Which 6950 to buy?

[DrakeConnar]

I'm going through the Weekend sales and there are a lot of 6950 2gb cards. When I compare the specs they're all the same aside from the cooling fans.

So which one is best to buy?

I'm looking at running a crossfire setup for 2560x1600 and I read that two 6950s is my best bet right now.

Newegg has HIS brand on sale for a pretty good price right now and I was wondering what the drawback is to buying the HIS and the difference between the center mounted cooling fan and the one that's mounted at the end of the card?

Thank you.

 

[jyjjy]

The cards with the box like enclosure and the fan at the end of the card are the reference model. Most of those cards can be unlocked into an HD6970 with a BIOS flash so if you are interested in that go for one of those cards.
http://www.techpowerup.com/articles/overclocking/vidcard/159

 

[DrakeConnar]

Does the BIOS flash void warrenty and increase heat to dangerous levels?

Thank you for the quick reply!

 

[jyjjy]

Whether it voids the warranty depends on the specific brand you buy I believe but the process is easily reversible in any case because of the dual BIOS built into the card. The card should be able to handle the HD6970s speeds but if you want to be extra safe you can use a BIOS that just unlocks the extra shaders and then overclock on your own while keeping an eye on temps. You are likely to get better results that way anyway.

 

[MaXiMuM GaMeR]

If you want to run CrossFire I think 6790 is better

The best ATI cards are from Sapphire ..... then HIS

 

[math1337]

Unless you're overclocking, the cheapest card should be sufficient, as long as it does not have bad reviews.

 

[FrPSh]

I've had 2 HIS cards, and they rock. Can't comment on crossfire or overclocking, but they're solid cards.

 

[codyw9524]

Sapphire has been good to me. Better cards than XFX in my experience. XFX's customer service was pretty good though, I haven't dealt with Sapphire's.

 

[nanoguy]

get twinfrozr or Vapor X , then u wont have any problem with Heat !