If you're a fellow SAPPhIRE HD-6950 TOXIC &/or HD-6970 edition card owner you already know how special this GPU Card is, IF you're not yet an owner maybe the information you'll find here will tempt you into becoming one ... either way the Objective of this thread is to provide a one stop place for information and advice about our TOXIC cards where fellow TOXIC owners can come together, discuss and help each other try to get the most from our TOXIC HD-6950/70's.
So welcome and thank you for stopping in.
OFFICIAL SAPPhIRE TOXIC HD-6950 HOME PAGE
* A 550-watt or better PSU is recommended for a computer Rig with a single Radeon HD 6970. If you've got two such cards running in CrossFireX mode, your PSU should be 750 watts or better.
OFFICIAL SAPPhIRE HD-6970 {#100311-2SR} HOME PAGE
SAPPhIRE's is the optimal performance overclocking utility for your AMD RADEON™ graphics card,
allowing you to monitor, tune & save different settings of key parameters for the card. www.sapphireselectclub.com/ssc/TriXX/TriXX.aspx
The SAPPhIRE HD-6950 TOXIC Edition has the highest successful UNLOCK rate of any Non-Reference HD-6950 on the market today at somewhere between 66-85%, and it's also the easiest HD-6950 card to attempt to unlock the 6970's shader as it's already on the 2nd BIOS from the SAPPhIRE Factory and all you have to do is flip the switch to find out if your GPU Chip will unlock or not. Just Follow my Step-by-Step Guide below ...
Step-by-Step Guide to Un-Locking a DUAL BIOS Card w/ Switch, Thanks to LA_Kings_Fan
Originally Posted by LA_Kings_Fan
Step #1 - Install the card, turn on your computer and windows will most likely install the current driver before you can even install the CD software that came with the card.
Step #2 - You can install the CD software, but to be honest the WIN 7 driver the system auto loads for you should work too, so you could skip to Step 3 I guess ?
Step #3 - With things running, install GPU-Z and/or TriXX software or both ... then open the programs to review the Factory defaults of your card, note shaders and Core clocks etc.
Step #4 - In GPU-Z or TriXX SAVE your factory BIOS of the card. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP. You might just need it in case something goes wrong and need to reinstall the factory BIOS file in case position #2 Unlocked BIOS FAILS, and flipping the switch back to position #1 won't reload the original BIOS for some reason. THIS shouldn't happen, but better SAFE and SAVED than sorry and SOL.
{Note: If you don't know HOW to save the BIOS, in GPU-Z you click on the Little GREEN Arrow to the far Right of the BIOS version number}
Step #5 - Shut Down Windows and turn off your Computer.
Step #6 - FLIP the little Dual BIOS switch near the back plate / SLI Bridge area to position #2.
Step #7 - Turn on Computer and reboot up.
Step #8 - Re-open TriXX and/or GPU-Z and check your Shaders ... if it's 1536, CONGRATS your card UNLOCKED and you have a HD-6970 now no BIOS FLASH required it's ON the card from Sapphire ... if it's still 1408, Bummer dude no Factory Un-Lock , you could still then try FLASHING it to Unlock it, but YES this can be slightly risky and CAN void your warranty if you BRICK the card by Flashing it, most likely you have a card that Will NOT unlock, remember it's NOT 100% Guaranteed.
BEFORE .......... VS. .......... AFTER *
(* Note: These GPU-Z Screen shoots are NOT from a Sapphire HD-6950 TOXIC Card.)
The SAPPhIRE HD-6950 TOXIC Edition is the FASTEST production HD-6950 on the market today, it comes Factory OverClocked to 880 MHz core / 1300 MHz memory clocks. However it doesn't stop there, the TOXIC can be pushed much further with additional overclocking by the end user, Just Follow my General OC'ing Guide below to see how far you can go ...
Sapphire HD-6950 TOXIC Edition Basic OverClocking Guideline, Thanks to LA_Kings_Fan
Originally Posted by LA_Kings_Fan
First off ... Use TriXX ... DownLoad for FREE here = ( www.sapphireselectclub.com/ssc/TriXX/TriXX.aspx )
... it's Sapphire's own product, it's free download off Sapphire's website, and it does everything and MORE that MSI Afterburnner or other 3rd party Utilities can.
Also PLEASE keep in mind it's different for each individual Graphics Card / GPU chip. Same like CPU OverClocking, some get lucky and can push it to the Limit, while others get a dud that are barely good for anything over factory stock, it's the luck of the draw and can be hit or miss, so only use these numbers as a general Guideline towards your OC'ing efforts.
As you know the Sapphire HD-6950 TOXIC cards come FACTORY over clocked at 880 MHz Core clock, and 1300 MHz Memory clocks, and you should have a VERY GOOD (66-85%) chance at Un-Locking the Shader Clocks to 1538, or very close to Stock HD-6970 levels of 880 / 1375 / 1536.
IF you haven't already done it, the first thing I'd do is see if that card can UnLock or not ... use my Step-by-Step Guide as outlined Above.
Or here - http://www.overclock.net/amd-ati/1136272-unlocked-sapphire-hd6950-dirt3-edition-6.html#post15253189, it's easy and can UnLock a potential 5-10% boost in performance.
NOW, as for OC'ing the TOXIC even more, you should be able to be stable at stock voltage, which is already at 1.175v, somewhere within ...
= 900-960 MHz Core Clocks
= 1375-1450 MHz Memory Clocks
= Shaders Unlocked to 1538 via the BIOS Switch of course
with a slight bump up to 1.25v MAXIMUM don't over-volt above this, you should be close to the cards limits at ...
= 960-1000 MHz Core Clocks
= 1450-1500 MHz Memory Clocks
= Shaders Unlocked to 1538 via the BIOS Switch of course
I'd also suggest you review OrangeBunnies Sapphire 6950 Toxic 2GB Overclocking & Unlocked thread.
ALSO this OverClockersClub Review I think took the TOXIC to it's outter most limits and he got lucky with a very strong GPU chip, but he got the TOXIC to 1010 MHz core clock & 1500 MHz Memory clocks.
Originally Posted by OverClockersClub Review
I might add! I was able to get the core to 1030 MHz and memory to 1550 MHz, but that required 1.3v and the performance increase didn't warrant the additional voltage and in some cases, hurt performance.
Originally Posted by Bojamijams
Another note, not sure if anyone is even reading the ones I posted but...
The memory on the 6950/70 has ECC so if you clock it too high to have errors, it'll automaticlaly downlock itself. So while you might think that you have an incredible card that can do 5.8ghz effective on memory, it may very well be slower then if you did 5.6ghz.
Make sure you benchmark.
Also if Furmark is causing your GPU clocks to go down, that means you're hitting the TDP limit and the BIOS that you have is the old one that requires PowerTune in CCC to be set to 20%.
