560 Ti vs 6950 Aghrrh

piXel

Gawd
Joined
Jul 17, 2007
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535
I'm itching to upgrade my GPU,currently using a GTX 260. i play at 1680x1050 rest of my system is 4.4ghz 2500k, 4 gig ram, 650 watt HX v2 psu.

At my resolution the 560 TI seems to yeild better results in most games than the 6950, but the 6950 comes with 2 gig Vram for pretty much the same price as the 560t. But at my resolution im not even sure if this will be needed, but with games like BF3 and elderscrolls coming out im a bit wary.

I know you can unlock shaders on the 6950 but i dont want a referance card with a piss poor cooler.

The 2 cards ive been considering are
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-113-MS&tool=3
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-114-MS&groupid=701&catid=1914&subcat=1341

Can the shaders on that 6950 be unlocked?

And at my resolution what would you guys go for, its a hard as hell choice for me.
 
Well i have 2 reference cooled xfx 6950 2gb edition that i flashed to 6970 and still had room to oc and in a nzxt phantom case and fans at 65% my temps never go above 52 even while playing crysis maxed out on a eyefinity setup
 
The 6950 is usually a better bet for the money. Im going with a 560 cuz i want to do nividia. Plus at that res i dont think you would need 2gbs of ram
 
Well i have 2 reference cooled xfx 6950 2gb edition that i flashed to 6970 and still had room to oc and in a nzxt phantom case and fans at 65% my temps never go above 52 even while playing crysis maxed out on a eyefinity setup

I honestly find that hard to believe, 52 degrees in crysis ;s ive heard people report temps much higher then that.
 
I honestly find that hard to believe, 52 degrees in crysis ;s ive heard people report temps much higher then that.

A lot of people seriously BS their temperatures or they just live way up in Northern Canada or on top of a mountain at an altitude of 15,000 feet where it never breaks 10C mid-summer. ;)

(and who cares about really low temps once you realize that it doesn't mean jack in the end, when it comes to overclocking and/or long-term stability... as long as they are within reason)
(I use 6850s and between the two cards my idle is near 50C)
 
A lot of people seriously BS their temperatures or they just live way up in Northern Canada or on top of a mountain at an altitude of 15,000 feet where it never breaks 10C mid-summer. ;)

I killed a HDD by piping in 4F air into my case from outside once... pushed the Q6600 to almost 4ghz I recall...
:D
 
Outside air is no good, if it isn't dry... will kill the computer!

This is off topic but iv always wanted to put a rad outside with liquid cooling when its freezing cold like run the tubes through a wall and seal them and then build a very small structure for the rad/fans. 15f outside i wonder what temps you would see lol
 
I was pretty torn up about the same questions, eventually I just broke down and went for the 560ti. Mostly because it was about $50 less up-front cost over a 6950 2gb which saves money for me to upgrade my mb/cpu later, but also because from what I understand there is a lot of performance to be gained by OCing them. I'm coming from a 4870 (2009) and previous to that a 7800gt (2006) so I don't upgrade very often.

In the end I decided that since I only game on 1 monitor (sig) and mostly play WoW anyway, 1gb of vram should do me fine. By the time that starts to limit me it's likely that there will be significantly more powerful cards out there to snatch up. The only game I'm really concerned about is a modded Skyrim, otherwise the state of PC gaming in general is kinda stagnant due to so much stuff being designed for consoles and ported over. With most new consoles not due out until sometime in 2013/2014 it's not likely that I'll have to upgrade again until then.

I think in the end the price was a big deal for me, I haven't paid $300 for a vid card since the Geforce 3 days and after rebate my 560ti will end up costing me about $210, so not too bad. Now if they would just let BD out of the gate so I can figure out if I'm going to go that route or SB....
 
Yeh i missed a deal a few days back on Overclockers on the 560ti, it was £164.99 inc vat for the MSI freezer, unfortuantly im strapped for cash untill my old pc stuff ends tommorow on ebay, was pissed about that tbh.

