The Radeon HD 6950 Sweet Spot: Five 1 GB Cards Rounded-Up

[beardguy]

[citation][nom]Crashman[/nom]To clarify, the point of the article is to help Radeon HD 6950 1GB buyers decide which specific model best fits there needs. The 1GB vs 2GB article was a long time ago.Sorry, I have no 1GB reference cards, but it was nice to see one benchmark where the extra RAM was useful.[/citation]

Didn't know there was an older article comparing the 1GB and 2GB. I think only the future will tell if the 2GB cards are worth it or not. As of right now, the only time they make a difference is at very high screen resolutions.

 

[airborne11b]

They forgot to add the part in the review about ATI's terrible software / driver support, making any Nvidia card better then these junkers. lol

 

[beardguy]

[citation][nom]airborne11b[/nom]They forgot to add the part in the review about ATI's terrible software / driver support, making any Nvidia card better then these junkers. lol[/citation]

I agree, I just switched to ATI and the drivers suck! They are terrible. But the are cards are not junkers, they are sweet. And the 6950 is better than the Nvidia 560 which is more expensive.

 

[damric]

Gotta remember that you can brick a card by trying this. I think that this review rightfully did not bring this issue up. I do think they should have mentioned it though - so people would know. However there are several MSI Frozen versions and Gigabyte cards that cannot be unlocked to a 6970. These cards may not have the dual BIOS switch. And really, if you need a 6970, shouldn't you just buy a 6970? It really isn't that much faster than a good 6950 card.

If the shaders don't unlock and the card bricks, that would be cause for me not to recommend that card.

And yes 1GB cards can be flashed to unlock shaders. Try researching.

Anyways, extra shaders or not, these Caymens get a nice boost from a healthy overclock.

Cowardly reviews are why Tom's will always be a second rate review site.

 

[Pekish79]

I dont think it's more expensive

GIGABYTE GTX560ti @newegg: 219$ (199$ with rebate)
GIGABYTE HD6950 1gb @newegg: 239$ (219$ with rebate)

why does people lie?

 

[sylar365]

The 1GB and 2GB 6950 prices seem to all intertwine on Newegg (depending on make and model) at around the same price point as the GTX 560 Ti. Doesn't that make all of this a non-issue? I mean ... other than the fact that it proves that a 6950 is equivalent to a 6950. I could have told you that without a review, though.

 

[Crashman]

Cowardly reviews are why Tom's will always be a second rate review site.

You must do better than that, at least have the guts to say exactly why you're being so insolent.

The 1GB and 2GB 6950 prices seem to all intertwine on Newegg (depending on make and model) at around the same price point as the GTX 560 Ti. Doesn't that make all of this a non-issue? I mean ... other than the fact that it proves that a 6950 is equivalent to a 6950. I could have told you that without a review, though.

You get to see the heat, power, and noise measurements that just happen to be fairly significant between different models.

 

[reyshan]

Thanks for the review I've been looking for a review of the Gigabyte card that i have my sights on for like 2 months for BF3. Lookin at the results really assures that i am getting a pretty good card. Thank you!

 

[airborne11b]

[citation][nom]beardguy[/nom]I agree, I just switched to ATI and the drivers suck! They are terrible. But the are cards are not junkers, they are sweet. And the 6950 is better than the Nvidia 560 which is more expensive.[/citation]

Ya when I used to use ATI, I always had to use 3rd party software. The hardware isn't "Bad", it's just boarder line competitive with Nvidia.

Then take into consideration that Nvidia has amazing driver/software support, superior stereoscopic 3D support, much more user friendly 3x monitor support, and always around the same price. The choice of a GPU is a no brainer imo.

There will always be fan boys. Honestly I don't care about brand loyalty. I only care about quality. And quality doesn't stop at the hardware. Quality includes drivers, software applications, technical support, etc.

Nvidia is all around quality. ATI couldn't even make a driver to save their life.

 

[agnickolov]

Honestly, from these I like the reference 2GB model the most for its design blowing all the hot air off the back. I'd have liked it even more if it had ditched the second DVI connector in order to improve air outtake and replaced it with an HDMI to DVI adapter.

 

[neiroatopelcc]

Crashie, if you still have the setup around, can't you try attaching a second monitor and run the metro benchmark again? I'd like to know if the memory requirement stays the same even with more active displays.

 

[Questors]

Though the MSI card is $20.00 more, that is a one-time "fee" they buyer pays for long term usage. The card finished much lower in power consumption than most of the cards (let's remember, it's overclocked). It's lower OC beat Gigabyte's higher OC a couple of times, but still a win is a win. It kept pace with the Gigabyte card consistly through-out the testing and had the best effeciency. How it did not at least take second place is beyond me. What's more, the non-OCed Sapphire cost as much as the heavily customized and OCed Gigabyte. A factory OC with a warranty is also part of the value and is not taken into consideration here. It should be. I am not a fan of MSI, but given the information in this comparison, I have to say, I disagree with the choice of winners.

