HD 6870 1GB vs. HD 6950 1GB - which one is worth the money

Atham

Posts: 454   +0
Hello,
I would like to know which of the cards mentioned in the title are worth the money. Is there any significant difference performance-wise?

Thanks
 
Whether they're worth the money is relative to what you are asking of them.

So rather than your question, the one you want to ask is "If I game at this resolution, which one would be more suitable in terms of price?"

Your answer:

Both are worthy if your gaming at 1080p, but the HD6950 is stronger due to being better performing. Seriously, a HD6870 will be fine for gaming at 1920x1080/1200 at high settings. If you have the money spare on top of that get a HD6950.

If your happy to spend the extra money a 2GB HD6950 is the better of the 3.
 
@ Mizzou isn't the hd 6950 in the AndTech a 2GB one?

BTW, in my current case there are no fans. The 6950 and the 6950 2GB had similar FPS in games, and even had a lower score with 3D mark.

So the 6950 2GB would be good for future proof right, new games getting better graphics needs more power. Are there any reviews or benchmarks with the 6950 1GB in Crossfire and 6950 2Gb in Crossfire mode?
 
imo you want the higher frame buffer of the 2 Gb model vs the 1Gb better for high resolutions and cranking up the eye candy.
 
imo you want the higher frame buffer of the 2 Gb model vs the 1Gb better for high resolutions and cranking up the eye candy.

I agree, but the extra 1GB is largely redundant when gaming at lower resolutions sub 1080p. It only really comes into play when your pushing gaming resolutions at 2560x1200 or above (in the case of multi-display setups).

It is of course more future proof when you intend to play at 1920x1080/1200 though.
 
It is of course more future proof when you intend to play at 1920x1080/1200 though.
You mean the 6950 2GB, right? Can't find any reviews with hd 6950 1GB CF vs. 6950 2GB CF.

Overall, is the 6950 2GB worth the extra 40-50 Euros?
And which Hd 6950 2Gb would you recommend me from these
  • MSI R6950 Twin Frozr III Power Edition/OC
  • SAPPHIRE HD 6950 Dirt 3 Edition
  • SAPPHIRE HD 6950 FLEX
 
Yes, for $40 more you get double the GDDR5 memory, so yes, its worth the additional spend.

Assuming the MSI throws the heat out the rear of the case (where the connectors are) then that one. You do not want a GPU that throws the heat produced by the processor inside the case unless you have bloody good cooling as they get toasty when pushed.

Two of them running on top of each other further complicates matters when they blow hot air around inside the case too - not mentioning that once GPU would be blown non-stop like a hair-drier by the other one. So make so they expel the hot air they generate out the back of the case, and not over your internals.
 
No fans in my case like I said, so that throws away the MSI Frozr III, right? What about the dirt 3 edtion?
 
I thought the MSI vented to the rear, hence recommending it. You'll have to do some research to confirm it.

Also, on the topic of CF..

Performance is in this order (slowest first) Hd6870 > 1GB HD6950 > 2xCF HD6870 > 2GB HD6950 > 2xCF 1GB HD6950 > 2xCF 2GB HD6950 (being fastest). Or at least something alone them lines.
 
I believe so, but I'm not 100% on the design, so do some research to confirm it is suitable, or wait for others to confirm on here.
 
Well you'll do no harm looking in the meantime... There is only one way to learn mate, we all did the same when we started out like you are now. :)
 
Well you'll do no harm looking in the meantime... There is only one way to learn mate, we all did the same when we started out like you are now. :)
Hehe. I will give it a try. Should I find a review of the card?
 
Yes, I would google the name of it, and then check each link, you can try review on the end of the product name too. You'll likely find a review will tell you exactly how it works.

Others on here may know just by looking as well, but your doing no harm looking for it yourself to confirm in the meantime.
 
I have a factory overclocked Geforce GTX 460 1GB and i can max out any game at 1920 x 1080 why pay all that extra money when something cheaper does just as good a job!.

There are no games out yet that require more than i have, and there probably wont be for a long time!.
 
Also, on the topic of CF..
Performance is in this order (slowest first) Hd6870 > 1GB HD6950 > 2xCF HD6870 > 2GB HD6950 > 2xCF 1GB HD6950 > 2xCF 2GB HD6950 (being fastest). Or at least something alone them lines.
Indeed....sort of.
HD 6870 > HD 6950 1GB or 2GB (no difference for single monitor) > HD 6870 CFX > HD 6950 CFX (again no difference for single monitor).

vRAM dependancy is more noticeable at higher resolutions (across 2+ screens) and/or when very high levels of antialiasing are involved. You would also find that to make a discernable difference in framerate, you would need to crank the AA past a feasible level (i.e. image quality gain is minimal and framerate drop makes gameplay marginal). Games in general respond better to increased shader count and increased memory, core (and hence shader) frequency.

I have a factory overclocked Geforce GTX 460 1GB and i can max out any game at 1920 x 1080 why pay all that extra money when something cheaper does just as good a job!.
Three screens using one card ? a preference for AMD hardware ? a better level of game IQ in some titles ?
There are no games out yet that require more than i have, and there probably wont be for a long time!.
How amusing !
Feel free to post some benches of Metro 2033 (Max =4 x MSAA, Tessellation and DoF enabled), Dragon Age 2 (Max =4 x MSAA, SSAO, HQ blur and Diffusion DoF enabled), Crysis Warhead (Max =4 x MSAA, Enthusiast (VH) quality inc. Shaders) to name but three...
My GTX 580 struggles with Metro 2033 maxed, so I'm keen to see how high you need to OC a 460 to give better performance. You can post the screenshots in the member gallery to make posting them a relatively easy task.
 
Actually I will not only game. I will do 3D rendering and modelling as well as movie editing.

And I tend to disagree with you BazzaT. Battlefiled 3 is supposed to be able to take advantage of multicore processors. Maybe in a year or two there will be some new technology requiring the 2GB and all the cards will be 2GB like the majority today are 1 GB.
 
The GTX 460 will not max every game try pulling that off with BFBC 2 ASF max and AA max @ 1080P don't think so sir.
 
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