Sapphire HD 6950 Dirt 3 Edition = Happiness

[Jhatfie]

After some thought, I decided I wanted to try the 2GB Sapphire HD 6950 Dirt 3 Edition. I must say that it is a fantastic card so far. I actually sold my GTX 580 that was a good overclocker because I like the 6950 so much. Plus after selling the free games (Deus Ex and Dirt 3) I will have got it for about $200 once rebate is factored in, so I get to pocket $200.

Some reasons why I am so pleased:
1) Mine came already unlocked, just moved the switch, BAM 6970 shaders!
2) At a modest 1.18v, mine OC's to 970/1370 stable and artifact free
3) Runs cool and quiet, 37C idle and 60C load with BF3 after about 30 minutes @ 70% fan

Quick comparisons to my OC'd 580
http://3dmark.com/3dm11/2114655 - For 6950 @ 990/1370 (6202)
http://3dmark.com/3dm11/1874324 - For 580 @ 940/2275 (6931)

BF3 @ 2560x1600 Ultra details, 16xAF, no MSAA (using fraps, frames/time/min/max/avg)
580 @ 930/2250: 23416, 560294, 28, 74, 41.992
6950 unlocked @ 970/1370: 22952, 517596, 28, 80, 44.343

http://www.techpowerup.com/gpuz/eb5wz/

 

[RussianSensation]

Excellent card! The cooler is prob. much quieter than the reference design too. For $200, really unbeatable at the moment. I am amazed the card managed 44 fps average at Ultra at 2560x1600 in BF3. You are testing this in single player?

 

[Jhatfie]

Yep, that test was just in single player using "Operation Sword" as the bench. It was the only test I did with the GTX 580 before I shipped it out. So obviously the comparison has a margin of error, but regardless the performance is pretty equal between both of them overclocked at those detail settings. Also of note that I used Ultra settings but manually turned off MSAA and just used FXAA since with MSAA on, it made the game pretty much unplayable at that resolution for both cards, more so on the 6950 as it is hit harder with MSAA on.

 

[Rhezuss]

I have the same card as you and i'm a happy gamer.
Unlocked mine too with the switch, what could you ask more?

 

[Leyawiin]

Grats on the card.

 

[NTAC]

I bought two of these cards Is it all just a switch I gotta flip and I'm good to go?

BTW, how did you sell your games? I kept Deus Ex but I have two Dirt 3 keys that I'd like to sell, where do you go to do that?

 

[lehtv]

Wow that is a nice overclock and at decent temps too! Congrats. Good to know this card can OC well.

 

[sep]

Mine comes in tomorrow $235 after rebate...not sure about selling the games...but that would make it a better deal. Thanks for posting...making me feel good about my purchase ; )

 

[Silverforce11]

Excellent card! The cooler is prob. much quieter than the reference design too. For $200, really unbeatable at the moment. I am amazed the card managed 44 fps average at Ultra at 2560x1600 in BF3. You are testing this in single player?

[H] got ~39 fps with a stock 6970 with those settings.

OP's 6950 is running faster with the OC.

 

[sep]

Just installed mine...but I don't see a switch...where should I look?

 

[cmdrdredd]

Just installed mine...but I don't see a switch...where should I look?

It's tiny, right next to the crossfire connector under the fan shroud (whatever you call the plastic thing). Probably need a pen or something to hit it.

 

[sep]

I'm impressed with this card as is. Smooth...I just got done playing@1080p on everything set to Ultra and no MSAA...Wow.

 

[NTAC]

So I'm confused, I thought the switch was just to return to the original bios if you screwed up on the flash, but apperantly the switch on this card actually turns the card into a 6970?!

 

[3DVagabond]

So I'm confused, I thought the switch was just to return to the original bios if you screwed up on the flash, but apperantly the switch on this card actually turns the card into a 6970?!

Yes, pre-flashed. Just remember there is no guarantee that it will work and be stable. It doesn't seem to be an issue for most though. Probably in the high 90% like the original 6950's were.

 

[Jhatfie]

So I'm confused, I thought the switch was just to return to the original bios if you screwed up on the flash, but apperantly the switch on this card actually turns the card into a 6970?!

