# 6950 or 560 Ti for BF3, Arkham City and Skyrim?



## dhdude (Oct 3, 2011)

Hey Guys, I don't want to start a war of "fanbois", but I'm looking at buying a new graphics card mostly for BF3, and have up to ~£190 to spend, preferably the less the better (budget conscious student and all...)

I would just go for the 2GB 6950 over the 1GB 560 Ti as I believe it just edges the latter out in most games(?) and of course may have the unlockable shaders(?) But at the same time I'm really looking forward to Arkham City too so PhysX from the nVidia card would be nice!

Having shopped around the cheapest 560 Ti I can find is this:
http://www.dabs.com/products/pny-ge...hz-1gb-pci-express-hdmi-oc1-edition-7K7N.html

Otherwise pre-overclocked:
http://www.aria.co.uk/SuperSpecials...R5+PCI-Express+Graphics+Card+?productId=44469

In terms of 6950s I'd definitely want a 2GB for that little bit extra future-proofing(?) and found this:

http://www.aria.co.uk/SuperSpecials...R5+PCI-Express+Graphics+Card+?productId=43820

That 6950 is probably the highest I can go in terms of price.

So without wanting start a flame war between fanbois, what do you guys think the best option is for the games that I want to play? Thanks in advance


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## mrw1986 (Oct 3, 2011)

I am torn between this decision too...

The last AMD card I owned was a 3870 and 3870X2. I now own a GTX 280. I do believe that Nvidia's drivers are a bit better than AMDs. I remember having a lot of bluescreen issues with AMD. The 560 Ti puts up a hell of a fight against the 6950 and you can find the 560 Ti in a 2gb version.

Edit: Also, the 560 Ti has a higher minimum frame rate in almost every game, which is something to think about.


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## dhdude (Oct 3, 2011)

Sure, my last card was a GTX 470 and before that a GTX 260 216, I had to downgrade to a 5770 due to financial reasons, and now I'm looking to get a card thats quicker than a 470. Having read about BF3's ram usage, I'm becoming more concerned about the 560 Ti's 1GB :/

And on the drivers front, I have to say I used ATI/AMD for years before my 260, and did have a fair few problems. In fairness they have come on a long way, but I guess I do tend to lean toward nVidia because of my experiences now.

It's a tough one isn't it?


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## Scrizz (Oct 3, 2011)

IF you can unlock the 6950?


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## dhdude (Oct 3, 2011)

Scrizz said:


> IF you can unlock the 6950?



It's only a possibility isn't it, so I can't really rely on that


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## Sasqui (Oct 3, 2011)

Wasn't there some NV favortism by Eidos Interactive where in Arkham Asylum, you couldn't enable AA with an ATI card?  :shadedshu

Is that still the case with these new games?


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## Dent1 (Oct 3, 2011)

Both cards are pretty much even, so it makes no difference. But the ATI 6950 just about edges it.


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## erocker (Oct 3, 2011)

This is an easy decision if it's for BF3. 2gb 6950. The game will use that extra Vram. PhysX and whether or not it adds to your game experience is up to you. I've tried it, and it doesn't for me. Too few titles use it.


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## cadaveca (Oct 3, 2011)

erocker said:


> This is an easy decision if it's for BF3. 2gb 6950. The game will use that extra Vram.



Gotta agree with this one. Plus, both are around the same price, which makes that choice a bit easier...roughly equal performance, roughly equal cost, more ram on AMD card = AMD card wins.

But, if you favor nVidia, you are good to go.

You know, I have this one question though. nVidia cards have this seeling feature...Phys-X. But, most games that reviewers use are not GPU-Phys-X based. So, I wonder in these games, where GPU Phys-X is used, does this make for a different performance level from nV cards? You'd think the extra processing involved would lower framerates, no?


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## erocker (Oct 3, 2011)

cadaveca said:


> You'd think the extra processing involved would lower framerates, no?



It does. In the more demanding PhysX games, PhysX will utilize about 20% of the shaders (cuda cores) in some cases. A dedicated PhysX card will help, though most definitely not worth the effort. I like PhysX, but to me it hasn't caught on and is "failure status". At this point it should in no way be a determining factor in choosing a GPU.


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## eidairaman1 (Oct 3, 2011)

You can get away with physx using a 9800 Series card as dedicated for that.


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## cadaveca (Oct 3, 2011)

eidairaman1 said:


> You can get away with physx using a 9800 Series card as dedicated for that.



Sure, but we are not talking here about using two cards in one system, with one dedicated for Phys-X...that increases the cost of 560ti if you need an additional card so Phys-X doesn't hurt your FPS.


I was asking because i have very little time with current nV cards, and this may be a factor that pushes the HD6950 on top for performance...if only for games that support GPU-Phys-X.


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## dhdude (Oct 3, 2011)

That's an interesting thought Cadaveca! Do you think it will impact performance that much then?

BTW Guys, something has happened today that means I may be able to stretch to £300 at absolute most, although I'm really reluctant to. On the BF3 VRAM front... maybe I could stretch to one of these:

GTX 560Ti 2GB:
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/2gb-...r-1645mhz-384-cores-2x-dl-dvi-i-mhdmi-plusfre

GTX 570 1280MB:
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/1280...gpu-797mhz-shader-1594mhz-480-cores-plusfree-

GTX 570 2560MB:
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/25gb...er-1464mhz-480-cores-2x-dvi-dp-hdmi-plusfree-

The last one is ridiculously expensive and probably a bit too expensive for me, but is it worth it? Otherwise 6970 or 6950??


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## erocker (Oct 3, 2011)

If you can swing the 2.5gb 570 go for it. Otherwise a 2gb 6950.


