Gtx 560 ti or 6950 2gb?

[TJguitar]

My choice for a first-rig GPU has come down to the dirt3 edition sapphire 6950 and the msi twin frozr ii gtx 560ti.

I can get the 560ti $50-60 cheaper and i'm well aware that the bench marks are similar between the two but i need to know what people mean when they say that a 2gb gpu is more 'future proof'

How important will the extra gigabyte be for playing upcoming titles like skyrim at 1920x1080 res? and on a more general note, which card would you choose?

Thanks in advance guys

 

[billybobser]

More Ram enables operations that require more memory, higher resolution, anti aliasing etc.

That's what I've read anyway

 

[GreenDutchAlien]

Sure you mean 5950 not 6950 ?

 

[TJguitar]

Oh my god i'm an idiot. Yes i meant 6950 just edited it.

 

[chinoroy]

HD 6950 2GB. unlockable to HD 6970

 

[GreenDutchAlien]

6950 2 gb.

 

[TJguitar]

HD 6950 2GB. unlockable to HD 6970

Is that still the case? If so which version of the 6950 makes success most likely?

 

[Daeus]

Is that still the case? If so which version of the 6950 makes success most likely?

The Sapphire 6950 2GB Dirt 3 with the dual bios switch is your best option.

Most of the other manufacturers have removed the dual bios switch and if you have trouble flashing the card to a 6970 you will have problems recovering the card.

I've just spent a lot of time investigating this and should receive mine in the mail tomorrow!

 

[TJguitar]

The Sapphire 6950 2GB Dirt 3 with the dual bios switch is your best option.

Most of the other manufacturers have removed the dual bios switch and if you have trouble flashing the card to a 6970 you will have problems recovering the card.

I've just spent a lot of time investigating this and should receive mine in the mail tomorrow!

Great info thanks!

Final question; it was my understanding that extra video ram is better for gaming at higher resolutions (1920x1080 for example) is this really the case?

 

[alikum]

Great info thanks!

Final question; it was my understanding that extra video ram is better for gaming at higher resolutions (1920x1080 for example) is this really the case?

Yes, this is the case if you want to run at 1080p with 8xAA, more ram is better

 

[cats_Paw]

Most of the time id say always 6950, but what cpu do you have? i ask cus i got the 560 Ti for physx since my old q6600 would not survive the huge diffrence otherway .

 

[TJguitar]

I'm planning on putting an i5 2500k in it. Is physx a major selling point?

 

[Daeus]

Its a non factor given your CPU choice, performance wise you will be better off with the AMD card especially once you've unlocked it.

If you choose to overclock that CPU you will have a very fast system so make sure you get a case with good cooling and maybe even a CPU cooler.

 

[Raidur]

It needs to be a reference 6950 2GB (original AMD cooler).

Who's still selling these?

*EDIT* Oh, unless that's why it's called the dual bios switch. Didn't know those guys made those specifically for bios switching. Interesting. =]

 

[Friznutz]

Games Dragon Age 2 use up to 1.6gb of VRam at 1080p. so yes an extra GB is really needed for more modern games.

And people think that it can still be unlocked to a 6970? NO! I can't. But if you get a good enough one, you can overclock to be be just as fast as a 6970.

Also if you get a 2gb one you are future proofed for a few years.

 

[alikum]

Games Dragon Age 2 use up to 1.6gb of VRam at 1080p. so yes an extra GB is really needed for more modern games.

And people think that it can still be unlocked to a 6970? NO! I can't. But if you get a good enough one, you can overclock to be be just as fast as a 6970.

Also if you get a 2gb one you are future proofed for a few years.

You still can, depending on model / brand.

 

[mkristian]

another advantage to getting a 2gb one, is because u can get a 1gb in future, and in xfire the extra gigabyte of ram will greatly reduce microstuttering

 

[TJguitar]

Great guys thanks. Seems like i should definitely go for the 6950.

 

[TJguitar]

Great guys thanks. Seems like i should definitely go for the 6950.

 

[TJguitar]

Great guys thanks. Seems like i should definitely go for the 6950.

 

[TJguitar]

Best answer selected by TJguitar.

 

[solomonshv]

I got a pair of 6950's. They have the dual BIOS. I hate them. the GTX 560 Ti is available with 2Gigs of ram as well, same way that not all 6950 have 2gigs of ram.

Just saying.

 

[Daeus]

Games Dragon Age 2 use up to 1.6gb of VRam at 1080p. so yes an extra GB is really needed for more modern games.

And people think that it can still be unlocked to a 6970? NO! I can't. But if you get a good enough one, you can overclock to be be just as fast as a 6970.

Also if you get a 2gb one you are future proofed for a few years.

Yes you can unlock the Dual bios 2gb 6950's still. Not all of the 6950's still feature dual bios though.

As I said the Sapphire 6950 2GB Dirt 3 edition is the only card I am aware of that still features the dual bios. Not only can you unlock it to a 6970 but you can overclock it just like you would with a 6970.

Unlocking the bios on them gives you access to shader cores - the only real advantage to unlocking them. Clock speeds can be modified though you may have to be more conservative with overclocking the memory on the 6950's.

 

[TJguitar]

I got a pair of 6950's. They have the dual BIOS. I hate them. the GTX 560 Ti is available with 2Gigs of ram as well, same way that not all 6950 have 2gigs of ram.

Just saying.

Why do you hate them?

EDIT: So what it's come down to (and what's really making me wish i didn't choose best answer) is wether or not the extra gigabyte is really used in games these days?

Otherwise i'd have no qualms in picking the 560 ti given it's performance is on par if not superior to the 6950 in most settings.

 

[Daeus]

The extra gb in ram on the graphics card does help, there is a reason manufacturers keep putting more ram on the cards.

It allows you to run higher textures in games which is very relevant for some current and upcoming releases such as BF3 and Skyrim.

The 560Ti 2gb performs similarly to the 6950 2gb however you can unlock extra shaders by flashing the 6950 to a 6970. Even an overclocked 560TI won't perform as well if you do that.

I'm unsure why solomonshv hates the 6950's, perhaps if he gave details - such as having problems with Crossfire - his comment might be relevant.