Like the Sapphire Toxic HD6950, some of the recent Dirt3 Edition HD6950's have been coming pre loaded with a bios that has unlocked shaders on the secondary switch setting, but set to normal 6950 clock speeds (800/1250).

I believe I am getting near the sweet spot for my settings in BF3 at 2560x1600 is Ultra settings except Shadows, which I drop to high. SSAO instead of HBAO. 16xAF, MSAA off, FXAA set to high, Blur On. Doing that seems to inch my avg frame rates to about 50fps.

 

[NTAC]

Just confused cause I see reviews like these where they want you to flash the bios after you flip the switch and stuff, or other reviews that say the swtich doesn't work...

http://forums.guru3d.com/showthread.php?t=350307

Oh so I THINK I got the jist of it.

You flip the switch to get the shaders unlocked, but you still have to use something like TRIXX to manually set the mhz and memory to match the 6970, is that correct?

So the main reason to take the flash bios approach is so you don't have to manually set the clock on TRIXX, is that correct?

 

[3DVagabond]

Just confused cause I see reviews like these where they want you to flash the bios after you flip the switch and stuff, or other reviews that say the swtich doesn't work...

http://forums.guru3d.com/showthread.php?t=350307

Oh so I THINK I got the jist of it.

You flip the switch to get the shaders unlocked, but you still have to use something like TRIXX to manually set the mhz and memory to match the 6970, is that correct?

So the main reason to take the flash bios approach is so you don't have to manually set the clock on TRIXX, is that correct?

Not exactly. It depends on the specific card. The 6950 Toxic runs at 6970 clocks out of the box.

From the beginning.
When the HD 6950 was first released w1zzard @ TechPowerUp released a guide on how to unlock the shaders. At first it seemed like nearly all 6950's were made with fully functional Cayman CPU's. After a while the success rate at unlocking dropped off. Some people saying that AMD were laser fusing the chips, others just saying that a different method was required. Now, with these new Sapphire models, they are shipping them with the shaders unlocked on the 2nd bios. No need for you, as the consumer, to attempt bios flashing yourself. Just as with other cards, some models come factory O/C'd (the Toxic) and some don't (The Dirt 3 edition). Presumably, the Toxic is a higher binned cpu that the factory has predetermined will run @ 6970 clocks.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Just confused cause I see reviews like these where they want you to flash the bios after you flip the switch and stuff, or other reviews that say the swtich doesn't work...

http://forums.guru3d.com/showthread.php?t=350307

Oh so I THINK I got the jist of it.

You flip the switch to get the shaders unlocked, but you still have to use something like TRIXX to manually set the mhz and memory to match the 6970, is that correct?

So the main reason to take the flash bios approach is so you don't have to manually set the clock on TRIXX, is that correct?

Not...quite...

The flash procedure was used on previous reference cards that had dual BIOS so you could flip the switch if you messed up the flash. There was Two ways to flash. Flash a 6970 BIOS on the 6950 which was risky. Some people fried their cards cause the voltages and clocks were higher than the card would handle. Not all cards would overclock to 6970 levels. The other way was to mod the BIOS and disable the shader lock. After this caught on many manufacturers locked the 6950 cards via hardware so you could not buy a 6950 and unlock to a 6970. They want people spending more if they want more performance.

Sapphire took a different approach. Apparently they don't mind you unlocking the cards and overclocking. They don't warranty it if you fry it, but they won't lock you out. Their cards are usually a bit higher priced than Gigabyte and others because they are unlocked for you. So basically Sapphire saw a market. Offer 6950 cards that are unlocked from the start and charge just a bit more for the benefit.

 

[NTAC]

Not...quite...

The flash procedure was used on previous reference cards that had dual BIOS so you could flip the switch if you messed up the flash. There was Two ways to flash. Flash a 6970 BIOS on the 6950 which was risky. Some people fried their cards cause the voltages and clocks were higher than the card would handle. Not all cards would overclock to 6970 levels. The other way was to mod the BIOS and disable the shader lock. After this caught on many manufacturers locked the 6950 cards via hardware so you could not buy a 6950 and unlock to a 6970. They want people spending more if they want more performance.

