Expensive 6950 or Cheap 6970 Options

[edgeofsanity]

Hi

I'm helping a friend build a gaming system.
His specs are:
Intel i5 2500k
ASUS P8-Z68-V Pro Gen3
Coolermaster GX750 Watt PSU
Antec Kuhler 920
8GB Corsair Vengance RAM

We can't decide on whether to get a good ASUS 6950 2GB http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_p...oducts_id=16856 or a not so great Powercolor 6970 2GB http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_p...oducts_id=18718 I told him to get a decent 6950 because it will last longer, run cooler and overclock better. The ASUS 6950 is $320 and the Powercolor is $350. To me the Powercolor looks a little flimsy. Also I know that the 7000 series is just around the corner but he needs a PC now.

What are your opinions? Good 6950 or not to so great 6970?

Thanks

This post has been edited by edgeofsanity: Dec 21 2011, 01:12 PM

[ameel]

why would you think the 6950 is better than the 6970? Clock-speed wise the 6970 is better... i'm convinced if you were to OC both and compare, the 6970 would OC better given it already has better stock clock to begin with. anyone approve/disapprove?

This post has been edited by ameel: Dec 21 2011, 01:37 PM

[edgeofsanity]

The build quality of the ASUS looks a lot better and the cooling.

[ameel]

The build quality of the ASUS looks a lot better and the cooling.

ahh, kk. my bad. i thought you'd be after power performance :/ i dunno about looks/cooling/durability :P

[Dasa]

cheap 6950 2g $269 or wait for 7950 imo
he can run on igp to start with and older games like l4d2 will run ok but bf3 wont be so good
look at a better psu
antec 520w $79 would be an improvement and plenty for a single gpu system
FSP Aurum Series 650W $119 would be better still
or there is this top quality psu which should last a few builds and could handle 6950\7950 crossfire Corsair AX650 Gold $185

[edgeofsanity]

He doesn't want to wait for a the 7000 series he want a PC within the next week. The card has to last a good bit. Also what happens if the 7000 series turns out to be like Bulldozer?
And you think a decent 650Watt PSU like Corsair HX650 or the FSP Aurum 650 will be enough to power his whole system even if he chooses a 6970?

This post has been edited by edgeofsanity: Dec 21 2011, 02:02 PM

[ameel]

He doesn't want to wait for a the 7000 series he want a PC within the next week. The card has to last a good bit. Also what happens if the 7000 series turns out to be like Bulldozer?
And you think a decent 650Watt PSU like Corsair HX650 will be enough to power his whole system even if he chooses a 6970?

Unlikely for the 7000 to be like bulldozer. It's gonna be freaking awesome. Massive improvements. Price-wise supposedly very competitive as well (y). i'd still go for the cheapest 6970 i could find if i wanted a graphics right now

[Dasa]

He doesn't want to wait for a the 7000 series he want a PC within the next week. The card has to last a good bit. Also what happens if the 7000 series turns out to be like Bulldozer?
And you think a decent 650Watt PSU like Corsair HX650 will be enough to power his whole system even if he chooses a 6970?

a good 450w psu would happily run a single gpu system with a 6970
and like i said he could have the pc working within the week it just wouldnt play all the latest games for another month when the gpu was added
if there is any truth to rumours we should get a bit of a look at 7970 in the next two days
it probably wont live up to some peoples expectations of flogging gtx580\6990\gtx590 but i would be very surprised if it wasnt atleast nice step up from 6970

[ameel]

Actually, if the budget is set for about $350, it's HIGHLY unlikely you'll be getting a new 7970 for that price. so all you'll really be waiting for is a drop in the price on current 6970/6950. So really, you're looking at just saving some money, and probably not that much. Therefore, it's probably best to just go ahead with a 6970 in my opinion.

[Dasa]

Actually, if the budget is set for about $350, it's HIGHLY unlikely you'll be getting a new 7970 for that price. so all you'll really be waiting for is a drop in the price on current 6970/6950. So really, you're looking at just saving some money, and probably not that much. Therefore, it's probably best to just go ahead with a 6970 in my opinion.

7950 may be around $400 although if there is high demand it will push store prices up

[ameel]

Actually, if the budget is set for about $350, it's HIGHLY unlikely you'll be getting a new 7970 for that price. so all you'll really be waiting for is a drop in the price on current 6970/6950. So really, you're looking at just saving some money, and probably not that much. Therefore, it's probably best to just go ahead with a 6970 in my opinion.

7950 may be around $400 although if there is high demand it will push store prices up

ah yeah, that's right. speculation is the two will be released early jan? well hopefully OP has an idea now and can make a more informed decision:)

This post has been edited by ameel: Dec 21 2011, 02:27 PM

[Dasa]

ah yeah, that's right. speculation is the two will be released early jan? well hopefully OP has an idea now and can make a more informed decision:)

yep truth be told there is no wrong choice with 6950\6970\7950 they should all work out well with a bit of luck

[edgeofsanity]

Ok so here is the deal. I downgraded a couple parts to put together this build:

Intel i5 2500k
ASUS P8Z68-V Gen3
ASUS Radeon HD6970 2GB dual fan cooler
Noctua NH-U12P SE2
Corsair Vengance Low Profile 8GB DDR3 1600MHz (had to use Low Profile RAM so that it will fit underneath the heatsink)
Fractal Design Arc Mid Tower
FSP Aurum 650W GOLD Modular PSU
Western Digital Green 1TB HDD
LG SATA Optical Drive

What do you guys reckon? I think the 6970 will be fine and be able to play upcoming games at high settings for the next two years or so.

This post has been edited by edgeofsanity: Dec 21 2011, 02:59 PM

[alexdtree]

i have a powercolor 6970 bought it a few months back runs great have had no problems so far aside from it being a little hot. but yeah great card ide recomend it if you can afford it get a better brand but only if its actually has better cooling or other features no just because 'its more expensive'.

[Dasa]

try get a non green drive thats 7200rpm for a os\game hdd
maybe its just me but $400 seems like a lot to spend on a old card thats not much quicker than a $270 6950
but it will be cooler and quieter though with a longer warranty which i guess is what your paying for

This post has been edited by Dasa: Dec 21 2011, 03:10 PM

[edgeofsanity]

Whats wrong with green drives? And you pay $400 for the build quality also one more question: will the fractal design arc mid hold the 6970 alright?

[Dasa]

green drives are just slow as they run around 5400rpm so windows and games will take a fair bit longer to load and windows itself will just feel more sluggish
case should handle the gpu ok i think (without looking to make sure)

[edgeofsanity]

Alright I had a look at the website we'll have to remove a hdd cage and I changed the drive to a seagate barracuda which is 7200RPM

[ameel]

The build's looking nice (y) Put up pictures after its assembled :D

[edgeofsanity]

I'm not building it. He is a pretty messy guy so the cable management may not be all that great! But I'll ask him for some pictures and upload them.