GTX 560 ti Overclock VS Radeon HD 6950 Bios Flash

[tiagojcp]

In the Techpower forum, most 6950 users have concluded that unlocking the shaders in the card, rather that flashing it with the 6970 is much safer. Some cards can't handle the 6970 memory clocks, so is much safer to overclock and test.

Some people have the same shaders in the 6950 as in the 6970 and gpu/memory at 1000/1400mhz. Others can't get to 1375mhz in the memory (6970 base clocks) so they stay in the SAFE clocks for their cards.

You can follow wmblalock's instructions at:

http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?t=137136&page=50

But I'd prefer that TTL and the OC3d guys to use their time with new products.

If you want to compare the 2 cards just read or watch the 560's review and compare it with the values of the 6970, or to be more exact, compare the to an average between the 6950 and the 6970.

 

[oneseraph]

In the Techpower forum, most 6950 users have concluded that unlocking the shaders in the card, rather that flashing it with the 6970 is much safer. Some cards can't handle the 6970 memory clocks, so is much safer to overclock and test.

Some people have the same shaders in the 6950 as in the 6970 and gpu/memory at 1000/1400mhz. Others can't get to 1375mhz in the memory (6970 base clocks) so they stay in the SAFE clocks for their cards.

You can follow wmblalock's instructions at:

http://forums.techpowerup.com/showthread.php?t=137136&page=50

But I'd prefer that TTL and the OC3d guys to use their time with new products.

If you want to compare the 2 cards just read or watch the 560's review and compare it with the values of the 6970, or to be more exact, compare the to an average between the 6950 and the 6970.

Ya that's a good find. Looks to me like a modification of the original 6950 bios to unlock all the shaders. Then overclocking to the safe limit of the card. From what I read, using that method resulted in 6970 equivalent results most of the time. The up side of this newer method is it's flexibility.

OK, you make a good point, having TTL do a video comparing the two cards might be a bit of a distraction from the focus on new product reviews. I realize Tom doesn't have infinite time to do everything. That said, if he had the time to make the film I would sure like to see it. Admit it if he made it you'd watch it.

As for comparing the two cards. There really isn't that much to say. At high texture detail, high resolution and xxAA the Stock 6950 absolutely trounces the stock GTX 560 ti. The difference is non trivial between 14%-18%. When both cards are modded/overclocked to there full potential, the story is the same the 6950 simply crushes the GTX 560 ti. The scores really change in SLI/CF because the frame buffers do not scale in a completely linear way. At this point the comparison just becomes embarrassing for Nvidia.

I know some will point out that if you lower the detail, resolution and xxAA then the GTX 560 ti can beat the 6850. I say the point of a good graphics card is to deliver (High texture detail at high resolution with xxAA). I know when I play games I use the highest setting my card will allow at playable frame rates. Maybe there are people who prefer to play games at lower quality and resolution settings so they can achieve frame rates the human eye cant detect and Vsync makes pointless. Now, These cards are within a few dollars (GBP) of one another. There is no question that the 6950 is the better value. The 6950's extra GigaByte of frame buffer alone more than makes up for the small difference in price. Now don't get me wrong I am not saying that the GTX 560 ti is a bad card. I'm not. What I am saying is that the 6950 is a better value at the moment.

Now Nvidia can turn this around. All that they need to do is lower the price of the GTX 560 ti between $30.00-$40.00 (18.94-25.26 GBP) or increase the frame buffer to two GigaBytes. If they do that then the value (performance / price) ratio will be at parity with the HD6950. Then it should just come down to other features like physX or eyefinity. Though it should be said, if Nvidia lowers price AMD/ATI will probably follow suit. AS I have said many times price wars are good..

P.S.

It does not require clairvoyance to realize that Nvidia is going to lower the price of the GTX 560 ti. I would guess, within five weeks, though it could happen much sooner. So if you are thinking of buying the GTX 560 ti I would recommend a little patience you could save some cash.

 

[thewire]

There is no question that the 6950 is the better value. The 6950's extra GigaByte of frame buffer alone more than makes up for the small difference in price. Now don't get me wrong I am not saying that the GTX 560 ti is a bad card. I'm not. What I am saying is that the 6950 is a better value at the moment.

Now Nvidia can turn this around. All that they need to do is lower the price of the GTX 560 ti between $30.00-$40.00 (18.94-25.26 GBP) or increase the frame buffer to two GigaBytes. If they do that then the value (performance / price) ratio will be at parity with the HD6950. Then it should just come down to other features like physX or eyefinity. Though it should be said, if Nvidia lowers price AMD/ATI will probably follow suit. AS I have said many times price wars are good..

P.S.

It does not require clairvoyance to realize that Nvidia is going to lower the price of the GTX 560 ti. I would guess, within five weeks, though it could happen much sooner. So if you are thinking of buying the GTX 560 ti I would recommend a little patience you could save some cash.

Well said OneSeraph

 

[oneseraph]

Well said OneSeraph

Thanks

 

[oneseraph]

Here is an update on the test results of flashing the 6950 into a 6970. the results can be found at the bottom of the following page.

http://www.techpowerup.com/articles/...ng/vidcard/159

Manufacturer    Cards        Unlocks     Unlocks     Does 

tested       and         rendering   not 

works       errors      unlock

fine        

AMD               1            1            0          0

ASUS              20           19           1          0

Club3D            17           16           0          1

Diamond           6            6            0          0

Gigabyte          26           26           0          0

HIS               47           47           0          0

MSI               14           13           1          0

PowerColor        58           56           2          0

Sapphire          176          167          9          0

XFX               95           94           1          0

VTX3D             8            8            0          0

VisionTec         3            3            0          0

Totals            471          456          14         1

100.00%      96.81%       2.97%      0.21%

Total number of cards damaged as a result of flashing is 0 out of 471.

Those are impressive numbers for any kind of overclock/mod.

Hope this eases the mind of those who own the 6950.

 

[pursuinginsanity]

tom already said in the review video that the 560 outperforms the 6970 ..

And I've shown numerous other reviews from Guru3d, Anandtech, Tom's hardware, etc etc where the 560 is well behind even the 6950, so I'm not sure from where you guys are drawing this conclusion. See my post on the 560 review thread here on the forums for those examples.