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## bbmarley (Oct 3, 2011)

for £300 you could prob get a couple of 560ti on ebay


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## Anusha (Oct 4, 2011)

HD6950 is faster in BF3 beta though
http://www.techspot.com/review/448-battlefield-3-beta-performance/page5.html


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## dhdude (Oct 5, 2011)

Hey Guys,

Thanks for all the advice, I ended up going for one of these after all the recommendations for 6950:

http://www.asus.com/Graphics_Cards/AMD_Series/EAH6950_DCII2DI4S2GD5/

Also got a Coolermaster V6GT on the way to tide me over till my H80 comes back from RMA 

Thanks again everyone


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## mrw1986 (Oct 5, 2011)

dhdude said:


> Hey Guys,
> 
> Thanks for all the advice, I ended up going for one of these after all the recommendations for 6950:
> 
> ...



Nice man! I think I'm going to go with the 560 Ti 2gb when it comes time to rebuild my PC. I did a TON of research about the 2 cards and the pros/cons. The biggest con for the 6950 2gb are the drivers...AMD's drivers just aren't as good as Nvidia's, at least from what I've been reading from non-biased sources.

EDIT: I'm not trying to start a flame war, this is just based off of release notes and reviews of the drivers. Also, it is based off of personal experience.


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## digibucc (Oct 5, 2011)

arkham city has cpu physx.  it does not require an nvidia/physx card so there is no reason to go with the 560 imo.


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## dhdude (Oct 6, 2011)

mrw1986 said:


> Nice man! I think I'm going to go with the 560 Ti 2gb when it comes time to rebuild my PC. I did a TON of research about the 2 cards and the pros/cons. The biggest con for the 6950 2gb are the drivers...AMD's drivers just aren't as good as Nvidia's, at least from what I've been reading from non-biased sources.
> 
> EDIT: I'm not trying to start a flame war, this is just based off of release notes and reviews of the drivers. Also, it is based off of personal experience.



That's fair enough man! I just felt the only 560 Ti worth buying was the 2GB Twin Frozr II/OC, and nowhere here in the UK seemed to have any stock at a reasonable price. I'd heard the double memory EVGA cards never overclocked that well so avoid the 2gb EVGA 560 Ti. And hey, the reviews I read about the DirectCU II 6950 all said it was awesome, so I'm sure I'll be satisfied with the card if it fits in my case, lol!


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## mrw1986 (Oct 6, 2011)

Yeah the MSI is the one I want. I read the same thing about them. I also read the EVGAs have a failing fan issue.


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## mrw1986 (Oct 6, 2011)

In any case, I'm sure we both will enjoy our cards! Best of luck!


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## dhdude (Oct 6, 2011)

Oh really? Geez thats pretty bad, I used to really respect EVGA, and owned one of their 260 SSC cards, which was awesome at the time, but the stuff I've read lately makes think they've gone down hill a bit.

Let me know what you think of the MSI when you get it man!


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## mrw1986 (Oct 6, 2011)

dhdude said:


> Oh really? Geez thats pretty bad, I used to really respect EVGA, and owned one of their 260 SSC cards, which was awesome at the time, but the stuff I've read lately makes think they've gone down hill a bit.
> 
> Let me know what you think of the MSI when you get it man!



I used to exclusively use EVGA for my motherboard and gfx...but yeah lately they've gone downhill. They're support is still great but the products are another story.


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## dhdude (Oct 6, 2011)

It's a shame really, but as you say their support is still good which is good for existing owners I guess. I sold my 260 to a mate but I know that if he has any problems, we've got that 10 year warranty to fall back on


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## RevengE (Oct 6, 2011)

dhdude said:


> Hey Guys,
> 
> Thanks for all the advice, I ended up going for one of these after all the recommendations for 6950:
> 
> ...



Same card I have. It's a great card nice choice.


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## dhdude (Oct 6, 2011)

Awesome! how far have you overclocked yours?


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## mrw1986 (Oct 27, 2011)

Well, I decided to go with the Sapphire 6950 2gb Dirt 3 Edition. The biggest reason I did this was because I figure down the road it will be easier to find a 6950 2gb than a 560 Ti 2gb for Crossfire/SLI. Also, most of the 6950 2gb Dirt Edition's unlock to 6970s


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## Tatty_One (Oct 27, 2011)

mrw1986 said:


> Well, I decided to go with the Sapphire 6950 2gb Dirt 3 Edition. The biggest reason I did this was because I figure down the road it will be easier to find a 6950 2gb than a 560 Ti 2gb for Crossfire/SLI. Also, most of the 6950 2gb Dirt Edition's unlock to 6970s



You won't be dissapointed, mine unlocked and I am now running it at 940Mhz and it really flies!  In the unlikely event it won't unlock, everything is not actually lost, Mod your Bios to 1.2V, to get over the crap CCC upper overdrive limit install trixx, set clocks above your stock CCC limit, then un install trixx (otherwise it plays silly games with CCC) and voila!  you will find you perminently have higher CCC limits   You may hopefully be able to hit 980-1000mhz on the GPU which is similar in performance to a 6970 at 940mhz.


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## mrw1986 (Oct 27, 2011)

Tatty_One said:


> You won't be dissapointed, mine unlocked and I am now running it at 940Mhz and it really flies!  In the unlikely event it won't unlock, everything is not actually lost, Mod your Bios to 1.2V, to get over the crap CCC upper overdrive limit install trixx, set clocks above your stock CCC limit, then un install trixx (otherwise it plays silly games with CCC) and voila!  you will find you perminently have higher CCC limits



Awesome, thanks for the advice!


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## Lionheart (Oct 27, 2011)

I was deciding between these two cards as well but I've decided to go with the HD6950 2GB because of the extra Memory and they perform rly well in crossfire for the money


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