RESULTS = Stock HD-6950 /vs. HD-6950 UnLocked /vs. HD-6950 UnLocked + OC'd /vs. Stock HD-6970
Benchmarking Software & OC'ing Stability Testing
FurMark: http://www.ozone3d.net/benchmarks/fur/
3Dmark11: http://www.3dmark.com/3dmark11/download/
Heaven Benchmark: http://unigine.com/products/heaven/download/
OCCT: http://www.ocbase.com/perestroika_en/index.php?Download
Prime95: http://download.cnet.com/Prime95/3000-2053_4-192895.html /or http://www.mersenne.org/freesoft.htm
Additional Options @ http://www.techpowerup.com/downloads/Benchmarking/
OCN's Benchmarking Essentials GUIDE: http://www.overclock.net/t/826902/benchmarking-essentials
How To: Overclock Your AMD/ATi GPU Guide, Thanks to coffeejunky
How To: Flash 6950 to 6970 Guide, Thanks to Senator
Stock vs Unlocked HD 6950 Benchmark Testing, Thanks to compudaze
6950: Shaders Unlocked vs Full Unlocked Tested , Thanks to WorldExclusive
OrangeBunnies [Reviews/Benchmarks] Sapphire 6950 Toxic 2GB Overclocking & Unlocked, Thanks to OrangeBunnies
The 6950 to 6970 unlock thread, Thanks to ~Strawberry~
AMD Radeon HD 6950 to HD 6970 Mod, Thanks to TechPowerUp.com
Radeon HD 6950 shader unlock instructions, Thanks to TomsHardware.com
How to: Unlock the shaders on a reference 6950 2GB (noob tut), Thanks to fibre_optics
How To: Un-Brick Your Bricked Graphics Card/Fix a Failed BIOS Flash, Thanks to Core2uu
More Coming Soon
allowing you to monitor, tune & save different settings of key parameters for the card. www.sapphireselectclub.com/ssc/TriXX/TriXX.aspx
The SAPPhIRE HD-6950 TOXIC Edition has the highest successful UNLOCK rate of any Non-Reference HD-6950 on the market today at somewhere between 66-85%, and it's also the easiest HD-6950 card to attempt to unlock the 6970's shader as it's already on the 2nd BIOS from the SAPPhIRE Factory and all you have to do is flip the switch to find out if your GPU Chip will unlock or not. Just Follow my Step-by-Step Guide below ...
Step-by-Step Guide to Un-Locking a DUAL BIOS Card w/ Switch, Thanks to LA_Kings_Fan
Originally Posted by LA_Kings_Fan
Step #1 - Install the card, turn on your computer and windows will most likely install the current driver before you can even install the CD software that came with the card.
Step #2 - You can install the CD software, but to be honest the WIN 7 driver the system auto loads for you should work too, so you could skip to Step 3 I guess ?
Step #3 - With things running, install GPU-Z and/or TriXX software or both ... then open the programs to review the Factory defaults of your card, note shaders and Core clocks etc.
Step #4 - In GPU-Z or TriXX SAVE your factory BIOS of the card. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP. You might just need it in case something goes wrong and need to reinstall the factory BIOS file in case position #2 Unlocked BIOS FAILS, and flipping the switch back to position #1 won't reload the original BIOS for some reason. THIS shouldn't happen, but better SAFE and SAVED than sorry and SOL.
{Note: If you don't know HOW to save the BIOS, in GPU-Z you click on the Little GREEN Arrow to the far Right of the BIOS version number}
Step #5 - Shut Down Windows and turn off your Computer.
Step #6 - FLIP the little Dual BIOS switch near the back plate / SLI Bridge area to position #2.
Step #7 - Turn on Computer and reboot up.
Step #8 - Re-open TriXX and/or GPU-Z and check your Shaders ... if it's 1536, CONGRATS your card UNLOCKED and you have a HD-6970 now no BIOS FLASH required it's ON the card from Sapphire ... if it's still 1408, Bummer dude no Factory Un-Lock , you could still then try FLASHING it to Unlock it, but YES this can be slightly risky and CAN void your warranty if you BRICK the card by Flashing it, most likely you have a card that Will NOT unlock, remember it's NOT 100% Guaranteed.
BEFORE .......... VS. .......... AFTER *
(* Note: These GPU-Z Screen shoots are NOT from a Sapphire HD-6950 TOXIC Card.)
The SAPPhIRE HD-6950 TOXIC Edition is the FASTEST production HD-6950 on the market today, it comes Factory OverClocked to 880 MHz core / 1300 MHz memory clocks. However it doesn't stop there, the TOXIC can be pushed much further with additional overclocking by the end user, Just Follow my General OC'ing Guide below to see how far you can go ...
Sapphire HD-6950 TOXIC Edition Basic OverClocking Guideline, Thanks to LA_Kings_Fan
Originally Posted by LA_Kings_Fan
First off ... Use TriXX ... DownLoad for FREE here = ( www.sapphireselectclub.com/ssc/TriXX/TriXX.aspx )
... it's Sapphire's own product, it's free download off Sapphire's website, and it does everything and MORE that MSI Afterburnner or other 3rd party Utilities can.
Also PLEASE keep in mind it's different for each individual Graphics Card / GPU chip. Same like CPU OverClocking, some get lucky and can push it to the Limit, while others get a dud that are barely good for anything over factory stock, it's the luck of the draw and can be hit or miss, so only use these numbers as a general Guideline towards your OC'ing efforts.
As you know the Sapphire HD-6950 TOXIC cards come FACTORY over clocked at 880 MHz Core clock, and 1300 MHz Memory clocks, and you should have a VERY GOOD (66-85%) chance at Un-Locking the Shader Clocks to 1538, or very close to Stock HD-6970 levels of 880 / 1375 / 1536.
IF you haven't already done it, the first thing I'd do is see if that card can UnLock or not ... use my Step-by-Step Guide as outlined Above.
Or here - http://www.overclock.net/amd-ati/1136272-unlocked-sapphire-hd6950-dirt3-edition-6.html#post15253189, it's easy and can UnLock a potential 5-10% boost in performance.
NOW, as for OC'ing the TOXIC even more, you should be able to be stable at stock voltage, which is already at 1.175v, somewhere within ...
= 900-960 MHz Core Clocks
= 1375-1450 MHz Memory Clocks
= Shaders Unlocked to 1538 via the BIOS Switch of course
with a slight bump up to 1.25v MAXIMUM don't over-volt above this, you should be close to the cards limits at ...
= 960-1000 MHz Core Clocks
= 1450-1500 MHz Memory Clocks
= Shaders Unlocked to 1538 via the BIOS Switch of course
I'd also suggest you review OrangeBunnies Sapphire 6950 Toxic 2GB Overclocking & Unlocked thread.
ALSO this OverClockersClub Review I think took the TOXIC to it's outter most limits and he got lucky with a very strong GPU chip, but he got the TOXIC to 1010 MHz core clock & 1500 MHz Memory clocks.
Originally Posted by OverClockersClub Review
I might add! I was able to get the core to 1030 MHz and memory to 1550 MHz, but that required 1.3v and the performance increase didn't warrant the additional voltage and in some cases, hurt performance.
Originally Posted by Bojamijams
Another note, not sure if anyone is even reading the ones I posted but...
The memory on the 6950/70 has ECC so if you clock it too high to have errors, it'll automaticlaly downlock itself. So while you might think that you have an incredible card that can do 5.8ghz effective on memory, it may very well be slower then if you did 5.6ghz.
Make sure you benchmark.
Also if Furmark is causing your GPU clocks to go down, that means you're hitting the TDP limit and the BIOS that you have is the old one that requires PowerTune in CCC to be set to 20%.
