PowerColor HD 6950 PCS++ 2048 MB

W1zzard · Feb 10, 2011, 11:54 AM

To read this review go to: http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/P...PCS_Plus_Plus/

Ev1LrYu · Feb 11, 2011, 09:23 PM

Nice, PC decided to save us the effort of flashing :cheers:

bear jesus · Feb 11, 2011, 10:19 PM

This has got to be the best 6950 to buy if you intend to flash to a 6970 although i was surprised to see the cooler is designed to use four heat pipes yet only has three.

One question though, is the VRM heatsink actual copper or aluminum colored to look like copper?

Ev1LrYu · Feb 11, 2011, 11:09 PM

if its anything like my 5870PCS+ then its actual copper

bear jesus · Feb 11, 2011, 11:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ev1LrYu

if its anything like my 5870PCS+ then its actual copper

That would be good, one thing i really hate is when company's try and make aluminum look like copper.

danc · Feb 11, 2011, 11:46 PM

Bios Signature dump?

The bios switch of Powercolor has they made it that switching do not need to reinstall Catalyst?

Default Cayman boards need to reinstall catalyst to detect changed bios.

cdawall · Feb 11, 2011, 11:48 PM

this card confuses me who wouldn't just leave it as a 6970?

danc · Feb 12, 2011, 12:07 AM

I found TPU voltage readings strange. In reviews of default 6950 gpu voltage is 1.1v (fair), in PCS++ Performance is 1.23v(high!!!) and in default 6970 is 1.05v (huh? so low?).

Think so any people?

bear jesus · Feb 12, 2011, 01:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cdawall

this card confuses me who wouldn't just leave it as a 6970?

I would hope no one

i just see this as powercolor cashing in on the 6950 unlocking by making a card designed to be unlocked out of the box.

Many people are scared of bios flashing so this is perfect for them or lazy people like myself, i would so prefer to flick a switch before installing over flashing the bios.

thunderising · Feb 12, 2011, 05:49 AM

Umm, dont compare the memory OC to HD5770.

The HD5770 have 5Gbps memory chips. These AFAIK(HD6900) have 5.5 or 6Gbps chips.

Loosenut · Feb 12, 2011, 05:57 AM

Great review W1zzard, thank you.

If I had the funds, this would be my next card for sure. I have two 5870 PCS+ in crossfire and I've never had any issues. Powercolor rocks!

wolf · Feb 12, 2011, 06:14 AM

I think its neat that they include the shader unlocked bios right there for convenience, tested to work and all.

memory clock is freakin AWESOME too.

W1zzard · Feb 12, 2011, 06:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thunderising

Umm, dont compare the memory OC to HD5770.

The HD5770 have 5Gbps memory chips. These AFAIK(HD6900) have 5.5 or 6Gbps chips.

pictures are in the review

Quote:

Originally Posted by danc

I found TPU voltage readings strange. In reviews of default 6950 gpu voltage is 1.1v (fair), in PCS++ Performance is 1.23v(high!!!) and in default 6970 is 1.05v (huh? so low?).

Think so any people?

measured with the same multimeter, the same method, at the same spot on all three

Vargtass · Feb 12, 2011, 11:31 AM

Great review again, thx W1zzard!

Could you please show us the vcore readout point(s) on this pcb?

bbmarley · Feb 12, 2011, 10:29 PM

Great review!!!

i am happy to see world of warcraft back in your reviews

WhiteLotus · Feb 12, 2011, 10:48 PM

Would one think they would "fix" the idle fan noise?

33db at both load and idle seems insane.

Melvis · Feb 13, 2011, 01:15 AM

Good to see the heat down with these coolers. Looks like a good card at higher res.

Mr.Blade · Feb 13, 2011, 03:28 PM

Thank you for this review.

Quote:

Would one think they would "fix" the idle fan noise?

33db at both load and idle seems insane.

That would be really good to know.

damric · Feb 13, 2011, 04:52 PM

Nice review as always. Good job by PowerColor on capitalizing on unlocks, and being first to do so, as far as I have heard so far. I'm sure we will see other manufacturers follow suit, as we see so many motherboards advertising core unlock these days.

