HD6950 vs. GTX 570 vs. 650 Ti/HD7850

[Iceni]

I'd go for that 6950 with the shader tweaks.

None of the cards you have picked have a massive difference in performance gain. The graph crap daddy posted is a normalized graph. In that it means all speed differences are not based against each other, But rather just against the 7970 (100%). This is a common mistake by a lot of people browsing benchmarks. Also the lowest card on the Graph sets the scale and it is very rare that the bottom card is any good for actually playing games in the first place! They do this so you have a large apparent difference in the performance of the cards. The actual FPS difference in a 6970 and a 7850 is tiny.

Here's something to look at. Metro 2033 @ 2560x1440 4xMSAA, AFx16 Quality High.
link

You'll see that a stock 6970 scores 22.5Fps
And an overclocked 7850 scores 20.4Fps.

Granted that i could have cherry picked that particular result, But the link is there for you to go browse the rest yourself.

You'll also note that the bottom card on that table is a 6570 it only scores 2 fps, But the bottom card on the normalized graph is even weaker the 6450 lol


When you look at real world benchmarks you actually see that the difference in the 6970 and the 570 are pretty marginal. I don't think the 7850 is a contender for you as you have to pay more for the card in the first place. Also you're set up for a sweet deal on the other 2 cards.

If the 6950 was not stable or not unlock able then the 570 would be the clear winner. But because the shaders are confirmed to be working unlocked then I would try barter the price down a little on the 6950.

 

[EarthDog]

You joking right? you proceeded to call me n00b before I said anything and you thought that was ok?

Still acting like a smart ass who seems more concerned with making me look bad than proving a point, yea course I'm going to take you seriously bro.......

Try talking facts instead of acting like a 15 yr old h4ck350r

Nope not at all. I called you by the last part of your handle (second time I have said this)... it was quite innocuous to me. However you responded quite aggressively and I understand why knowing what n00b means. But make no mistake it was not meant to be insulting. Perhaps if that brings your hackles up for no reason, you may want to change your handle here thus if someone else calls you n00b again you may get just as fired up. Not sure what the answer is bro, sorry .

Anyway, I think I have defended my thoughts quite well through it all. I supported my vRAM statement prior to you asking for 'facts', and TDP's are just a google click away for power consumption numbers. Not sure what else needs to be proven that I said.... That said, I think we provided plenty of information for the OP to chew on. So through it all the OP should be in a better place to make his decision.

 

[klmx]

That's as clear as an answer gets, thanks a lot.

I've found a 7850 2GB for about the same price as a 6950 2GB, I think I'll go for that one if it comes trough. Newer hardware does sound like a good thing, and I'm reading good things about OCing it. Just not at 50 bucks more, which isn't the case right now.

Still not sure if I've chosen the right thing, but I guess that's part of fun. At least it will be better than my current GTS 250.. (2009 sez hi)

 

[Norton]

That's as clear as an answer gets, thanks a lot. I've found a 7850 2GB for about the same price as a 6950 2GB, I think I'll go for that one if it comes trough. Newer hardware does sound like a good thing, and I'm reading good things about OCing it. Just not at 50 bucks more, which isn't the case right now.

Still not sure if I've chosen the right thing, but I guess that's part of fun

FYI- was able to overclock my 7850 easily to 1,000 (core)/1,350 (memory)- ran great at those clocks and only went up 5-10C from stock temps. Moved on to a 7870 since then but was very impressed with the performance I got from that little card

 

[vawrvawerawe]

570 is a little better than 7850, but 7850 is a lot less money. So, I would recommend 7850. the 6950 should not be considered as it is a lot less powerful.

Anandtech benchmarks: http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/518?vs=549

 

[Iceni]

570 is a little better than 7850, but 7850 is a lot less money. So, I would recommend 7850. the 6950 should not be considered as it is a lot less powerful.

Anandtech benchmarks: http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/518?vs=549

You should read the thread. The 6950 has unlocked shaders making it a 6970. The 6970 Beats the 7850 due to the fact the OP was looking at a second hand card that was a good margin cheaper than a new 7850. The 6970 also beats the 7850 in all gaming benchmarks bar Civ5 and SCII at high resolution something that the OP specified.

Link