RESULTS = Stock HD-6950 /vs. HD-6950 UnLocked /vs. HD-6950 UnLocked + OC'd /vs. Stock HD-6970
Benchmarking Software & OC'ing Stability Testing
FurMark: http://www.ozone3d.net/benchmarks/fur/
3Dmark11: http://www.3dmark.com/3dmark11/download/
Heaven Benchmark: http://unigine.com/products/heaven/download/
OCCT: http://www.ocbase.com/perestroika_en/index.php?Download
Prime95: http://download.cnet.com/Prime95/3000-2053_4-192895.html /or http://www.mersenne.org/freesoft.htm
Additional Options @ http://www.techpowerup.com/downloads/Benchmarking/
OCN's Benchmarking Essentials GUIDE: http://www.overclock.net/t/826902/benchmarking-essentials
How To: Overclock Your AMD/ATi GPU Guide, Thanks to coffeejunky
How To: Flash 6950 to 6970 Guide, Thanks to Senator
Stock vs Unlocked HD 6950 Benchmark Testing, Thanks to compudaze
6950: Shaders Unlocked vs Full Unlocked Tested , Thanks to WorldExclusive
OrangeBunnies [Reviews/Benchmarks] Sapphire 6950 Toxic 2GB Overclocking & Unlocked, Thanks to OrangeBunnies
The 6950 to 6970 unlock thread, Thanks to ~Strawberry~
AMD Radeon HD 6950 to HD 6970 Mod, Thanks to TechPowerUp.com
Radeon HD 6950 shader unlock instructions, Thanks to TomsHardware.com
How to: Unlock the shaders on a reference 6950 2GB (noob tut), Thanks to fibre_optics
How To: Un-Brick Your Bricked Graphics Card/Fix a Failed BIOS Flash, Thanks to Core2uu
The SAPPhIRE HD-6950 TOXIC Edition & HD-6970 Cards use the NON-REFERENCE Revision 2 HD-6970 PCB board and will support a FULL WaterCooling CoverPlate & Backplate from several WaterCooling manufacturers. Water Cooling your TOXIC graphics card will potentially allow for additional overclocking by the end user, and eliminate all noise from the Factory GPU cooling fan system. I have listed the know WaterCooling options below...
EK WaterBlocks has several options ... http://www.ekwaterblocks.com/shop/blocks/vga-blocks/ati-radeon-full-cover-blocks/radeon-6xx0-series/ek-fc6970-v2-acetal-en-nickel.html.
Also DangerDen has one ... http://www.dangerden.com/store/dd-6970-6950-water-block-v2.html#tabs
And SwiftTech's KOMODO-HD6900-2 will also work w/ the Ver2 plate ... http://www.swiftech.com/KOMODO-HD6900.aspx#tab4
And the AquaGratix for HD-6970 ... http://www.aquatuning.us/product_info.php/info/p11565_Aquacomputer-aquagrATIx-f-r-HD-6970-Typ-2--Cayman-XT--G1-4.html
= = BACKPLATE INFO = =
If you are Looking to buy a BACKKPLATE for your TOXIC card, it takes the 6970 V2 Version, and the V2 version Backplate can be had in the US and Canada ;
- http://www.aquatuning.us/product_info.php/info/p11391_EK-Water-Blocks-EK-FC6970-V2-Backplate---Black.html = $ 30.62 ( excl. Shipping costs)
- http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=59_971_1018_1038&products_id=30137 = $27.50 ( excl. Shipping costs)
and I guess this one will fit it too ?
- http://www.frozencpu.com/products/16239/ex-blc-1123/Alphacool_NexXxoS_ATXP_Backplate_-_ATI_6970_V2_Series_11032.html?tl=g30c309s1373#blank = $19.99 ( excl. Shipping costs)
. More Coming Soon .
EK WaterBlocks has several options ... http://www.ekwaterblocks.com/shop/blocks/vga-blocks/ati-radeon-full-cover-blocks/radeon-6xx0-series/ek-fc6970-v2-acetal-en-nickel.html.
Also DangerDen has one ... http://www.dangerden.com/store/dd-6970-6950-water-block-v2.html#tabs
And SwiftTech's KOMODO-HD6900-2 will also work w/ the Ver2 plate ... http://www.swiftech.com/KOMODO-HD6900.aspx#tab4
And the AquaGratix for HD-6970 ... http://www.aquatuning.us/product_info.php/info/p11565_Aquacomputer-aquagrATIx-f-r-HD-6970-Typ-2--Cayman-XT--G1-4.html
= = BACKPLATE INFO = =
If you are Looking to buy a BACKKPLATE for your TOXIC card, it takes the 6970 V2 Version, and the V2 version Backplate can be had in the US and Canada ;
- http://www.aquatuning.us/product_info.php/info/p11391_EK-Water-Blocks-EK-FC6970-V2-Backplate---Black.html = $ 30.62 ( excl. Shipping costs)
- http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=59_971_1018_1038&products_id=30137 = $27.50 ( excl. Shipping costs)
and I guess this one will fit it too ?
- http://www.frozencpu.com/products/16239/ex-blc-1123/Alphacool_NexXxoS_ATXP_Backplate_-_ATI_6970_V2_Series_11032.html?tl=g30c309s1373#blank = $19.99 ( excl. Shipping costs)
. More Coming Soon .
OCN's OrangeBunnies Review: = OrangeBunnies Sexy Stuff Award !
The highest stable clock speeds on stock voltage (1.175v) I could get were 950 MHz core / 1425 MHz Memory. Anything higher on either BIOS would crash in either Furmark, Unigine Heaven or 3DMark11. I found that the fan is generally quieter than the reference 69xx coolers, 40% on the reference coolers was about the same noise level of 50% on the Toxic cooler. After currency conversion from CAD and 13% HST tax I paid $386.33 USD which is far more expensive then you can get it for now, however demand is high and stock is low so you may have trouble finding it. I've had it since August and the card has been running fine at 940/1425 @ stock voltage. Ambient room temperature at 25C my card idles at ~45C and on game load ~65C. This is on a custom fan profile though, 30% up to 50C, straight line from (30%,50C) to (100%, 100C)
Pros: High unlock rate, good overclocking, quiet fan on idle, dual BIOS switch, preloaded 6970 BIOS
Cons: idle & load temps pretty high, fan can get loud on load
[H]ard|OCP: = Editors Choice Enthusiast GOLD Award
The SAPPHIRE TOXIC HD-6950 currently sells for $269.99, and performed much faster in our gameplay evaluation than our reference cards. Other Radeon HD 6950's range from $240 to $270, while high-end versions range from $270 to $300. A GeForce GTX 570's ranges from $275 to $370. As we mentioned our overclocked SAPPHIRE TOXIC HD6950 using the 1536 BIOS gave us gaming performance better than a stock Radeon HD-6970 in all our games whose market is between $340 and $380, while beating a reference GeForce GTX-580 in two of three games. The GeForce GTX 580's market ranges from $420 to $600. Almost double the price of the SAPPHIRE TOXIC HD-6950. This puts the SAPPHIRE TOXIC HD-6950 in a good position value-wise.
The Bottom Line
SAPPHIRE's TOXIC HD-6950 is an incredible video card. The SAPPHIRE TOXIC HD6950 also came with an HD 6950 BIOS as well as an HD 6970 BIOS for us to play with.
This gaming performance the SAPPHIRE TOXIC HD-6950 produced stomped its competition in the relevant price range. On top of the great overclock that this card comes with, we had plenty of head room to push it even farther. With the overclock on the faster 1536 Shader BIOS the card was able to produce equal or better gaming performance than the much more expensive HD-6970 and GeForce GTX-580, at a fraction of the price.
