# 2x AMD 6950 Or AMD 7950



## happy (Feb 1, 2012)

Hi, so I came to a conclusion of choosing 2x ATI 6950 or a 7950.  I heard that crossfiring is unstable in some reviews (microstuttering).  The 7950 would be more stable as I heard.  Which one should I get for the most bang for the buck.  I want high fps and will be playing ona 24" screen. 

-Thanks.


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## cadaveca (Feb 1, 2012)

happy said:


> Hi, so I came to a conclusion of choosing 2x ATI 6950 or a 7950.  I heard that crossfiring is unstable in some reviews (microstuttering).  The 7950 would be more stable as I heard.  Which one should I get for the most bang for the buck.  I want high fps and will be playing ona 24" screen.
> 
> -Thanks.



I'm running 6950 2GB Crossfire, don't have many issues to report right now. Most games have been out long enoug hthat they are supported in Crossfire, and those that aren't work just fine on a single card.

6950 Crossfire is going to be faster than a single 7950, and cost about the same, if you go by my own loca pricing for both cards(239 for 6950 2GB = $480 for both, meanwhile $500 for 7950)


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## Super XP (Feb 1, 2012)

In my opinion, you already have a HD 6950 2GB card, I would Crossfire it with another because prices have gone down. Skip the HD 7900's and wait for the HD 8900's in about a years time.

I too want to Crossfire my current HD 6900, but I would need a new Power Supply due to all the extra stuff I have running in my PC. So for now I will wait for further price drops so I can also get a PS.  

cadaveca will his 650W PS be enough?


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## cadaveca (Feb 1, 2012)

Hard to say if 650w is enough...for stock system ,should be fine, but with OC, it may not be.


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## Crap Daddy (Feb 1, 2012)

I see you have one 6950 already so the answer is simple.


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## happy (Feb 1, 2012)

Super XP said:


> In my opinion, you already have a HD 6950 2GB card, I would Crossfire it with another because prices have gone down. Skip the HD 7900's and wait for the HD 8900's in about a years time.
> 
> I too want to Crossfire my current HD 6900, but I would need a new Power Supply due to all the extra stuff I have running in my PC. So for now I will wait for further price drops so I can also get a PS.
> 
> cadaveca will his 650W PS be enough?



Yeah, I was debating between a 1050w corsair or 1000w coolermaster.  I have a corsair 650w right now and its great.  Never bought a coolermaster psu, but from the reviews I hear, it is quite good.  Which one should I get.

Here is my specs:
-x4 IDE HDD Maxtor 250GB
-x2 Coolermaster r4
-x1 200mm fan
-x1 140mm fan
-x2 6950 or x1 7950
-x1 7200 SATA HDD
-x1 SSD
-x1 HT Omega Claro Plus
-x2 PCI Raid Controller for IDE HDD


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## happy (Feb 1, 2012)

Crap Daddy said:


> I see you have one 6950 already so the answer is simple.



But I could return it. 1 day left until return.


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## _ALB_R3D X (Feb 1, 2012)

happy said:


> Yeah, I was debating between a 1050w corsair or 1000w coolermaster.  I have a corsair 650w right now and its great.  Never bought a coolermaster psu, but from the reviews I hear, it is quite good.  Which one should I get.
> 
> Here is my specs:
> -x4 IDE HDD Maxtor 250GB
> ...



I've used a CoolerMaster Silent Pro 600W with 2 HD6950 for more than 6months
I switched to Silent Pro 850W only cause it was a good trade!Silent Pro series rocks,can't say the same about GX though!
Ahh and crossfire that bitch and you won't regret it...


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## happy (Feb 1, 2012)

_ALB_R3D X said:


> I've used a CoolerMaster Silent Pro 600W with 2 HD6950 for more than 6months
> I switched to Silent Pro 850W only cause it was a good trade!Silent Pro series rocks,can't say the same about GX though!
> Ahh and crossfire that bitch and you won't regret it...



So would do you think I even need 1000w for what I have setup.  I looked on the PSU calculator in newegg but seems quite wrong.


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## _ALB_R3D X (Feb 1, 2012)

happy said:


> So would do you think I even need 1000w for what I have setup.  I looked on the PSU calculator in newegg but seems quite wrong.



Definitely NOT!
Go for the CM Silent Pro 850W if you want to keep it on the "safe".
I don't know who even needs 1000W PSU's(except Workstations/Servers)
Just for curiosity I've ran my first HD6950 Sapphire non-reference on a Delux 460W(29euro PSU)

Edit:that little board u see on the pic is sapphire also,760G,pretty good one..but...VRM couldn't stand it when I was messing with my old 965BE...so pooped a little smoke and that was it...!


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## happy (Feb 1, 2012)

_ALB_R3D X said:


> Definitely NOT!
> Go for the CM Silent Pro 850W if you want to keep it on the "safe".
> I don't know who even needs 1000W PSU's(except Workstations/Servers)
> Just for curiosity I've ran my first HD6950 Sapphire non-reference on a Delux 460W(29euro PSU)
> ...



I knew that newegg calculator was wrong.  I would keep my 650w corsair but it does not have 2 more pic-e connector.


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## joeyck (Feb 1, 2012)

happy said:


> But I could return it. 1 day left until return.



Hmm then thats a little different... I would say keep it tbh with you... then crossfire it. I dont have a 7950 or any card so for me the first choice is the 6950 but for u, u have it already so might as well get another and rape!


