[fRingE]

Ok I am wanting to get a new graphics card or maybe two to replace my 4890. I know that the 5870 has 1600 Processing Cores which is more than the 6950 and 6970, but the 6950 and 6970 has a faster memory bandwidth.

5870 (4.8Gbps)
6950 (5.0Gbps)
6970 (5.5Gbps)



So ultimately which ones performs the best. I know you can unlock the 6950 to the 6970 so they are about the same. Its just the bandwidth that is throwing me off and the more processing cores on the 5870.

Also scaling is a factor as well, because I will be picking up 2 of which ever card I decide to get.

Let me know the difference between each of these and such, thank you.

*NOTE* Don't say something is overkill just cause I have a 1600x900 20" monitor lol. I am getting 3x 20" Samsung monitors here soon for eyefinity, so I guess that factors also with the question I am asking in the thread.

 

[tlxxxsracer]

Get the 6950. The 5870 is over a year old with only 1gb of video memory. Though its a great card, and will be cheaper.
The 6950/6970 scale better and are better at Tesselation. Theyll be better if you plan to do eyefinity.
But trust me, whatever card you get youll love. I first had the 4890 and went to the 5870.

 

[161029]

AMD Radeon HD 6950. You can do an un-clock and make it an AMD Radeon HD 6970 only if it has a switch.

 

[fRingE]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HybridCore;13002235
AMD Radeon HD 6950. You can do an un-clock and make it an AMD Radeon HD 6970 only if it has a switch.

This one has the bios switch, but it is out of stock.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150518&cm_re=6950-_-14-150-518-_-Product

 

[o Baby Zeus]

Without a doubt go for the 6950/6970, The 5870 is getting old now, while it is still a very good card and will run any game for a little extra you can get a 6950 with 1gb more memory.

Im planning to get rid of mine soon to make way for some cards with higher memory

 

[customcomputerftw]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102914 this then flash 6970 bios

 

[JedixJarf]

I got the msi ones, fully unlocked without a hitch, and oc like beasts.

 

[amstech]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fRingE;13002173
I have a 1600x900 20" monitor lol. I am getting 3x 20" Samsung monitors here soon for eyefinity, so I guess that factors also with the question I am asking in the thread.

5760 X 1080 and similar "Eyefinity" resolutions will require good VRAM and muscle to run properly.
If you're going to run three 20" LCD's, I see 2 good options, both good choices.

2GB 5870's are a steal now. I see new in box Sapphire 2GB 5870's sell for $219 shipped on eBay here and there.
If you could nab a pair of those and run them in CrossfireX with the latest drivers, youre only looking at possibly $450 for the pair if and they would perform very nicely together.

If not I suggest 2GB 6950's.
More money more power.

 

[Damn_Smooth]

If you can afford it, I would go with the 6970's. There is no guarantee that a 6950 will unlock to a 6970. If I had the disposable income, that's what I would be using right now.

 

[aesthetics1]

2gb 5870 eyefinity 6s are an absolute STEAL. I can vouch that they run eyefinity extremely well.

 

[robwadeson]

why not go with a gtx 580 at the same price as 2 hd 6950's and don't have to deal with the hassle of xfire drivers... I would just get a gtx 580...

 

[hirolla888]

i'm gonna say getting 2 is still overkill lol. dude i run 3x24" 5760x1080p with a single 6950! and all games run perfectly, eg bfbc2 on highest settings no problem. so getting 2 would just be good for benchmarking at this point in time. i say save ur money and buy the one 6950, unlock shaders and oc

 

[FXTOi7]

Amazon.com: Sapphire Radeon HD 6950 2 GB DDR5 DL-DVI-I/SL-DVI-D/HDMI/Dual Mini DP PCI-Express Graphics Card 100312SR: Electronics

Unlocked the extra shaders and overclocked to 970/1450 no problem (with voltage bump)

love this card.

 

[hirolla888]

Quote:

Originally Posted by robwadeson why not go with a gtx 580 at the same price as 2 hd 6950's and don't have to deal with the hassle of xfire drivers... I would just get a gtx 580...

coz it cant run 3 monitors..

 

[JedixJarf]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hirolla888 coz it cant run 3 monitors..

Lolol pwnt.

 

[fRingE]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JedixJarf Lolol pwnt.

lol indeed.. I like AMD because they understand Price versus Performance + Compatibility. Thats why you can't beat a AMD Based system with the processing power and graphics power for the price.

 

[Kick]

Again, Processing Cores are only worth noting if it's the same architecture, which, in this case, it isnt.

So dont worry about that. 2 more reps and u may be able to post a wanted thread for an unlockable 6950

 

[fRingE]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kick Again, Processing Cores are only worth noting if it's the same architecture, which, in this case, it isnt. So dont worry about that. 2 more reps and u may be able to post a wanted thread for an unlockable 6950

Hey be a nice guy and give me some rep ^_^.. Nah just joking that would be against OCN rules

 

[scaz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hirolla888;13002360
i'm gonna say getting 2 is still overkill lol. dude i run 3x24" 5760x1080p with a single 6950! and all games run perfectly, eg bfbc2 on highest settings no problem. so getting 2 would just be good for benchmarking at this point in time. i say save ur money and buy the one 6950, unlock shaders and oc

I agree. I found a guy who had two reference 5850s and was trying to get 140 each of them. I wanted to get both, but just one 5850 is enough for me and one monitor. The performace was a big jump over my 4870.

 

[FXTOi7]

Get a 2GB Reference Sapphire 6950. Unlock teh extra shaders, and OC that thing to 1GHz core.
no worries be happy.