Radeon HD 6870 vs. 6950. Is there a big performance difference?

Hello,

I would like to know if there is big performance difference between the two GPUs.
I am looking for a cheaper GPU and in my country there is a 100 Euros difference. I am just asking if the hd 6950 is worth the extra 100 Euros.

Thanks in advance.

Here's a comparision of the two cards using AnandTech's benchmark feature.

HD6950 vs HD6870

Interesting. So which would you recommend for me? From the benchmarks I am not sure if the 6950 it worth the extra 100 euros. Could some give me a suggestion?

@ Miz great link. I am gonna keep that for future reference!

If you can afford the 6950 then go that route.
You will get a quicker card and you could also try this.
Works on the 2gb 6950's though.

Depends on what resolution you are running, if it's not 1920x1200 or above you should be fine with the HD 6870.

mine is 1920 x1080. Would the 6870 be good enough?

No, I don't plan on going on higher resolutions. If you mean eyefinity as a higher resolution then I don't plan to do so.

My max res will be 1920x1080. I would like to ask about the 2 GB in some of the 6950s. What is the advantage against a 1GB. Are there any gaming performance improvements?

http://www.hardocp.com/article/2011/02/24/amd_radeon_hd_6950_1gb_performance_review/4

So I am going to be using 1920x1080 resolution. In that case the 6870 should be good enough to run most games on medium to high settings, right?

If I had the 6950 1GB CrossFire, would a Corsair TX750 be enough?

Is it worth the money to make the 2GB 6950 go In CF?

So the hd 6870 will be in the midrange settings right. What about if the 6870 is in CrossFire? Could I use the higher settings in most games?

As Leeky said, you really need to start operating within a budget, here's a sample set of components to help establish a baseline. This is based on the various scenarios you've proposed and allows for a second HD6950 and a future upgrade to Bulldozer.

$160 GIGABYTE GA-990FXA-UD3
$190 AMD Phenom II X6 1100T
$270 SAPPHIRE Radeon HD6950 2GB
$173 CORSAIR HX850

Total in U.S. dollars $795 ($700 with 6870)

SAPPHIRE Radeon HD6870 1GB $175

The radeon hd 6950 is pretty cheap in USA. I live in Slovakia and it is a tad bit more expensive here.

These are the costs in Slovakia with VAT:

118.03 € GIGABYTE GA-990FXA-UD3
167.23 € AMD Phenom II X6 1100T
229 € - 250.87 € SAPPHIRE Radeon HD6950 2GB Dirt 3 Edtion
133,20 € -146.57 € CORSAIR HX850

144.90 € -171.22 € SAPPHIRE Radeon HD6870 1GB

min. 644.46 € with hd 6950 (563.4 € with hd 6870) max with hd 6950 (603 € with hd 6870)

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BTW, when are the bulldozer series coming out?

EDIT: For Crossfire, could I use one 1GB card and another 2GB card?

Is the Corsair hx850 really necessary for the 6950 in CrossFire mode? I don't think I will get another card, so I am just wondering if 750 watts is enough?

This gives you a rough idea of what psu you would need.

I read the sentence. So I need an 800watt.

What about the CORSAIR TX850 or Corsair GS800? How are they different from the HX850?

The Corsair HX850 is a modular power supply, it's what I'm using in my AMD rig. Either of the other two units you mentioned would work as well.

While there is no solid information on the Bulldozer release date most sites are still saying sometime in August or September.

Pretty sure that when you Crossfire cards with different amounts of memory both cards will operate utilizing the lower amount of memory, same for gpu clock speed.