Where are all the 6970's?

[bryanW1995]

Supply/demand. 6990 has gotten much better (or maybe less bad?) press than gtx 590, and 6970 is a good alternative to gtx 570 in single card usage and to gtx 580 in extremely high resolution or multiple card configurations. It's also quite possible that AMD set the standard high enough that there are significantly more 6950's being made than 6970's at any given time.

 

[TakeNoPrisoners]

Supply/demand. 6990 has gotten much better (or maybe less bad?) press than gtx 590, and 6970 is a good alternative to gtx 570 in single card usage and to gtx 580 in extremely high resolution or multiple card configurations. It's also quite possible that AMD set the standard high enough that there are significantly more 6950's being made than 6970's at any given time.

The GTX 580 has actually gotten better than the 6970's now because the 3GB models are much easier to get.

 

[RussianSensation]

The GTX 580 has actually gotten better than the 6970's now because the 3GB models are much easier to get.

So a 68% more expensive videocard that's 10-15% faster at 2560x1600 is better to you? The 580 is an overpriced pile of ...I meant the greatest videocard for boosting NV's profit margins.

You can get 2x HD6950 2GB with aftermarket coolers for $540, both of which unlock into HD6970s. I think I'll take 70% more performance over the GTX580 3GB in a heartbeat!

 

[happy medium]

You can get 2x HD6950 2GB with aftermarket coolers for $540, both of which unlock into HD6970s. I think I'll take 70% more performance over the GTX580 3GB in a heartbeat!

Thats 576$ shipped if you are able to get both rebates and $596 if your only able to have 1. And most do not unlock with that card and if it doesen't unlock you have yourself a doorstop in many cases, because there is no bios switch. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Don't forget you can grab 2 gtx570's for less also, if your like most of the world and have less than a $1200 30 inch monitor.

I guess if you can afford the 1200$ monitor, you would have 2 gtx580 3gb anyway, so thats a non issue. I know I would.

So back on the 6970 where are they topic.

 

[Silverforce11]

The thing with the 6950 is that you dont need to unlock it (good if you can). The shaders give around 1-2% performance boost (in games anyway, in bitcoin mining its more), its all the core clock. Fortunately, most 6950s will OC to beyond 6970 speeds and still run relatively cool and quiet.

There's a lot of 6970 stocks where i'm at, but absolutely no 6990s and no ETA on new stocks.

 

[happy medium]

The thing with the 6950 is that you dont need to unlock it (good if you can). The shaders give around 1-2% performance boost (in games anyway

Yea thats true anyway.

Where are you Silverforce? Europe?

 

[Chaosblade02]

You can still OC a 6970 more than a 6950. For people like me who already have bad enough luck as it is just getting good components, I sure as hell don't want to try my luck OCing/unlocking a 6950. Instead of gambling with $250 I would rather pay $350 and just get the real deal and not have to void the warranty.

And 2 6970s in Xfire blow the doors off a GTX 580

And what is the point of even buying a 6990? Most charts I've seen 2 6970s in Xfire beat it, and they run quieter. And if you got 2 6970s stock overclocked with a better/quieter than stock cooler, you can easily beat a 6990.

 

[Red Storm]

And what is the point of even buying a 6990? Most charts I've seen 2 6970s in Xfire beat it, and they run quieter. And if you got 2 6970s stock overclocked with a better/quieter than stock cooler, you can easily beat a 6990.

It's for those who go extreme (2x6990s) or those who don't have enough space/slots for 2 cards.

 

[RussianSensation]

And most do not unlock with that card and if it doesen't unlock you have yourself a doorstop in many cases, because there is no bios switch. Correct me if I'm wrong.

The TwinFrozr III cards have a BIOS switch, see last pic at the bottom.

Don't forget you can grab 2 gtx570's for less also

Sure, that's an excellent deal too. I'd get that over the GTX580 in a heartbeat if I was dropping $550 on a GPU setup.

I guess if you can afford the 1200$ monitor, you would have 2 gtx580 3gb anyway, so thats a non issue. I know I would.

Not necessarily. My Westy cost me $900 when I got it in June 2007. I still didn't purchase 2x 8800 GTX 768mb at the time. I knew that the monitor would last a long time (i.e., I estimated its useful life at 5-10 years), while those videocards would be worth about $100 in total in 3-4 years.

 

[ZimZum]

Not necessarily. My Westy cost me $900 when I got it in June 2007. I still didn't purchase 2x 8800 GTX 768mb at the time. I knew that the monitor would last a long time (i.e., I estimated its useful life at 5-10 years), while those videocards would be worth about $100 in total in 3-4 years.

It never ceases to amaze me when people want advice on how to spend $500 on video card upgrades. Meanwhile their running 16x10 (or worse) resolution. Then they get offended if you suggest that their money may be better spent upgrading their monitor.