The SAPPHIRE TOXIC HD-6950 is a high-end card that sits in the middle of the HD-6950 the price market. You will pay $269.99 after MIR for two free games and the fastest Radeon HD 6950 on the planet. The SAPPHIRE TOXIC HD6950 Video Card is Radeon HD 6950 done right.
OverClockersClub = OCC GOLD
Conclusion:
So, what have I learned with Sapphire's HD6950 2GB Toxic Edition? Well, the first thing that I discovered after getting it installed is the efficiency of the cooler. I was able to achieve the lowest overclocked load temperature out of all the video cards present. Not only is that quite an accomplishment, but it was even able to do so with the tiny, undersized (in my opinion) vent at the rear. It's actually quite noticeable, when at full speed, that the fan pushes out air all around the card due to the amount of pressure that builds up. So even though this cooler works incredibly well, Sapphire could have achieved even more flow in this card if there was a way to open up the back venting a little bit more. The next thing that I noticed was the clock speeds I was able to achieve using the Sapphire TriXX software. With a core clock of 1.01GHz and a memory clock at 1.50GHz - over 25% and 20% speed increases, respectively - I saw noticeable increases in performance as shown by the graphs, and at excellent temperatures, I might add! I was able to get the core to 1.03GHz and memory to 1.55GHz, but that required 1.3v and the performance increase didn't warrant the additional voltage and in some cases, hurt performance.
Another incredible thing about this card is that it was unlockable - meaning that I was able to flash it to an HD6970 BIOS, unlocking the total 1536 shader cores over the stock 1408. With the extra 10% of shader cores at my disposal, I reran the overclocked benchmarks and discovered a steady jump in performance by anywhere between 6%-8% running at the same 1010/1500MHz. Granted, not all cards can do this from the factory, as they are physically cut. I can't say whether all these cards are unlockable, but it doesn't hurt to try. However, even if you buy the card and it's not unlockable, what else is there not to like? With such an excellent cooler and the ability to control voltage with Sapphire TriXX, making up for it by overclocking is far from a difficult task. The performance and overclockability definitely makes up for it.
There is no doubt that two HD6950s in CrossFire would absolutely ROCK and would still be cheaper (okay, maybe not particularly this card) than some GTX580s - certainly exceeding the performance of one in many areas. Too bad that I don't have another one handy here to try for some dual-GPU goodness, perhaps both unlocked to the HD6970 BIOS. Aside from everything I've just mentioned, you still get a voucher for one of my favorite rally racing game franchises, DiRT3 - a value of about $20. I haven't gotten around to playing DiRT3 yet, but I was a huge fan of the original and put several hundred hours into it.
Anyways, without getting too long-winded, I'll wrap this up. Sapphire HD6950 2GB DiRT3 Toxic Edition: great cooler, great overclocks, great performance. There's nothing less to it! An absolutely potent card for the price that can be had for a nice chunk cheaper than the HD6970 at almost the same, matched, or even better performance.
Pros: This particular card was unlockable / Price / Excellent cooling / Can meet performance of HD6970s / Includes a free copy of DiRT3 / Can run up to four separate monitors / Includes HDMI cable and mini DisplayPort adapter
Cons: None.
KitGuru.net = MUST HAVE
The Sapphire HD 6950 Toxic Edition is another stellar card design from AMD's largest partner. While it is supplied with only a single fan, Sapphire have cleverly adjusted the board design to improve air flow, meaning the cooler will expel more hot air outside the rear of the case. As testing has showcased, it really does work well, reducing fan speeds. On a performance level, the HD6950 Toxic Edition falls in between the reference HD6950 and the reference HD6970. If you are fortunate enough to get one which will accept the pre programmed bios settings with extra shaders, then you will end up with HD6970 performance out of the box. Sapphire aren't making a big deal out of this bios setting however as there is a possibility that the card might not work in the 'unlocked' position. That said, our sample worked with the full 1536 shaders and could even be overclocked further with the TriXX tool. The HD6950 Toxic Edition is supplied in a very high state of overclock, however we did manage to push the core even further, from 880mhz, to 954mhz. The GDDR5 memory also scaled to 5624mhz, which shows significant headroom. With 2GB of fast GDDR5 memory on board, high resolution gaming is also a strong point, across three screens. Thanks to the proprietary cooler, the Toxic Edition is quieter than the reference design and temperatures peak just over 70c, when gaming. While the card has not yet gone on sale, we have been informed that the price point should only be slightly more than the reference card design - with a £10-£15 premium. At this price, and with this specification and overall performance, it is clearly a very intelligent purchase.
Pros: Great design. / is supplied overclocked and headroom allows for more. / runs cool. / is quiet. / bios switch can unlock more performance, but it isn't guaranteed. / Bundle is impressive and includes Dirt 3.
Cons: Another fan would have helped reduce noise levels even further.
HEXUS = 3/5 STARS
Final thoughts and rating :
Sapphire's Radeon HD 6950 TOXIC 2GB graphics card is a strange beast. Look at it from a specification sheet and it has all the bases covered - a super-high factory overclock, decent cooler, and competitive price - but closer examination reveals not all that glitters is gold.
One needs to manually change AMD's Power Control settings, increasing power-draw, in order for the card to function at the specified (in-game) 880MHz core speed, which seems counter-intuitive. Perhaps this is AMD's fault for setting too-conservative ratings, but whatever the case, Sapphire should release an updated BIOS and specific driver for this card, we feel, as going through this extra step is wholly unnecessary.
Flick the BIOS switch and a Radeon HD 6970-matching 1,536 shaders become active, though one needs to force the aforementioned 880MHz core speed via the same control panel. The upshot of all this is a package that, while very decent from the outset, needs to be rethought.
Able to run at very high speeds if you're willing and able to tinker with control-panel settings, Sapphire's Radeon HD 6950 2GB is an opportunity missed, we feel.
The Good = Super-fast clocks, once active / Decent pricing / Easily unlocks extra shaders / Good overclocking ability
The Bad = Convoluted method of obtaining stated clocks
MotherBoards.org = Editors Choice
Now let's wrap this review up with some of my final thoughts. As we've seen this card is just a beast in terms of performance. It was more than capable of destroying the competition in its price range. This is exactly the type of thing that enthusiasts and those on a budget are looking for. We always want a little more than what we actually paid for and this card has no problem delivering exactly that.
If you are looking to upgrade to something that will give you more performance than you're actually paying for there really isn't a better choice right now. Our testing was able to demonstrate this time and again. Solid performance for a reasonable price is what has made Sapphire a great company for products like this. They now have given their customers one more reason to purchase their cards. When you compare this to cards like the GTX 570 or the HD 6970 this card isn't that far behind. It doesn't run that loudly either. During our testing we really stressed this card and it didn't get louder than our Thermaltake SpinQ CPU fan. The temperatures stayed around the high 60s and low 70s Celsius. That isn't bad for an AMD card in this category. I am very pleased with the way that Sapphire has tweaked this card.
In conclusion, this card has proven to be one of the best values for the money on the market. I wouldn't be surprised if many users are purchasing these for Crossfire X configurations. A couple of these together are going to give you unbelievable performance for the price. In Crossfire X configuration will definitely beat an HD 6990. They will also save you some money in the process. Just remember that you will probably need to upgrade your power supply and you'll need to make sure your motherboard is compatible. One last thing you should be aware of is that these cards will need lots of fresh air to remain cool. A case with good air-flow is going to be a must especially in Crossfire X. With these things in mind these cards are going to give you performance that you'll have to see to believe. I give this card a Solid Editor's Choice on this one, its fast, cool and overcloked!!!
