I have a 24" (1920x1080) LCD. I'm moving up to SB (using a board that supports both SB and IB). Should I go with the Sapphire 2Gb 6950 (newest one has the label 3L at the end) or MSI Twin Frozr III which I saw is highly recommened; although both are. Would it be a waist to get a 6970? I was going to get a 6950 until the 7870 comes out (or if the 7970 is lower than the $550 that it's rumored to be).
6950 (2 choices) or a 6970?
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slicedtoad
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don't get a 6970, get a 6950 and unlock it to a 6970. Then slide the "power control settings" over to +20% and you have a card that performs better than a stock 6970.
You might need to use msi afterburner and recurve your fan speed though in order to cool it better. Mine is a reference 6950 and it get's pretty hot if i dont have msi running. The twin frozr should have better temps though.
You might need to use msi afterburner and recurve your fan speed though in order to cool it better. Mine is a reference 6950 and it get's pretty hot if i dont have msi running. The twin frozr should have better temps though.
NuclearShadow
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Getting the 6950's that can be turned into a 6970 is a bit of a chore, as you can imagine they were very desirable. However I cannot disagree with slicetoad's advice if you can find them at a reasonable price then buy it.
If you are unable to find one at a reasonable price than what I suggest you do is still go with the 6950. You wish to upgrade quite soon so there is no need to sink more money into hardware that you plan to replace so quickly. A 6950 is still a powerful card.
If you are unable to find one at a reasonable price than what I suggest you do is still go with the 6950. You wish to upgrade quite soon so there is no need to sink more money into hardware that you plan to replace so quickly. A 6950 is still a powerful card.
slicedtoad
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i thought most 6950 2gb could be unlocked...
edit: ok here's the "official" msi twin frozr III unlocking guide: http://www.vortez.net/articles_pages/msi_r6950_twin_froz_iii_power_edition_unlocking,1.html
Apparently, sometimes they can, sometimes they can't. But i'd say it's a good chance.
Edit again:
here's a long post about the frozr: http://www.overclock.net/t/987649/anyone-actually-own-msi-6950-twin-frozr-iii-and-unlock-it/70
Some people hate, others love it.
edit: ok here's the "official" msi twin frozr III unlocking guide: http://www.vortez.net/articles_pages/msi_r6950_twin_froz_iii_power_edition_unlocking,1.html
Apparently, sometimes they can, sometimes they can't. But i'd say it's a good chance.
Edit again:
here's a long post about the frozr: http://www.overclock.net/t/987649/anyone-actually-own-msi-6950-twin-frozr-iii-and-unlock-it/70
Some people hate, others love it.
Agree with the above, an unlockable 6950 is a great bang for the buck, plus you plan on upgrading soon, no need to spend on anything more expensive than that.
For that resolution, even a 1gb 6950 should work wonders. 2gb is needed if you planned on gaming at really really high resolutions, set up Eyefinity and stuff like that, but the cost difference isn't that big anyways, so you can stay on the safe side.
For that resolution, even a 1gb 6950 should work wonders. 2gb is needed if you planned on gaming at really really high resolutions, set up Eyefinity and stuff like that, but the cost difference isn't that big anyways, so you can stay on the safe side.
slicedtoad
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^the 1gb ones can't be flashed to 6970s but they can be flashed with one of those modded 6950 bios that unlocks all the shader cores and voltage limits. Basically the same thing i guess.
Honestly though, my card saw the biggest improvement from sliding the power control settings bar up 20% (no idea what this does but i don't think it's voltage). The shaders gave maybe a 5% increase but the power gave way more.
@mikeny
yes, exactly. A 6950 with power increased can run *almost* any game at max @ 1920x1080. On BF3 it falls slightly below the 30fps mark occasionally. Haven't tried civ, but shogun (the newest one) runs at max. Those are my experiences with a 4.4GHz 2500k. the fps measurement is by msi afterburner.
Honestly though, my card saw the biggest improvement from sliding the power control settings bar up 20% (no idea what this does but i don't think it's voltage). The shaders gave maybe a 5% increase but the power gave way more.
