Gtx 570 or 6950

[tbear87]

Currently looking at MSIs line of video cards on Newegg, more specifically the gtx570 ($355) and the hd6950 ($290). I've done some research and according to hwcompare.com the gtx 570 performs roughly 20% better then the 6950. I currently have an msi 5770. Personally I'd like to go for the 570 but i don't know if the $60 difference is worth the performance. I do plan on keeping either one i get for as long as i can without having to upgrade, so i want to choose the card that will give me the longest use.

Here is my setup if it makes a difference to either card

Phenom II X4 965
ASUS Crosshair IV Formula
8GB DDR3 (1333Mhz)
Corsair TX650 Power Supply

 

[cronos177]

GTX 570 is more powerful in general, but due to the 2gb memory on the 6950 is better for higher resolutions. So in my opinion,they are both high end cards and both would escalate incredible in CF or SLI but I'd go for the 6950, because is cheaper, and I like eyefinity for gaming. At the end it depends what are your main uses such as gaming, Folding etc...

 

[tbear87]

yeah after much consideration i decided to go with the 6950, thank you for your input

 

[Helltech]

GTX 570 is more powerful in general, but due to the 2gb memory on the 6950 is better for higher resolutions. So in my opinion,they are both high end cards and both would escalate incredible in CF or SLI but I'd go for the 6950, because is cheaper, and I like eyefinity for gaming. At the end it depends what are your main uses such as gaming, Folding etc...

While 2GB might be better for high resolution, even at 2560x1600 the GTX 570 outperforms the 6950....

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/HIS/Radeon_HD_6950/29.html

Granted its only 5 percent, but it is worth mentioning. And its also worth mentioning I don't think 60 dollars is worth the 5 percent, but I figured it should be clarified.

Now when you are running triple monitor setups its a very different story.

1.2GB is plently of memory at this current time for 1920x1200.

 

[bystander]

With a 6950 you can unlock the shaders so it has the same number as the 6970 and given that they are the same GPU, it's quite likely you can get 6970 performance.

Granted, there is risk involved in unlocking the shaders, but in most if not all cases, you can recover if it doesn't work.

 

[tbear87]

Well i play most of my games at 1920x1080 max so i figure that bit of extra power from the 570 wont be taken fully advantage of.

 

[Helltech]

Well i play most of my games at 1920x1080 max so i figure that bit of extra power from the 570 wont be taken fully advantage of.

You'd see a nine percent performance increase over the 6950 2Gb at that resolution. Deffinitwly not worth 60 dollars. Also, as bystander said you can unlock the shaders to get a 6970 outta your 6950 if you wish to do it.

The post I made earlier wasn't pro GTX 570, it was just clearing up the misconception that 2GB of ram is needed at "lower" resolutions, and by lower I mean anything at 1920x1200 and under.

 

[Haserath]

If you plan on keeping the card for several years, the 2GB of ram should be useful down the road. Perhaps once consoles get an upgrade in 2015(PC games should too then), the extra ram might be worth it if you plan on keeping it that long.

The 6950 also uses less power; in the long run that will make it cost even less than the 570.

 

[tbear87]

Best answer selected by tbear87.