesn't have a positive impact on performance. I just don't believe that's the case with your system. I also like the GTX 560 pairing well with your lower resolution, which is where it was designed to perform.

By the way, check out the new Gigabyte GTX 560 SuperOverclock (SOC), a near silent card clocked at 950 mhz like the Zotac AMP! in the benchmark above.

you have a point but there's one problem added to overkill these days.
We are not anymore in the world of CRTs. We are in the world of LCDs which needs to sync with your gpu otherwise you get the ugly LCD display problems.
Now if you have a LCD that runs at 60mhz now you get a gpu that runs at 300fps. They're out of sync so when the refresh comes half a frame would overlap a other giving you that horrible ghost image. Now enable vsync and it gets capped to 60fps which means like it happens a lot your gpu runs half the 60fps that 30fps. Now you paid 230usd for a card but you get 30fps the same as you get with the 5770 maybe even less because your card was a overkill and you had to restrict it which the penalty is performance. Where the current 5770 runs 60fps without problems on that resolution and you don't need to use vsync.

 

[Liu kang baking a pie]

According to the chart on this very same page, at approximately the same resolution, there will be a 51% performance increase over a 5770.

if you have a 120mhz monitor yes.

 

[17seconds]

you have a point but there's one problem added to overkill these days.
We are not anymore in the world of CRTs. We are in the world of LCDs which needs to sync with your gpu otherwise you get the ugly LCD display problems.
Now if you have a LCD that runs at 60mhz now you get a gpu that runs at 300fps. They're out of sync so when the refresh comes half a frame would overlap a other giving you that horrible ghost image. Now enable vsync and it gets capped to 60fps which means like it happens a lot your gpu runs half the 60fps that 30fps. Now you paid 230usd for a card but you get 30fps the same as you get with the 5770 maybe even less because your card was a overkill and you had to restrict it which the penalty is performance. Where the current 5770 runs 60fps without problems on that resolution and you don't need to use vsync.

Why have I never noticed this playing TFC on a GTX 580/Core i7 system? For that matter, why have I never heard of this at all before? It never comes up in those crazy reviews of UT3 getting 250 fps or whatever. I mean, I believe you know what you're talking about, but it can't be that much of a big deal.

Anyway, all he needs to do is fire up Metro 2033 with PhysX enabled, and the decision to go with the higher-performing card will be obvious. And his system is not that low-performing to begin with. I would call it mid-range, and a mid-range card with the latest features is exactly what he needs.

 

[Liu kang baking a pie]

Why have I never noticed this playing TFC on a GTX 580/Core i7 system? For that matter, why have I never heard of this at all before? It never comes up in those crazy reviews of UT3 getting 250 fps or whatever. I mean, I believe you know what you're talking about, but it can't be that much of a big deal.

Anyway, all he needs to do is fire up Metro 2033 with PhysX enabled, and the decision to go with the higher-performing card will be obvious. And his system is not that low-performing to begin with. I would call it mid-range, and a mid-range card with the latest features is exactly what he needs.

LCD refresh rate = fps
If its 60mhz then its 60fps it can refresh
If its 120mhz then its 120fps it can refresh.
You get 240mhz but they're highly expensive.
LCD emulate a refresh rate to work with your gpu.
So it means if they're out of sync example gpu delivering at 300fps and LCD only able to recieves 120fps. Then you get the image where one frame overlap a other.
That's why a lot of people use vsync on. That restrict your gpu to run just under your refresh rate of lets say 120mhz or 120fps. Now if it runs half that a person wouldnt care because 60fps is still smooth enough. Now imagine the guy with a 60mhz monitor running into that issue.

You will notice a lot of people over the internet complaining about ghosting and saying this LCD is crap and that one is crap so no so on. But its not the LCD they overkilled by not paying attention to the capabilities of their monitor when buying a gpu

Please read this

http://www.tweakguides.com/Graphics_11.html

 

[iduhfuse]

my monitor is 60hz LOL. but i dont exactly get what ur gettin at Liu Kang. I mean yes i play with Vsync on of course but really i need what ur saying a little simpler format please. As of Matto i totally agree with you, i really dont see where that bottleneck would drag the performance below 30fps which i feel that i am very comfortable around 40-60, 30fps gets a little iffy with me because i can definitely see the frame difference but its still quite playable.

 

[Liu kang baking a pie]

my monitor is 60hz LOL. but i dont exactly get what ur gettin at Liu Kang. I mean yes i play with Vsync on of course but really i need what ur saying a little simpler format please. As of Matto i totally agree with you, i really dont see where that bottleneck would drag the performance below 30fps which i feel that i am very comfortable around 40-60, 30fps gets a little iffy with me because i can definitely see the frame difference but its still quite playable.

you are already limiting your current gpu by locking it to under your refresh rate that's 60.
now sometimes theres the half the refresh rate side effect that I mention.
Now what's going to happen your going to get a new gpu and also lock it to the refresh rate just under 60fps.
On your current gpu. Disable vsync and see how it performs quickly. You can try this as well to make your own AA. Drop your LCD resolution just under its native. Watch the magic happen lol

 

[iduhfuse]

are you saying this would be a "bottleneck" issue? I mean i still dont see what ur trying to tell me, im no expert ill tell u that so u know but really, all i care is that i can play pretty much all games till 2013 no lower than 30fps closed to maxed out on my res. I wanna make an investment i wont regret so please shed some light on my decisions, like are u saying i should go with the HD 6870, or the GTX 560 Ti. It would be nice to have ur opinion as well matto17secs.