HD 6950 and 5770 questions.

[thedude300]

I currently own a Sapphire Radeon HD 5770 1gb and it looks like this > http://www.heartlandcomputers.com/product_images/o/832/1__98949_zoom.jpg


I'm thinking of buying a XFX HD 6950 2gb...this one to be exact http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=93094&CatId=7005


My questions are:

Is this card worth the upgrade? or should I wait for the 6990 prices to fall? and will this card last as long as the 5770 did? (2-3 years)

Will the XFX version allow me to flash to it from 6950 to 6970?

How much should I asked for a year old perfect condition never overclocked HD 5770? is $100 flat to much or to little?


My rig would be like this if I bought the 6950..

AMD RADEON HD 6950 2GB
AMD PHENOM II 1090T 3.2ghz
CORSAIR VENGEANCE 1600mhz 8gb
ASUS M4A89GTDPRO USB3
700w Corsair stealth quiet2 PSU

 

[cuecuemore]

Is this card worth the upgrade?

That's all up to you. Wait imo, the new 7000s are coming out in December.

or should I wait for the 6990 prices to fall?

No, definitely not. 7000 series will be 2x the value.

and will this card last as long as the 5770 did? (2-3 years)

If the 5770 "lasted" you a couple years, then the 6950 would too.

Will the XFX version allow me to flash to it from 6950 to 6970?

Don't count on it.

How much should I asked for a year old perfect condition never overclocked HD 5770? is $100 flat to much or to little?

You can ask a hundred, but don't expect to get it. If someone will pay you $80, jump on that.

 

[thedude300]

Thanks for the fast reply.


I understand if I wait for the 7 series cards they will be much more powerful, but on top of that much more expensive. But, the question is will that 6950 really last me a good few years? like I wont be expecting to play games ultra settings 2-3 years down the road but I would expect it to last almost 2 years before I upgrade again can I count on the card to hold up for that long?

 

[rolli59]

HD6950 is almost double the performance of the HD5770. I do not know which cards still unlock. A new HD6770 can be had for $90 after MIR so $75 would be max if we called it fair.

 

[FlintIronStagg]

im pretty sure 5770x2 was as fast as the 5870 in its time... so yeah the 6950 will be a huge upgrade from where you are. and +1 to QQmoar

 

[shane799]

Hey,

I have crossfired 5770's as well as a 6950 so I'm fairly qualified to answer your question. As far as performance they are about the same, so upgrading to the 2nd 5770 would be cheep. The 6990 is never going to come down in price to where you want it to be!

You will not be able to flash the 6950 if you got it today. They don't even sell them that way anymore.

Love my 6950, but no sure if it was worth the 300 dollar upgrade from the crossfired 5770's.

As far as price goes on re-selling the 5770, you can get a brand new one for 70 dollars. I have 3 of them and would be glad to get 50 for one. If you want to buy one of mine to crossfire send me a message. LOL.

 

[FlintIronStagg]

Hey,

I have crossfired 5770's as well as a 6950 so I'm fairly qualified to answer your question. As far as performance they are about the same, so upgrading to the 2nd 5770 would be cheep. The 6990 is never going to come down in price to where you want it to be!

You will not be able to flash the 6950 if you got it today. They don't even sell them that way anymore.

Love my 6950, but no sure if it was worth the 300 dollar upgrade from the crossfired 5770's.

As far as price goes on re-selling the 5770, you can get a brand new one for 70 dollars. I have 3 of them and would be glad to get 50 for one. If you want to buy one of mine to crossfire send me a message. LOL.

what are your current system specs?
im sure OP would rather have a headache free non xfire setup; there are some games that come out that are horrid on xfire without a proper patch (witcher2, crysis2)

 

[thedude300]

My Current:

GPU - Sapphire Radeon HD 5770 1gb
CPU - AMD PHENOM II x6 3.2ghz black edition
MOBO - M4A89GTD PRO/USB3
RAM - Corsair Vengeance 1600mhz
PSU - OCZ Stealth Quiet 2 700w

 

[ilysaml]

it depends all on your gaming resolution, what resolution will you be gaming at ? if less than 1080P the HD 6950 will serve you quite a long.

 

[Djentleman]

Get another 5770! Your MOBO And Psu will support it. You'll also be looking at a 80 to a 100% Increase in performance. And if your 1080p gaming; you'll be fine.

 

[FlintIronStagg]

Get another 5770! Your MOBO And Psu will support it. You'll also be looking at a 80 to a 100% Increase in performance. And if your 1080p gaming; you'll be fine.

an 80 to 100% increase in performance by adding a second 5770? i think not. If OP wants to spend the money, i dont see why not to go to a 6950, and have that power ina single card, with the option of going xfire in the future with another 6950.

 

[Djentleman]

an 80 to 100% increase in performance by adding a second 5770?