They should rename the card the PCS++ W1zzard, as they surely read your unlock guide ^^

Alex_BeNDeR · Feb 16, 2011, 06:39 PM

Voltage Tuning by what? Softmod or hardmod? No one program can make it. Or I didn't find the right one. I want to know method, program, used in this review.

Feb 10, 2011, 11:54 AM	#1
W1zzard Benevolent Dictator Join Date: May 2004 Location: Stuttgart, Germany Posts: 13,758 (4.18/day) Thanks: 184 Thanked 10,207 Times in 3,156 Posts System Specs	PowerColor HD 6950 PCS++ 2048 MB To read this review go to: http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/P...PCS_Plus_Plus/ Last edited by W1zzard; Feb 12, 2011 at 06:36 PM.

Processor:	Intel Core i7-2600K @ 3.4 GHz
Motherboard:	ASUS P8Z68-V Pro
Memory:	3x 2048 MB Mushkin DDR3
Video Card:	ASUS GeForce GTX 670 Direct CU II TOP
Hard Disk:	Crucial C300 128 GB, WD6400AAKS 640 GB, WD15EADS 1.5 TB
Optical Drive:	BenQ DW1640
CRT/LCD Model:	Dell U3011 30", 2560x1600 + 19" 1280x1024
Case:	NZXT H2
Sound Card:	On-board Realtek HD
PSU:	Kingwin Absolute Platinum 550 W
Software:	Windows 7 64-bit

Feb 11, 2011, 09:23 PM	#2
Ev1LrYu Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Philippines! :D Posts: 164 (0.18/day) Thanks: 158 Thanked 22 Times in 20 Posts System Specs	Nice, PC decided to save us the effort of flashing :cheers: __________________ There is no need to purchase overpriced cables because they are gold tipped, blessed by the Pope and waved over an active volcano for good luck. - Kreij Lol, trading 1 core for L3 is almost like losing your manhood so that you can have an extra large finger to please Mrs. While the extra large finger is awesome, but losing your manhood is a big price to pay. - Fourstaff

System Name:	Noobie XTXx \|\| Portalet Crap Machine
Processor:	i5 2500K @ 4.5, 1.345V \|\| i7 2640QM
Motherboard:	ASUS P8P67 PRO \|\| Dell
Cooling:	CM Hyper 212+ \|\| Stock
Memory:	2 x 2gb GSkill DDR3 9-9-9-24 \|\| 8GB DDR3
Video Card:	PowerColor 6970PCS @stock \|\| Optimus (525m)
Hard Disk:	WD Caviar Blue 500 + 320 Hitachi \|\| 500GB
Optical Drive:	Samsung DVD-RW \|\| Stock DVDRW
CRT/LCD Model:	LG W2253TQ \|\| Crappy 1366*768 15"
Case:	CM 690 PURE Black
Sound Card:	On Board
PSU:	ThermalTake Toughpower XT 775w
Software:	Win 7 64bit

Feb 11, 2011, 10:19 PM	#3
bear jesus Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Britland Posts: 1,529 (1.51/day) Thanks: 321 Thanked 200 Times in 162 Posts System Specs	This has got to be the best 6950 to buy if you intend to flash to a 6970 although i was surprised to see the cooler is designed to use four heat pipes yet only has three. One question though, is the VRM heatsink actual copper or aluminum colored to look like copper? __________________ The pastafarian jesus

System Name:	Gaming temp// HTPC
Processor:	AMD A6 5400k temp, waiting for A10-6700 // A4 5300
Motherboard:	ASRock FM2A75 PRO4// ASRock FM2A55M-DGS
Cooling:	stock // stock
Memory:	4GB 1600mhz corsair vengeance // 4GB 1600mhz corsair vengeance low profile
Video Card:	none // none
Hard Disk:	500gb // 64gb sandisk pulse
Optical Drive:	none (no need) // ASUS lightscribe dvd writer
CRT/LCD Model:	acer 22" 1680x1050 // acer 22" 1680x1050
Case:	none // none, considering Silverstone Milo ML03B
Sound Card:	onboard // onboard
PSU:	430W Corsair CXM // 430W Corsair CXM

