Significant difference between 1 and 2 GPU fans?

2 Fans allow the card to run cooler thus giving you more overclocking headroom, some companies do a better job than others when creating a custom gpu fan.

I like the MSI twin frozr design, iv'e never tried other companies solutions but MSI uses top notch materials in their gpus.

Asus also uses top notch materials, but like I said Iv'e never had their gpu's before so I can't give you my opinion on them.

But you know when a new GPU/series comes out from ATI, and they have their first design, in the case of the 6xxx series it was a red deisgn, is that as good as the MSI, XFX ones?

3rd party solutions tend to come with extra bells and whistles compared to the reference designs. Reference cards work just fine, and their fans are designed to blast air out the back of your case, creating a safer environment in your pc.

Those of us with good airflow (using an antec 1200 v3) don't have to worry about that, and can opt for a dual or tri fan card. I also went with MSI's Twin Frozr design, and I have my gtx 460 OC'd to above 900 mhz (vs 675 on the reference designs) and with 50% fan It rarely hits 60c


XFX tend to carry superb warranties, ASUS, GIGABYTE, MSI, HIS, PALIT, ZOTAC are all notable brands. Some moreso than others, however it's up to the user to pick which one is right for them.

ASUS DirectCU cooling system is among one of the best, along with MSI's Twin Frozr series. This is purely based off of cooling efficiency and acoustic efficiency.

http://www.pixmania.co.uk/uk/uk/11391849/art/amd/radeon...

so is this a good deal despite the reference design?

thanks for your quick replies btw it's very helpful!  

It's a fine choice, the 6870 does n't need high-end cooling, the reference design is quiet and cool enough, even under load and the card is plenty for most games, although it'll struggle with monsters like Metro 2033 if you want to push the eye-candy.

It depends on what your goals are and what your current setup can accommodate. It may help to provide us with your current computer setup.

In terms of performance in percentage how much better is the 6870 vs the 6850? 5%? 10%?

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-graphics-car...

It's one tier higher in the chart at the end, not a huge increase but significant.

10%
an old review:
AMD’s Radeon HD 6870 & 6850: Renewing Competition in the Mid-Range Market

If you can't afford good ventilation and/or you don't plan on doing OCing, then the single-fan GPU would be recommended.