2x AMD 6950 Or AMD 7950

[_ALB_R3D X]

Have you ever crossfired FreedomEclipse? If so do you get microstuttering? I have read some reviews that crossfire has microstuttering.

Happens rarely due to V-Sync OFF or bad drivers but turning vsync on and installing latest CAP helps a lot!I understand all your questions cause I ve been there but believe me there's nothing more beautiful than seeing 2 GPU's go from 0-99%(happens a lot in BF3)
Both my HD6950 are reference model,unlockable but I never even tried unlockingSeriously I don't need more power!!!

EDIT: Definitely 850 Corsair,just to be "safe"

 

[happy]

Happens rarely due to V-Sync OFF or bad drivers but turning vsync on and installing latest CAP helps a lot!I understand all your questions cause I ve been there but believe me there's nothing more beautiful than seeing 2 GPU's go from 0-99%(happens a lot in BF3)
Both my HD6950 are reference model,unlockable but I never even tried unlockingSeriously I don't need more power!!!

Yea. now I am just getting some suggestions as to wait for Sandy Bridge release (to lower the 2500k and 6950) or should I just get it now and get a 7970 or x2 6950.

I don't need 950 - 1000 w if I go crossfire or 7970 right?

 

[FreedomEclipse]

May I ask whats your fps when you crossfire 6970 when playing BF3, MW3, Crysis, and others in general? If I do get the 7970, Should I keep my 650 Corsair TX? Or should I get a 850 Corsair.

No idea, but i get over 100fps in BC2 running the same setup. Id have to use fraps to bench some time.

I never get slow downs while in BF3 game is always stable as hell. even on Ultra settings, everything is smooth like whipped cream.

as for your PSU - I recommend you get something around the 1000watts mark but I have heard a Corsair AX850 can do it fine but still cutting it close. problem with that is the AX850 is as expensive as some of the 1000w+ models. so your in the shit which ever direction you go...

better to have more watts then not enough

 

[FreedomEclipse]

I don't need 950 - 1000 w if I go crossfire or 7970 right?

Depends what youre crossfiring id say

 

[happy]

Depends what youre crossfiring id say

only 6950 or 7970

 

[TheoneandonlyMrK]

get the 7950 , it will piss any game easy for a year and a half by which time you can get another 7950 and game on another year for 80-100 quid seconds then buy new and rerun that ting thats what ive been doing ,bought 5870 day 1 326 vtx3d ocd it to 1050 last year plus then bought 5850 for 80 quid crossfired they will keep me right till 8xxx . just my opinion, 1 of latest beats two of last gen not in fps but in future proof and only just misses the fps in some games still good card and ocd hands down dude get 7950 and waterblock the mofo ,youll get 1300 outa it easy imho

and i was still happy when the 480 -580 beat my card as id paid less and have all in for more then 580 performance

 

[FreedomEclipse]

Most sites recommend an 850w for the 6950 in cross fire so long as theres no much CPU overclocking for a 7970, you could probably get a 750w as they do consume less power.

Its still better to go OTT on a PSU then rather have an under powered one

 

[TheoneandonlyMrK]

coincidentally check my rig 850 corsair TX and ive 2 pumps and 13 120 fans on it plus temp controllers 3 drives pcie ssd 2x 5800 card(less efficient) both Ocd and cpu at 4.15 its fine 24/7 100% folding

i have fitted a faster higher flow but quiter high q fan to it which also spins up for lower V, this made lots of difference to noise levels and psu temps and it spins up more, i think there thermal control is just a simple linearish controlled temp thing so the low spin up volts does do domething

I allways say if ya gona spank it, give it a stroke first(figuritively) be nice to your pc clean it and buy it shit

 

[happy]

Most sites recommend an 850w for the 6950 in cross fire so long as theres no much CPU overclocking for a 7970, you could probably get a 750w as they do consume less power.

Its still better to go OTT on a PSU then rather have an under powered one

Ok I was going to thinking about getting a 850w and no less.

 

[FreedomEclipse]

an 850 will be fine so long as its a decent one

 

[happy]

Corsair TX or Coolermaster Silent 850w or OCZ 850W to be exact.