Feb 11, 2011, 11:09 PM	#4
Ev1LrYu Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Philippines! :D Posts: 164 (0.18/day) Thanks: 158 Thanked 22 Times in 20 Posts System Specs	if its anything like my 5870PCS+ then its actual copper __________________ There is no need to purchase overpriced cables because they are gold tipped, blessed by the Pope and waved over an active volcano for good luck. - Kreij Lol, trading 1 core for L3 is almost like losing your manhood so that you can have an extra large finger to please Mrs. While the extra large finger is awesome, but losing your manhood is a big price to pay. - Fourstaff

Feb 11, 2011, 11:46 PM	#6
danc Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 38 (0.03/day) Thanks: 1 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts	Bios Signature dump? The bios switch of Powercolor has they made it that switching do not need to reinstall Catalyst? Default Cayman boards need to reinstall catalyst to detect changed bios.

Feb 11, 2011, 11:48 PM	#7
cdawall where the hell are my stars Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: some AF base Posts: 16,021 (6.43/day) Thanks: 457 Thanked 2,752 Times in 2,222 Posts System Specs	this card confuses me who wouldn't just leave it as a 6970? __________________

System Name:	Deployment build
Processor:	Phenom II B97@4080mhz 1.6v (24/7 4800mhz max clock)
Motherboard:	Asus Crosshair V Formula
Cooling:	Coolermaster V10 96w TEC, Scientific Rulian fans
Memory:	4x4GB Wintec ONE 1800 9-10-9 1.62v (24/7)
Video Card:	Sapphire 7950 3GB 1150/1400 1.27v
Hard Disk:	2x32GB STT SSD's raid 0, 1TB Samsung F3's, 1.5TB Seagate 7200.11
CRT/LCD Model:	STi 22"
Case:	Thermaltake Commandar MS-I Epic Edition
Sound Card:	E07K USB DAC->Fischer FA-002W High edition
PSU:	Antec TPQ-1200
Software:	windows 7 ultimate x64

Feb 12, 2011, 12:07 AM	#8
danc Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 38 (0.03/day) Thanks: 1 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts	I found TPU voltage readings strange. In reviews of default 6950 gpu voltage is 1.1v (fair), in PCS++ Performance is 1.23v(high!!!) and in default 6970 is 1.05v (huh? so low?). Think so any people?

Feb 12, 2011, 05:49 AM	#10
thunderising Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: New Delhi Posts: 682 (0.72/day) Thanks: 0 Thanked 62 Times in 50 Posts System Specs	Umm, dont compare the memory OC to HD5770. The HD5770 have 5Gbps memory chips. These AFAIK(HD6900) have 5.5 or 6Gbps chips.

System Name:	BAH! - - tHE ECo FReAK
Processor:	Athlon II X4 620 @ 1.15V
Motherboard:	ASUS 785G EVO
Cooling:	Stock
Memory:	Corsair Titanium 4GB DDR3 1600MHz C9
Video Card:	Sapphire HD5850 @ 1.049v
Hard Disk:	Seagate 7200.12 500GB
Optical Drive:	LG 22x DVD RW
CRT/LCD Model:	BenQ G2220HD
Case:	Cooler Master Elite 334
Sound Card:	Onboard
PSU:	Corsair VX550W
Software:	Windows 7 Ultimate x64

Feb 12, 2011, 05:57 AM	#11
Loosenut Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Montreal, Qc. Canada Posts: 717 (0.59/day) Thanks: 319 Thanked 169 Times in 150 Posts System Specs	Great review W1zzard, thank you. If I had the funds, this would be my next card for sure. I have two 5870 PCS+ in crossfire and I've never had any issues. Powercolor rocks! __________________ "A closed mouth gathers no foot" -Me My Heat Ebay

