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

:cool: savage thread lads,looking around for a good high end GPU,saves alot of hassle lol.
modular all the way!
 
I would go with the HX850 as first choice, the TX850 V2 (only the V2 I might add!) as second, followed by the GS800.

The V2 is the only one I can get in Slovakia. So for price's sake I would go with the TX850 v2 instead of HX850.

Okay so, the TX850 V2 it is.

So my final system should look something along the lines of this:

CPU Phenom x6 1100T OC'ed to about 4GHz
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 +
Motherboard either GIGABYTE 990FXA UD3 or ASUS M5A99X EVO. I can't decide which one to pick. Which would be better?
GPU MSI RADEON R6950 Twin Frozr III OC
PSU Corsair TX850 V2
RAM 2x2 GB RAM Dual channel DDRIII 1066 MHz

savage thread lads,looking around for a good high end GPU,saves alot of hassle lol.
modular all the way!
:)
 
I would go Gigabyte all day long, but the Asus will no doubt be highly recommended.

The TX850 V2 will serve you well.

Wait a min, do you not have the 1100T yet?!?
 
Motherboard either GIGABYTE 990FXA UD3 or ASUS M5A99X EVO. I can't decide which one to pick. :)

These are very comparable boards and I usually wind up trying to decide between ASUS and Gigabyte as both are good. I would need to check some reviews to see if one has an advantage over the over. Do know that the ASUS has the new EFI Bios which looks pretty cool, might be a little easier to navigate than traditional BIOS.

In this case I would tend to lean towards ASUS (because of the EFI Bios) but haven't done the research needed to make a specific recommendation.
 
Wait a min, do you not have the 1100T yet?!?
No.

Doesn't the Asus one support 4 GPUs? I could get the Gigabyte one without VAT, making it cheaper than the Asus one.
If the Asus one is better however, then I don't mind spending an extra 20 Euros on it.
 
I wouldn't even get the 1100T if you haven't got it yet. If you definitely plan on overclocking I would go for a 1055T, or a 1075T, and overclock that. They're essentially the same with the exception of the clock speed. e.g. A 1055T will overclock the same as a 1100T, and its quite possible for a 1055T to beat 1100T speeds and beyond. The only difference between the Thuban hexacore's is the set clock speed.

Least thats how I understand it. I went the 1055T route myself, no point paying more when I can have better for cheaper once overclocked. No doubt others can or will confirm or deny this.
 
I could get the Gigabyte one without VAT, making it cheaper than the Asus one.

Go with the Gigabyte then, not enough difference to justify any extra money ... they're only $5 apart here in the states. If you're sure that you will be overclocking then the 1055T would be a good way to save a few more bucks.
 
Least thats how I understand it. I went the 1055T route myself, no point paying more when I can have better for cheaper once overclocked. No doubt others can or will confirm or deny this.

Yeah the 1055,1075,1090,1100 are the same CPU with the exception of the BE feature of the 1090 and the 1100. I had a 1055T and got a 1100T because the prices are so good on them now, and makes a good placeholder until AMD finally gets Bulldozer out the door. I also got the 1100 for the unlocked Multi and the chance that the 1100 was binned a bit higher. I managed to get another 200Mhz than I did the 1055T. I don't know if that was the change from the Asus Formula IV to the Gigabyte GA-990-FXA-UD7, or actually a better bin. If you are really an avid OC'er, you may want to pay for the BE.
 
So should I wait for the bulldozer series? But those will get to Slovakia in a year!

I want the 1100T for being the only BE where I can buy it from. I like the unlocked multiplier.

So what do you think I should get?
 
It really comes down to what your budget is for this build. If you can afford it then go ahead and get the 1100T. Along those lines, you might also want to consider some higher speed memory; say at least DDR3 1333 - preferably DDR3 1600. Also, might not be a bad idea to go with 8GB (2x4GB).
 
