Sapphire 6950 vs 6850

[silentmemories]

I'm planning to build a budget gaming computer now and am torn between the 6950 v 6850.

This is my set of specs:

• Intel i5 2500K
• Samsung DDR3 1333 4GB
• Sapphire HD6950 2GB or HD 6850 1GB
• MSI P67A-C43 (B3)
• Antec Neo ECO 520W
  
• NZXT M59
• WD Caviar Blue 500GB
• ASUS DRW-24B3ST 24X SATA DVD
• Gaming on a 1440 x 900 monitor

I have a limited budget right now and am not sure if the 6950 2GB would be worth the money compared to the 6850 1GB.

Local cost of the cards:

• Sapphire HD6850 1GB PCIE - $214
• Sapphire HD6950 2GB PCIE - $357

Unfortunately they overcharge here for the computer components, and seen here, a $143 difference between the two cards.

Which one should I get?

 

[Jacky60]

If you have the money for either get the 6950 -its a no-brainer. The 6950 is THE card to get now if you have the cash and you can unlock it to almost 6970 speeds usually, just be sure not to run the memory or voltage out of spec.

 

[Termie]

You know, the 6870 is a very good middle ground. Tell us what the prices are for that.

 

[silentmemories]

If you have the money for either get the 6950 -its a no-brainer. The 6950 is THE card to get now if you have the cash and you can unlock it to almost 6970 speeds usually, just be sure not to run the memory or voltage out of spec.

Well, I still haven't calculated the cost of the Intel i5 2500K yet, and the cost is already $744 (With the 6950). The cost would go down to $600 if I swap the card down.

What difference would I notice in terms of graphics performance?

You know, the 6870 is a very good middle ground. Tell us what the prices are for that.

$285 for that one. There are two versions from Sapphire for the HD6870. Interestingly, both cards are the same price, but I can't tell which is better. The one on the right looks cooler, but I might be wrong about the performance though.

 

[Castiel]

6870 is no slouch especially overcloxked. I have one as a backup card and it pulls 5100 in 3dmark11

 

[Termie]

Well, I still haven't calculated the cost of the Intel i5 2500K yet, and the cost is already $744 (With the 6950). The cost would go down to $600 if I swap the card down.

What difference would I notice in terms of graphics performance?



$285 for that one. There are two versions from Sapphire for the HD6870. Interestingly, both cards are the same price, but I can't tell which is better. The one on the right looks cooler, but I might be wrong about the performance though.

The box-like Sapphire will exhaust hot air out of your case, keeping your other components cool. The "cooler" looking Sapphire will actually run cooler and quieter, but hot air will be blown into your case. If you have a small case with only a few fans, buy the box-like Sapphire. Otherwise, get the "cooler" one.

At those prices, the 6870 is probably your best value.

An overclocked 6870 is very close to the performance of a stock 6950: http://www.anandtech.com/show/4137/...-6950-1gb-xfxs-radeon-hd-6870-black-edition/5

 

[silentmemories]

The box-like Sapphire will exhaust hot air out of your case, keeping your other components cool. The "cooler" looking Sapphire will actually run cooler and quieter, but hot air will be blown into your case. If you have a small case with only a few fans, but the box-like Sapphire. Otherwise, get the "cooler" one.

At those prices, the 6870 is probably your best value.

An overclocked 6870 is very close to the performance of a stock 6950: http://www.anandtech.com/show/4137/...-6950-1gb-xfxs-radeon-hd-6870-black-edition/5

The Lexa-S has these fans included:

• FRONT, 1 x 120mm , 23db/42CFM (included)
• SIDE, 1 x 120mm LED fan@1200RPM, 23db/42CFM (included)
• TOP, 2 x 140/120mm (1 140mm included)
• REAR, 1 x 120mm, 23db/42CFM (included)

Should the quieter fan be fine then?

Overclocking 6870: Not sure if I want to take the risk on overclocking. I don't want to shorten the lifespan of my components by generating more heat.

 

[Termie]

The Lexa-S has these fans included:

• FRONT, 1 x 120mm , 23db/42CFM (included)
• SIDE, 1 x 120mm LED fan@1200RPM, 23db/42CFM (included)
• TOP, 2 x 140/120mm (1 140mm included)
• REAR, 1 x 120mm, 23db/42CFM (included)

Should the quieter fan be fine then?

Overclocking 6870: Not sure if I want to take the risk on overclocking. I don't want to shorten the lifespan of my components by generating more heat.

