Which 2GB 6950 would you recommend?

[ManBearPig]

Most people are recommending THIS...thoughts?

 

[3DVagabond]

Lots of luck finding an original reference model like that. AFAIK it's been discontinued. This is the new standard design that replaces it. Quieter cooler, but not as much connectivity. It loses the 2 mini DVI connectors. Not usually a problem, though. If you do need them, or want to run eyefinity, the Flex model retains them and runs 3 monitors without requiring any adapters. Both of these come with the 2nd bios unlocked to 1536 (HD 6970 level) shaders. No guarantee though that they will run unlocked, although most of them run fine. Both of them have better coolers than the original reference model does, except they don't exhaust the air out of the case. The Toxic model comes clocked at 880MHz (HD 6970 speeds, but 1300MHz mem clocks) and also is pre-unlocked, if you want a model that exhausts the hot air out of the case. Quieter cooler than the original reference too.

Personally I would get the Flex edition, if you want a recommendation, but any of them are very good cards.

 

[ManBearPig]

I didn't even know about those lol! I don't care too much about overclocking, I'd rather get the quieter one.

I've heard some people say AMD drivers and support suck and to NOT get the 6950 for that reason, and instead get the 560 Ti. Thoughts?

 

[OVerLoRDI]

I didn't even know about those lol! I don't care too much about overclocking, I'd rather get the quieter one.

I've heard some people say AMD drivers and support suck and to NOT get the 6950 for that reason, and instead get the 560 Ti. Thoughts?

Recent driver issues, especially in regards to crossfire make AMD's driver team look pretty bad. However, most people running a single card have not had nearly as many issues. I wouldn't hesitate to get an AMD card in a single card system.

 

[happy medium]

Which 2GB 6950 would you recommend?

I wait for the new gtx560 448 core card to come out Tuesday the 29th.

 

[ManBearPig]

I wait for the new gtx560 448 core card to come out Tuesday the 29th.

What would the price be though?

 

[happy medium]

What would the price be though?

A good guess would be 220$ to 260$, in that area ,and faster than a 6950 2gb.
Mabe it will cause a 6950 price drop at the very least.

 

[ManBearPig]

Wow, I had heard of this card but didn't know it was about the same price and faster. I wonder if it will be quiet.

 

[3DVagabond]

I wait for the new gtx560 448 core card to come out Tuesday the 29th.

...and hope they make a 2.5Gb version? Not likely. Everything I've read about that card says it's going to be a 1.25Gb budget card.

edit: It's not known for certain that it will be faster. Spec wise some are assuming it will be. It will be out soon though. So, no harm in waiting a few days to find out.

 

[Stuka87]

That new 560 may be faster in from a pure GPU standpoint, but having less memory can hurt it in games that use up that much, such as Skyrim and BF3 at ultra settings.

 

[3DVagabond]

That new 560 may be faster in from a pure GPU standpoint, but having less memory can hurt it in games that use up that much, such as Skyrim and BF3 at ultra settings.

It's a GTX470. It will likely have similar performance.

 

[ManBearPig]

any ideas if the Flex is quieter or the The XFX easily. Usually the Neo Eco is $30 on sale and the XFX is $60, so at that point it is hard to go with the XFX.[/QUOTE]"]other one (not the toxic)?

 

[3DVagabond]

You'd have to find one site that has reviewed both because no two sites measure noise the same way. Typically the dual fan cards are quieter, though. I have seen a review recently of the dual fan card. I can't find it right now though. I'll see if I can though.

 

[happy medium]

It's a GTX470. It will likely have similar performance.

Just got confirmation that the new gtx560ti 448 core is faster than a 6950 2gb, overclocks real well, and is very close to stock gtx570 speeds for under 280$.

No word on noise yet.

ok I got word on noise.and temps...

quote:
"So far so good, After 2 1/2 hours of BF3, temps maxed out around 65c with the fan never hitting more then 50% speed. "

 

[mrshadow]

If you don´t mind the card taking up 3 slots, I´d recommend the ASUS 6950 DirectCUII.

 

[lehtv]

any ideas if the Flex is quieter or the other one (not the toxic)?

The link is broken. Do you mean the dual-fan card? It should be quieter than the single-fan Flex.

 

[happy medium]

Just got confirmation that the new gtx560ti 448 core is faster than a 6950 2gb, overclocks real well, and is very close to stock gtx570 speeds for under 280$.

No word on noise yet.

ok I got word on noise.and temps...

quote:
"So far so good, After 2 1/2 hours of BF3, temps maxed out around 65c with the fan never hitting more then 50% speed. "

updated. for the op

 

[MrK6]

I'd wait until tomorrow to see what the new GTX 560 adds the picture. Basically, it'll have to be <$200 or overclock to GTX 580-level performance to be competitive with a 6950.

As 3DVagabond mentioned, the non-reference unlocked cards are a good buy, just get the type of cooler that's going to work for your setup (regarding airflow and noise).

 

[happy medium]

Basically, it'll have to be ~$240 and overclock close to GTX 580-level performance to be competitive with a 6950

Changed some things.

AND

I can confirm the performance part.

 

[ManBearPig]

man that new nvidia card is looking nice if the above is true. thanks for the info.

 

[MrK6]

Changed some things.

AND

I can confirm the performance part.

Please don't change what I wrote and then re-quote. That is misrepresentation.

Either way, NVIDIA offering a similar performing part at a similar price with less vRAM and most likely a higher TDP a year late just doesn't make sense. Anyone would still get a 6950 2GB.

 

[ManBearPig]

i guess i'll go with the 6950 2gb then. I wish these damn things would be a bit cheaper though.

 

[happy medium]

NVIDIA offering a similar performing part at a similar price with less vRAM

Unless the op is buying 2 cards 2gb memory makes no difference.
The 6950 will run out of gas before he can use 1gb of memory up.
He is better off with a 1gb 6950 or gtx560ti.

 

[happy medium]

i guess i'll go with the 6950 2gb then. I wish these damn things would be a bit cheaper though.

How much you gonna pay for it.

 

[upsdriver]

edit: nvm