But still does anyone know if the shaders can be unlocked on the MSI card, or is it just going to be a pointless performance gain at my resolution anyway?
 
I'm itching to upgrade my GPU,currently using a GTX 260. i play at 1680x1050 rest of my system is 4.4ghz 2500k, 4 gig ram, 650 watt HX v2 psu.

At my resolution the 560 TI seems to yeild better results in most games than the 6950, but the 6950 comes with 2 gig Vram for pretty much the same price as the 560t. But at my resolution im not even sure if this will be needed, but with games like BF3 and elderscrolls coming out im a bit wary.

I know you can unlock shaders on the 6950 but i dont want a referance card with a piss poor cooler.

The 2 cards ive been considering are
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-113-MS&tool=3
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-114-MS&groupid=701&catid=1914&subcat=1341

Can the shaders on that 6950 be unlocked?
And at my resolution what would you guys go for, its a hard as hell choice for me.

the MSI's 6950 you choose cannot be unlocked, but honestly nowdays it doesn't matter as long as you overclock it you will gain much more performance vs unlocking shaders, and it's more stable.

even at 1680x1050, I'd go for 2gb VRAM to be future-proof either on GTX 560 TI or 6950s. The price gap isn't big compared to 1gb ver. and more and more modern games are texture-intensive that's also eat up the vram.

There's also a GTX 560 ti 2gb from Palit / Gainward, you may want to take a look if you can find one in 6950 2gb's price range, I bought two ($210 USD ea) 3 weeks ago and am super happy to have them in SLI.
 
I was down on this question up until yesterday as well. Luckily, Newegg made the decision for me by putting up an open box MSI 6970 for $253, which is cheaper than I would have paid for the 6950 and about the same as the 560.

That said, either card will be fine. You're talking about tiny differences in performance between them. The real issue is that ATI has been tripping up lately in drivers. Brink was a disaster for ATI card owners and The Witcher 2 has had less widespread although similarly severe issues. ATI's drivers always seem to burn me, no matter how many people I see on forums saying that they are fine. I've been with ATI for a long time and I really wanted to make the switch to NV, but these damn deals just keep popping up.

"Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!"
 
This is off topic but iv always wanted to put a rad outside with liquid cooling when its freezing cold like run the tubes through a wall and seal them and then build a very small structure for the rad/fans. 15f outside i wonder what temps you would see lol

o/t again.. hahha.. even in some populated cities in Canada we get often -15C in winter, that's better than any cooling system but honestly, I want to be close to my computer rigs when heat is needed (2 rigs pulling 950w and 1050w full loaded).
 
At that resolution I would wait, unless there is a game coming out that you really, really want to get.

But, I do understand the itch you are having :) If you think you will be updating your graphics card before you are going to upgrade your monitor then I would get the cheapest of the two cards. They will both perform really well at your resolution,

However if you plan to upgrade your monitor soon, then get the 6950.

You haven't said if 3D or phsyx are important to you, but, if you think they will be something you might get into in future, then get the 560.
 
Ok i will be the first one to say the obvious:

1680x1050?? any of those cards is quite honestly overkill!

If you really want one or the other then sure get the cheapest, if you want to use surround anytime soon (5040*1050) go AMD, if you want easier 3D go Nvidia (i haven't had problem with either kind of test setups, but some peeps have problem understanding the Iz3D setup).

Heck i bet that even a 6870 would be overkill for 1050 (i use a 6850 and it is more than adequate at 1050, and thus i run it at 1080p with up to 4xAA).

Whoever said to go for 2GB, well, quite honestly at that resolution you won't run into any problems with the frame buffer any time soon.
 
Neither card is a good choice. The 6950 is overkill for 1680x1050 and the GTX 560 Ti is overpriced for what it is. Are there any games now that your current card isn't cutting it in? It's always better to upgrade when you need rather than in anticipation - hardware only gets cheaper.*

*99.9% of the time.
 