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## happy (Feb 1, 2012)

I'm just worried about the micro stuttering.  I hear that two cards are going to have micro stuttering.  But I guess it has to do with having a good motherboard right?  I am going to get a AsRock Gen3


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## FreedomEclipse (Feb 1, 2012)

happy said:


> I'm just worried about the micro stuttering.  I hear that two cards are going to have micro stuttering.  But I guess it has to do with having a good motherboard right?



Nothing to do with the motherboard - Everything to do with drivers and AMD's driver team and the people who QC their drivers.

AMD Drivers have been bad these recent months


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## _ALB_R3D X (Feb 1, 2012)

happy said:


> I knew that newegg calculator was wrong.  I would keep my 650w corsair but it does not have 2 more pic-e connector.



My CM600 had 1 also!!!!that's the main reason I picked up the deal on the 850W


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## happy (Feb 2, 2012)

Alright so I'm going to return my mobo, GPU, CPU.  So basically.  I want to game at least 70 fps for most games.  I have a $800 budget to get: MOBO, CPU, GPU (Should I get 7950/7979 or crossfire x2 6950).

Please help.


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## FreedomEclipse (Feb 2, 2012)

grab yourself a 2500k - Clock it to 4.6-4.8Ghz. Grab an MSI board or ASUS Gen 3 P8Z68 or ASrock Gen 3 Board. get some Corsair DDR3 1600mHz ram

theres no reason to return your 6950s but if you want do it and grab a 7970 if you can afford it and be happy (as your name suggests )


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## happy (Feb 2, 2012)

FreedomEclipse said:


> grab yourself a 2500k - Clock it to 4.6-4.8Ghz. Grab an MSI board or ASUS Gen 3 P8Z68 or ASrock Gen 3 Board. get some Corsair DDR3 1600mHz ram
> 
> theres no reason to return your 6950s but if you want do it and grab a 7970 if you can afford it and be happy (as your name suggests )



My question is will the x2 6950 beat the 7970 in fps and how much?  Can't find any comparisons of both together.  Will overclocking the 2500k make any difference?


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## FreedomEclipse (Feb 2, 2012)

errrrrrrr Not 100% sure but probably no unless you OC them hard or flash/unlock them into 6970's

Its the 6970s in crossfire that beat a single 7970


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## happy (Feb 2, 2012)

FreedomEclipse said:


> errrrrrrr Not 100% sure but probably no unless you OC them hard or flash/unlock them into 6970's
> 
> Its the 6970s in crossfire that beat a single 7970



So my question is I don't have to build this right now.  Do you suggest that I wait for the Sandy Bridges come out?  Would it be worth the wait and would the Sandy Bridges be cheaper?

So lets say I get the 6950 and crossfire,  It's not as simple as plugging the bridges?  I have to flash? And will crossfiring 6950 only become a 6970?   So I guess I should just get the 7970?  Which would be the best option?


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## _ALB_R3D X (Feb 2, 2012)

happy said:


> My question is will the x2 6950 beat the 7970 in fps and how much?  Can't find any comparisons of both together.  Will overclocking the 2500k make any difference?



2 X HD6950 beat every possible game that I knowespecially BF3.The setup suggested by Freedom Eclipse is the "perfect one"for the money these days...SO GO FOR IT


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## FreedomEclipse (Feb 2, 2012)

If you want to wait though... Hang on to a 6950 until Nvidia gets its stuff out or the 7950's get a price drop so you can crossfire them. those are good cards too


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## happy (Feb 2, 2012)

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


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## FreedomEclipse (Feb 2, 2012)

happy said:


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



Check my sig - but yes - Ive crossfired 4870s, 5850s and my 6970s.


I did get micro stuttering but that was fixed. the only problem i have is ARMA II keeps crashing when in crossfire. thats the only problem i have so far


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## happy (Feb 2, 2012)

FreedomEclipse said:


> Check my sig - but yes - Ive crossfired 4870s, 5850s and my 6970s.
> 
> 
> I did get micro stuttering but that was fixed. the only problem i have is ARMA II keeps crashing when in crossfire. thats the only problem i have so far



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.


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## _ALB_R3D X (Feb 2, 2012)

happy said:


> 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"


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## happy (Feb 2, 2012)

_ALB_R3D X said:


> 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?


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## FreedomEclipse (Feb 2, 2012)

happy said:


> 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


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## FreedomEclipse (Feb 2, 2012)

happy said:


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



Depends what youre crossfiring id say


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## happy (Feb 2, 2012)

FreedomEclipse said:


> Depends what youre crossfiring id say



only 6950 or 7970


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## TheoneandonlyMrK (Feb 2, 2012)

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


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## FreedomEclipse (Feb 2, 2012)

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


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## TheoneandonlyMrK (Feb 2, 2012)

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


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## happy (Feb 2, 2012)

FreedomEclipse said:


> 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.


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## FreedomEclipse (Feb 2, 2012)

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


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## happy (Feb 2, 2012)

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


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## TheoneandonlyMrK (Feb 2, 2012)

id go corsair ocz then not coolermaster at all


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## BlackOmega (Feb 3, 2012)

happy said:


> 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. 



FreedomEclipse said:


> 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. 


happy said:


> 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.


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## FreedomEclipse (Feb 3, 2012)

BlackOmega said:


> 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


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## BlackOmega (Feb 3, 2012)

FreedomEclipse said:


> 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.


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## happy (Feb 3, 2012)

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)


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## BlackOmega (Feb 3, 2012)

happy said:


> I forgot to add
> I am going to have:
> - x4 IDE 250GB MAXTOR HDD
> - x1 SATA 1TB HDD
> ...



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.


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## cadaveca (Feb 3, 2012)

BlackOmega said:


> 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.


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