AMD Radeon RX 6950 XT $550 @ Micro Center

I would go for a 7800 XT. $50+ cheaper, runs cooler, *slower* but a newer architecture with better future drivers support.
 
sk3tch said:
Good deal. I'd probably still go RTX 4070 SUPER for $50 more.

https://www.techpowerup.com/review/nvidia-geforce-rtx-4070-founders-edition/31.html

For the VRAM bros - you're gonna get a 2 year old card to get 4GB more of RAM for some future game that doesn't exist that will need it? OK.
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That comparison is against a 6900XT, not a 6950. Most AiB 6950's are generally almost 10% faster than a reference 6900, with much of that coming from the better, faster memory. Moreover, a 6950 can generally be overclocked and undervolted to gain nearly 10% more performance for about the same admittedly large power draw.

From the memory side of things, 10GB is already a problem for a 3080. I would expect 12GB to start becoming a problem about a year after the PS5 Pro come out.
 
Teenyman45 said:
That comparison is against a 6900XT, not a 6950. Most AiB 6950's are generally almost 10% faster than a reference 6900, with much of that coming from the better, faster memory. Moreover, a 6950 can generally be overclocked and undervolted to gain nearly 10% more performance for about the same admittedly large power draw.

From the memory side of things, 10GB is already a problem for a 3080. I would expect 12GB to start becoming a problem about a year after the PS5 Pro come out.
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It's not an AIB 6950 XT, it's the reference model.

10GB isn't a problem today. I have an 8GB 4060 in my laptop and it games great. All of this VRAM stuff is overblown.

I linked to the 4070 FE review...not even the 4070 SUPER FE review that I mentioned, so the gap is even wider. :)

https://www.techpowerup.com/review/nvidia-geforce-rtx-4070-super-founders-edition/31.html
 
sk3tch said:
It's not an AIB 6950 XT, it's the reference model.

10GB isn't a problem today. I have an 8GB 4060 in my laptop and it games great. All of this VRAM stuff is overblown.

I linked to the 4070 FE review...not even the 4070 SUPER FE review that I mentioned, so the gap is even wider. :)

https://www.techpowerup.com/review/nvidia-geforce-rtx-4070-super-founders-edition/31.html
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A 4060, especially in laptop configuration, is a low-range chip, which because it uses a "107" named die places it, under Nvidia old naming conventions for generations prior to this one, as a XX50 class GPU. You're not natively pushing many frames at a high resolution with maxed out graphics settings. VRAM at 8GB is not a concern for you. At 1440p with eye candy where the 4070's marketing is targeted, 12GB is/will be a problem.

After all, the 3GB of VRAM in each of my 7970s was great for years and games did not exceed the RAM buffer so long as resolution, and eye candy, and frame rate expectations were lowered accordingly with the passing of time.

While very, very late in the product cycle, a 6950 for $550 is a good deal... if your electricity is cheap.
 
Teenyman45 said:
After all, the 3GB of VRAM in each of my 7970s was great for years and games did not exceed the RAM buffer so long as resolution, and eye candy, and frame rate expectations were lowered accordingly with the passing of time.
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Same thing for the 3080 and 10gb of vram. Working fine for me at 4k. A 4070 super with 12gb will last awhile at 1440p therefore. The 4070 super is a better deal than this 6950xt by far. By the time games require 16gb of vram, the card would be out of steam anyway.
 
Teenyman45 said:
A 4060, especially in laptop configuration, is a low-range chip, which because it uses a "107" named die places it, under Nvidia old naming conventions for generations prior to this one, as a XX50 class GPU. You're not natively pushing many frames at a high resolution with maxed out graphics settings. VRAM at 8GB is not a concern for you. At 1440p with eye candy where the 4070's marketing is targeted, 12GB is/will be a problem.

After all, the 3GB of VRAM in each of my 7970s was great for years and games did not exceed the RAM buffer so long as resolution, and eye candy, and frame rate expectations were lowered accordingly with the passing of time.

While very, very late in the product cycle, a 6950 for $550 is a good deal... if your electricity is cheap.
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No one is arguing it is a good deal. There is just very, very limited use cases where 4GB of extra VRAM (or even 8GB) matters. As mentioned by GoldenTiger - by then your card is old, anyway - you've got room in your framebuffer but your rasterization is now generations behind.

You don't see many RTX 3060 users flexing their VRAM do you? They've long since abandoned those cards if they care about decent gameplay. Same thing I will do next year when the RTX 5060 laptops come out.

FYI - the RTX 4060 laptop GPU is one of the rare "full chip" laptop GPUs. It's the same as the desktop (unlike every one GPU in the mobile lineup). Of course, there are power constraints depending on the chassis, but my G14 can do 125W and there's really zero benefit after 100W for the RTX 4060. It's an incredible GPU.

tldr - 6950XT - good card, good deal. Rather have a 4070 S for $50 more. Cooler, more modern, faster, G-SYNC, RT, etc.

I'd go further and argue the 6950XT is priced right at $550 (and not necessarily a deal) considering the 7800 XT (as LFaWolf mentioned) and other cards in the vicinity.
 
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