Maybe I will update that later. Anyway I have windows 32 bit so more than 4GB will not be usable.
 
Maybe I will update that later. Anyway I have windows 32 bit so more than 4GB will not be usable.

True, missed that.

Just one other thing comes to mind and this is strictly a matter of personal preference. While I'm sure that the MSI RADEON R6950 Twin Frozr III is a nice card it will (because of it's design) vent heat into the case. The reference design of the HD 6950 has a closed housing which vents almost all the exhaust out of the back of the case.

Heat build up inside the case is going to have a direct bearing on your maximum stable overclock. Since it sounds like you may have space issues with your current case this could pose a problem.
 
I don't have fans in/on my case.

Heat build up inside the case is going to have a direct bearing on your maximum stable overclock.
Is this for the CPU or the GPU? Oh and, how much space should be left between the CPU cooler and the case panel?
 
If you don't have fans in your case your going to have huge issues with cooling two OC'd HD6950's, and a 1100T.

You must have plenty of cooling, it is crucial as heat is the arch nemesis of anything overclocked. I would also seriously recommend reference cards as well, as like Mizzou has stated above, they will vent the heat they're generating out the back of the case. You do not want two cards hitting 60-80'C blowing area around your case with no reasonable way of it escaping.

As long as the CPU cooler clears the side panel its fine. Its more important to ensure that wiring is kept clear of any moving parts to prevent entanglement.

What case are you using?
 
If you don't have fans in your case your going to have huge issues with cooling two OC'd HD6950's, and a 1100T.
I am only going to use one 6950 so far. Once I get two into CrossFire then I might consider a new case.

What case are you using?
Here is my case - in Slovak. You can translate. Here in English.
 
I personally feel that case will struggle to keep the temperatures down on even one HD6950, and thats with both fans being used (front and back).

I urge you to consider purchasing a reference design HD6950 if you have to continue using that case.

Another option would be to drop the 1100T in favour of a 1055T/1075T and use the surplus money to purchase a case with better cooling. In the grand scheme of things it might be a better option.
 
I urge you to consider purchasing a reference design HD6950 if you have to continue using that case.

Another option would be to drop the 1100T in favour of a 1055T/1075T and use the surplus money to purchase a case with better cooling. In the grand scheme of things it might be a better option.
I was thinking about getting the Eurocase ML 9801 X2 COOLING case. Would that be good enough?
 
That would offer loads more cooling for your setup, and therefore I would advise it over the original case you mentioned.
 
It costs above 70 euros with VAT. Would CoolerMaster Dominator CM 690 Lite II Black be better than the eurocase? It costs moreorless the same.
 
The CM690 would be the best solution of the lot in my experience. It has capacity for 10 fans, which will provide more than enough cooling for the entire setup in the hottest of conditions.

You will need to order a few fans though, but I would recommend you recieve it first, and then go from there. But a fan or two at the front is recommended to cool your hard disks, and I would definitely go with both side fans exhausting air to get rid of the heat of the GPU(s). Using the top fan on exhaust is recommended too, as hot air rises so its a natural way of removing air.

This gives a cheap example of airflow using the extra fans:

100483d1236521112-increase-airflow-my-pc-case_airflow.jpg


Also bear in mind the two side fans will be blowing air out of the case as well. With so much exhaust fans it kind of causes a windtunnel effect inside the case, and does a fairly good job of removing hot air.
 
I don't really want to order extra fans. I just would like to have them already in there, no extra buying.

BTW Would this amount of space be big enough to fit the 6950?

 
I believe its a shade under 300mm in length, so you should be fine with that case.
 
What about the NZXT Lexa S or NZXT Hades as a case? Would that be better than the CM690 or the Eurocase ML 9801 X2 COOLING? Would the CoolerMaster Hyper 212 + fit the NZXT LEXA S or NZXT Hades?

I would like a case that already has coolers in it. Should I just use my current case and buy coolers to put into it?
 
Back