6990 vs CF 6950

[Veriitas]

Hey!

I just got an offer to buy a 6990. I wanted to by a 6950 CF first though.

But the price of the 6990 is very attractive.

6990 - 440 euro
CF 6950 (2GB) - atleast 455 euro

What should I do? I know the 6990 is louder, but which one performances better?

btw the 6990 has still 1,5 warranty.

I hope you can help me.

Thanks!

ps. just for battlefield 3 and skyrim ofc!

 

[OVerLoRDI]

Are the 6950s reference designs? If so there is a solid chance they will unlock into 6970s. In that case I'd opt for the 6950s over the 6990 because of better overclocking due to better thermals and as a result, less noise.

Are the 6950s 2gb or 1gb models. If 1gb models, snag the 6990.

Is your case big enough to handle the length of the 6990?

 

[Veriitas]

Are the 6950s reference designs? If so there is a solid chance they will unlock into 6970s. In that case I'd opt for the 6950s over the 6990 because of better overclocking due to better thermals and as a result, less noise.

Are the 6950s 2gb or 1gb models. If 1gb models, snag the 6990.

Is your case big enough to handle the length of the 6990?

6950 are club 3d 2GB! I believe those are good to flash to 6970.

Yes I think my case can handle it!

 

[RussianSensation]

2 6950s

- better overclocking
- less loud
- can sell 1 if you want, keep the other; or use them for 2 builds (more flexibility)
- might be able to flash them to 6970

 

[blackened23]

Are the 6950s reference designs? If so there is a solid chance they will unlock into 6970s. In that case I'd opt for the 6950s over the 6990 because of better overclocking due to better thermals and as a result, less noise.

Are the 6950s 2gb or 1gb models. If 1gb models, snag the 6990.

Is your case big enough to handle the length of the 6990?

Most current reference design 6950's don't unlock to 6970's...it was fixed a while back. You can overclock good 6950's but 6970 still has more headroom, my reference cards overclock to 950/1450 easily. Unfortunately both reference designs have a ridiculously loud fan, I hope AMD fixes this in the 7xxx series of cards.

I guess it boils down to your budget and what you can find on sale. 6950 and 6970 are usually pretty close in price.

 

[Veriitas]

Most current reference design 6950's don't unlock to 6970's...it was fixed a while back. You can overclock good 6950's but 6970 still has more headroom, my reference cards overclock to 950/1450 easily. Unfortunately both reference designs have a ridiculously loud fan, I hope AMD fixes this in the 7xxx series of cards.

I guess it boils down to your budget and what you can find on sale. 6950 and 6970 are usually pretty close in price.

XFX 6990 = 440 euro (used, 1,5 year warranty)
CF 6950 Club 3D 2GB = 450 euro
CF 6970 = 580 euro

My budget was max 460 euro..

 

[3DVagabond]

Crossfire has some advantages, but so does the single board solution. With crossfire you have greater potential cooling because of 2 heat sinks, fans, etc... This could allow for a quieter overall package. This is often offset though if there is lack of airflow to the top card. 3slot pci-e spacing on your mobo fixes this. Some mobos have it, if yours does then it makes the 6950 crossfire setup more appealing.

The 6990 in AUSUM mode is 2 full blown 6970's on one board. While there's a decent chance you can unlock the 6950's and O/C them to 6970 levels, it's not as likely as getting it from the 6990.

Personally, I would lean towards the 6990, considering there's no real difference in price. I would also look into adding one of these. It would cure any shortcomings of the 6990. You should also be able to increase performance further with it than the stock cooler if you want to O/C. It will be the quietest solution as well.

 

[Veriitas]

Not really sure about the slot space.. I found a picture of my mobo though.. Is this 2 slot space or 3?

 

[blackened23]

XFX 6990 = 440 euro (used, 1,5 year warranty)
CF 6950 Club 3D 2GB = 450 euro
CF 6970 = 580 euro

My budget was max 460 euro..

Ah dude, i'd definitely get a 6990 in that case. No question.

The 6990 are 2 full blown 6970's, whereas the GTX 590 nvidia is actually closer to 570 SLI.

Definitely get the 6990 IMO!