Ok i will be the first one to say the obvious:

1680x1050?? any of those cards is quite honestly overkill!

If you really want one or the other then sure get the cheapest, if you want to use surround anytime soon (5040*1050) go AMD, if you want easier 3D go Nvidia (i haven't had problem with either kind of test setups, but some peeps have problem understanding the Iz3D setup).

Heck i bet that even a 6870 would be overkill for 1050 (i use a 6850 and it is more than adequate at 1050, and thus i run it at 1080p with up to 4xAA).

Whoever said to go for 2GB, well, quite honestly at that resolution you won't run into any problems with the frame buffer any time soon.

QFT this.

460 768MB here at 1680 with a light OC of 715MHz and BC2 is pegged at 60FPS the entire time in multiplayer with 2x AA all High and SSAO Off. Get a 460 or 6850 and call it a day, at most a 6870 or 560 (non-Ti or Ti if you find a good deal), you'll be golden. Or if you want overkill and a good value get a 6950 2GB, but anything beyond that and it makes no sense whatsoever. +1 to the poster ^^^ who said Eyefinity.
 
HD6950 looks like a very good card for the money. All about pricing. I think the HD6950 is worth at least $40 more than GTX 560ti.
 
yup, happy owner of a 6950. can't go wrong.

love to be able to crank up all the way to uncompressed, not downscaled textures in witcher 2 :] this game has some fine textures
 
I'm itching to upgrade my GPU,currently using a GTX 260. i play at 1680x1050 rest of my system is 4.4ghz 2500k, 4 gig ram, 650 watt HX v2 psu.

At my resolution the 560 TI seems to yeild better results in most games than the 6950, but the 6950 comes with 2 gig Vram for pretty much the same price as the 560t. But at my resolution im not even sure if this will be needed, but with games like BF3 and elderscrolls coming out im a bit wary.

I know you can unlock shaders on the 6950 but i dont want a referance card with a piss poor cooler.

The 2 cards ive been considering are
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-113-MS&tool=3
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-114-MS&groupid=701&catid=1914&subcat=1341

Can the shaders on that 6950 be unlocked?

And at my resolution what would you guys go for, its a hard as hell choice for me.

You could have written this post for me:D. I just did the exact swap your'e talking about a few minutes ago. I have an MSI 6950 (2gb)... which I installed about a month ago. It's a very nice lookin', well built piece of hardware. I'm into simracing quite a bit.... actually that's about 95% of all my gaming. While I found both cards to be extremely fast, with the AMD unit having slightly higher peak framrates in most games, it would micro-stutter in certain views. I jreplaced it just about a half hour ago with the Palit GTX560Ti...also 2GB.. Both card are super smooth when in cockpit view in all the sims I race, but the HD6950 stutters ever so slightly occasionally in exterior playback views only, while the GTX560Ti is smooth everywhere.
 
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I saw this exact behavior on a completely different M/b-CPU (socket 775) configuration a while ago when I owned a Visiontek HD4870-512. I initially thought I was running up against a buffer limit as I game at rather high resolutions. That turned out not to be the case. I also always 'kill' every background process...including antivirus, before running rFactor or NetKar Pro but I had the same result with my 2GB MSI HD6950. I'm thinking it's driver related. It did not happen with the original Galaxy GTX470 or now, with the Palit GTX560Ti. It's really a shame too, because AMD card look really well put together (hardware-wise). It's like "night and day" as far as build quality in AMD's favor. If you play FPS-style games, it does not appear to be much of a problem. The cards are really fast. For me, the microstutter only happens when I'm viewing saved replays...never while driving. I only use cockpit so I haven't tested other exterior views.
 
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I think i will go with the 560 TI 1 gig tbh, ive always had nvidia in the past i dont plan on going to a higher res either.

I notice there are 2 versions of the MSI card, you got the OC version and the stock one, question is can i just overclock the stock card to the same levels as the OC one, i was hoping to aim for a 1ghz overclock if im lucky.
 