 

[TheoneandonlyMrK]

id go corsair ocz then not coolermaster at all

 

[BlackOmega]

If I do get the 7970, Should I keep my 650 Corsair TX? Or should I get a 850 Corsair.

With a single 7970 your 650 would be adequate. Even the crossfired 6950's could be potentially run off of it, but it would definitely be cutting it close.

as for your PSU - I recommend you get something around the 1000watts mark but I have heard a Corsair AX850 can do it fine but still cutting it close. problem with that is the AX850 is as expensive as some of the 1000w+ models. so your in the shit which ever direction you go...

better to have more watts then not enough

1000w is WAY overkill for crossfired 6950's. And what you heard was wrong.

Ok I was going to thinking about getting a 850w and no less.

A quality 750w power supply could easily run either crossfire setup with room to spare. However, the keyword here is QUALITY.

I used to run a PC power & Cooling Silencer 750w (SeaSonic built). That power supply was enough to run 3 GTX 580's in SLI with ~100w to spare. And trust me, GTX 580's are WAY more power hungry than 6950's.

As for which one, I have no experience with Cooler Master power supplies so I can't comment on those.
Corsair does sell some pretty nice power supplies (they're made by SeaSonic and Channel Well Tech).

You're running a 2500k, which is not power hungry at all (relatively speaking), and the rest of your components will not draw that much power from the PSU.

The brands you should take under consideration are: SeaSonic (my personal favorite), Corsair, PC Power & Cooling (typically made by SeaSonic), Enermax (stay away from the liberty series), and Antec.

Any one of those manufacturers make a good PSU with enough amperage on the +12v.

 

[FreedomEclipse]

1000w is WAY overkill for crossfired 6950's. And what you heard was wrong.

dont blame me - its what i picked up from multiple sites when googling 6950 crossfire

 

[BlackOmega]

dont blame me - its what i picked up from multiple sites when googling 6950 crossfire

Not blaming, just pointing out that the information you read is wrong.

When looking for real power usage figures, it's best to read video card reviews to see actual power draw.

Another wise investment may be a Kill-A-Watt power meter. I bought one when they were on sale and have since found out that what most power supply calculators recommend is way off the charts.

I had an 850w PSU in my old i7 rig, and even with 2 overclocked 4870's in there, I don't think it even drew 550w. Mind you, this is with my WHOLE power strip plugged into it, which included my 25" monitor, 2.1 speakers, modem, router and my printer.

OT, who is that girl in your avatar? She's pretty.

 

[happy]

I forgot to add
I am going to have:
- x4 IDE 250GB MAXTOR HDD
- x1 SATA 1TB HDD
- x1 SSD
- x3 120mm Coolermaster R4
- x1 140mm Coolermaster
- x1 200mm Coolermaster
- x1 HT Omega Claro Plus
- x2 6950 or 7970 (Haven't decided)

 

[BlackOmega]

I forgot to add
I am going to have:
- x4 IDE 250GB MAXTOR HDD
- x1 SATA 1TB HDD
- x1 SSD
- x3 120mm Coolermaster R4
- x1 140mm Coolermaster
- x1 200mm Coolermaster
- x1 HT Omega Claro Plus
- x2 6950 or 7970 (Haven't decided)

Wouldn't make a bit of difference. 750w would power 2 6950's and all of that stuff easily. Provided it's a quality power supply.

 

[cadaveca]

750w would power 2 6950's and all of that stuff easily. Provided it's a quality power supply.

I agree, my Silverstone Strider 750W GOLD does a better job of powering my AMD rig with dual cards than my Corsair 850TX(original TX). The Corsair would actualyl shut down, but my AMD CPU sucks alot of juice when overclocked.

Most 1155 chips will do 4.5 GHZ with less than 150 W, but my 1100T AMD chip needs over 250w for 4.0 GHz. That 125w difference can make or break a PSU, and some PSU's are rated by MAX power output, and most PSUs cthat do so can only hold that max rating for a very short time.

get the 7970. Or screw it, and get an nVidia card. doesn't matter to me, really, jsut buy what ya want. 7970 is faster than 6950, but dual 6950's will come damn close to beating 7970, assuming the same system is used.