Pure OverClock = GREAT HARDWARE
Sapphire has taken a great card and made it better here, adding a factory overclock out of the box and including a popular game title in DiRT 3 for free. Moreover, this Toxic card has a little switch along the PCB that can magically allow for a BIOS flash to a 6970. Those characteristics make for a very compelling graphics card no matter how you look at it. In terms of performance, our results showed a bit of a mixed bag, with a couple game titles where AMD cards tend to struggle overall, and the lack of PhysX and CUDA which are found on Nvidia cards are obviously not available on any AMD cards. However, the overclock on the Toxic does allow it to reach within striking distance of the 6970, creating a very good value for the performance. And that's not counting any BIOS flash to make it a "real" 6970.
There are a couple disappointments here though. The temperatures are indeed below the reference card, but not by much, as the Toxic doesn't run anywhere near as cool as what we've seen on other Sapphire models or a couple competing cards from other companies. Also, at a price of $290, the Toxic is on the pricier side of 6950 2GB models in the market. The factory overclock can justify some of this, but without a top notch heatsink that runs much cooler, it's a bit of a tough sell at this price. On the upside, however, the inclusion of DiRT 3 is a good value added feature.
Bottom line is the Sapphire 6950 Toxic 2GB has some great performance, and the ability to unlock to a 6970 is worth the additional cost over most competing cards. Sapphire has a great card here.
XbitLabs.com = Editors Choice - Toxic is one of the best graphics cards in its class available today
Conclusion
I have to say that we liked Sapphire Radeon HD 6950 Toxic Edition card very much. You can buy this card for $40-60 less than a regular Radeon HD 6970 and you get higher performance, digital voltage regulator circuitry and excellent overclocking potential. It is also a little quieter and comes with good accessories. If it had a unique and really quiet cooler, it would be just perfect. Nevertheless, Sapphire Radeon HD 6950 Toxic Edition is one of the best graphics cards in this class available today that is why we are proud to award it with our Editor's Choice title. It is, obviously, well deserved.
TweakTown.com = MUST HAVE - EDITORS CHOICE AWARD, Overall Rating 94%
Final Thoughts:
It's been ages since we've seen a TOXIC card from Sapphire and it's good to see another one finally grace us with its presence. For the most part there's really no surprises with the model; it's everything you'd expect it to be and to be honest, that's a good thing.
For the most part there are really no surprises, which means there was at least some form of surprise and that comes in the form of the Dual BIOS switch. We've seen most companies move away from the use of the Dual BIOS switch, but you can see here today that Sapphire have continued to implement it.
We figured with that in mind, we'd try and flash the card with the HD 6970 and to our surprise it worked with no dramas. Since that worked, we fired up 3DMark 11 and did a benchmark run at both P and X.
Since that was also working so well, we figured we'd take the time to fire up TriXX and see what the overclocking ability of the card is like. We ended up bringing the core up to 935MHz and the memory stayed at 5500MHz QDR.
In the end you can see a nice boost in performance as we move up with a flash and then up again with an overclock. The most important thing to remember, though, is no one can guarantee that every HD 6950 TOXIC can be flashed, and as always, it's done at your own risk.
The good thing about the HD 6950 TOXIC from Sapphire is that it manages to tick all the boxes. Performance is strong, it's got a good overclock out of the box and thanks to the Dual BIOS switch, there's that ability to flash it (albeit no one can guarantee the success).Feature wise, it's a strong card; you've got that strong connection setup on offer and a good quality cooler that handles the flash and overclock with no issues.
Finally, you've got the bundle. It's one of the stronger ones with some extra cables and like most other AMD cards at the moment, we have that Dirt 3 coupon included in the box. The only thing we don't know is the price as it's not available yet, but if the past is anything to go buy the card should come in strong. All in all, the HD 6950 TOXIC from Sapphire is just a good iteration of the much loved HD 6950 series. There's not really much more that has to be said that hasn't been said already.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Sapphire do a good job with the HD-6950. As always, they don't disappoint and the TOXIC Version is another stand out offering. Fingers crossed you yeild one that Un-Locks the 6970 Bios bonus, because value jumps through the roof then.
HardwareHeaven.com = The BEST 6950 we have tested so far.
{The 6950 Toxic also runs very quiet and an example of the MAXIMUM fan noise we registered is shown in Video in above Review}
Sorry this Video was in a Format / on a Video Player that I couldn't Embed here ? so Please Click on the Above LINK to view.
Sapphire use a custom blue PCB for their 6950 Toxic Edition and attached to the front is a dual slot cooler which has a new design which we have not seen before from Sapphire. There are no components of note on the back of the PCB however on the top edge we find a Crossfire connector and beside it a dual BIOS switch which Sapphire have provided so that enthusiasts can take advantage of a key feature, unlocked shaders.
Sapphire set their Toxic version of the 6950 to 880MHz core with the 2GB of DDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus set to 1300MHz. There are 1408 unified shaders by default and 32 ROPS within the 40nm core but a quick flick of the switch on the top of the card and we enable a 1536 shader configuration, the same as a 6970. DirectX 11 and DirectCompute are all supported on this card as is acceleration of high definition content. The 6950 Toxic Edition can also output 7.1 audio over HDMI including DTS Master Audio and Dolby TrueHD.
We also noted that in order to get maximum performance from the card we had to enable extra power in the AMD control panel so recommend all users do the same.
As well as having a great feature in the enhanced BIOS we were also pleased to see that the 6950 Toxic also runs very quiet and an example of the maximum fan noise we registered is shown above.
TechPowerUp Review Database
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviewdb/Graphics-Cards/ATI/HD-6950/
Reviews of Competative AMD HD-5950 Graphics Cards
More Coming Soon
{The 6950 Toxic also runs very quiet and an example of the MAXIMUM fan noise we registered is shown in Video in above Review}
Sorry this Video was in a Format / on a Video Player that I couldn't Embed here ? so Please Click on the Above LINK to view.
Sapphire reveals Radeon HD6950 TOXIC Edition, Video courtesy Nicolas11x12TECH
Sapphire Toxic HD6950 2GB Video Card Unboxing, Video courtesy MotherBoards.org
Sapphire Radeon HD6950 2GB Toxic edition graphics card Unboxing & in-depth look by Computer orBIT TV, Video courtesy Computer orBIT TV
SAPPHIRE's Bill Donnelly demo's TriXX Overclocking tool, Video courtesy SapphireUKPR
SAPPHIRE's Bill Donnelly demo's AMD's Eyefinity Set Up w/ an Update, Video courtesy SapphireUKPR
More Coming Soon
North America
New Egg / USA = $289.99 US + Free Shipping $269.99 after MIR (expires 11/15/11) (TOXIC edition model #100312TXSR)
New Egg / USA = $349.99 US + Free Shipping $319.99 after MIR (expires 11/15/11) (HD-6970 model #100311-2SR)
TigerDirect / USA = $299.99 US $279.99 after MIR (expires 11/15/11)
AVA Direct / USA = $335.15 US
New Egg / Canada = $299.99 CAD + $12.99 Shipping $279.99 after MIR (expires 10/31/11)
NCIX / Canada = $330.60 CAD
CanadaComputers.com / Canada = $324.99 CAD
Europe
Scan.co.uk / Great Britain = 239,63 € includes VAT
Alternate.nl / Netherlands, Belgium most of Europe = 329,00 € (HD-6970 model #100311-2SR)
Amazon.fr / France
South America
Info Needed.
