Graphic Cards 6950 or 6970 or 580

memnom

memnom

Adept
Hello Brethren

Let me start by saying This is not an nVidia vs AMD thread. Not even close.

With that out of the way. I have three very good options, gurus. [non-Indian prices]

  • HIS 6950 [locked] @ 12000
  • HIS 6970 @ 16000
  • Leadtek 580 @ 18750

All of the with warranty [not here though] and all of them brand new.

The query is simple. Which should i get.

Reason being, i upgrade on a strict 2 year cycle so if i get a card now its gonna serve me for a min of 2 years.

So with the imminent release of 7xxx in all its glory looming above, is it wise to get any of the above mentioned cards even at those prices?

And if it is a sane decision which one should i get?

My specs are :

Q9550 @ 4GHz [when gaming]

Transcend RAM @ 942 [when gaming]

Corsair HX620

Dell 22" [will upgrade to a full hd monitor in 6 months or so]

It would be great if you guys can pitch in for a decision.

Thanks & Regards.

 
HD6950 would suffice for your needs as you dont even have an hd monitor now... If hd7xxx high end card would perform better than gtx580 then you could sell this gpu off for around 10k and you can buy an hd7xxx high end card for around 20~21k by adding 10k more... But if you are not in a hurry then it would be a wise choice to wait for the next gen southern island and kepler cards to release AMD is gonna release it next gen cards in the 4th quarter of this year and nvidia has pushed back the release date of its card to 1st quarter of 2012.
 
memnom said:
Hello Brethren

Let me start by saying This is not an nVidia vs AMD thread. Not even close.

With that out of the way. I have three very good options, gurus. [non-Indian prices]
  • HIS 6950 [locked] @ 12000
  • HIS 6970 @ 16000
  • Leadtek 580 @ 18750
All of the with warranty [not here though] and all of them brand new.

The query is simple. Which should i get.

Reason being, i upgrade on a strict 2 year cycle so if i get a card now its gonna serve me for a min of 2 years.

So with the imminent release of 7xxx in all its glory looming above, is it wise to get any of the above mentioned cards even at those prices?

And if it is a sane decision which one should i get?

My specs are :
Q9550 @ 4GHz [when gaming]
Transcend RAM @ 942 [when gaming]
Corsair HX620
Dell 22" [will upgrade to a full hd monitor in 6 months or so]

It would be great if you guys can pitch in for a decision.

Thanks & Regards.
Click to expand...
Sire I would say stick to your current card till AMD HD 7*** series comes out, the revamped architecture VLIW4 will improve efficiency of the AMD line-up AnandTech - AMD's Graphics Core Next Preview: AMD's New GPU, Architected For Compute, also the smaller fabrication technology -- 28nm will ensure that the power consumption stays in check, thermals will also come down.

If you have a lot of CUDA centered applications though then the GTX 580 should be your pick, if you plan to use applications like Adobe Master Suite and / OR Autodesk MAYA, Mudboxx, Z-Brush -- then this is further prioritized, else if gaming is majority purpose wait for the HD 7*** series as I mentioned earlier and then make a move as the release will trigger a revamp in pricing of nVidia line-up till Kepler based cards come to the fore.

Here are some links that might help --
Kepler Lives:NVidia 680 GTX - NVIDIA Forums / Nvidia’s Kepler comes in to focus | SemiAccurate / Nvidia kepler- worth the wait? - Graphics-Cards - Graphic-Displays.

Hope this is helpful.
 
^^ You may now rise.

Verbal jousting apart, that was some serious info. Gaming is the top priority then comes some moderate Adobe After Effects and some very limited Maya.

The one thing i forgot to add is, i dont have a card no or more precisely i have a 6200TC which is as good as not having a card, so the wait is literally boring me to death and since my 2 year cycle is as sure as the rising sun im caught between hell and hades palace.

But yes waiting for the 7xxx seems to be the wiser decision.

@Hades, that would be the normal course of action brother but if i upgrade now [6xxx/5xx] then my next upgrade would be 2 gen from now [8xxx/7xx], so as u and my loyal subject mentioned, its prudent that i wait.
 
^^ The best path is wait, for obvious reasons, Sire --

1) 28nm lithography means smaller die, lesser power consumption which leads to better thermals as well.

2) VLIW4 architecture is a more optimized pipeline for current day games, the VLIW5 architecture has been in use since ATi 9*** era (almost 6 years+ old now)

3) The HD 6*** series in was not a stunning change from the HD 5*** series, it was more of a stop-gap developed so as nVidia Fermi architecture could not settle completely in the market, cost / performance -- the AMD cards have a better output, but for productivity application Fermi still leads the way due to CUDA cores.

4) Probable the AMD HD 7*** high-end cards might introduce elements of the newly revised Compute architecture.

All that needs to be seen is how HD 7*** squares against Fermi and then how much does the nVidia Kepler offer after a season in the offing and in the meantime how much AMD can improve the Catalyst suite to get the max performance out of the AMD HD 6*** / HD 7*** series. Hope this helps and I don't sound like I am a fanboy.
 
