[Rarazuh]

Hey guys I'm building a new PC for the first time. I I'm building the PC for gaming as well as some cpu/memory heavy tasks. For a GPU I'm almost definately going with the 6950. Thing only thing I'm worried about what is a better option. I could get the MSI HD Radeon 6950 Twin Frozr II and OC it, or I could get a reference XFX one and then flash the bios to a 6970.

My project specs are as follows to give an idea:
CPU: Intel i7-2600K (going to overclock)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14
RAM: Mushkin Enhanced Blackline 16GB 1600mhz DDR3 Ram(dual channel)
Case: Cooler Master 922 HAF
SSD: Crucial C300 Sata III 64gb SSD
HDD: 1TB Samsung Spinpoint F3
GPU: MSI Twin Frozr OC HD Radeon 6950
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-P67A-UD4-B3
PSU: Corsair 850W Modular Power Supply

Please feel free to comment and here's an article on the 6950>6970 flash for reference.

Thanks!

 

[Kick]

Frozr 3 should have a big chance of unlocking.

do NOT flash straight to a 6970. Just play it safe and flash to unlocked shaders, then OC it to 6970 speeds

Follow this guide.
http://www.overclock.net/ati/988966-...l#post13100399

 

[Rarazuh]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kick Frozr 3 should have a big chance of unlocking. do NOT flash straight to a 6970. Just play it safe and flash to unlocked shaders, then OC it to 6970 speeds Follow this guide. http://www.overclock.net/ati/988966-...l#post13100399

What do you mean by chance? Is there a possibility of bricking it if I just unlock shaders then OC?

Also, I thought you couldn't unlock shaders on the non-reference cards?

 

[Kung Pow]

What do you mean by chance? Is there a possibility of bricking it if I just unlock shaders then OC?

As in terms of the unlock:
There are two types of 6950 unlocks:

Type 1 unlock: Shader increase to 1536 units (same as the 6970)
Type 2 unlock: Complete BIOS flash to a 6970

The type 1 unlock is almost risk free and can be achieved with almost all the 6950´s.
The type 2 unlock on the other hand is a bit more risky because due to the full 6970 BIOS flash also the timings of the 6970 and other settings which are much lower or different will be applied.
To some cards that ultimately can lead to card failure.
But be advised that the Type 2 unlock only yields about 1-3% performance increas.
Wheter the Type 1 unlock + stock 6970 clocks have shown to yield the exact same amount of performance a normal 6970 would achieve

Maximize your screen to fully be able to watch the picture

For the full review of the unlock take a look here:http://www.techpowerup.com/articles/...ng/vidcard/159

The Shader unlock brings only a marginal performance gain which a max oc could very well compensate

If you considering getting a non ref card go for the Twin Frozr III it has a specially designed voltage controller, has the best documented overclocking results (1 GHZ core with stock voltages), best cooling restuls as well and most probable unlockability.

If you on the other hand choose to get a ref card go either for Sapphire or Gigabyte.

 

[Rarazuh]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rarazuh What do you mean by chance? Is there a possibility of bricking it if I just unlock shaders then OC? As in terms of the unlock: There are two types of 6950 unlocks: Type 1 unlock: Shader increase to 1536 units (same as the 6970) Type 2 unlock: Complete BIOS flash to a 6970 The type 1 unlock is almost risk free and can be achieved with almost all the 6950´s. The type 2 unlock on the other hand is a bit more risky because due to the full 6970 BIOS flash also the timings of the 6970 and other settings which are much lower or different will be applied. To some cards that ultimately can lead to card failure. But be advised that the Type 2 unlock only yields about 1-3% performance increas. Wheter the Type 1 unlock + stock 6970 clocks have shown to yield the exact same amount of performance a normal 6970 would achieve Maximize your screen to fully be able to watch the picture For the full review of the unlock take a look here:http://www.techpowerup.com/articles/...ng/vidcard/159 The Shader unlock brings only a marginal performance gain which a max oc could very well compensate If you considering getting a non ref card go for the Twin Frozr III it has a specially designed voltage controller, has the best documented overclocking results (1 GHZ core with stock voltages), best cooling restuls as well and most probable unlockability. If you on the other hand choose to get a ref card go either for Sapphire or Gigabyte.

Would you suggest going with the Twin Frozr III then if it was you?

 

[Kung Pow]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kung Pow Would you suggest going with the Twin Frozr III then if it was you?

I myself am still struggling with the decision of wheter or not to get 6950 CF.
But if I had already decided to get the 6950 it would be out of the question to get any card other than the Twin Frozr III.

.)Best documented overclocking results due to structural enhancement for more efficient overclocking , factory overclock and specially modified voltage controller)
.)Best documented cooling ability out of all ref/non ref designs
.)Theoratical unlockability but keep in mind that it still couldn´t work due to the fact that it is a non ref card and unsure of having been laser cut or not.

After that I would consider the ASUS DCU II as second choice non ref.
And if it had to be a ref I would take the Sapphire or Gigabyte one

Hope I could help you

 

[Rarazuh]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rarazuh I myself am still struggling with the decision of wheter or not to get 6950 CF. But if I had already decided to get the 6950 it would be out of the question to get any card other than the Twin Frozr III. .)Best documented overclocking results due to structural enhancement for more efficient overclocking , factory overclock and specially modified voltage controller) .)Best documented cooling ability out of all ref/non ref designs .)Theoratical unlockability but keep in mind that it still couldn´t work due to the fact that it is a non ref card and unsure of having been laser cut or not. After that I would consider the ASUS DCU II as second choice non ref. And if it had to be a ref I would take the Sapphire or Gigabyte one Hope I could help you

Yes, this was very helpful. Thank you sir.