Africa
Info Needed.
Asia, Australia & Pacific Islands
PC Case Gear.com / Australia = $349.00 AUD
EYO.com / Australia = $357.77 AUD
SkyComp.com / Australia = $350.00 AUD inc GST
International / Global
SuperBiiz.com / Global = $339.99 US + Free Shipping (HD-6970 model #100311-2SR) $309.99 after MIR (-$30.00 expires 11/15/11)
* PM me to add Link where YOU bought your TOXIC Card around the Globe *
As good as the SAPPhIRE HD-6950 TOXIC Edition graphics card is, there are a few known Issue's that migth create some hiccups along the way. Fortunately these are minor issues that the End User can easily make some fine tuning to get the most out of this card. Just Follow Guide's below ...
= Power Throttling / Power-Tune +20% Issue =
Originally Posted by OrangeBunnies
If you're getting low FPS or stuttering in game make sure you have Power Tune set to 20% or higher on the slider, you can find it in the Catalyst Control Centre > AMD Overdrive > Power Control Settings.
(This is a problem with all AMD HD-6000 series and nVidia GTX-500 Higher End Performance Graphics Cards).
http://www.overclock.net/amd-ati/1101098-reviews-benchmarks-sapphire-6950-toxic-2gb.html#post14712801
Additional INFO @ http://www.overclock.net/15610467-post317.html
The Power-Tune and BIOS problem
To get such high levels of performance, the SAPPHIRE TOXIC HD6950 card requires more power than a regular HD-6950. For it to achieve HD-6970 levels and above type of performance our Sapphire TOXIC cards come built on the HD-6970 PCB and use the HD-6970's 6+8 pin power connection to deliver the stock 1.175v that comes with HD-6970 cards. However in doing so this conflicts with AMD's Thermal Design Power (TDP) technology designed to help protect cards from overheating. This technology uses AMD's Catalyst Control Center's Power-Tune to throttle cards back when they approach the cards TDP protection limits. Due to this conflict issue with the current TOXIC HD6950 & 6970 BIOS, Power-Tune then throttles performance to stay within the cards optimal safe operating levels, and this is why the core clock's frequency changes constantly during gaming. To AVOID and/or CORRECT this conflict, the end user must manually bypass this by enabling Overdrive and making a +20% Power-Tune increase within the AMD Catalyst Control Center, and this will allow the card to run at its Higher Performance Level clock speeds without performance throttling. Doing so increases the amount of power deliverable to the PCB board so it can match and/or exceed the HD-6970 levels.
Supposedly Sapphire was going to release a Revised/Repaired BIOS that would automatically handle this correction for you, so you could leave Power-Tune at its default. And IF you filled out a support Ticket with Sapphire you should have received an email attachment with these BIOS updates, or they are also now posted on the Front Page ... however as we've tested and found these revisions don't actually 100% resolve this issue, especially if you've OC'd your TOXIC beyond the Factory 880 MHz / 1300 MHz / 1536 shaders presets, in fact the higher OC you push the card, the higher +20% to +50% Power-Tune increase you may have had to use to prevent the TDP Throttling Issue.
THE FIX ...
Enter CCC and Accept the AMD Overdrive agreement to O/C your GPU ... and then just bump UP the POWER CONTROLL SETTING to + 20%-50%, amount varies based on your OC settings ...
Additional Info about PowerTune Technology & Overclocking 6950/6970's = http://www.rage3d.com/reviews/video/amd_hd6970_hd6950_launch_review/index.php?p=9
Any way to adjust/override the Powertune Settings in Registry ? MAYBE ? = http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1632184 {Worth a read, try at your own risk}
Updated INFO (12/2/2011) = http://www.overclock.net/t/1149079/sapphire-toxic-hd-6950-70-owners-club-informational-thread/590#post_15839759
= CCC / TriXX conflicts w/ Saved Custom Fan Profiles Issue =
Originally Posted by OrangeBunnies
Catalyst Control Centre conflicts with any custom fan profiles you set in Sapphire Trixx, to get around this problem follow the steps below in order:
-set Trixx to open when windows starts
-set Power Control Settings to atleast 20% (because you may have difficulty accessing AMD Overdrive after following these steps)
-disable Catalyst Control Centre in startup
-restart computer
-open Catalyst Control Centre (this must be done everytime you restart)
-select custom fan profile in Trixx (this must be done everytime you restart)
-you must keep Trixx open, you can minimize it but do not close it (clicking "X" in Trixx closes it, unlike CCC and MSIAfterburner)
http://www.overclock.net/amd-ati/1101098-reviews-benchmarks-sapphire-6950-toxic-2gb.html#post14712801 - Credit to Blameless for this solution
= MSI's AfterBurner / Power-Tune Conflict Issue =
Originally Posted by OrangeBunnies
Power Tune resets to 0% when using MSI Afterburner, you can resolve this by forcing constant voltage in Afterburner. and/or No voltage control in MSIAfterburner, currently no solution with using MSI Afterburner.
http://www.overclock.net/amd-ati/1101098-reviews-benchmarks-sapphire-6950-toxic-2gb.html#post14712801
LA_Kings_Fan's RECOMMENDATION ... USE Sapphire TriXX !
= Your Personal Mini Guide for BATTLEFIELD 3 =
Originally Posted by AMD
In this guide AMD would like to offer some counseling around these topics. We understand that Battlefield 3 is not the only hot title this season, but it's certainly one of the most demanding one in terms of hardware. Therefore we're providing a little insight into what settings we think make sense for different levels of hardware.
In the chart below we identified some of the game settings for some different sets of hardware (CPU platform and graphics cards).
You'll notice that we recommend the 'Ultra' preset in a few of our scenarios without the use of MSAA (Multi-Sample Anti-Aliasing). This is a traditional technique to remove aliasing from objects in the visible scene. It provides significant image quality improvements, at least in most cases. But because of its nature, working only on actual geometry, some objects will not benefit at all from this process, like foliage or fences, that are just textures, sprites etc. Luckily DICE implemented a new technique as well called FXAA (Fast Approximate Anti-Aliasing), which is a process that works pretty much on all objects. Another significant difference between the two is that while FXAA has a very small impact on performance, however using MSAA can essentially cut your framerate in half. Below you'll find a few screenshots comparing the two techniques, where they're effective and where not.
Note the difference on the left - the fence on the lower picture looks more cleaned up, whereas the images on the right will not show any difference in the fence quality.
As you can see in the highlighted areas the Image Quality has been slightly improved by using MSAA over FXAA. However again, there is a large performance trade off compared to using FXAA which can be seen via the FPS counter in the top right of the screenshots. Are the small improvements worth the large performance hit?
For these reasons we recommend not to use MSAA unless you're running a CrossFireX™ configuration and really feel that the image on your screen contains lots of jagged edges. There's a detailed performance guide that will be available sometime this week if you'd like get more granularity on the topic. With that, all I can say is happy fragging, and see you on the Battlefield!
SEE LINKS FOR MORE INFO = http://blogs.amd.com/play/2011/10/31/your-personal-mini-guide-for-battlefield-3/ & http://blogs.amd.com/play/category/gaming/games/battlefield-3/
Additional Links w/ more BATTLEFIELD 3 Info :
- Battlefield 3 Crossfire issues? Complete list of known fix's here! 11.11c link inside!
