6950 v 6870 black

[GoldenbanjoDJ]

ok guys, description speaks for itself... I have a corsair 650w power supply

XFX AMD Radeon 6870 black edition (yes i know it's out of stock, but there is another website where they aren't but the page hasn't got as much info as the card as this one)

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-190-XF

more details about the card are here, only they have none in stock

OR

XFX AMD Radeon 6950

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-192-XF

Also tell me...is my PSU lacking for either of these?

To make it a bit more interesting, also what make would you recommend? I've gone with XFX here because of their double lifetime warranty and the fact that you can only really get a pre-overclocked card from XFX (if you know different, let me know!) What make would you prefer and why? Your opinions are important to me

 

[alienware]

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-137-GW&groupid=701&catid=56&subcat=1810

Will beat a 6950 and costs less. The 6870 isn't even really in the same league mate.

XFX warranty isn't all it's cracked up to be. You'd find that out when you call their RMA helpline at 65p a minute.

Right now is not the time to buy any of the new Radeons mate. They're too pricey for the performance. If you can't afford a 570 go with the card I listed above. The 6970 is faster, but I'm per-itty sure the 470 GS will come out on top against the 6950.

Oh. If your corsair is a CX series you might wanna be careful. Any other? you're laughing.

 

[GoldenbanjoDJ]

ooo that's an option i didn't think i'd have lol

might have to check that one out. thanks buddy!

also, the psu is TX, so i am hopefully laughing

will a 650w be pretty much ok for any single gpu?

my motherboard is an asus crosshair iii formula, can i put nvidia cards in there?? x

 

[alienware]

Np. Good cards tbh and can be had for a song now. I mean, mine's good, but that one is way superior to mine.

I don't know if you're an AMD/ATI die hard but Physx and CUDA are really cool when they're in use. I mean, if you do decide to go with that card run some tests and play Mafia with the Physx on and off. Absolutely stunning and a sight to behold tbh.

It's not just particles and debris (shattering floor tiles, chunks of cement) but there's just so many other things. There's a level where you're on the roof of a building and you go past the heating system. It literally warps everything and gives off amazing heat waves.

And then of course there's CUDA, which in Just Cause 2 turns it into a playable game instead of a stuttering mess. Another awesome awesome game

 

[GoldenbanjoDJ]

i have to say physx sounds so cool

lol i haven't really been into the custom building 'business' for long enough to be a die hard anything lol, but i do like bang for buck and that looks like bang for buck to me!

 

[alienware]

Just had a poke through the review and it would seem that the 6950 is ever so slightly faster than the results I am getting out of my 470. However, bear in mind that my 470 is a vanilla card running at stock speed. My CPU is also running at stock speed with no overclock.

The GS on the other hand is clocked at 650mhz core, mine is 604. So yes, I definitely think that when you couple Physx into the equation and so on that it's the card to have tbh. It's also £30 cheaper and comes with Mafia 2 for free, which has to be worth £20. So really you are paying £180 for the card.

 

[ionicle]

Why not buy an ATi card, and a physix extra card? ...

or do they not make them anymore?

 

[alienware]

Why not buy an ATi card, and a physix extra card? ...

or do they not make them anymore?

They don't no. Ageia made the cards but Nvidia bought them out. The old cards are absolutely useless now (as my testing concluded recently) and they are only good for very early titles like Mirror's Edge.

Banjo. I just ran a Vantage on my 470 and scored 18466. The 6950 in testing scored 19200 or so. However. The test system used was -

ASUS Rampage III Extreme

Intel i7 950 @ 4GHz

6GB Mushkin Redline RAM

Corsair AX1200 PSU

Noctua NH-D14

Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit

I am running

Foxconn Bloodrage GTI

Intel I7 950 @ 3.06ghz stock

3gb Gskill ram @ 1600mhz (not 2000 that the redline runs)

Also to consider the GS is clocked way higher than my 470 is (650 opposing 604).

I would stick my neck out and say that a 470 will comfortably cruise past the 6950 in similar circumstances TBH. (as in identical hardware).