Geforce gtx 570 or Ati Radeon 6950

[TickleMyElmo]

I'm using the 570 now and I have to take it back due to malfunctioning of the fan and the card itself. Should I just exchange it for the same thing or go with the 6950? the 6950 has 2gb memory and the gtx only has 1.2gb. A friend told me that although he prefers nvidia over ati he said that the drivers have been so screwed lately that I should get the ati. He also said the more memory the better. What should I do? Here are specs as of now.

My Rig

1.Asus P8P67 Pro
2.Intel i7-2600k
3.Antec TruePower Quattro 850w
4.EVGA Geforce GTX570
5.WD Caviar Black 1TB
6.Micro Center G2 Series SSD 64GB
7.Creative Soundblaster X-fi Extreme Audio
8.Zalman CNPS9900A LED
9.LG Supermulti Drive
10.Antec 1200

 

[Romanrp]

The 6950 and 570 are very different.
A more fair comparison would be a 6970 vs a 570.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/293?vs=306

But a 6950 can be unlocked into a 6970.
And a 6970 beats a 570.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/292?vs=306

 

[TickleMyElmo]

According to paasmark's benchmarking the 6950 is actually a better card than the 6970. So basically the 6970 is the same as the gtx570?
I've never owned or even used an ati, so I'm kinda reluctant about straying from nvidia but if these drivers are going to keep acting up I'd rather go with the more stable card.

 

[Romanrp]

A 6950 is better than a 6970??
Basically, a 6950 is a lower binned 6970 with some shaders locked.
So the 6950 should never beat a 6970.

The thing is, drivers can be improved, while hardware ,once you got it cannot. (apart from OC)

So its your call.

 

[TickleMyElmo]

You know how you have your pc specs at the bottom of your post? How do I do that so it's there everytime I post something? Thanks!

 

[Romanrp]

Quick links, edit signature.
Then it posts every time. At least for me it does haha

 

[fall]

Even with the Shaders Locked Realworld game performance does not change but by maybe 1fps in dx11 games when a 6970 and 6950 (6970 speeds Shaders LOCKED) square off.

Its your call tho man. I love my 6950s and i am glad i made the switch to AMD.

Also the difference performance wise is minimal between the 570 and the 6970 one or the other pulls ahead in some games the others not..

now if your looking for bang for the $$$ the 6950 with unlocked shaders and OC is alot better than getting a single 570.

 

[TickleMyElmo]

So do you have to buy a certain version for unlocked shaders and oc'ing or just click a button on a program?

 

[jd101]

u need a 2gb with Dual BIOS for the flash i whent for a sapphire 6950 and its uses trixx for over clocking its a bit more complex than just click a button

 

[TickleMyElmo]

Yea, it sounds pretty confusing. Bios on the CPU or do video cards have a bios too? Hmm.. Ill have to check it out.

 

[EarthDog]

The 6950 and 570 are very different.
A more fair comparison would be a 6970 vs a 570.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/293?vs=306

But a 6950 can be unlocked into a 6970.
And a 6970 beats a 570.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/292?vs=306

Looks like its pretty even to me......trades punches is about what I would say.

According to paasmark's benchmarking the 6950 is actually a better card than the 6970.

What?!!!

Supposedly ATI's drivers are worse so, I personally wouldnt stray.

Yea, it sounds pretty confusing. Bios on the CPU or do video cards have a bios too? Hmm.. Ill have to check it out.

Videocards have a bios too.

 

[jd101]

yes 6950 gpu has two BIOS so you can reset it if something go"s wrong

 

[TickleMyElmo]

Veeerry niiice. (Borat's voice)

 

[jd101]

if u have got the money id just buy a 580 job done

 

[TickleMyElmo]

How much is the 580 running? I'll have around 425$ after returning this with what i have now.

 

[EarthDog]

I'll look for you...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...ption=gtx 580&bop=And&Order=PRICE&PageSize=20

A little under $500

 

[TickleMyElmo]

And of course I could always Sli the 570.. Wow, I'd love to see that speed.

 

[EarthDog]

Not worth it (IMO) unless you are running a res larger than 1920x1200.

 

[TickleMyElmo]

No one is answering me in that forum.

Can oc'ing your card cause the "Display driver stopped working, but recovered" error? I oc'ed my card by 200 in the core clock and by 50 in the memory clock. Could that be the culprit or is it a bum card? Also the fan sometimes throttles.

 

[EarthDog]

Yes, 200 core clock is a massive overclock...