Is that the 6950 2GB? If I were you, I'd gladly go for it. It's a super sweet deal for 12k!

But honestly, spend a bit more and get the GPU locally. With no assurance that the manufacturer will offer a local warranty (should a problem arise later i.e.), you shouldn't be taking this risk IMO.
 
^^ Just a small word on "Waiting" Waiting game is never advisible in Computer Hardware, everything today is tomorrows out dated stuff, at those prices you are fine getting the 580GTX. (just a bit swayed towards the green corner now.) And if your upgrade cycle is about 2 years you will be fine with the GTX or any of the Cards mentioned.

The question arises if this source will be available at these prices when the newer cards come out. If so then its up to you to decide whether to wait or invest now.
 
@Alpha, i know i can always count on your ser, And yes your points are completely valid. Thanks for taking the time to reiterate them.

@Gannu, yes its the 2gig version, as far the warranty is concerned im not worried much, cuz my brother is there and if i have any hick ups he can sort it out. Its the egg now or chicken later that clouds my judgement.

@Infected, i know exactly how depressing the "wait". This is whats going to happen in a coupla months.

1.The performance of the 7xxx is a min 20-30 more than the current 6xxx and justifies my spending on it.

2.if that turns out to be a dud, then the assured price reduction of 6xxx/580.

There is just one modifier, Me-Buy-Card , If i get the card now then the i regret my purchase after two months, if i wait till Sept then im left with the above two choices which would be a win-win for me [the lost two months not withstanding]. This is wat got my noodles in a knot.

@guys, im just trying to rationalize here, if some one can punch a hole in that argument i would most probably go for one right now.
 
AMD 7 series is worth the wait. also pcie 3 is being released. further windows will integrate gpu processing from AMD's 7 series. also nvidia will release the 6 series specs in the coming months along with 680 from nvidia. so why buy now when it is not urgent just to realize you should have waited a little while longer.

save money and overhaul your entire system if possible. sandy bridge knocks your cpu way off. imagine BD and Ivy. Large update in the stands man:)
 
Infected said:
The question arises if this source will be available at these prices when the newer cards come out. If so then its up to you to decide whether to wait or invest now.
Click to expand...
^^ Okay Kepler is out of question but Southern Island is what I think Sire should aim for,

1) as Sire(memnom) mentioned his brother is always in that region (Kuala Lampur / Singapore), I think sourcing these cards at a later date will be possible, maybe cheaper too in light of Southern Islands launch (AMD HD 7***).

2) the wait is excruciating, but in both case he gets win-win, Southern Islands performs good (develops lesser heat and less power consumption to boot with better performance) -- is a little expensive not a problem definite buy, if it performs about average, AMD will cut pricing across high-end / mid-range to make way for the new chips (so current AMD HD 6*** get cheaper) -- this will force nVidia on a defensive marketing stance, till Kepler arrives [hopefully a working model, not a Fermi dummy] (so price cuts in GTX 5** series as well).

3) also if Sire has waited with a nVidia 6200TC for so long, he can wait for two more months and walk away with a deal that doesn't make one feel 1-2 months down the road as getting short-changed.

4) I'm not arguing just saying its a better, more strategic deal 2 months down the lane, as till then BullDozer is out so if he wants to bag that as well, we can all start saving.
 
That's the last straw. Im waiting my good ser, it would be foolish not to see the logic in it.

On an unrelated note, i see that u have a knack for writing, you should start your own tech website.
 
^^ Thanks for the complement Sire, I aim to help that is all, if you like and feel that I have presented my argument in a polite and concise way, that is extremely pleasing to hear.

I saw one of your posts in this same section pertaining to a graphics debate (old story AMD / ATi vs. nVidia) and you also showed a great sense of maturity while replying. Hope to keep this spirit alive and meet with you some day. Cheers.
 
wait what is sire and what is ser? u guys are confusing me with your words:)
good choice waiting. you will not be dissapointed. i have been waiting with a 9600gt for past 4 months now. so u have got company.
@alpha you are starting to sound like some professor dude with all the maturity talk. ze collez finally gotz u:D
 
i also went through the same waiting path, and i finally decided to end it and brought MSI 6950 Twin Frozr iii OC/PE for 16k and unlocked it to 6970 via flashing the BIOS.

dude, just do it if u have to, the waiting never ends till u want to.

also, note, that me was on the onboard gfx of my mobo till now (well, had been borrowing friends 8600gt now and then when my gfx card went kaput in Jan 11).
 
You have no idea mate, the resolve it takes not to buy that 6950 for just 12k and unlock it to 6970 and kill every screaming punk head in Bulletstorm.

But its for the greater good. So holding out.

And it must be so good to give in right? MSI FTW.
 
yup bro, the Twin Frozr iii tech is so much win!
in idle, it always stay at 39/40 temps (everything on Auto in MSI Aft.Burner,which reads fan speed at 43%, and when slider to 75% the idle temp reach 38 degrees) and while gaming, max it reached was 55 degrees.
get anything u want, but it should be Twin Frozr iii, LIKE A BOSS! :D
 
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