WARNING! xfx 6970's no longer have a bios switch, and are still using a REF model #

[notty22]

Sorry, but those links aren't to reference versions either. That's OK though. Don't worry about it. I really doubt they've been changed. If so, I'm sure happymedium will supply the evidence. It's his claim after all.

The information is correct.
The OP link takes you to Hocp, where there are detailed pictures.
XFX is shipping look a like 6970 reference models that
original reference water blocks DON'T FIT.

Don't have the signature back plate
Don't have a back-up bios switch
Have a weaker power phases,circuitry
Ships with same model-number as reference 6970

Everything else you have introduced has been to confuse this thread.

 

[3DVagabond]

The information is correct.
The OP link takes you to Hocp, where there are detailed pictures.
XFX is shipping look a like 6970 reference models that
original reference water blocks DON'T FIT.
Don't have the bios switch
Don't have the signature back plate
Don't have a back-up bios switch
Have a weaker power phases,circuitry
Ships with same model-number as reference 6970

Everything else you have introduced has been to confuse this thread.

I'm asking about 6950's. The reference has been made to 6950 as well. It's OK though. I'm sure happymedium has it well documented and will show me. No BIOS switch on the 6950 would suck. Although new models are being released with it. The 6950 Twin Frozr III, for instance. Still would be nice if the 6950 reference models kept it as well.

I haven't introduced anything? I've tried to get some sources is all.

 

[railven]

Seems like the time to pick up a 6950 with BIOS switch is now. Wonder if this is a means to move stock of BIOS capable hardware.

Eitherway, with my new monitor in hand - a 6950 will be nice! Time to see if I can sell the 5870 2GB, and more importantly to think of an excuse to feed the GF haha.

EDIT: Scratch that, for less I can go CFX 5870s. Or Hybrid CFX with a 5850. I wonder if microcenter got any sales...

 

[RussianSensation]

edit: just took a closer look on Newegg, it seemsall the new 6950 revisions no longer have a bios switch.

You can still find reference cards

MSI 6950 = BIOS Switch
HiS 6950 = BIOS Switch
Another HIS 6950 = BIOS switch

But given the out of stock status of other reference 6950s, it looks like their supply will run out in the near future. If AMD intends to launch HD7000 series in Q2, then all of this doesn't matter much. I don't ever recall a videocard company publicly stating if they have switched from using a reference design to a non-reference design. Not sure if XFX is at fault here to be honest.

 

[railven]

You can still find reference cards

MSI 6950 = BIOS Switch
HiS 6950 = BIOS Switch
Another HIS 6950 = BIOS switch

But given the out of stock status of other reference 6950s, it looks like their supply will run out in the near future. If AMD intends to launch HD7000 series in Q2, then all of this doesn't matter much. I don't ever recall a videocard publicly stating if they have switched from using a reference design to a non-reference design. No sure if XFX is at fault here to be honest.

GTX 590's blow up - it's ASUS' fault for using a custom BIOS.

6950/6970's lose their BIOS witch - it's AMD changing the reference design.

People have too much time on their hands.

 

[aphelion02]

Off-topic but why is someone with ties to one company a super moderator here? What help can he possibly give except market for Nvidia? And why cling to it instead of stepping down?

I share these sentiments. It seems hard for any individual to maintain objectivity in this scenario, even if they consciously try to do so. Even if they do, the forum dynamic of this is quite bad.


Expressing those sentiments in this thread (venue) is an unacceptable form of mod-callout.

http://forums.anandtech.com/showpost.php?p=31568917&postcount=23

Idontcare
Super Mod

 

[dguy6789]

Off-topic but why is someone with ties to one company a super moderator here? What help can he possibly give except market for Nvidia? And why cling to it instead of stepping down?

It's mind blowing isn't it? It's something the forum mods have never seen as a problem despite extreme numbers of complaints in the forum issues section. The irony is they've banned someone who did what Keys does but wasn't a mod in the past, brought him back, and banned him again. It's a rather pitiful state of affairs.

I share these sentiments. It seems hard for any individual to maintain objectivity in this scenario, even if they consciously try to do so. Even if they do, the forum dynamic of this is quite bad.