- http://www.overclock.net/t/851366/official-battlefield-3-information-discussion-thread
- http://www.overclock.net/products/battlefield-3
- http://www.overclock.net/search.php?search=Battlefield+3¤ttab=Thread&start=0
More Coming Soon
= Power Throttling / Power-Tune +20% Issue =
Originally Posted by OrangeBunnies
If you're getting low FPS or stuttering in game make sure you have Power Tune set to 20% or higher on the slider, you can find it in the Catalyst Control Centre > AMD Overdrive > Power Control Settings.
(This is a problem with all AMD HD-6000 series and nVidia GTX-500 Higher End Performance Graphics Cards).
http://www.overclock.net/amd-ati/1101098-reviews-benchmarks-sapphire-6950-toxic-2gb.html#post14712801
Additional INFO @ http://www.overclock.net/15610467-post317.html
The Power-Tune and BIOS problem
To get such high levels of performance, the SAPPHIRE TOXIC HD6950 card requires more power than a regular HD-6950. For it to achieve HD-6970 levels and above type of performance our Sapphire TOXIC cards come built on the HD-6970 PCB and use the HD-6970's 6+8 pin power connection to deliver the stock 1.175v that comes with HD-6970 cards. However in doing so this conflicts with AMD's Thermal Design Power (TDP) technology designed to help protect cards from overheating. This technology uses AMD's Catalyst Control Center's Power-Tune to throttle cards back when they approach the cards TDP protection limits. Due to this conflict issue with the current TOXIC HD6950 & 6970 BIOS, Power-Tune then throttles performance to stay within the cards optimal safe operating levels, and this is why the core clock's frequency changes constantly during gaming. To AVOID and/or CORRECT this conflict, the end user must manually bypass this by enabling Overdrive and making a +20% Power-Tune increase within the AMD Catalyst Control Center, and this will allow the card to run at its Higher Performance Level clock speeds without performance throttling. Doing so increases the amount of power deliverable to the PCB board so it can match and/or exceed the HD-6970 levels.
Supposedly Sapphire was going to release a Revised/Repaired BIOS that would automatically handle this correction for you, so you could leave Power-Tune at its default. And IF you filled out a support Ticket with Sapphire you should have received an email attachment with these BIOS updates, or they are also now posted on the Front Page ... however as we've tested and found these revisions don't actually 100% resolve this issue, especially if you've OC'd your TOXIC beyond the Factory 880 MHz / 1300 MHz / 1536 shaders presets, in fact the higher OC you push the card, the higher +20% to +50% Power-Tune increase you may have had to use to prevent the TDP Throttling Issue.
THE FIX ...
Enter CCC and Accept the AMD Overdrive agreement to O/C your GPU ... and then just bump UP the POWER CONTROLL SETTING to + 20%-50%, amount varies based on your OC settings ...
Additional Info about PowerTune Technology & Overclocking 6950/6970's = http://www.rage3d.com/reviews/video/amd_hd6970_hd6950_launch_review/index.php?p=9
Any way to adjust/override the Powertune Settings in Registry ? MAYBE ? = http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1632184 {Worth a read, try at your own risk}
Updated INFO (12/2/2011) = http://www.overclock.net/t/1149079/sapphire-toxic-hd-6950-70-owners-club-informational-thread/590#post_15839759
= CCC / TriXX conflicts w/ Saved Custom Fan Profiles Issue =
Originally Posted by OrangeBunnies
Catalyst Control Centre conflicts with any custom fan profiles you set in Sapphire Trixx, to get around this problem follow the steps below in order:
-set Trixx to open when windows starts
-set Power Control Settings to atleast 20% (because you may have difficulty accessing AMD Overdrive after following these steps)
-disable Catalyst Control Centre in startup
-restart computer
-open Catalyst Control Centre (this must be done everytime you restart)
-select custom fan profile in Trixx (this must be done everytime you restart)
-you must keep Trixx open, you can minimize it but do not close it (clicking "X" in Trixx closes it, unlike CCC and MSIAfterburner)
http://www.overclock.net/amd-ati/1101098-reviews-benchmarks-sapphire-6950-toxic-2gb.html#post14712801 - Credit to Blameless for this solution
= MSI's AfterBurner / Power-Tune Conflict Issue =
Originally Posted by OrangeBunnies
Power Tune resets to 0% when using MSI Afterburner, you can resolve this by forcing constant voltage in Afterburner. and/or No voltage control in MSIAfterburner, currently no solution with using MSI Afterburner.
http://www.overclock.net/amd-ati/1101098-reviews-benchmarks-sapphire-6950-toxic-2gb.html#post14712801
LA_Kings_Fan's RECOMMENDATION ... USE Sapphire TriXX !
= Your Personal Mini Guide for BATTLEFIELD 3 =
Originally Posted by AMD
In this guide AMD would like to offer some counseling around these topics. We understand that Battlefield 3 is not the only hot title this season, but it's certainly one of the most demanding one in terms of hardware. Therefore we're providing a little insight into what settings we think make sense for different levels of hardware.
In the chart below we identified some of the game settings for some different sets of hardware (CPU platform and graphics cards).
You'll notice that we recommend the 'Ultra' preset in a few of our scenarios without the use of MSAA (Multi-Sample Anti-Aliasing). This is a traditional technique to remove aliasing from objects in the visible scene. It provides significant image quality improvements, at least in most cases. But because of its nature, working only on actual geometry, some objects will not benefit at all from this process, like foliage or fences, that are just textures, sprites etc. Luckily DICE implemented a new technique as well called FXAA (Fast Approximate Anti-Aliasing), which is a process that works pretty much on all objects. Another significant difference between the two is that while FXAA has a very small impact on performance, however using MSAA can essentially cut your framerate in half. Below you'll find a few screenshots comparing the two techniques, where they're effective and where not.
Note the difference on the left - the fence on the lower picture looks more cleaned up, whereas the images on the right will not show any difference in the fence quality.
As you can see in the highlighted areas the Image Quality has been slightly improved by using MSAA over FXAA. However again, there is a large performance trade off compared to using FXAA which can be seen via the FPS counter in the top right of the screenshots. Are the small improvements worth the large performance hit?
For these reasons we recommend not to use MSAA unless you're running a CrossFireX™ configuration and really feel that the image on your screen contains lots of jagged edges. There's a detailed performance guide that will be available sometime this week if you'd like get more granularity on the topic. With that, all I can say is happy fragging, and see you on the Battlefield!
SEE LINKS FOR MORE INFO = http://blogs.amd.com/play/2011/10/31/your-personal-mini-guide-for-battlefield-3/ & http://blogs.amd.com/play/category/gaming/games/battlefield-3/
Additional Links w/ more BATTLEFIELD 3 Info :
- Battlefield 3 Crossfire issues? Complete list of known fix's here! 11.11c link inside!
- http://www.overclock.net/t/851366/official-battlefield-3-information-discussion-thread
- http://www.overclock.net/products/battlefield-3
- http://www.overclock.net/search.php?search=Battlefield+3¤ttab=Thread&start=0
OFFICIAL SAPPhIRE TOXIC HD-6950 HOME PAGE
OFFICIAL SAPPhIRE HD-6970 {#100311-2SR} HOME PAGE
= Sapphire TECH SUPPORT TOXIC HD-6950 Repaired BIOS (w/ Unlocked Shaders & OC'ing) =
Originally Posted by Zdendav
NOTE: This is the same BIOS File I got from Sapphire's Tech Support as well, but as always USE at your Own Risk. - LA_Kings_Fan
Attachments (1).zip 80k .zip file
182P04H8.T44 is SP=1408 BIOS
182P04HX.T44 is SP=1536 BIOS
= Original Sapphire TOXIC HD-6950 CAYMEN BIOS (w/ Unlocked Shaders & OC'ing) =
Originally Posted by KhaoticKomputing
Original Factory HD-6950 TOXIC (#100312TXSR) Stock Bios. Here is the second (unlocked) BIOS from the toxic.
