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6950 2GB Sapphire Toxic OC Review [H]

Grooveriding

Grooveriding

Diamond Member
http://hardocp.com/article/2011/08/29/sapphire_toxic_hd6950_video_card_review/1

Custom-PCB, custom-cooler, dual-bios pre-configured to unlock the full 6970 shaders. Overclocked the card can be faster than not just a stock 6970 but also a GTX 580. Amazing card at $269.99

http://hardocp.com/article/2011/08/29/sapphire_toxic_hd6950_video_card_review/1

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Seems like a sick card for the money, but I noticed something under the DA2 graph...

The frame rate with the GeForce GTX 570 was much more even and consistent through the entire level providing a smoother, more enjoyable gameplay experience.
Click to expand...

I think that is supposed to say GTX 580, but either way, why would that be the case? What causes the AMD cards to fluctuate so much?
 
96Firebird said:
I think that is supposed to say GTX 580, but either way, why would that be the case? What causes the AMD cards to fluctuate so much?
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Yea the blue line on the graph is all over the place.

"Can be faster" if you find the right game and the right settings,as Hardocp allways seems to do, unlike every other review site on the planet. 🙁

Nice card for the money though.

Most games would look like this............

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Test system............................gtx570 not 580, They used a gtx580 with games that favor AMD ,as usual.

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I didn't realize DA2 was that tough? 42 FPS for a 580? Is that with some advanced texture pack that comes post-release that I probably don't have?
 
One thing seems funny, if AMD was bringing out NEW cards soon, would Sapphire be releasing a brand new 6950 now? I take this as a sign that we won't see new cards for a good bit.

Thoughts?
 
I like HardOCP's graphs that show the entire length of the benchmark but why they bench only four games ??
 
happy medium said:
One thing seems funny, if AMD was bringing out NEW cards soon, would Sapphire be releasing a brand new 6950 now? I take this as a sign that we won't see new cards for a good bit.

Thoughts?
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Didn't Sapphire release a new SKU of 5850 after the HD 6000 series came out? I don't think this is an indicator of anything AMD is doing.
 
badb0y said:
Didn't Sapphire release a new SKU of 5850 after the HD 6000 series came out? I don't think this is an indicator of anything AMD is doing.
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The 5850, IMO (and of course I may be a bit biased) is a special case. It really hit a sweet spot of performance, heat, power consumption, and price. It's still in demand even today, and not just for bitcoin. I dont read too much into it being re-released.
 
chihlidog said:
The 5850, IMO (and of course I may be a bit biased) is a special case. It really hit a sweet spot of performance, heat, power consumption, and price. It's still in demand even today, and not just for bitcoin. I dont read too much into it being re-released.
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Agreed. The 5850 and 5870 were and still are amazing values. Their longevity has made them even better.

It didn't make sense for me to upgrade to 6xxx cards because the proces limitation was still there. 7xxx cards could be very exciting though - I am excited to see some previews there. Might still keep the 5xxx around for bitcoins though...😀
 
Still undecided on either a 6950 or a 560ti for a new build ... its been a month now and I'm riding the fence, but I don't need to buy now, I'd actually prefer to wait a bit longer and watch for some holiday sales that always crop up.

You can get a lot of video card for just under $200 these days.

Edit: OK, after reading that review, I think I am going ATI/AMD for the first time. What a beast of a card .. but, not in stock.
 
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That card really packs a punch; and the price is just right. I just wish they did more with that cooler. It looks too generic to me.
 
WT said:
Still undecided on either a 6950 or a 560ti for a new build ... its been a month now and I'm riding the fence, but I don't need to buy now, I'd actually prefer to wait a bit longer and watch for some holiday sales that always crop up.

You can get a lot of video card for just under $200 these days.

Edit: OK, after reading that review, I think I am going ATI/AMD for the first time. What a beast of a card .. but, not in stock.
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HD6950 @ 6970 speeds is a good amount faster than a GTX560ti. You'll need a 20% or so overclock on the GTX560Ti to match a stock 6970.
 
RussianSensation said:
HD6950 @ 6970 speeds is a good amount faster than a GTX560ti. You'll need a 20% or so overclock on the GTX560Ti to match a stock 6970.
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How is a unlocked overclocked 6950 as good as a stock gtx570 at the same price?
gtx570 for 269$ AR..........
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814134125

Wouldn't you have to overclock the gtx570 also?

I mean the gtx560ti cost 65$ less too and will overclock to close to the same performance.

Am I missing something?
I mean this is sort of like comparing a gtx460 @ 850 core to a 6870 at the same price point, is it not?
I wonder why Ryan at Anandtech got chewed out but for Kyle its ok?
 
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It's a great value to be able to get any card for $270 that can be tweaked and overclocked safely to run as fast as the biggest baddest (reference speed) single gpu money can buy today.
 
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tviceman said:
It's a great value to be able to get any card that for $270 that can be tweaked and overclocked safely to run as fast as the biggest baddest (reference speed) single gpu money can buy today.
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Yea in 2 out of 20 games @ 1080p.:thumbsdown:

WHy not just buy a gtx570 for the same price, overclock it, and beat any overclocked single gpu AMD card on the market @ 1080p?

I'm confused.
 
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I think the difference boils down to buying a completely stock card that may or may not overclock as readily versus buying a card which is built for overclocking and tweaking. Also, prices before rebates have a 10% difference, and that should not be ignored.
 
happy medium said:
Yea in 2 out of 20 games @ 1080p.:thumbsdown:

WHy not just buy a gtx570 for the same price, overclock it, and beat any overclocked single gpu AMD card on the market @ 1080p?

I'm confused.
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Can you try any harder? It's a great card for the price & performance. Seriously, enough already....The only reason that you're angry is because it's AMD..and that's a fact! Oh ya, can you prove where a 570 beats a 6970? And please don't give me your canned BC2 benches that you know are CPU limited...Once, they're BOTH overclocked, it's a no show, because the 6970 is still faster, all while using less power in the process, but that won't matter because it's not Nvidia right? I can't take you seriously.

I'm confused?
 
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To be fair, its testing in newer dx11 games, Fear 3, Dirt 3 and DA2 (amd win) and one still popular online, BC2 (nv win).

I guess you can throw in AvP (close), Crysis 2 (nv win), Shogun 2 (amd win), DeusEx HR (amd win) and a few others in too. Won't change the results, that the 6950 is a great bang for buck card, even the reference models have a lot of potential.

Oh, i'm not going to include Hawx2 cos that's just pure BS NV TWIMTBP, 200 fps for a gtx560 vs 100 fps for a 6970.

Edit: 2x Toxic 6950 is unbeatable
 
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I have two Sapphire VaporX 5870's now and before that I had a Toxic 4870. I have been completely happy with these cards. Regarding this 6950, I imagine there's not much to dislike for this price.
 
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