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6950's 2 Gb almost gone so what card now?

A

Artista

Senior member
I am putting together a new desktop with the intended purpose of all around machine plus mid range gaming. My GPU choice was going to be the 6950. Then flash it to a 6970 but it seems newegg doesnt sell a reference design card anymore. I did see the xfx card on the website but didnt see the all important switch for the dual bios.

I see the new 7950 and 7970 but the prices are out of range for now.

Still have to pick out a CPU/APU and mother board. Everything else is bought. (using a 90Gb ssd drive for OS and 1 Tb 7200rpm for storage.)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814150549

(If I am wrong on that xfx 6950 on newegg let me know.)

Any suggestions?
 
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Yeah, I wouldn't bother with any of the overpriced 6950s that are still available.

The GTX570 is a good choice at $260. The HD7850 is not a strong value for the same amount, see bench: http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/549?vs=518. At best it ties the 570, but much more often loses, sometimes by a lot.

If you want to spend more, this HD7870 is actually an ok value at $331 shipped right now with code "DISTRICT20":

http://www.superbiiz.com/detail.php?name=AT-7870_2G

At least it beats the 570 in just about everything: http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/548?vs=518
 
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Termie said:
Yeah, I wouldn't bother with any of the overpriced 6950s that are still available.
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/548?vs=518
Click to expand...

Just buy a used 6950. Ebay is flooded with them. I got one with an included waterblock (~$100 value if you already water cool) for $192 shipped after Ebay 10% off coupon.

Unlocked 6950 performs between a 7850 and a 7870 while using a little more power. A 7870+water block would be like $450, if a water block was even available (none shipping yet to my knowledge). I'm happy to get the same performance for like 40% of the price.

I've stopped chasing the bleeding edge. Buying the previous gen in the used market still lets you play all the latest games, but you save tons of cash.
 
+1 for buying a used one. I just bought a 1GB XFX 6950 for $120 shipped, and if you're patient you can probably snag a 2GB one for $180 shipped. If you have a 16x10 monitor, you might not even benefit from the 2GB of VRAM anyway.
 
I would ether go with the 7850, or the 560 ti 448, or 570 as the current nvidia lineup can be had for a heck of a lot less than what they were at just a couple months ago.
 
aaksheytalwar said:
Once overclocked the 7850 is much faster than any 6970 or 570
Click to expand...

I dunno, max overclock 6970 vs. max overclock 7850 would be pretty close in most games. The 7850 definitely wouldn't be 40% faster, which is the price difference ($250 for new 7850, $180 for used 6950, then unlock).
 
aaksheytalwar said:
Once overclocked the 7850 is much faster than any 6970 or 570
Click to expand...

Depends on the overclock. At 1050MHz it's 5-10% faster than a stock 6970 in most games. Sure it will use less power, but it will also cost almost a $100 more than a used 2GB 6950 flashed to 6970 @ 6970 speeds.
 
I am not at home but off the top of my head my spec:
24inch hanspree LCD/LED TV/Monitor 5ms response time (compusa)
8Gb DDR3 1600 Rip Jaws
90Gb SSD drive
1Tb 7200RPM hard drive
nice name brand mid-size tower , lots of fans
Forgot which brand-Name brand (good quality) 750 watt power supply

I really want to stay below $250. I am open to any card, any brand, any model, cheaper the price the better. (That gives me a fair/good mid-range performance.)

Not sure about a used card as there is no warranty. It can die the same day you get it or arrive DOA and your out of luck.

Looked at something like the Nvidia GeForce 460 GTX 1Gb but cards in that range seem to struggle with new games. I do not want to have to up grade again to soon.

Looking for best bang for the performance buck on a budget. (Aren't we all?)

Looking at the newest generation AMD four core processor for the way below $200 dollar range. They overclock ok and price is right. (Then later maybe a much better processor will come down the line later this year/next year to fit in that socket!)
 
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Sounds like a 560Ti 448 is your card, then 🙂

If you're gaming, and obviously you are, do yourself a favor and buy Intel. Even if all you get is an i5-2400 or similar, you'll get better gaming performance hands down than much of what AMD can muster.
 
Artista said:
Not sure about a used card as there is no warranty. It can die the same day you get it or arrive DOA and your out of luck.
...
They overclock ok and price is right
Click to expand...

With most manufacturers you void the warranty as soon as you overclock the card or add an aftermarket cooler anyway. If you buy a used card on Ebay, Ebay/Paypal buyer protection will cover you against DOA. If UPS/FedEx break it, they will cover it. There really isn't any risk to the buyer if the card is DOA. If it dies a week later, you're out of luck, but the same would be true if you OCed a new card.

Most people, myself included, have gotten more DOA items from new purchases than used. At least with used, the seller has verified that the item was functional before they ship it.
 
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Artista said:
Not sure about a used card as there is no warranty. It can die the same day you get it or arrive DOA and your out of luck.
Click to expand...

I sold my MSI 6950 last week, and the warranty is till valid for the ~2.5 years remaining. It's based on serial number. Just something to keep in mind.
 
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