It's not like he just works for the company. They give him stuff for free in exchange for him promoting the company on forums.

I'm gonna get in trouble for this post and they're probably going to delete it. It's a topic they don't like being discussed.


You are conflating multiple things here. Keyplayr "the mod" does not do any moderation of VC&G. He posts in this forum solely and strictly as a member, no more or less special than yourself in terms of simply being a member of this community.

As to accusations or inferences that Keyplayr "the member" is given preferential treatment just because he is a moderator of other forums, that's complete BS.

For example you can see here and here that Keyplayr "the member" in VC&G is very much not above the law of the land.

In regards to Keyplayr "the NV Focus Group Member", he does not post here either. Keysplayr is not an employee of Nvidia, and even if he were it would still be irrelevant to the cordial and respectful discussions we hold ourselves to having here in ATF VC&G.

Ad hominem attacks are against the rules for many reasons, one if which is the fact that it is simply not productive to continue to mire yourself and others in that quagmire of derision.

You guys need to get over yourselves, get past the fact that in other sub-forums here there is such a thing as Keyplayr "the moderator", and come to terms with that fact that Keyplayr "the NV Focus Group Member" is not an employee of Nvidia and is neither compensated by the Nvidia Focus Group to endorse Nvidia products nor compensated (or asked/expected to do so) to post pro-Nvidia posts in the forums.

Keyplayr "the member" is all you interact with here in these forums, and he deserves every bit of civility and respect that is to be extended to every other member of this community.

We have an untold number of AMD, Nvidia, and Intel employees in our midst, actively participating in the discussions we hold across this forum.

They are wise to retain their anonymity given the oppressive and hurtful environment that members such as yourself wish to create here by way of your witch-hunt attacks on a fellow member of the community simply because they happen to be members of associations in real-life that transcend this specific forum.

As to your specific moderator challenge comment:

I'm gonna get in trouble for this post and they're probably going to delete it. It's a topic they don't like being discussed.

That is an attack against me, and the entire moderator establishment, as you would have others believe that we are all somehow corrupted and in-bed with some manner of conspiracy.

The discussion you wish to entertain has an appropriate venue, it is the reported-posts venue and the Moderator Discussions venue. Claiming that you will be censored here for no other reason than that the establishment wishes to avoid having the discussion is simply wrong and intentionally misleading on your behalf.

As it stands now, your post in this thread (this venue) is simply serving to perpetuate a thread-derail and as such is in violation of the rules. No different than any other thread-derail or mod-callout.

Idontcare
Super Mod

 

[Lonyo]

It's mind blowing isn't it? It's something the forum mods have never seen as a problem despite extreme numbers of complaints in the forum issues section. The irony is they've banned someone who did what Keys does but wasn't a mod in the past, brought him back, and banned him again. It's a rather pitiful state of affairs.



It's not like he just works for the company. They give him stuff for free in exchange for him promoting the company on forums.

I'm gonna get in trouble for this post and they're probably going to delete it. It's a topic they don't like being discussed.

If you have a problem with his posts, feel free to report them using the "report post" button. The mods will do what they decide to do.
If you have a problem with him being a moderator, take it to the forum issues forum.


Spot-on :thumbsup:

Idontcare
Super Mod

 

[busydude]

Guys, keys is NOT a mod for VC & G.

 

[Madcatatlas]

Its not Keys or what he stands for that one should focus on. Its the contents and tone of his posts. Generally he has a confrontational tone and THAT is what frustrates so many Anandtech forum members.

This is about bad XFX cards though, and Im so going to say "i told you so". I cant for the life of me understand people who lift up XFX as a "premium" partner for AMD cards. Their 5850/70s were having major problems, even though you may say its not proven.

Id stick to Asus, Sapphire or MSI over XFX any day.


This is needlessly personal and it constitutes a personal insult on a fellow forum colleague.

Please do not post these kinds of negative personal opinions...it is inflammatory and needless, a violation of the AnandTech Forum Guidelines:

We want to give all our members as much freedom as possible while maintaining an environment that encourages productive discussion. It is our desire to encourage our members to share their knowledge and experiences in order to benefit the rest of the community, while also providing a place for people to come and just hang out.

