Upgrading to a new video card

[mpere]

Hey everyone, I presently have decided to upgrade my system. I'm going to do it in stages. My first stage is to purchase a new video card. I play a lot of computer games such as Napoleon Total War, World in Conflict, and Homeworld 2. My present video card is a Sapphire HD 5830, but I want to upgrade to a HD 6950. Can anyone recommend a good manufacturer. I read that 6950 by sapphire have had problems with fan breakage and dealing with XFX's customer service can be a big problem. So any good recommendation would be appreciated.

 

[iam2thecrowe]

I guess its hard to say who has good customer service from what you hear, expecially as customer service varies throughout different regions. Asus normally have a broad network of customer service with local offices in many countries. Fos someone like sapphire you may have to ship the product overseas to claim warranty. I have tried to deal with XFX in Australia and found their service non-existant, now noone really stocks their cards and i can see why, they are impossible to deal with here. But on the other hand i have heard good things about them and their lifetime warranty in the US. I have had good luck with Powercolour and Inno3d, they seem to be reliable for the lower end market, Asus and Gigabyte are probably the biggest and most trusted names in the computer parts business.

 

[mpere]

Now that I think about it, I wonder if should spend the extra cash and get an HD 6970 instead of a 6950.

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: next two weeks BUDGET RANGE: USD $250 to $300

USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming [Napoleon total war and others in the total wars series. World in conflict and Homeworld2. Everyday computer usage

CURRENT GPU AND POWER SUPPLY: Sapphire HD 5830 Corsair 750HX 750W PSU

OTHER RELEVANT SYSTEM SPECS: AMD 965 Black Edition, Asus M478T-E, 4GB DDR3 1333 ram, amd stock cooler, Corsair 600T

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: Newegg.com COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: USA

PARTS PREFERENCES: prefer ATI cards, e.g. Sapphire cards, however any manufacturer is fine if i could get a good price/performance deal.

OVERCLOCKING: Maybe, CROSSFIRE:

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1680x1050, 1920x1080, 1920x1200)

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: Based on the above stats is worth going for 6970 or just stay with a 6950.

Again thanks for the quick reply.

 

[FlintIronStagg]

I have a Sapphire Hd6950 1GB, I would say the only problem with it's fans is the acoustics, though the new dual fan versions should be much quieter .

As far fast Sapphire fans breaking, I do have confirmed reports of them breaking the sound barrier.
😀

i spat my sodie all over with that one!
On a serious note, if you have the budget and want ATI in your machine, and want to pay for the 6970, go for it; your rig can handle it. The non reference models from asus, gigabyte, and MSi are the best ones to get for cooling and noise.

 

[FlintIronStagg]

If you arent sold out on ATI, then at that price, if you dont have Batman:AA i would say consider the 560Ti. Good deal, and the Ti is pound for pound a great card.