That case offers plenty of cooling. You can get the quieter Sapphire 6870 then. I think the 6870 is a good value. You don't need to overclock to get good performance out of the 6870. Entirely up to you on how much you want to spend. Just set a maximum amount and buy the card that fits that amount.

 

[silentmemories]

That case offers plenty of cooling. You can get the quieter Sapphire 6870 then. I think the 6870 is a good value. You don't need to overclock to get good performance out of the 6870. Entirely up to you on how much you want to spend. Just set a maximum amount and buy the card that fits that amount.

Thanks for your answers. Would the 6950 2GB be really worth the $70 difference from the 6870 1GB?

What would I miss in terms of graphics?

 

[Termie]

Thanks for your answers. Would the 6950 2GB be really worth the $70 difference from the 6870 1GB?

What would I miss in terms of graphics?

At your screen resolution, you'll gain very little with the 6950. Maybe 5 or 10 percent.

 

[silentmemories]

At your screen resolution, you'll gain very little with the 6950. Maybe 5 or 10 percent.

Ah... Okay. 6870 it is then.

 

[bryanW1995]

at your resolution there is abolutely zero reason to grab anything but the 6850 1gb for a budget gaming rig at 1440x900. You'll be able to run 4xAA/16xAF and all settings on very high dx11 in almost every game with that card. You probably wouldn't even be able to tell any difference at all between a 6850 and 6950 2gb to be honest.

edit: just saw your comment about 6870. it's your money, but especially between 6870 and 6850 you won't be able to tell the difference.

 

[deimos3428]

at your resolution there is abolutely zero reason to grab anything but the 6850 1gb for a budget gaming rig at 1440x900. You'll be able to run 4xAA/16xAF and all settings on very high dx11 in almost every game with that card. You probably wouldn't even be able to tell any difference at all between a 6850 and 6950 2gb to be honest.

edit: just saw your comment about 6870. it's your money, but especially between 6870 and 6850 you won't be able to tell the difference.

+1. There's not much point going higher than a 6850 at this resolution. It's a solid card that overclocks exceptionally well. If you're thinking of upgrading your monitor in the near future, consider more powerful cards now. Or you could do 6850CF down the road at some point.

 

[silentmemories]

+1. There's not much point going higher than a 6850 at this resolution. It's a solid card that overclocks exceptionally well. If you're thinking of upgrading your monitor in the near future, consider more powerful cards now. Or you could do 6850CF down the road at some point.

Alright. Thanks for all your input into this.

Is 6850CF just overclocking the 6850 to match the performance of a normal 6870?

 

[Termie]

Alright. Thanks for all your input into this.

Is 6850CF just overclocking the 6850 to match the performance of a normal 6870?

6850CF is running two cards together. You don't need that.

Again, you gain 10% with each jump in video card level. You need to decide what your budget is in order to pick the best card for you.

 

[RussianSensation]

I'm planning to build a budget gaming computer now and am torn between the 6950 v 6850.


Gaming on a 1440 x 900 monitor

I would go with GTX460 1GB OR HD6850. You can overclock both of these cards if you need more performance. At this resolution, I wouldn't buy a 6870 and esp. not the 6950. Save the extra $$ towards your next videocard when you get a better monitor. Even at 1680x1050 both the 460 and 6850 are more than fast enough and your resolution is even lower.

 

[randomlinh]

At your screen resolution, you'll gain very little with the 6950. Maybe 5 or 10 percent.

what about at 1920x1200? tho, I'm most likely cpu bottlenecked at this point (q6600, stock, not going to OC). But I may just game a step down at 16x10. all depends on how much cards drop in the next two months, ha

 

[badb0y]

what about at 1920x1200? tho, I'm most likely cpu bottlenecked at this point (q6600, stock, not going to OC). But I may just game a step down at 16x10. all depends on how much cards drop in the next two months, ha

About 12% on average.

 

[silentmemories]

I'm also planning to record using FRAPS at 30FPS/40FPS on maximum graphics settings - what would be the bottleneck here, and how would it run?

(Games like Assassin's Creed 2/Brotherhood, Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit, ...)

 

[3DVagabond]

The 6850 will handle that res just fine. Save the money.

 

[CrystalBay]

Hi my 2cents is the 6850 is no slouch and easily oc's (my sample is stable @ 975core). With a better processor like a 2500k it will do wonderfully till next gen. (Metro2033 is a gpu bound bench)

I run @ 1920x1200 and don't have to many problems on my Q6600 . I get about a 30% increase over my 4870 .


play the game for smoothness not FRAPS





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