Can't decide on GTX 580 or Radeon 6950

[spiritseekerpsp]

Hey everyone, I'm currently getting my first rig all drawn up and ready to order, but I'm not entirely sure on a graphics card. I was originally settling on the

MSI N580GTX Lightning Xtreme Edition GeForce GTX 580 (Fermi) 3072MB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127589

but through reading articles on this site, it seems like a crossfire setup of the Radeon HD 6950 2 GB
would be a better choice. I'd be doing a lot of gaming, preferably on my 32" or 64" LCDs. Here's everything else I've selected so far:

Mobo: ASUS MAXIMUS IV EXTREME (REV 3.0)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131700

CPU: Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115070

Cooler: CORSAIR H100 (CWCH100) Extreme Performance Liquid CPU Cooler
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835181017

RAM: CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145347


Optical Drive : LITE-ON Blu-ray Burner
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106348

Case: Thermaltake Level 10 GT
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133188

PSU: Thermaltake TP-1500M 1500W ATX 12V
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817153147



Cost isn't a huge issue, I'm trying to keep the total build around 2500$, and I still haven't decided on a HDD or SDD yet.
(Right now, my biggest concern is the card.) Also, if you see any problems with what I've selected already, please let me know. Thanks

 

[KenZen2B]

As to your question"Can't decide on GTX 580 or Radeon 6950":

1. Less expensive GTX 580 (x1) to expensive Radeon 6950 (x2).

2. Performance - Radeon 6950 (x2) beats GTX 580 (x1) but if you want more performance in the future, it would be better to go with the GTX 580 (x1) now and add a second card later. Or if you have the money, go GTX 580 (x2) now.

 

[inzone]

Would you also be considering a sli setup with the GTX 580's as well as the 6950's in crossfire? I looked back at an article that was about the GTX 590 which is a two gpu card. They showed a series of game benchmarks and they included the 580 and the 6950 in those benchmarks. The 580 was only beaten out by the two gpu cards and the 6950 came in last being beaten consistantly by a GTX 570 card. The 580 was close enough to the two gpu cards in all the benchmarks that you wouldn't notice the difference in the actual gameplay. The GTX 580 is the fastest single gpu card currently out there.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-590-dual-gf110-radeon-hd-6990,2898.html
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-6970-radeon-hd-6950-cayman,2818.html
This is an article with a 570 competeing against a 6950 in 3-way and 2-way setups;
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/crossfire-sli-3-way-scaling,2865.html
My vote goes for a 3gb GTX 580 over a 2gb 6950 in crossfire.

 

[Mid-highgfx]

JUST GET THIS: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125384

580 performance for 570 price with 30 bucks rebate, its a no brainer.

 

[Mid-highgfx]

Btw, IF you SLI the http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125384 's, ITL RIP APART the 580's for almost the price of one? come onnnnnn its obvious