System Name:	Loose nuts & bolts
Processor:	Phenom II X4 955 BE EK Supreme HF full nickel
Motherboard:	ASUS M4A79XTD EVO
Cooling:	Water EK goodness all around 2xBlack Ice X-280
Memory:	4x2Gb G.Skill Trident 1600 @ 8-8-8-24-1T
Video Card:	Powercolor PCS+ HD 5870 @875/1225 24/7 EKFC 5870v2 nickel
Hard Disk:	2xWD Black 500GB in RAID0 & 1 Maxtor 320Gb(storage)
Optical Drive:	LG GSA-H62N
CRT/LCD Model:	Acer x223whbd
Case:	NZXT Beta EVO
Sound Card:	on board
PSU:	Corsair HX850
Software:	Win 7 Ultimate x64

Feb 12, 2011, 06:14 AM	#12
wolf Performance Enthusiast Join Date: May 2007 Location: Enrichment Center for Aperture Laboratories Posts: 5,312 (2.41/day) Thanks: 1,676 Thanked 844 Times in 707 Posts System Specs	I think its neat that they include the shader unlocked bios right there for convenience, tested to work and all. memory clock is freakin AWESOME too. __________________ “my goal is speed, full ultra, and extreme gaming” -Ephraim “Yeah you can always overclock the 2gb memory to 4gb” -jaredpace

System Name:	MightyX (M-ITX)
Processor:	Core i5 2500K
Motherboard:	Giga H67N-USB3-B3
Cooling:	CoolerMaster Vortex+
Memory:	8gb Geil Corsa 1333
Video Card:	Asus GTX670 DCII oc
Hard Disk:	Corsair Force 3 120gb
Optical Drive:	Zalman ZM-MFC2
CRT/LCD Model:	LCD @ 1080P +TV
Case:	Lain Li PC-Q08B
PSU:	Corsair HX620W

Feb 12, 2011, 11:31 AM	#14
Vargtass Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 25 (0.01/day) Thanks: 16 Thanked 3 Times in 1 Post System Specs	Great review again, thx W1zzard! Could you please show us the vcore readout point(s) on this pcb? __________________ ASUS P5K Premium 2.00G/A02 - Bios 1101 Q9650 @ 4.0 @1.30 - 24/7 (L036B363) Corsair 4 x 2048 8500 C5 ASUS HD 6950 2GB Cooling: H20. (CPU / GPU / NB) MIST 800W

Processor:	Q9650 - (L036B363)
Motherboard:	Asus P5K Premium
Cooling:	D-Tek Fuzion- Maze 4 Acetal -MCW30- MCP655
Memory:	Corsair XMS 8500 C5
Video Card:	ASUS HD6950 2 GB DDR5 unlock
Hard Disk:	2 x Western Digital Black
Optical Drive:	LiteOn DVD RW
CRT/LCD Model:	Samsung @ HP
Case:	Lian Li PC-A7010
Sound Card:	X-Fi Extreme Music
PSU:	Mist 800 W
Software:	W7 64

Feb 12, 2011, 10:29 PM	#15
bbmarley Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 369 (0.21/day) Thanks: 56 Thanked 71 Times in 57 Posts System Specs	Great review!!! i am happy to see world of warcraft back in your reviews

Processor:	2500k
Motherboard:	Asrock Extreme3 Gen3
Cooling:	CM Hyper 212 EVO
Memory:	8G Corsair Vengence
Video Card:	X2 ATI 6950 2G CrossfireX VTX3D / MSI TF2
Hard Disk:	OCZ Agility3 / F1 1tb
CRT/LCD Model:	Hazro HZ27WC / x3 BenQ G2222HDL Eyefinity - 5760x1080
Case:	Fractal Design Define XL
Sound Card:	Onboard / Edifier RT1600
PSU:	Cooler Master Silent Pro Gold 700W