I'm all about realism, and given the choice between ATI and Nvidia I'd go Nvidia for the PhysX. Not every game uses it, but games that do look awesome. Nvidia cards also tend to have better warranties and customer service, at least with EVGA. I've read to many horror stories about Sapphire and other companies replacing RMA'd cards with cards that were lower end than the one with issues, etc.
 
Might want to wait until this coming week. The [H]ard FP says price drops are coming on some nVidia cards.
 
On newer games especially those used for reviews, 6950 is ahead, but i picked gtx 560 ti anyway since i played a lot of older games and newer but minor titles (those arent used on reviews), cant stand using AMD and their drivers, either low performance or incompatible AA or even both.
 
I went with a 560 ti, because I wanted nvidia. Super easy installation and good drives and program.

In overall performance the 6950 will kick the 560s butt. Depending on the games. I have heard they can get on the louder side but some ppl have also said they are perfectly quiet. If you are planning on crossfire, I would definitely go for 9650's.

If your wanting stability, or performance of a single card I would go for the 560. The 2 gigs won't mean much unless your doing 2 cards or really pushing the limits. Pretty much either card you won't have alot of trouble playing any games. So find a deal that is the cheapest and go with it.

I know you can get the 560 galaxy for rebate for $183 atm. This is the card I went with and the rebate was easily done. I should be getting mine soon.
 
Yeah im def going 560 TI, $183 NICE how ever i live in the UK so i will get ripped off regardless :p we get 20 percent VAT atm, no such thing as a rebate in uk either.
 
Ok i will be the first one to say the obvious:

1680x1050?? any of those cards is quite honestly overkill!

If you really want one or the other then sure get the cheapest, if you want to use surround anytime soon (5040*1050) go AMD, if you want easier 3D go Nvidia (i haven't had problem with either kind of test setups, but some peeps have problem understanding the Iz3D setup).

Heck i bet that even a 6870 would be overkill for 1050 (i use a 6850 and it is more than adequate at 1050, and thus i run it at 1080p with up to 4xAA).

Whoever said to go for 2GB, well, quite honestly at that resolution you won't run into any problems with the frame buffer any time soon.

This is incorrect, With the rig in my sig I drop below 40fps at times when I push all settings to max, this is at a resolution of 1440x900. I like turning on all the eye candy and am thinking of getting a second 6870 when I buy a new monitor to make sure that everything looks as good as possible.
 
i'd grab the ATi 6950 2gb.

nvidia has driver problems just as much as ATI does. The 6950 is the faster card, better power consummation, Better video performance (hd playback), mutiple montior support (eye infinity from one card)

the 560ti is a over priced card, its performance is less than of the 6950 and is more expensives uses more power. The only advantage it has over the 6950 is physics support. Granted you would have to lower your overall details in games to run it, and not many games support it.

I love my 6870, no driver problems in the games i play, and i play alot of games.
 
you have some bad airflow or something cause im sitting idled and overclocked and im siting at 38 on both cards the temperture in my rooms is 70f
A lot of people seriously BS their temperatures or they just live way up in Northern Canada or on top of a mountain at an altitude of 15,000 feet where it never breaks 10C mid-summer. ;)

(and who cares about really low temps once you realize that it doesn't mean jack in the end, when it comes to overclocking and/or long-term stability... as long as they are within reason)
(I use 6850s and between the two cards my idle is near 50C)
 
I honestly find that hard to believe, 52 degrees in crysis ;s ive heard people report temps much higher then that.

65% is a remarkably high fan speed for the reference 6970 cooler. I would rip my ears off running them at 65% all the time.
 
If you use Radeon Bios Editor, you should be able to unlock the shaders on the 6950.....

I have three unlocked, sandwiched into a Rampage III Formula and surprisingly, full blast will run in the high 60C with the fans on 65% and a 120mm fan at the rear.

Not all that loud,yes you can hear them, much more quiet than when I had GTX 480s.:D
 
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