HD 6950 is on its way. Help me out with some Qs

[ExcaliburMM]

Well, I did it. I was hesitant but after so many people had success in the HD 6950 -> 6970 unlocking process, and looking at my 4870 1GB and being dissatisfied with its age, I filled out the order and its on its way.

Had some Qs for anyone who can help:
Do I install the driver before or after I flash it to a 6970? Should I use the newest/latest hotfix driver available? If not which is good? Should I test it out before I flash it, make sure the card is good? Should I test my 6950 BIOS OCs and see what I get? What tools are preferable? Its a Sapphire. I know they have their own tool but I'm not sure how it compares to things like Afterburner.

I also hate hate hate hot cards so I ordered a tube of AS5 (I've got a Zalman V1000 on the 4870). Planning to open up the card, clean everything off, and apply AS5 instead of the stock thermal in order to keep it cool. I know people used to do this, but have companies started using better compound? Is this still a good idea?

 

[Elfear]

Well, I did it. I was hesitant but after so many people had success in the HD 6950 -> 6970 unlocking process, and looking at my 4870 1GB and being dissatisfied with its age, I filled out the order and its on its way.

Had some Qs for anyone who can help:
Do I install the driver before or after I flash it to a 6970?

I would uninstall the drivers before you take out your old video card, power down, slap in the 6950, and load new drivers. That will make it the most pain free. Once you've tested to make sure the card is working how it should (i.e. no weird artifacts, fan doesn't sound weird, temps seem inline with what others are getting, etc.), then I would unlock the card and reinstall your drivers.

Should I use the newest/latest hotfix driver available?

Use the latest. I believe they are 10.12a RC3 from AMD's webiste.

Should I test it out before I flash it, make sure the card is good?

Definitely. Before you void your warranty, make sure the card works properly

Should I test my 6950 BIOS OCs and see what I get?

Not sure what you're asking here. If you're wondering about testing out how overclockable your card is you'll be limited with the stock 6950 bios to 840/1325 which every card I've seen can reach. If the card checks out, unlock it and then test the overclock. Your new CCC limits will be 950/1450.

What tools are preferable?

Depending on which 6970 bios you choose to flash to will determine in part which tools you can use. Afterburner works with all bioses but Asus Smart Doctor only works if you flash to an Asus card. It's the only program I've seen so far that allows voltage adjustments for better overclocking.

I also hate hate hate hot cards so I ordered a tube of AS5 (I've got a Zalman V1000 on the 4870). Planning to open up the card, clean everything off, and apply AS5 instead of the stock thermal in order to keep it cool. I know people used to do this, but have companies started using better compound? Is this still a good idea?

Changing the thermal paste is almost always guaranteed to lower temps. It will void your warranty for most vendors (Sapphire included) but since you'll be doing that anyway when you unlock your card, it really doesn't matter. I will say though that early pictures of the 6900 series showed pretty good compound application. Much better than the usual factory glob. Still probably worth looking under the heatsink.

I'd do some reading about which bioses are available. There are new ones popping up every day. One recent one unlocks the extra shaders but keeps the clock speed and ram timings at 6950 levels. Some people have had issues running their 6950s at 6970 clocks because of the lower speed ram that comes on the 6950s.

 

[ExcaliburMM]

Thanks Elfear. Very helpful.

I may see how far I can push the card 6950 OC wise since that alone doesn't void the warranty. Depending on temps and results, I may or may not unlock.

 

[Alaska Wolf]

"Quote:
Should I test it out before I flash it, make sure the card is good?
Definitely. Before you void your warranty, make sure the card works properly"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueuauKKjPZI

I'm probably going to wait a few days before I decide on flashing my 6950. I don't NEED more performance now, and it's possible for some better BIOS choices to become available.

And no, I don't equate riding an H Bomb to flashing a video cards BIOS, nor do I think most vendors would refuse to RMA a card because someone acted like the enthusiast they designed and marketed these cards for in the first place.

Of course I'm not SURE, but I would bet my $280 plus shipping on it.

 

[ExcaliburMM]

Heh, what's worse is mine was 299$, free shipping, but NJ 7% sales tax.

 

[Elfear]

Thanks Elfear. Very helpful.

I may see how far I can push the card 6950 OC wise since that alone doesn't void the warranty. Depending on temps and results, I may or may not unlock.

No problem. What resolution are you playing at?

 

[ExcaliburMM]

1920x1080. I don't play anything too intensive (SC2, F:NV, Oblivion, HoN) but when trying to run Amnesia: Dark Descent at max the 4870 was having problems. And in truth I've wanted to upgrade for awhile now, just wasn't anything worth getting at a reasonable price point until now.