 

[Wuzup101]

I would lean towards getting the 6990 given equal price. I like my 6950's; however, when I got them there was no 6990 yet (though it was speculated / waiting for release). That being said, after rebates I have just under $500 in my graphics setup... which is much cheaper than I would have gotten a 6990 for at launch (new). I'm very happy with what I have.

I second the 6990 nod with the arctic cooling aftermarket cooler linked above... that's a great idea.

 

[3DVagabond]

You have 3 slot spacing. So, you'll have good airflow to the top card.

 

[TakeNoPrisoners]

The 6990 is really two 6970 cores downclocked to 6950 speeds. There is a switch to overclock them back to 6970 speeds so really you are getting 6970 xfire speeds. In other words the card is two 6950's that are already unlocked and they overclock like a 6970. Get the 6990.

 

[RussianSensation]

Contrary to popular belief, the HD6990, even with AUSUM switch, is not quite as fast as an HD6970 in CF. The performance of the HD6990 is barely faster than HD6950 in CF.

But did you guys forget it's the 2nd loudest videocard of all time behind the FX5800 Ultra dust-buster?

Are the extra 5 fps that the HD6990 will give over HD6950 CF worth the huge sound penalty?

"The Radeon HD 5970 was a loud card, the GTX 580 SLI was even louder, but nothing tops the 6990." ~ AnandTech

 

[lehtv]

But did you guys forget it's the 2nd loudest videocard of all time behind the FX5800 Ultra dust-buster?

And I thought 4870X2 was loud. The 6990 doesn't sound good to me (pun intended)... With 6950 2GB CF Veritas will get equal performance, much lower noise, longer warranty.

 

[blackened23]

Install the Accelero VGA cooler like someone else mentioned. That will solve the problem and give you tons of overclocking head room. Yes, the reference fan is loud and annoying past 60% fan speed. Its something that AMD needs to fix in their crap reference design for the 7xxx series.

 

[lehtv]

That'd cost well over 500 eur total, I think it's over his budget. In principle it's nice idea for 6990 at that price

 

[3DVagabond]

Install the Accelero VGA cooler like someone else mentioned. That will solve the problem and give you tons of overclocking head room. Yes, the reference fan is loud and annoying past 60% fan speed. Its something that AMD needs to fix in their crap reference design for the 7xxx series.

Would be over his immediate budget. Personally I wouldn't even consider the 6990 on stock cooling (I'm just going from reviews. I've never owned one.). With the Accelero it should be an awesome card though. Quieter than the crossfired 6950's and cheaper than buying 2 coolers for them. Then they would only be as good as the 6990/Accelero if you are lucky enough to get them unlocked and O/C'd. I would consider getting the 6990 and adding it later. Like, next paycheck later, if at all possible.

 

[happy medium]

What resolution is this for?

 

[Veriitas]

What resolution is this for?

1920x1080

 

[Jacky60]

The 6990 will hold its value for reselling way better than 2 6950's BUT is louder. What I mean is 2 gpu cards typically sell on ebay for quite a bit more than double what their single gpu counterparts sell for.

 

[Veriitas]

The 6990 will hold its value for reselling way better than 2 6950's BUT is louder. What I mean is 2 gpu cards typically sell on ebay for quite a bit more than double what their single gpu counterparts sell for.

What will require a better PSU crossfire or the single 6990?

I have a 750watt PSU. Will this be enough for CF 6950 flash + overclock?

 

[Masahiro]

750 Watt is the minimum for the 6990:

http://www.amd.com/us/products/desk...6990/Pages/amd-radeon-hd-6990-overview.aspx#2

Don't know about the XFired 6950s, but a single 6950 needs 500 watt and 6970 needs 550 watt i think.

 

[flopper]

I would go 3x6950, same price as one 6990 but higher performance.
2x5950 is a really good deal for the price/performance ratio.

 

[3DVagabond]

I would go 3x6950, same price as one 6990 but higher performance.
2x5950 is a really good deal for the price/performance ratio.

He's getting the 6990 for the same price as 2x 6950 (actually ~15 euro less).

 

[flopper]

He's getting the 6990 for the same price as 2x 6950 (actually ~15 euro less).

no brainer then...