@mikeny
yes, exactly. A 6950 with power increased can run *almost* any game at max @ 1920x1080. On BF3 it falls slightly below the 30fps mark occasionally. Haven't tried civ, but shogun (the newest one) runs at max. Those are my experiences with a 4.4GHz 2500k. the fps measurement is by msi afterburner.
dharmenparikh
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Please wait for the 7000 series. You will regret spending $300 and then seeing a newer card perform 20% better for the same price. I know its Christmas and all but the new cards aren't that far out.
Another thing is the 7000 series supports DX11.1 and are based on 28nm so they will surely run cooler and potentially quieter with the new liquid vapour chambers. They may also draw less power.
If you really can't wait then spend $300 on the dual fan 6970. One thing people aren't telling you is that the 6950s do unlock to 6970..and I have 3 sapphire toxic 6950s all unlocked to 6970. BUT that vram on the 6950s is inherently weaker than the 6970s. So you might be able to save $30-$40 and match the speeds of a 6970. However if you get a 6970 your mileage with Vram overclocking will likely be higher. Just my experience with 3 of the best 6950s in the market.
Another thing is the 7000 series supports DX11.1 and are based on 28nm so they will surely run cooler and potentially quieter with the new liquid vapour chambers. They may also draw less power.
If you really can't wait then spend $300 on the dual fan 6970. One thing people aren't telling you is that the 6950s do unlock to 6970..and I have 3 sapphire toxic 6950s all unlocked to 6970. BUT that vram on the 6950s is inherently weaker than the 6970s. So you might be able to save $30-$40 and match the speeds of a 6970. However if you get a 6970 your mileage with Vram overclocking will likely be higher. Just my experience with 3 of the best 6950s in the market.
slicedtoad
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^but he is building a new system (at least that's what i understood) so waiting for 7000 series would mean several months of no gaming.
btw, what card is in your old system mikeny?
edit: nvm, i can see from your profile, an x1900 XTX really is needing an upgrade lol. Though if you bought something cheaper then you could spend more on the 7k series. Anything will good compared to a x1900. Maybe a 6870?
btw, what card is in your old system mikeny?
edit: nvm, i can see from your profile, an x1900 XTX really is needing an upgrade lol. Though if you bought something cheaper then you could spend more on the 7k series. Anything will good compared to a x1900. Maybe a 6870?
Presently, I'm using a 4890 Sapphire o/c edition. This is running my present system. I'm upgrading parts.....adding a SSD, new video card, SB/gen3 mobo, 6Gb RAM to 16GB, Windows 7, and PSU. With the 4890, Im only getting 28-29FPS.
slicedtoad
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keep the 4890 then and wait for 7k series and spend whatever you were planning to spend plus the cost of a 6950.
Cause when the 7k series comes out, the 6950 will still be a very good card, so it'd be a waste to change again. $300 is too much for the 2-3 months till 7k release.
Just turn the graphics down a tad and the 4890 should be fine for a few months.
Cause when the 7k series comes out, the 6950 will still be a very good card, so it'd be a waste to change again. $300 is too much for the 2-3 months till 7k release.
Just turn the graphics down a tad and the 4890 should be fine for a few months.
Hmmm yeah, sounds good. Saves the hassle of reselling the 6950. Are the 7xxx suppose to use less energy? I have a HX850 Corsair PSU. If they are worth the wait...maybe crossfire one of those babies
My luck though; I already bought PSU/mobo/CPU and heatsink. Caught some good deals (2 mail in rebates and the others had price drops). Well, since I will wait, I might catch the new Intel 520 SSD
I have a 6950 2frozr2 which runs @ 975/1450 24/7...75c. There's no need to unlock ...poor bard will probably only crave for more juice which there isn't...make it unstable..I hit a perfectly maxed 24000 gpu score in vantage and p6000+ in 3dmark11
An 4890 annoys really hard. That's guaranteed. It doens't render new games with all the bling you know...a6950 will be sold for 200 eur which makes the 7950 cost around 100eur...upgrading every gen makes the shiny crap affordable.
An 4890 annoys really hard. That's guaranteed. It doens't render new games with all the bling you know...a6950 will be sold for 200 eur which makes the 7950 cost around 100eur...upgrading every gen makes the shiny crap affordable.
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