GTX 560 TI vs HD 5870 vs HD 6950

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reido

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I would like some general info on the three mentioned graphics cards.

1) Please rank them by OVERALL PERFORMANCE. (#1 is better than #2...)

2) Please rank them by POWER USAGE. (#1 uses LESS than #2)

3) Please rank them by TENDENCY TO OVERHEAT. (#1 overheats SLOWER than #2)

4) Please rank them by NOISE LEVEL. (#1 is QUIETER than #2)

5) Please rank them by CURRENT PRICES. (#1 is CHEAPER than #2)

Thank you :]
 
Solution
fantastik250
Okay, we'll do it with stock design and clocks

1) Performance: 6950 > GTX 560 Ti > 5870

2) Power Consumption: GTX 560 Ti < 6950< 5870

3) We'll just say Temperature at Load: 5870 ~75C < GTX 560 Ti ~78C < 6950 ~89C

4) Noise Level: 5870 quieter than GTX 560 Ti quieter than 6950

5) Now, I want to say that all of this is in stock designs, whichever company you get such as MSI, Gigabyte, ASUS, etc, will give you less temps and less sound, which I will not re-arrange.

All U.S. prices
On Ebay 5870: You can find cards running from $130-$400
On newegg GTX 560 Ti: With rebate as low as $205-$270
On newegg 6950: $230-250

Hope that helps :)
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fantastik250

fantastik250

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Okay, we'll do it with stock design and clocks

1) Performance: 6950 > GTX 560 Ti > 5870

2) Power Consumption: GTX 560 Ti < 6950< 5870

3) We'll just say Temperature at Load: 5870 ~75C < GTX 560 Ti ~78C < 6950 ~89C

4) Noise Level: 5870 quieter than GTX 560 Ti quieter than 6950

5) Now, I want to say that all of this is in stock designs, whichever company you get such as MSI, Gigabyte, ASUS, etc, will give you less temps and less sound, which I will not re-arrange.

All U.S. prices
On Ebay 5870: You can find cards running from $130-$400
On newegg GTX 560 Ti: With rebate as low as $205-$270
On newegg 6950: $230-250

Hope that helps :)
 
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Solution
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reido

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My CPU is an Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo CPU E6750 @ 2.66GHz.
My motherboard is an Abit IN9 32X-MAX LGA775 4 DDR2 DIMM RAM.
My motherboard chipset is an nVIDIA nForce 680i SLI (C55XE).
I believe I have 3GB ram (maybe 4GB). Also, I run on Windows XP SP2.
My PSU is an Antec Smart Power 500W.
I am also planning to use a ~23-24inch HD monitor (as in, a single display... not sure if this is totally relevant).
What I would like to know is which one among those three GPUs would benefit most with my build, while also not wasting any of its inherent goodness. (like a 2GB model 6950 is better than a 1GB if I wanted to do multiple monitor setup... right?)

Lastly, among the recommended GPUs, I would like to know what a "GOOD DEAL" price would be. As in, if this so-and-so GPU went on sale, it might appear on, say, Slickdeal's frontpage.

The reason for such information is... well... I am cheap, but I also want performance... i.e. best bang for the buck!

Thanks in advance!

John

EDIT: I also just realized that two people already recommended the 6950 as it is the better of the 3 in performance... but since it has such a high load temperature, I would also like to know if I would need an upgraded heatsink/fan (or anything in my build for that matter) for the correlated GPU you guys recommend.

EDIT 2: I also hope you guys realized that I am a computer hardware noobie, so if anything seems obvious to you that I do not see, please tell me. For instance, if my build is simply unable to use the mentioned cards, please tell me the reason why. Thank you!
 
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akamrcrack

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^ Optimal case airflow is always a good thing for graphics cards :)

My Twin Frozr III 6950 2GB cards ran very cool. ASUS DCII and Gigabytes Windforce are also very well made coolers.

60% fan speed is all you need to set with MSI Afterburner tool and you will be able to keep your temps lower during game. Later Affterburner can be used to overclock the cards once you get a grasp on what needs to be done/whats your cards limits and max voltages/temp wise.

I loved my 6950s because they ran vsync wonderfully and scaled very very well in crossfire, never had any input lag issues with them with vsync enabled for modern games besides Deus EX : HR and L4D.

Basically what I would suggest is

find a nicely priced 6950 2GB or a 560ti 448core if priced better than the 6950. Make sure you get a good aftermarket cooler.
 
