GPU upgrade advice, and some other questions

[zorphon]

And also, that HIS IceQ seems like it would stay cooler, wouldn't that one be better? Since my case isn't the best airflow, I'm afraid of this card overheating....

 

[gmcizzle]

The HIS IceQ is great if you want silence, but the sapphire ilysaml linked will provide better cooling than the HIS.

 

[ilysaml]

Well, technically 2 fans are better than one. Check reviews on both cards then decide.

Yes you can take out the HD 6950 and put it in the new rig, but depends if the HD 6950 will be there or not but usually you'll be getting a second hand one or high priced new one.

Regarding the PSU, you can grab a 700W good quality PSU from now to consider your CF in the future.

You asked so many questions and i'm going to sleep now 😛, decision is up to you.

 

[zorphon]

Well, technically 2 fans are better than one. Check reviews on both cards then decide.

Yes you can take out the HD 6950 and put it in the new rig, but depends if the HD 6950 will be there or not but usually you'll be getting a second hand one or high priced new one.

Regarding the PSU, you can grab a 700W good quality PSU from now to consider your CF in the future.

You asked so many questions and i'm going to sleep now 😛, decision is up to you.

Thanks for all your help along with everyone else! I'll get a 6950 2gb and a new PSU, probably 650-700w, and a new case now. That'll last until post-holidays when I'll get the rest of the parts and potentially a 2nd 6950 to crossfire, or a new GPU if it's replaced by then. I'm basically building a new rig in 2 chunks, haha. That'll be fine though! Thanks again for your help.

 

[zorphon]

As a side note, anybody know how the MSI Twin Frozr 6950 holds up in comparison to that Dirt3 Sapphire?

 

[gmcizzle]

The MSI TF might have slightly better cooling (not 100% sure though) than the sapphire one, BUT the sapphire one has a dual bios switch. Basically, a 6950 2GB is a 6970 with extra shaders "locked" and a bios switch gives you a chance to try and "unlock" your 6950's shaders safely to basically become a 6970. This is a known little hack among enthusiasts, but attempting this without a dual bios switch you can brick your card.

 

[zorphon]

The MSI TF might have slightly better cooling (not 100% sure though) than the sapphire one, BUT the sapphire one has a dual bios switch. Basically, a 6950 2GB is a 6970 with extra shaders "locked" and a bios switch gives you a chance to try and "unlock" your 6950's shaders safely to basically become a 6970. This is a known little hack among enthusiasts, but attempting this without a dual bios switch you can brick your card.

Interesting. I definitely need a new case to support this new card (especially if I unlock it), and if I got a new case I could OC my CPU a bit too...

Any recommendations on cases?

 

[gmcizzle]

There are a lot of good cases, and they all basically break down into Full Tower and Mid Tower. Beyond that I usually suggest looking at them all yourself so you pick the one you like best, as long as it's a proven case and has good reviews, etc.

 

[hayden5757]

Yes. I meant to just wait for a new build. Give the 450 some credit. On your monitor you could get by with lower resolution and med'ish settings. and the 990x/fx is the chipset on the motherboard. It allows quite a few things. Mainly for me, I wanted to be able to crossfire or SLI with both video cards running at x16 rather than x8/x8. I still say hold off. Unless you are making tons of money or you have rich parents, just hold off.