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6950 2GB XFire vs 6990

beardyweirdy

beardyweirdy

beardyweirdy

Associate
Joined
6 May 2011
Posts
190
Hi

I am thinking of adding another 6950 for xfire but have the chance to get hold of a 6990 (with a part ex of my current Twin Frzr 3 6950). The question is what would you do

1 Add another 6950 at a cost of around 200

2. PX my current 6950 for a 6990 - I would lay out around 180 - 200 on this deal?

Thanks in advance

My rig:
Silverstone Temjin TJ 07
i7 950 @ 4.4ghz
Custom Cooling:
EK Supreme CPU Block
XSPC 360 Radiator
Ek Laing DDC 18W Pump
XSPC Res
AC Ryan Blackfire 2000 rpm fans
Storage:
Kingston 128GB SSD
WD 500GB 7200 HDD
Asus Rampage Extreme 2 Motherboard
12 GB Patriot Gaming RAM
Seasonic 900w PSU
TWIN FROZR 3 OC 6950
 
If you are going to watercool the gpu then the 6990 is the better option, silencing the noisy cooler and unleashing the potential of the card (i can do 1000 core on my 6990 stock volts with temps in the mid 30's under load), the single block also works out cheaper than 2x6950 blocks and you save on fittins too. If you are not watercooling adding another 6950 maybe better from a noise point of view. Also bear in mind new cards are expected in the new year although what cards will be released and when is pure speculation at the moment.
 
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Hi

Thanks for the replies.
The benchmarks show the 6990 slightly ahead but was was worrying me about xfire is the fact that the Rampage 2 mobo has very close PCI E slots (cards virtually touching) and there might be heat issues.

Chris
 
Perfermance wise the 6990 sits inbetween crossfire 6950's and crossfire 6970's. This is down to keeping the cards tdp reasonable in stock form (375w). This is achieved by using highly binned cayman gpu's that can run at very low voltage compared to their 6950/70 brothers. This also means they overclock very well and stay pretty cool when propperly cooled. The 6990 also has a dual bios with an overclocked bios that allows 450w (1.175v) to be used and ups the clock speeds to 6970 levels although i have found this bios switch is good for 1000+ mhz on the cores.
 
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The Seventh One said:
Imo I'd go for the single card.

Crossfire is good when it actually works but I've currently got my second 6950 on Ebay cus it's just too much hassle.
Click to expand...

What hassle are you talking about?

For me its been about as close to plug n play as it could have been.

I went from 2x 4850 1gb to a GTX295 and now 2x 5850's and can honestly say I've had absolutely zero hassle with any of them.
 
JeffyB said:
The 6990 also has a dual bios with an overclocked bios that allows 450w (1.175v) to be used and ups the clock speeds to 6970 levels although i have found this bios switch is good for 1000+ mhz on the cores.
Click to expand...

Does using the overclocked BIOS still invalidate the warranty?

I know when the HD 6990 was first launched they had a warranty void sticker over the switch.
 
Yup found it

http://www.bit-tech.net/news/hardware/2011/03/16/xfx-to-warranty-hd-6990-4gb-overclock-switc/1

However, XFX's UK sales manager Gavin Pitt has confirmed to us that XFX will honour the use of the switch, which enables the card to use a second overclocked BIOS, under its standard warranty.

Speaking to bit-tech, Pitt said 'I'm proud to say that, as part of our going support and dedication to both AMD and the gaming consumer, XFX will warranty the 880MHz OC usage as per our usual RMA terms, as long as there is no consumer induced damage etc, as per our usual terms and process for RMAs.

'XFX strongly believes that if you add a performance-enhancing switch that allows the end user to enhance the card's performance, then it's only right to warranty this benefit.'
Click to expand...

Wasn't worried about this as no one covers you for watercooling and you have to remove the sticker to get the stock heatsink off.
 
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Do you advise against crossfiring cards when the slots are so close (The rampage 2 slots are positioned in such a way that the cards virtaully touch).
This is why I was thinking that the single card is the better option

Cheers
 
Close slots will in turn create poor airflow which makes for a noisy setup as the fans struggle to draw enough air to cool the cards.
 
Normally I'd say 6950 CF over a 6990, as the performance gap is at best 10%. But with such a good offer on the 6990 PX deal I'd take that. That also gives you the future option of Tri or Quad fire in the future too.

What ever you choose I would advise waiting it out a few weeks until we see some 79xx benches. You may end up finding a single card solution (7970) being a better option, but only time will tell.
 
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