Feb 12, 2011, 10:48 PM	#16
WhiteLotus Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Plymouth, UK Posts: 4,798 (2.26/day) Thanks: 529 Thanked 856 Times in 682 Posts System Specs	Would one think they would "fix" the idle fan noise? 33db at both load and idle seems insane. __________________ “Sorry but I cannot respond now, I am running a full virus scan on the internet.” -brandonwh64

System Name:	Vintage
Processor:	i3 530 at Stock
Motherboard:	Gigabyte GA-H55M-UD2H
Cooling:	Scythe Zipang II
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Optical Drive:	some LG thing
CRT/LCD Model:	Samsung SM223BW 21.6"
Case:	Generic
PSU:	Corsair HX 520W
Software:	Windows 7

Feb 13, 2011, 01:15 AM	#17
Melvis Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Australia Posts: 2,926 (1.55/day) Thanks: 601 Thanked 459 Times in 381 Posts System Specs	Good to see the heat down with these coolers. Looks like a good card at higher res.

System Name:	Night Rider \| Mini PC \| Transcoder
Processor:	AMD FX 8350 \| AMD Phenom II 955 \| Phenom II X6 1055T
Motherboard:	GA-990FXA-UD3 AM3+ \| GA-MA78LMT-S2 \| Gigabyte 880GM-UD2H AM3
Cooling:	All three systems have the AMD 4 Copper Pipe Heat Sink
Memory:	4x2GB DDR3 G.Skill 1600 6-8-6-24\| 2x4GB Ripgaws 1333 \| DDR3 Corsair 1600 Dominator
Video Card:	2 X HIS 7870's \| Gainward GTX 650 TI \| Onboard ATI 4250
Hard Disk:	300GB VRaptor /160 Raptor X/1TB WD Black \| Raptor/WD Black \| WD 320/WD BK 1TB
Optical Drive:	Pioneer x2 \| Sony DVD \| Sony DVD Burner
CRT/LCD Model:	Dell 2007FPS 20.5" LCD 16001200 \| Dell 20" LCD 16801050 \| 15" Dell LCD
Case:	Atrix 9001-C4 \| Mini ATX Case (custom) \| Coolermaster Elite 342
Sound Card:	Onboard \| Onbaord \| Onboard
PSU:	Corsair HX-850 \| Silverstone Mini 450W \| Corsair CX-400
Software:	Windows 7 Pro 64 \| Windows 7 Pro 64 \| Windows 7 Pro 64
Benchmarks:	3DMark 06 with SLi rig = 7964 8600GT's...

System Name:	Blade of Darkness
Processor:	Intel Core2Quad Q9300 @ 3,4GHZ
Motherboard:	ASUS Striker II Formula
Cooling:	Fans
Memory:	Corsair DDR2 XMS2 4GB @ 1021MHZ CL5
Video Card:	ASUS/EN8800GTX
Hard Disk:	Samsung HD103SJ
Case:	Ante Nine Hundred
Sound Card:	X-Fi Xtreme Gamer
PSU:	BeQuiet Dark Power 650W

Feb 13, 2011, 04:52 PM	#19
damric Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: In a troll cave Posts: 295 (0.25/day) Thanks: 227 Thanked 72 Times in 44 Posts System Specs	Nice review as always. Good job by PowerColor on capitalizing on unlocks, and being first to do so, as far as I have heard so far. I'm sure we will see other manufacturers follow suit, as we see so many motherboards advertising core unlock these days. They should rename the card the PCS++ W1zzard, as they surely read your unlock guide ^^ __________________ CPU-Z validation sig pics temporarily blocked

System Name:	pron finder
Processor:	Core 42% Overclocked NB 50% Overclocked
Motherboard:	20% Overclocked
Cooling:	78% Nitrogen, 21% Oxygen, 1% Argon
Memory:	80% Overclocked
Video Card:	Core 29% Overclocked VRAM 20% Overclocked

Feb 16, 2011, 06:39 PM	#20
Alex_BeNDeR Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 1 (0.00/day) Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Voltage Tuning by what? Softmod or hardmod? No one program can make it. Or I didn't find the right one. I want to know method, program, used in this review.

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