I am working on a build and I have to select my GPU. I am running two 24" 1080 monitors, which is pretty awkward for eyefinity, so I will generally only be using one display. I have been reading reviews and am now torn between saving money and having a setup that will support the next two years of games. I was wondering if for my resolution, a single HD6870 will be sufficient for playing games like Crysis 2 on the highest settings, or should I crossfire two of them? Or would it be a better option for me to purchase a single HD6950 or 6970 now and then crossfire later when games require them? I am trying to make best system without any power going to waste, so what should I do?
-
Welcome to Overclockers Forums! Join us to reply in threads, receive reduced ads, and to customize your site experience!
HD6870 or HD6950?
- Thread starter Ryinator
- Start date
- Joined
- Feb 8, 2011
- Location
- Corona, CA
Actually, my next video card purchase is going to be a 6850. Well, you could probably run 2 in the future, and 1 now. At least that's what I was thinking for myself. I Play Crysis and Far Cry on my 9500 gt, and Crysis kills it. That's just my 2cents.
- Joined
- Jun 22, 2007
- Location
- Dark Side of the Moon
How about filling in the blanks? What's the rest of your system besides the monitors? The 6870 is a great card, and scales extremely well in CF (over 90% scaling). It is faster than a 5850, and can sit just under a 5870 performance wise at stock settings. OC it and the gap closes. And for it's price, it's a great purchase.
If you want more power, I'd probably go for the 6950. 2GB of RAM, not too much more expensive than the 6870, and has a chance to unlock the additional shaders to match that of the 6970s. And it's definitely got more power than the 6870.
If you want more power, I'd probably go for the 6950. 2GB of RAM, not too much more expensive than the 6870, and has a chance to unlock the additional shaders to match that of the 6970s. And it's definitely got more power than the 6870.
- Thread Starter
- #4
Specs are
Phenom II 1055T (will overclock to 4GHz)
12gb DDR3 1600
Asus M4A89GTD Pro
850w PSU
I'm wondering that if I went with 2x HD6950, would my CPU end up causing a bottleneck? Or would everything work nicely at 4GHz?
P.S. How easy is it to flash the 6950 BIOS?
Phenom II 1055T (will overclock to 4GHz)
12gb DDR3 1600
Asus M4A89GTD Pro
850w PSU
I'm wondering that if I went with 2x HD6950, would my CPU end up causing a bottleneck? Or would everything work nicely at 4GHz?
P.S. How easy is it to flash the 6950 BIOS?
- Joined
- Feb 8, 2011
- Location
- Corona, CA
how 'bout a 580?
- Joined
- Jul 26, 2005
- Location
- Vancouver, Canada
i'd suggest grabbing a 6950, just cuz you can unlock them. If you wait for the right deal, it is worth it imho.
- Joined
- Jun 22, 2007
- Location
- Dark Side of the Moon
1 6950 should be plenty if you're using 1 monitor at 1920x1080. Use the money you'd spend on a second one and buy a 3rd monitor for Eyefinity... that 1 card should be more than enough for Eyefinity and still maxing out most games.. Add a second 6950 later when prices drop even more.. Then you'll have quite the sweet setup.
If I had the money to do that, I'd do it in that order.
Also.. how are you running 12GB? I hope you didn't buy a triple channel pack of 3x4GB sticks, as that's designed for Intel's X58 i7s.. and could cause issues in a board designed for dual channel. Or are you going the other route with 2x4GB sticks and 2x2GB sticks?
If I had the money to do that, I'd do it in that order.
Also.. how are you running 12GB? I hope you didn't buy a triple channel pack of 3x4GB sticks, as that's designed for Intel's X58 i7s.. and could cause issues in a board designed for dual channel. Or are you going the other route with 2x4GB sticks and 2x2GB sticks?
- Thread Starter
- #10
Yeah I started with 2x2GB and then the prices dropped and 2x4GB cost what I paid for the 2x2 so I decided to go for it... I didn't see the point of throwing away two almost new sticks in favor of 4x4GB but maybe sometime
Edit: I will probably go with a single HD6950 then. I ran into a problem with my workspace because I have no room for a third display, it would look way overkill for my small bedroom. Maybe I will rearrange some things and make it work!
