Buying 5970

how much you are willing to spend also mention you pc SPECS?

I'm willing to spend about 310 USD.
My PC specs: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600, Asus P5Q Pro, Case: CM Elite 430, RAM 4 GB (don't remember speed), PSU: Corsair 750 W

For < $310 you can get a Superclocked GTX570 or a 2GB OC'd 7870..either would be way way better than the 5970 (which is 2 generations old now).

Superclocked GTX570 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... ($295 - $20 MiR)

Twin Frozr 7870 2GB - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... ($290 - $20 MiR)

The 5970 is around a GTX 580 in terms of performance, so for $300 ish you need to get a 7870 or 570 and overclock the card.

IMO the 7870 is the better option compared to the 570 -- extra vram + more efficient + crazy headroom for overclocking which gives better performance.

-edit- Oops forgot that the 7870 is actually faster than the 570 at stock. So yeah - no question get the 7870. The Twin Frozr option listed above is a nice deal. I'd say get that.

Thank you for your advices!   So do I feel a difference between my old 5770 CFX and a single 7870?

Don't really know how well 5770 CF performs, but I'd guess you'll "feel" a noticeable difference even if the increase in average framerate isn't huge, just because single card setups are smoother than multi-card ones.

Core 2 Quad might bottleneck it in some games, I'm not sure (not bad enough to say don't purchase, though).

Well, 7870 sounds good for me. Only problem is that it takes ages to pass through norwegian customs.. In Norway the card costs about 450 USD.. Guess I will have to find a used one  

Ouch! How much is the GTX 570 for you, then? Are all GPU prices inflated for you?

About the same price for GTX 570, and yes, it's so expensive in Norway  

So guys, do you have any suggestions on how I get a 7870 or similar card before monday?  

Check for the 6970 and it performs a little better than the 7870 but i think as it is old will cost a bit less.
What is the website of the shop so that i can recommend you some card.

There is many sites:

Komplett.no
Dustinhome.no
Finn.no (used stuff)
Bruktmarked.no (used stuff)

Don't think about HD 5970 they are really crap and now it is very OLD stuff, your budget is pretty high for a decent card so there is of BEST mdeal available it's fits your budget?
you have to look at HD 7870, this one is best single card from AMD I also like it myself but I have already 2x gtx 580's in SLI mode.

Overclocking the HD 7870 might get closer to GTX 580. more effeciency, runs cooler, less power consume, good overclocking ability.

Yep, I wanna buy 7870 or 6970, but it's so expensive in Norway, and there is nobody who sells them used  (

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Diamond-ATI-6970-2GB-pcie-/1508...

have a look.

The 5970 is still better than those cards. I run BF3 ultra settings and can get anywhere from 40-120+ FPS depending the location and map size.

In a typical 32 Op Metro game I averaged 119 FPS with my minimum being 57FPS. And this is all at 1920x1080.

Every single game I have thrown at it has been maxed out and runs amazingly well. Max Payne with it high res texture runs at 100FPS maxed out. Starfarts 2 no issues, The Witcher 2 no issues, Skyrim only with mods and maxed out will I occasionally dip under 50FPS typical game would be floating at 60 FPS. Almost no game have I ever gotten under 40FPS completely maxed out.

Only in LA Noire do I get a constant 30FPS but that is bad porting because no matter what settings I change or how hectic things get it stays at 30FPS.

The 5970 might be generations old but it still holds its weight. And it is a heavy bastard.

Believe me I had a GTX295 and went to this and upgraded my PSU and was simply amazed. A nice little over clock on my i7 960 and I saw even more vast improvements. I love Nvidia and I am not a fan at all of AMD but this card has to be the single best card ever made by them, to still hold water to this date with the likes of new and improved cards is still baffling and that is why this card is still so damn expensive and rare, and those who do have like myself can't warrant the decision to upgrade just yet.

Maybe when titles later on this year and early next year come out, but I highly doubt it, that it will push the card that much more. Seriously I wanted to upgrade to a 580 when it came out, and now a 670 or 680 but I can't seem to justify buying it right now. Gaming wise this is a hell of a card to have.

Also this card, is very silent, giving that it is summer time and my AC is louder than a jet engine and masks all noises it still wasn't as audible as my case fans. Power output I was never worried about since I have a 1200W PSU. But seriously its a dual GPU card and doesn't draw that much more power than other two GPU cards out there.

What makes you say this? Have you even tried the card? I highly doubt it. For the simple fact that this old crap card outperforms a 580 says enough. And for the fact that it is never comparison between a 7950 and 7970 says even more.

More efficiency? In what terms?
Runs cooler? Slightly.

Less Power Consumption? Not by a lot, the fact that X card might consume 20% less power just means you will save a dollar or two on your electricity bill at the end of the year.

Trust me I am not a fan of AMD at all I still think they suck, but for the simple fact that I did get this card 2 years ago and it can still max out any game I throw at it speaks for itself there.

My friend had a 580 and we immediately saw the differences in frame rate. We were actually surprised at this. We later saw benchmarks and while the 580 won in some cases and instances, the 5970 overall had it beat. With the horrendous driver issues that plague AMD, 1 month X game will run 20% better while Y game will run 25% worse, and then vice versa next driver itteration.

If you want the 5970 for the sheer performance go for it, definitely worth the buy especially if you can find around you way.

Don't listen to what everyone has to say. I'm talking about facts and numbers here. Look at the chart in BigMacks post. That tells you enough.

For the fact that a 5XXX series card is above 6XXX, 7XXX, 4xx, and 5xx cards from both AMD and nVidia respectively tells you what you need to know.

don't tech me, you answered blindly the HD 5970 and GTX 580 are neck to neck in some games 5970 better and in some 580 takes the lead, also keep in mind that HD 5970 produce much heat, consume HIGH power, but my point is that AMD old cards have drivers issue and every card is not just like same, some people having bad experience with HD 5970 and some have good, this is called LUCK!
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/297?vs=305

He only ships within US..  

Bought a 6870 temporary, until I find a good one  

I hope it's better than a 5770 CFX  

Best answer selected by saren.

This topic has been closed by Mousemonkey