We also intend to encourage respect and responsibility among members in order to maintain order and civility. Our social forums will have a relaxed atmosphere, but other forums will be expected to remain on-topic and posts should be helpful, relevant and professional.

We ask for respect and common decency towards your fellow forum members.

Idontcare
Super Mod

 

[happy medium]

You can still find reference cards

MSI 6950 = BIOS Switch
HiS 6950 = BIOS Switch
Another HIS 6950 = BIOS switch

But given the out of stock status of other reference 6950s, it looks like their supply will run out in the near future. If AMD intends to launch HD7000 series in Q2, then all of this doesn't matter much. I don't ever recall a videocard company publicly stating if they have switched from using a reference design to a non-reference design. Not sure if XFX is at fault here to be honest.

@3dvagabon, Russian has pretty much answered your question for me.
If you want a 6950 with a bios switch, it seems NOW is the time to get them before they are all gone.

About the hardforum post, I find it in really bad taste that a XFX rep. tried to bribe the Guy (OP) over at hard forum. They tried to satisfy him only after the RMA department turned him down to help keep his mouth shut. Shady indeed. .

 

[nitromullet]

I don't ever recall a videocard company publicly stating if they have switched from using a reference design to a non-reference design. Not sure if XFX is at fault here to be honest.

True, they don't generally post a bulletin, nor should anyone expect them to. However, generally a different version of the card will carry a different model number. XFX is simply adding v1.1 to the end of the previous reference model number on the card itself, but they have not updated their model numbers on the their site or with retailers apparently. They're basically selling the new revision as if it were the original reference card, and the buyer isn't going to know until they actually receive the card.

 

[GaiaHunter]

Generally if a card carry the AMD logo on the PCB it means it is reference design from AMD.

XFX are not changing one of their own designs - they are changing an AMD design and keeping their model number and similar box, etc. Appears to be misinformation.

As a consumer I wouldn't be satisfied if this happened to me either.

About the 6950 switch - I guess that is up from the AIB to keep it or not in their non-reference designs. There are a few non-reference models with a switch like the PowerColor PCS++ HD6950 (http://www.powercolor.com/pt/products_features.asp?id=330) and the 6950 Twin Frozr III already mentioned.

I don't believe the switch is a requirement to unlock but surely provides additional protection.

 

[cusideabelincoln]

Warning?

 

[Keysplayr]

Its not Keys or what he stands for that one should focus on. Its the contents and tone of his posts. Generally he has a confrontational tone and THAT is what frustrates so many Anandtech forum members.

No. That isn't what it is. But enough about me MCA. How about this thread topic? Novel idea?

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

Screwing their Amd buyers isn't a smart move by xfx. They already got dropped by nvidia and looks like they are becoming a second tier amd partner. So much for a lifetime warranty. They'll be out of business just like BFG.

 

[3DVagabond]

@3dvagabon, Russian has pretty much answered your question for me.
If you want a 6950 with a bios switch, it seems NOW is the time to get them before they are all gone.

About the hardforum post, I find it in really bad taste that a XFX rep. tried to bribe the Guy (OP) over at hard forum. They tried to satisfy him only after the RMA department turned him down to help keep his mouth shut. Shady indeed. .

You should really provide links when you say something like this. Just link to where the XFX rep. tried to bribe him.

 

[3DVagabond]

Screwing their Amd buyers isn't a smart move by xfx. They already got dropped by nvidia and looks like they are becoming a second tier amd partner. So much for a lifetime warranty. They'll be out of business just like BFG.

This reminds me of the guys 1st post who stated, "That's it, nVidia's dead". Or something like that. LOL

I agree though that they need to make it apparent that it's not the same model with the same construction and features.

 

[96Firebird]

You should really provide links when you say something like this. Just link to where the XFX rep. tried to bribe him.

9th post in the thread, per the OP's words:

5. Offering to help me "this one time", but asking me to shut up about it, would not prevent others from buying what they thought is a reference model, buying appropriare third party coolers, then be stuck in the same situation. Will the rep help them as well?

http://hardforum.com/showpost.php?p=1037119625&postcount=9

 

[Nintendesert]

I wouldn't have a problem with paid shills being mods if I could put mods on ignore! There's a few people I ignore off and on because I know the content of their posts as soon as I see their name.