Edit: I will probably go with a single HD6950 then. I ran into a problem with my workspace because I have no room for a third display, it would look way overkill for my small bedroom. Maybe I will rearrange some things and make it work!
Last edited:
- Joined
- Feb 8, 2011
- Location
- Corona, CA
Nobody likes the 6850?
- Joined
- Nov 12, 2010
its crap... get a cheaper 5830, will do nearly the same.
- Joined
- Feb 8, 2011
- Location
- Corona, CA
really? I want smooth play in Crysis, and want to play Crysis2 when it comes out. I don't need maxed settings. 5830 should do it?
- Joined
- Nov 12, 2010
I dunno, you better get something like a 5870 or 6870 for that.
- Joined
- Feb 8, 2011
- Location
- Corona, CA
Well, I'm too lazy and confused about which one to get, I'll wait until crysis 2 actually comes out. I'm sticking to my 9500 gt.. Oh yea, smokin' fast!
- Joined
- Dec 1, 2007
- Location
- Near Toronto Canada
GTX 560Ti.
T H I S much awesome. This much $
T H I S much awesome. This much $
- Joined
- Jun 22, 2007
- Location
- Dark Side of the Moon
Umm.. no it won't. The 6850 IS the upgrade for the 5830. And on average performs about the same as a 5850.. which stomps all over a 5830. If you decide to OC the 6850, it can equal or beat a stock clocked 6870. The 6000 series also handles tesselation much better than a 5000 card.. and the CF scaling is over 90% if you add a second card.
Here's a little comparison of just the 5850 and 5830, having another 10+ fps on average is hardly 'the same'.. so you can expect at least 5850 performance or more out of a 6850. Compared to a 9500GT, it would eat Crysis for breakfast.
Last edited:
- Joined
- Nov 12, 2010
Umm.. no it won't. The 6850 IS the upgrade for the 5830. And on average performs about the same as a 5850.. which stomps all over a 5830. If you decide to OC the 6850, it can equal or beat a stock clocked 6870. The 6000 series also handles tesselation much better than a 5000 card.. and the CF scaling is over 90% if you add a second card.
Here's a little comparison of just the 5850 and 5830, having another 10+ fps on average is hardly 'the same'.. so you can expect at least 5850 performance or more out of a 6850. Compared to a 9500GT, it would eat Crysis for breakfast.
Hey!
So you say that according to a benchmark there is a slight difference between the 5830 and the 5850. In that case, a 10fps+ difference... Well I saw a review which stated only a minimal difference between 6850 and 5830 in f.mark vantage. it was about 200 points...
In this review: http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/graphics/2010/10/22/ati-radeon-hd-6850-review/8
The hd5850 beats the 6850 by minimum 5fps in BFBC2, getting nearer to the gtx460 758MB and staying slightly above the hd5770 (for this review). So you might revise the total nature of your affirmation and the finding it ridiculous part of your message
. This one is also informative: http://www.hartware.net/review_1188_5.html Here you see the "huge" difference between 6850 and 5830. a difference of less than 10 to 100 fps difference in f.mark vantage.
BTW: where did you read that is was an upgrade for the 5830? The hd5830 has way more texel power but way less pixel power. For high resolutions, you're better off with the 6850, otherwise 5830 which is 80€ less.
Does that change the fact that it's crap just like the 5830? It would be just better for its price tag...
- Joined
- Jun 22, 2007
- Location
- Dark Side of the Moon
Can't find the screens of it, but it listed:
5830 -> 6850
5850 -> 6870
*there isn't a direct upgrade to the 6950, so it's in a class of it's own*
5870 -> 6970
I just disagree calling the 6850 crap, when it is a very good midrange card, that when OC'd can surpass a stock 6870. And I guess I expected less out of the 5830.
5830 -> 6850
5850 -> 6870
*there isn't a direct upgrade to the 6950, so it's in a class of it's own*
5870 -> 6970
I just disagree calling the 6850 crap, when it is a very good midrange card, that when OC'd can surpass a stock 6870. And I guess I expected less out of the 5830.