 

[Crashman]

[citation][nom]Questors[/nom]Though the MSI card is $20.00 more, that is a one-time "fee" they buyer pays for long term usage. The card finished much lower in power consumption than most of the cards (let's remember, it's overclocked). It's lower OC beat Gigabyte's higher OC a couple of times, but still a win is a win. It kept pace with the Gigabyte card consistly through-out the testing and had the best effeciency. How it did not at least take second place is beyond me. What's more, the non-OCed Sapphire cost as much as the heavily customized and OCed Gigabyte. A factory OC with a warranty is also part of the value and is not taken into consideration here. It should be. I am not a fan of MSI, but given the information in this comparison, I have to say, I disagree with the choice of winners.[/citation]That's only because you don't play DiRT 3. If you did, you might insist that HIS and Sapphire take first and second place.

 

[Guest]

Is this review designed to help sell off stock of 6950's? the hd7000 series is to be release soon...

 

[Questors]

That's only because you don't play DiRT 3. If you did, you might insist that HIS and Sapphire take first and second place.

That is only one game of thousands. It is silly to drive a several hundred dollar decision based on a game stuffed in the box. I am basing my thoughts purely on the data provided. I have a stack of those "stuffed in the box" games never opened. It is the product performance and reliability with consideration to power usage and price that matters to me. I felt MSI provided a strong showing.

 

[Crashman]

[citation][nom]femaljj[/nom]Is this review designed to help sell off stock of 6950's? the hd7000 series is to be release soon...[/citation]hahah, so who'd talking HD 7xxx anyway? Is your comment designed to prevent the sales of 6950's?

 

[beardguy]

[citation][nom]Questors[/nom]That is only one game of thousands. It is silly to drive a several hundred dollar decision based on a game stuffed in the box. I am basing my thoughts purely on the data provided. I have a stack of those "stuffed in the box" games never opened. It is the product performance and reliability with consideration to power usage and price that matters to me. I felt MSI provided a strong showing.[/citation]

If you look at reviews you'll see that the Sapphire 6950 Dirt 3 Edition got great reviews. Unlike the MSI, which is more expensive, yet has a higher fail rate. Go look at reviews and you'll notice lots of people have had the MSI 6950 fail on them.

 

[Questors]

If you look at reviews you'll see that the Sapphire 6950 Dirt 3 Edition got great reviews. Unlike the MSI, which is more expensive, yet has a higher fail rate. Go look at reviews and you'll notice lots of people have had the MSI 6950 fail on them.

I am interested in these reviews and would like to read them if you would please post your review source.
My comments were based solely on this review/comparison as outside reviews of each product was not included in this article. Though I mentioned a few posts back, reliability is important. Before I actually buy a video card, I would shop around.

 

[beardguy]

[citation][nom]Questors[/nom]I am interested in these reviews and would like to read them if you would please post your review source.My comments were based solely on this review/comparison as outside reviews of each product was not included in this article. Though I mentioned a few posts back, reliability is important. Before I actually buy a video card, I would shop around.[/citation]

Let me see if I can locate them again ...
I've got the Sapphire 2GB Dirt 3 Edition btw. Great card, runs cool and overclocks well. I've got it running above even the posted results for the OC'd Gigabyte card. The cooler on this card is awesome (even if it looks a little cheap).

 

[neiroatopelcc]

[citation][nom]beardguy[/nom]If you look at reviews you'll see that the Sapphire 6950 Dirt 3 Edition got great reviews. Unlike the MSI, which is more expensive, yet has a higher fail rate. Go look at reviews and you'll notice lots of people have had the MSI 6950 fail on them.[/citation]

My experience with sapphire hasn't been so good though. The 4870 card I got in 2008 or so was from them, and suffered from the fan speed bug. The tech support eventually provided a new firmware for it, but that was like a month after my inquiry. Never got around to flashing though, and am not really sad I gave the card away.

 

[geok1ng]

the correct award is : NONE.

you are either gaming at 1080p, and then a 6770 is way cheaper and will more than suffice, or you are gaming at 1600p or multi-monitor, and the 1Gb memory buffer is too small and you must go for the 6950 2G for astopuding $25 more...

 

[Questors]

Can we stick to the topic of the article? It is about several HD 6950 video cards and which of them is "supposed" to be the best based on measurements taken and calculations made by various test suites and the tester.

 

[Patrickoby1]

Great review, definitely know what card im getting this Chirstmas

 

[randomizer]

I'm liking the HIS card. It's actually among the cheapest ones in Australia coming in at ~$240, plus it's the quietest in most situations.

Those GPU temperatures are very low across the board for Furmark. Are you showing delta to ambient or is it just really cold? In Summer it can easily reach 30C (86F) in the room where my rig sits, so I need it to stay at a reasonable temperature under stress even then, and preferably without sounding like a jet engine. My current GTX 275 fails at both, hitting 94C+ and nearly getting airborne.

 

[Crashman]

[citation][nom]randomizer[/nom]I'm liking the HIS card. It's actually among the cheapest ones in Australia coming in at ~$240, plus it's the quietest in most situations. Those GPU temperatures are very low across the board for Furmark. Are you showing delta to ambient or is it just really cold? In Summer it can easily reach 30C (86F) in the room where my rig sits, so I need it to stay at a reasonable temperature under stress even then, and preferably without sounding like a jet engine. My current GTX 275 fails at both, hitting 94C+ and nearly getting airborne.[/citation]Sorry, that is the delta to ambient, it looks like the title got screwed up during an edit (yes, charts are also recycled).