Choice Between Two 6950s

[ExcaliburMM]

Sup Anand,
Looking for which one of these two 6950s will A. have a better chance of a 6970 unlock and B. run cooler.

A. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814161372
B. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814150549

I know XFX has something with their model numbers and warranties. Does this one qualify for the lifetime warranty? Thoughts on if they'll OC about the same? Any info on which card is a better pick would be appreciated.

 

[superjim]

Read the feedback and see which ones, if any, are unlocking. The XFX has 2 fans and a copper heatsink and is nearly $30 cheaper AR and free shipping. The HIS has a mild OC that the XFX should hit easily provided you're ok with moving 2 sliders in CCC but even if you don't OC the XFX you won't see a real-world difference in games from 40mhz. In my 12+ years building computers, I've never had to use a GPU warranty so that's a small consideration for me. Last I checked, all XFX cards have their "double lifetime warranty".

If I was making the decision I'd go with whichever one could unlock to a 6970 regardless of anything else. Skimming reviews I've read some saying both cards unlock and also that they do NOT unlock, lol.

 

[ExcaliburMM]

From what I've read the HIS seems to have a better chance. I'm hoping someone who's used either of these might be able to chime in on that.