6970 CF or 570 Sli ( watercooled )

[Postmodum]

Well ... i know that there must have been lots of people making the same question ... amd vs nvidia.

So ... i sent my 590 back to the store and i need to spend the credit i have on cards ... since i'm using a 5850 from a friend on this computer ...

So, the cards will be underwater ... and i've always been a nvidia user ... but with all the buzz around the 590 i just felt tired of this "theater" and decided to make a change... and since i decided not going to opt for a dual gpu card ...


... i was thinking on getting 2 Sapphire 6970's and water cool them ...

But ... you know ... leaving our "comfort zone" is a pain in the a** and i'm having second thoughts about this since i've always been a Nvidia user... ( although i hate just using one side of the coin ... that's why i want to go AMD to see the other side ... only then i can say if it's worst ... better or just ... the same )

Do you think the 6970 CF is a good solution or should i go with the 570 SLi ?

I've been told that AMD drivers are much more stable now and that people just keep saying they're bad because of the "fanboy/flame wars" ...

That's why i needed your help ... for more input on this.
( i've been checking reviews, and although benchmarks like 3dmark and heaven are not on top, in games 6970 CF can, sometimes, breathe on 580's neck ...sometimes ... )

I'll be using a 1920x1200 monitor but upgrading for 2560 later in the year ( maybe ... )

System:

i7 920 @ 4.5Ghz ( HT On )
X58A-UD7
6Gb Kingston Hyperx 2000Cl8

 

[tommybhoy]

Either choice would be good, xfire scales better than sli at the moment though.

If you were to go amd I would recommend 6950's instead and flash them to 70's and put the savings towards your waterblocks.

 

[old gamer]

both good setups but if you fancy a change to ati then why not, the 2gb of ram on the 69 cards will come in usefull at a higher res

 

[Cleeecooo]

Either choice would be good, xfire scales better than sli at the moment though.

If you were to go amd I would recommend 6950's instead and flash them to 70's and put the savings towards your waterblocks.

He has store credit so has to spend it.

Personally i would get EVGA 570s as you warranty remains intact after replacing the cooler.

 

[Marine-RX179]

I wouldn't say AMD (ATI) drivers are 'all' crap, but it certainly is a case of hit or miss. So if you do go down the AMD route, do a bit of homework on WHICH version driver would probably best to use for your card, in order to get the best performance and minimal issues. And don't update your driver as soon as a new one comes out...read other peoples' feedback first before doing so.

 

[tommybhoy]

He has store credit so has to spend it.

Personally i would get EVGA 570s as you warranty remains intact after replacing the cooler.

I know, the store may be able source his waterblocks too. Evga EU warranty doesn't cover any modification of their cards, iirc somebody from the Evga forum said it was ok but I would get confirmation from straight from Evga sales/technical dept.

I read that XFX are putting stickers over the cooler so that the warranty is void if removed so he could rule out XFX for a start.

 

[Postmodum]

Thanks guys! We'll i'm a little lost on this ... really ... still deciding on what to do ... I had my mind set for the 590 ... but now ... choosing another solution ... and i got a little lost ...

I've been checking the GTX580 Lightning's and 6970 Lightning at OCUK too ... but ... the problem is that my case is set up for wc ... having 2 rads as intakes ... and big silverstone air penetrator 180mm in the from as intake and only 1 120mm as exhaust ...

So... going with cards without waterblocks ... will be a mess since i really don't know if it will do ok with this fan setup

I must be clear... it's the freaking drivers that are holding me back on this decision ... :x

 

[MichaelM]

For the 6900 series since 10.10e(?), when they where released, the drivers have been 100% hit unless you where dumb enough to install a beta that had only support for the 5800 series

AMD 6970:
Crossfire scales a little better and performance has been improved since initial reviews a bit but more performance increases are coming with driver updates so out of the box AMD has the advantage. 2GB ram makes it more future proof and better for high resolutions.

Nvidia 570:
Slightly better reference cooler, overclocks a bit better. There might be more good points but I have no personal experience, it's a solid range of cards anyway and definitely a valid option.

AMD 6950:
Reference can unlock to 6970 the majority of the time but with 2x6pin instead of 6pin+8pin and GPU binning they will most likely have less headroom for overclocking.
HIS 6950 is on offer now at £180 so compared to the HIS 6970 thats a £95 saving per card! OCuK 6970 being £15 cheaper that is still £80 less per card which isn't far off getting a Crucial RealSSD C300 128GB as well as effectively two 6970's How much credit have you got?

AMD 6990:
Why not? its like the 590 but they planned to make it so its done right. You will also only need one full cover waterblock so a less complex loop.

 

[Cleeecooo]

I know, the store may be able source his waterblocks too. Evga EU warranty doesn't cover any modification of their cards, iirc somebody from the Evga forum said it was ok but I would get confirmation from straight from Evga sales/technical dept.

I read that XFX are putting stickers over the cooler so that the warranty is void if removed so he could rule out XFX for a start.

I did ask.
They said its fine

 

[Postmodum]

Michael ... thanks man
I think it's decided ... going to test the red team with the Sapphire 6970s ( the image bellow )

One question, i'm using a HX1000 ... do you think that 500W are enough for 2 6970's with some oc on it?

Just asking because this psu is a 2 rail and i was planing to use a single rail for them ...
Meanwhile i changed my water loop... from a single loop i'll be use 2 loops, 1 420 rad for cpu and mobo and one 280 rad for the graphic cards ( they have push-pull config with 140mm fans ) ...

 

[tommybhoy]

Just in case it's the exact model in the pic above that your getting, that may have a custom pcb.

 

[Postmodum]

Gonna try to check on that...