Sapphire took a different approach. Apparently they don't mind you unlocking the cards and overclocking. They don't warranty it if you fry it, but they won't lock you out. Their cards are usually a bit higher priced than Gigabyte and others because they are unlocked for you. So basically Sapphire saw a market. Offer 6950 cards that are unlocked from the start and charge just a bit more for the benefit.

So I have two of these cards right now, the dirt 3 Sapphire 6950...

My understanding as it stands right now, is that I can flip the bios switch and that will unlock the shaders for me, but the GPU and memory clocks will not change.

If I want to oclock those I need to use something like TRIXX, is that correct?

I'm currently waiting on a new PSU that can handle this crossfire setup cause my current one is having issues, so I want to make sure that when I get this tomorrow that I do the process correctly, so please correct me if I'm wrong:

1. Flip the bios switch on card 1 and plug it into the system (Only this card, not the second)
2. Confirm tthat the shaders have been unlocked
3. Use the TRIXX utility to oclock the card to 6970 spds, or as high as it can go.
4. Lock those in.
5. Repeat steps 1 through 3 for card #2.
6. Once each card has been unlocked, uinstall AMD drivers, power off, plug in both cards, reboot, and re-install AMD drivers.

Does that sound about right?

 

[cmdrdredd]

So I have two of these cards right now, the dirt 3 Sapphire 6950...

My understanding as it stands right now, is that I can flip the bios switch and that will unlock the shaders for me, but the GPU and memory clocks will not change.

If I want to oclock those I need to use something like TRIXX, is that correct?

I'm currently waiting on a new PSU that can handle this crossfire setup cause my current one is having issues, so I want to make sure that when I get this tomorrow that I do the process correctly, so please correct me if I'm wrong:

1. Flip the bios switch on card 1 and plug it into the system (Only this card, not the second)
2. Confirm tthat the shaders have been unlocked
3. Use the TRIXX utility to oclock the card to 6970 spds, or as high as it can go.
4. Lock those in.
5. Repeat steps 1 through 3 for card #2.
6. Once each card has been unlocked, uinstall AMD drivers, power off, plug in both cards, reboot, and re-install AMD drivers.

Does that sound about right?

Yes you got it right. My new 6950 is unlocked with just the switch and 1.18v takes it to 910Mhz core and 1375Mhz memory. Still testing stability

 

[NTAC]

Yes you got it right. My new 6950 is unlocked with just the switch and 1.18v takes it to 910Mhz core and 1375Mhz memory. Still testing stability

Ok cool beans, I'll let you guys know how I do

How are you testing stability? Just playing or are you using some utilities?

 

[mrjoltcola]

I think they are the best overall deal in GPUs too, but AMD needs to stop cutting corners and put 2 full dual-link DVI ports on the Radeons like NVIDIA cards, or at least some manufacturers need to step up. Yeh, the number of people with dual displays in need of dual-link is small, but if the competition can do it in their lower end GPUs, they can too. I have a Diamond 6950 2GB reboxed to return to MC because of this. I wish I could keep it. It is fast. (Though for what its worth, flashing would not unlock the shaders so don't get this card). I guess it is time to look to the future and replacing one my 30 inch DVI only displays with the newer Dell 3011 with display port, but until then, I don't want to throw away $$ on an expensive adapter.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Ok cool beans, I'll let you guys know how I do

How are you testing stability? Just playing or are you using some utilities?

I did a whole barrage of benchmarks. Everything from Crysis, World in Conflict, every version of 3dmark from 06 to 11, Cinebench, Far Cry 2, Battlefield 3, S.T.A.L.K.E.R, Lost Planet 2.

Just got done running furmark for 30minutes as well.

I've settled on 1.18v @ 900/1350 1375 gave rendering errors in some tests and lower than 1.18v would freeze.

 

[sep]

ok, unlocked and running @ 880/1300

Yes, I'm a happy camper!

 

[lehtv]

I hope 7850 can will be unlockable to 7870...