That being said I'm not overly impressed with some of the XFX news lately but haven't had problems with my 5870. I like the 570 I just put in a system though a lot more but can't bring myself to pay out for the current gens and want the 7xxx and 6xx to hit.


Expressing this sentiment in this thread (venue) is an unacceptable form of mod-callout.

Re:

I wouldn't have a problem with paid shills being mods if...

http://forums.anandtech.com/showpost.php?p=31568917&postcount=23

Idontcare
Super Mod

 

[3DVagabond]

9th post in the thread, per the OP's words:



http://hardforum.com/showpost.php?p=1037119625&postcount=9

In his original post he quotes the rep quite differently. He didn't tell him to shut up about it. He asked him not to tell others that he had helped him out. There are other reasons besides bribery and collusion to not want it to get out to contact him personally, the xfx rep, if you have problems. That really is what the retailer's for.

I can't put people in direct contact with any of the reps that I deal with (Well, I could, but they'd be very unlikely to ever do anything for me afterwards.). They don't have the time to deal with every single whiny customer out there. The world is full of incompetent consumers and professional complainers. It's the retailer's job to filter those out before the manufacturer's rep gets involved. I take the details and contact the rep. The rep then either contacts the customer or authorizes me to do something to sort it. With the good reps, it's usually the former. With the lazyass crap reps, it's usually the latter, after I badger them on the customer's behalf.

See, while I'm not disagreeing at all that their should be a revised model number on the later models, there is a level of service that you loose by circumventing the full service retailer. For some reason the OP keeps the people he paid his money to, who are just as guilty of not updating their information, anonymous. Why is that? He is their customer. They are XFX's customer. They sold him the board that his waterblock wouldn't fit. They should have either offered to replace the card with the card he had originally purchased, or offered him compensation to make up for the cost/inconvenience he had suffered. Instead he apparently happily lets them keep his money after getting something different than what he ordered and completely lets them off of the hook for any responsibility. Why? That part seems fishy.

 

[insurgent]

How about JFAMD as a cpu subforum mod? No? I tried to find a thread where this is explained and found nothing here, that bit in ABT was interesting though... so a "rollo" passed his torch to keys. If keysplayr has any decency he will step down but that's asking for too much is it? The current setup is too perfect. You can only fool the really stupid ones with your "nice guy" attitude, but you're just a paid shill after all.


You have already been infracted by the forum director over posting your previous Mod Callout in this thread.

http://forums.anandtech.com/showpost.php?p=31568917&postcount=23

That you have chosen to persist in your mod-callout efforts is, in itself, a mod-challenge which suggests to me that you are in dire need of some quality time away from these forums so as to reflect on your attitude an approach without all the distractions presented by the forum itself.

Idontcare
Super Mod

 

[GaiaHunter]

snip

You are only going to get yourself into problems by keeping this line of action and won't change anything.


If you suspect a fellow member's post is in violation of the posting guidelines then you are expected to limit your response and engagement with that post to be nothing more than simply reporting it.

If you want to give a fellow member some "personal advice" then do so by pm.

As it stands now, your post here is simply perpetuating an existing thread-derail and this is not acceptable.


Idontcare
Super Mod

 

[3DVagabond]

:snip:

You are only going to get yourself into problems by keeping this line of action and won't change anything.

Agreed. Don't fret too much about it. Anyone with a lick of common sense can figure out what's going on here.

Just enjoy the community. There's a lot of worthwhile conversations/opinions here.


If you suspect a fellow member's post is in violation of the posting guidelines then you are expected to limit your response and engagement with that post to be nothing more than simply reporting it.

If you want to give a fellow member some "personal advice" then do so by pm.

As it stands now, your post here is simply perpetuating an existing thread-derail and this is not acceptable.

Idontcare
Super Mod

 

[insurgent]

Back on topic then, XFX have "okay" cards with a nice brand name, my experiences with them have been mediocre at best but the black PCBs were nice to look at, after using ATI cards for the last 3 years I'd rather buy Powercolor or maybe even Palit (my 4850 Sonic is still alive), lifetime warranty doesn't mean much to me.