Cayman.zip 40k .zip file
Can also download from techPowerUp!.com @ http://www.techpowerup.com/vgabios/106183/Sapphire.HD6950.2048.110816.html
= Original Sapphire TOXIC HD-6970 (#100311-2SR) BIOS =
Originally Posted by OrangeBunnies
Sapphire HD-6970 (#100311-2SR) Stock BIOS ----> Attachment 237889
Noticed link to Original 6950 Toxic dual BIOS in the download section was not working so here is a working one, also updated my review page with working download link as well:
Stock 6950 Toxic dual BIOS (100312TXSR) 81k .zip file
= Factory Sapphire HD-6970 DUAL FAN DUAL BIOS (#100311-3SR) CARD =
Originally Posted by CWell1337
SAPPHIRE HD-6970 2GB GDDR5 Dual Fan, 2nd "Performance" BIOS w/ CCC Power-Tune +50% setting: http://www.mediafire.com/?g30b5805ktdlb0r
AMD Homepage (AMD Radeon™ Video Card Drivers Download Page)
= AMD/ATI Catalyst 11.11a Performance Drivers Released =
Originally Posted by Snakemed
Posted on the [H]ard|OCP Forums (Monday, November 21st) ...
ATI Catalyst 11.11a performance drivers released...
http://support.amd.com/us/kbarticles/Pages/Catalyst1111aperformance.aspx
SKYRIM:
•Improves performance 2-7% on single GPU configurations
•Resolve corruption seen when enabling Multi-Sample Anti-Aliasing on the AMD Radeon HD 6970 Series
•Disables CrossFireX (to resolve negative scaling and image quality issues seen when CrossFireX is enabled)
•AMD is continuing to work on a CrossFireX solution for Skyrim - as soon as it's ready we'll make it publicly available
BATMAN ARKHAM CITY:
•Improves DirectX 11 performance for single GPU configurations
BATTLEFIELD 3:
•Resolves intermittent corruption seen when playing the game at specific camera angles
SAPPhIRE's is the optimal performance overclocking utility for your AMD RADEON™ graphics card,
allowing you to monitor, tune & save different settings of key parameters for the card. www.sapphireselectclub.com/ssc/TriXX/TriXX.aspx
Free GPU-z Download @ TechPowerUp.com
Free RBE - (Radeon BIOS editor) Download @ TechPowerUp.com
Sapphire Radeon HD-6970 BIOS Listing for Download @ TechPowerUp.com
Benchmarking Software & OC'ing Stability Testing
FurMark: http://www.ozone3d.net/benchmarks/fur/
3Dmark11: http://www.3dmark.com/3dmark11/download/
Heaven Benchmark: http://unigine.com/products/heaven/download/
OCCT: http://www.ocbase.com/perestroika_en/index.php?Download
Prime95: http://download.cnet.com/Prime95/3000-2053_4-192895.html /or http://www.mersenne.org/freesoft.htm
Additional Options @ http://www.techpowerup.com/downloads/Benchmarking/
OCN's Benchmarking Essentials GUIDE: http://www.overclock.net/t/826902/benchmarking-essentials
* More Coming Soon *
OFFICIAL Sapphire HD-6950 TOXIC Homepage (News & Downloads)
OFFICIAL Sapphire HD-6970 Homepage (News & Downloads)
Sapphire VGA Forums HELP & INFO
Sapphire Technology FaceBook Page
Sapphire Tech-Americas FaceBook Page
AMD Homepage (AMD Radeon™ Video Card Drivers Download Page)
AMD FaceBook Page
AMD GAMING FaceBook Page
AMD Gaming & Technology Forums
=======================================
Free GPU-z Download @ TechPowerUp.com
Free RBE - (Radeon BIOS editor) Download @ TechPowerUp.com
Sapphire Radeon HD-6970 BIOS Listing for Download @ TechPowerUp.com
=======================================
Useful Info on TOXIC Vapor-X Cooling Chamber, Thanks to LA_Kings_Fan
Originally Posted by Sapphire Technology Club on FaceBook
88-90c temperature at high gaming efficiency is acceptable. The threshold for the HD-6950 TOXIC card is 105-110c degrees.
[H]ard|OCP forums - SAPPHIRE TOXIC HD6950 Video Card Review & Discussion, Thanks to Kyle_Bennett [H]ard|OCP Editor-in-Chief
Connecting my TV to my HD-6950 Toxic, Thanks to azianai
How To: Run PhysX in Windows 7 with ATi Cards, Thanks to Tator Tot
How To: PhysX card with HD-6950 Unlocked & OC'd, Thanks to JozefH & Ken1649
The Dedicated PhysX card FAQ - Read this before asking any questions!, Thanks to erocker @ Tech Power UP
How To: Un-install & Clean Old drivers off your System, A 2007 OLDIE, but still valid ? w/ Thanks to grunion
How To: Remove your Old Nvidia GPU Drivers, Thanks to BradleyW
Answer: What makes the Sapphire HD-6950 TOXIC's so SPECIAL ? , Thanks to LA_Kings_Fan
Listing of HD-6950's w/ DUAL BIOS & UnLock Rates, Thanks to LA_Kings_Fan
Additonal OCN CLUBS that may provide you more Useful Information
AMD Radeon HD 69xx Owners Club
Code:
[URL=http://www.overclock.net/ati/647552-sapphire-fan-club.html]I'm fueled by SAPPHIRE[/URL]
ATI EyeFinity Club
* More Coming Soon *
Out Now At Select Retailers!
SAPPhIRE TOXIC HD-6950/70 Owners Club : *
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?hl=en_US&hl=en_US&key=0As1RfW5F3Ne1dG5Neko2U3RqSVRSTUhTd3lLUkNkb1E&single=true&gid=0&output=html&widget=true
75 Members in the Owners Group so far ! ... NOTE: IF your Spreadsheet Validation/Notes Line is YELLOW, this means you still need to provide me with your GPU-Z validation and/or a Photo for proof of TOXIC ownership, and IF your Spreadsheet Info Line is GRAYED OUT, this means you filled in the 'New Owner Sign Ups Pop-Up Form' but that I haven't had the chance to Verify and Officially Approve you just yet, I'll usuall get to this within 48 hrs or sooner of you posting, but if it's been longer than that, please PM me, THANK YOU.
>>> NEW Owner Sign Ups - Click HERE & Fill out Pop-Up Form, Thank You. <<<
* Actual Owners please provide
The group will ALWAYS be a work in progress AND suggestions and help is appreciated.
Signature: SAPPhIRE TOXIC HD-6950/70 Owners Club (<----no more colors
COPY & PASTE CODE INTO YOUR SIGNATURE :
Code:
[CODE][url=http://www.overclock.net/t/1149079/showthread.php?s=bd8d1313c09af4210eda3f9b5ad8a046&t=1149079]SAPPhIRE TOXIC HD-6950/70 Owners Club[/url]
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