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reido

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I asked the guy selling it, he said he doesn't know if it has warranty, and if it did, it is probably expired... but he probably just doesn't know...

So if I do buy it from him, will I be able to transfer the "lifetime warranty" from him to myself? I do not know how used GPU warranties work and how to find out if they are transferable...

I even read that you have to register the product within 30 days of purchase, so I doubt the seller did so, as he does not even remember if it had warranty...
 
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akamrcrack

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I think XFX changed their lifetime warranty standards, perhaps go to their website with the model number of the 6950 the guy has and see if its still valid for the lifetime warranty. I know for the 7000 series you need a XFX card with DD (double dissapation) cooling design.

The best place I have found to buy used gpus is from Newegg's Open Box page whenever one appears. I found an ASUS DCII 6970 for my brother in brand new not even out of the box with everything in it including 1 spec of dust lol. Bought for $275 (this was before 7000 series released)

I am sure if you sit on the site long enough you will see one pop up but you have to be quick about typing in your information to buy it. Seen many a cards come and go within 5 minutes.

Main reason I am even mentioning this is because if its an actual open box and not a refurb, for MSI/Gigabyte/ASUS they have a 3 year manufacture warranty so either from point of original pruchase or point of manufacturing it will still be valid for 3 years.

Sometimes they will put refurbished cards in the open box section, if you get a refurb'd card you can return it to newegg for a refund but I wouldn't worry about getting one for the most part they stay ontop of keeping the refurbs in the refurb section.

http://www.newegg.com/Store/Openbox.aspx?Type=OPENBOX&name=Open-Box

then go to computer hardware > video cards > desktop graphics cards

or

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007709%204809&IsNodeId=1&bop=And&SpeTabStoreType=99&Pagesize=50

A good example of what I mean, a MSI Lightning 6970 just sold on there for $271 + $8 shipping.. and a MSI 7950 just sold at 296.. Wonder what 7850 open boxes will be priced at!


I would suggest upgrading your power supply to a modern 650W/750W. *I have ran 2x 6950s w/ 2500K @ 4.5ghz on a HIVE 750W no problem*

Corsair GS/TX/AX/HX
Antec HCG/Platinum
Rosewill Hive/Capstone/Capstone-M
NZXT Hale82/Hale90
XFX Core Edition/Black Edition

Seasonic / FSP / some OCZ like ZX and ZS / and a few others. The ones I listed above would be the first you should look at.

 
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jasont78

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i would get the 6950 although i think most of them will give your old dual core a run for its money the cpu may struggle to keep up if resolutions arent kept high. xfx also, the lifetime warranty isnt lifetime so to speak and also thats not valid unless you do the appropriate paperwork in the time frame allowed it used to be a couple of months otherwise u only get a year or 2 warranty
 
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reido

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Well I checked their website, and all 6000 series are covered under a 2 year warranty that is transferable to one other person. In order to get lifetime warranty, you have to register the product within 30 days of purchase, which I believe the seller does not remember.

So if I really want to bite on this deal, I would still technically have 15 months of warranty to cover me, but again... I would need his Registration ID which he probably doesn't remember as well ...

If he does remember, is 15 months warranty a good enough life span for a card of this caliber?

EDIT: Also, to the previous comments, does that mean my CPU is too slow to efficiently run with the 6950's? In other words, would I need to upgrade my CPU in order to fully utilize the 6950?
 
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reido

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What CPU's do you guys recommend for the mentioned three graphics cards? I have only been looking at video cards for the past couple months... so I have no data on CPU's whatsoever.
 
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reido

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Wheeew! Okay, so I just decided I would rather not upgrade my entire build for a single card... too much money!

So instead, with my CURRENT rig, what would you guys recommend for a video card? What card would run well, while not wasting any of its potential because of possible bottlenecking?

Sorry for the sudden change of heart, I just didn't realize I would need a new mobo to get the newer gen CPUs... I also read that upgrading less than 3 tiers in the CPU hierarchy (tomshardware) then it isn't worth it.
 
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reido

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So a 6950 would be bottlenecked by my CPU and possibly PSU, while a 5870 would not be limited?

What about the 560 Ti? I assume since 560 Ti > 5870 in your ranking, that the 560 Ti would be too much for my CPU still?

(Now I am trying to figure out the maximum quality video card I can possibly get without upgrading any other parts ;p)
 
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