I was making an estimate.
Also the reason why i suggested it. Was because he was already happy with it for TWO years. I just see no reason in throwing away a perfectly good card. Especially when you can crossfire it.

 

[FlintIronStagg]

I was making an estimate.
Also the reason why i suggested it. Was because he was already happy with it for TWO years. I just see no reason in throwing away a perfectly good card. Especially when you can crossfire it.

we arent here to make over exaggerated estimates. We are here to give advice with good info, and be unbiased. If the 5770 lasted him 2 years, then a 6950 will last him how much longer? and then to xfire the 6950 after a year or so.... how long will that last him? thats my point. the gains going to a single card with twice the power seems pretty easy enough of a decision, especially if OP has the money to do it.

 

[cuecuemore]

I don't know how CF scaling is on the 5000 series, but the 6000s scale at 95-100% in nearly everything.

 

[FlintIronStagg]

5770x2 is almost as fast as a 5870. the 6xxx series has much better DX11 support, and when a single card can beat out an xfire setup, then why not do it?

 

[Djentleman]

we arent here to make over exaggerated estimates.

But it isn't.
I don't understand why you have to be so adamant. If you give me evidence as to what the performance increase would be. Then i'll except i'm wrong. But otherwise you're going to see a huge performance increase.

We are here to give advice with good info, and be unbiased.

You have a biased opinion, don't lie. You think a single card is more beneficial. We all have a biased opinion on this thread.

If the 5770 lasted him 2 years, then a 6950 will last him how much longer?

As i say'd, i see no point in throwing away a perfectly good card just because of "future proof". It's just an illusion and if you chase after it you'll always be losing money.

I think your just acting like your better than me. But that maybe biased

 

[cronos177]

I would get a 6770 and Crossfire it, Performance wise its roughly equal to 6970. At 1080p, you should be fine for at least 2 years, games WILL be console ports, for a while.

 

[cronos177]

On par with 6970. http://www.guru3d.com/article/his-radeon-6770-iceqx-turbo-crossfire-review/15

 

[FlintIronStagg]

But it isn't.
I don't understand why you have to be so adamant. If you give me evidence as to what the performance increase would be. Then i'll except i'm wrong. But otherwise you're going to see a huge performance increase.

You have a biased opinion, don't lie. You think a single card is more beneficial. We all have a biased opinion on this thread.

As i say'd, i see no point in throwing away a perfectly good card just because of "future proof". It's just an illusion and if you chase after it you'll always be losing money.

I think your just acting like your better than me. But that maybe biased

I never said future proof as there is no such thing. I just dont see the point in xfiring two cards to get the same performance a single card can give, esp if thats the card OP wants. Maybe he doesnt want to hassle with broken GPU scaling for some games until they patch? It happened for crysis 2 and witcher 2 to where Xfire was unplayable until it was patched. If those two developers dropped the ball on it, then how many will follow? Im not being biased about a single card as I RECOMMENDED xfiring the 6950 at a later date but just to get one for now.
Do not, EVER bring personal assumptions to the table when referring to other posters. I never said i was better than you, but that i disagree with your assessment of OP's situation. We are here to help OP make a decision, and having multiple options , even if he chooses one thats not mine, is good for him to hear so he knows he chose the correct decision for his situation. Taking a disagreement personal is just childish, especially when we are here to help another forum member

 

[Djentleman]

I never said future proof as there is no such thing. I just dont see the point in xfiring two cards to get the same performance a single card can give, esp if thats the card OP wants. Maybe he doesnt want to hassle with broken GPU scaling for some games until they patch? It happened for crysis 2 and witcher 2 to where Xfire was unplayable until it was patched. If those two developers dropped the ball on it, then how many will follow? Im not being biased about a single card as I RECOMMENDED xfiring the 6950 at a later date but just to get one for now.
Do not, EVER bring personal assumptions to the table when referring to other posters. I never said i was better than you, but that i disagree with your assessment of OP's situation. We are here to help OP make a decision, and having multiple options , even if he chooses one thats not mine, is good for him to hear so he knows he chose the correct decision for his situation. Taking a disagreement personal is just childish, especially when we are here to help another forum member

Pfff..... I'm over it.

 

[thedude300]

That escalated, but all good. I'm glad to see these kind of responses it lets me hear both sides strong points. I'll probably get the HD 6950.. Though it sounds like an additional HD 5770 will save me some money and give me increased performance. I'll be far down the road with just the crossfired 5770s when the newer games come out then I would be with potentially crossfired HD 6950s as it is a more powerful card.

Thanks for the feedback.

 

[Djentleman]

To be honest, if your just going to buy a single card all together. Then wait until the 7000 series comes out.
Read this: http://www.tomshardware.com/news/amd-HD-7900-XDR2-Rambus-Memory,13408.html
Xdr2 memory is supposed to have less power consumption and faster speeds.