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Replacement for AMD Radeon HD6970 required

Triggaaar

Triggaaar

Triggaaar

Associate
Joined
11 Sep 2010
Posts
436
Location
Brighton
It seems my HD6970 has died. I have two displays, and one had a white screen, the other blank, so I rebooted the PC and the graphics card fan was on max as soon as I turned the PC on, some beeps sounded, and nothing came up on the displays. I took the card out, blew some dust out, and tried again to no avail. I tried with just one monitor attached, to each output in turn, and that didn't work.

My PC is currently back up and running using an old graphics card I had (low res).

Motherboard is Asus P6X58D-E.

I use 2 monitors, with DVI connections (I note the specs of one says DVI with HDCP, so maybe I can use an HDMI port from the graphics card, with an HDMI to DVI cable)?

I'm not currently using the PC for gaming, just Lightroom & Photoshop etc, so I'd like something cheap with high ish res output.

Any recommendations much appreciated :)
 
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arc@css said:
What's the rest of your system like (PSU/CPU)?
Click to expand...
Sorry, didn't think it mattered much for what I was after. The CPU is an i7-930, the PSU is a Super Flower sf-650p14xe https://www.overclockers.co.uk/supe...0-plus-gold-power-supply-black-ca-004-sf.html

As an example, the RX560 will provide a relatively small bump in performance without breaking the bank: http://gpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/AMD-HD-6970-vs-AMD-RX-560/m7712vs3926

IIRC, the GT730 will be much slower than the 6970.


Also, consider the second-hand market, e.g. an RX460 or equivalent.
Click to expand...
Thank you. The thing is, I'm not using the PC for gaming at all (all on the X1X) so does it matter if I have a slow card?
 
Triggaaar said:
Sorry, didn't think it mattered much for what I was after. The CPU is an i7-930, the PSU is a Super Flower sf-650p14xe https://www.overclockers.co.uk/supe...0-plus-gold-power-supply-black-ca-004-sf.html
Click to expand...
No, it doesn't really matter much, your system will be fine. I guess I like to be a little careful when spending someone else's money. :D


Triggaaar said:
Thank you. The thing is, I'm not using the PC for gaming at all (all on the X1X) so does it matter if I have a slow card?
Click to expand...

No, if you're happy to drop down in performance then you can pick up something much cheaper, such as the cards you mentioned.

Edit: apologies for not reading your OP properly in the first place. :)
 
arc@css said:
No, it doesn't really matter much, your system will be fine. I guess I like to be a little careful when spending someone else's money. :D
Click to expand...
No you're right, I should have put the detail in. The card just died today, so I'm a little fed up and was being impatient.

No, if you're happy to drop down in performance then you can pick up something much cheaper, such as the cards you mentioned.
Click to expand...
Thanks. I don't think the card really does anything for software like Lightroom and Photoshop. Apart from games, are there any other types of software I need a decent GPU for (I'm not wanting to mine currency)?
 
Triggaaar said:
Thanks. I don't think the card really does anything for software like Lightroom and Photoshop. Apart from games, are there any other types of software I need a decent GPU for (I'm not wanting to mine currency)?
Click to expand...

Aside from Photoshop/Lightroom, what else do you use?

Blender? Gimp? Any other Adobe apps? Sony Vegas?
 
arc@css said:
Aside from Photoshop/Lightroom, what else do you use?
Click to expand...
Photography stuff - ProShow, Fundy designer. Otherwise just standard stuff, office. I used to play IL2 on the PC, but haven't for years. Could check it out again, in which case I'd need something better, but otherwise presumably something cheap. And I assume I can use an HDMI to DVI cable can I?
 
Triggaaar said:
Photography stuff - ProShow, Fundy designer. Otherwise just standard stuff, office. I used to play IL2 on the PC, but haven't for years. Could check it out again, in which case I'd need something better, but otherwise presumably something cheap. And I assume I can use an HDMI to DVI cable can I?
Click to expand...

I'm not familiar with the software you mention above so I'm not best placed to advise what card (AMD or Nvidia) is the best way to go.

However, if you think you may want to have the option to play the occasional game, then it might pay to get something a tad better than a GT710/730; maybe something slower than your 6970 - but still able to run games okay like an RX550/second-hand R7 360?

As for the display connectors, an RX550, for example, has options for DL-DVI-D/HDMI/DP.
 
arc@css said:
I'm not familiar with the software you mention above so I'm not best placed to advise what card (AMD or Nvidia) is the best way to go.
Click to expand...
I'm assuming that they don't even use the power of the GPU.

However, if you think you may want to have the option to play the occasional game, then it might pay to get something a tad better than a GT710/730; maybe something slower than your 6970 - but still able to run games okay like an RX550/second-hand R7 360?
Click to expand...
The reason I got a decent card last time is that I used to love IL2 (WWII flight sim), but I'm not sure much happens there now, and I've been 100% xbox for over 5 years, so I'm not sure I'll be playing anything on the PC. Maybe I should go full cheap, and then if I ever want to game on the PC again, see what's available then.

As for the display connectors, an RX550, for example, has options for DL-DVI-D/HDMI/DP.
Click to expand...
Most cards seem to have a DVI and an HDMI, but I have two monitors that want a DVI input, so I need to be confident the HDMI can be used over an HDMI to DVI lead. I think it should be ok, because one of the display spec says it can handle HDCP.
 
Triggaaar said:
The reason I got a decent card last time is that I used to love IL2 (WWII flight sim), but I'm not sure much happens there now, and I've been 100% xbox for over 5 years, so I'm not sure I'll be playing anything on the PC. Maybe I should go full cheap, and then if I ever want to game on the PC again, see what's available then.
Click to expand...

Fair enough, if you doubt that you'll need your PC for any sort of gaming to speak of, then you're probably best off picking something up cheaper.


Triggaaar said:
Most cards seem to have a DVI and an HDMI, but I have two monitors that want a DVI input, so I need to be confident the HDMI can be used over an HDMI to DVI lead. I think it should be ok, because one of the display spec says it can handle HDCP.
Click to expand...

My knowledge is pretty limited in this area, so I think you would do better to wait for someone else to chime in and advise you better than what I can. :)
 
Over 4 months on and I still haven't bought a card :(

Any recommendations for something that will do the job with 2 DVI outs, and without worrying about games?
 
You will struggle to get a cheap card with 2x DVI outputs, however HDMI->DVI cables are cheap. I've use HDMI to dvi cables and adapters on several different graphics over the years (Intel onboard, AMD and NVIDIA), and not had an issue.
Something like the below is likely the cheapest option

My basket at Overclockers UK:
Total: £46.68 (includes shipping: £9.90)​
​
 
Don't suppose you tried removing the CMOS battery for 5 mins when the card stopped working? The beeps are never a good sign but back in the 8800GT days I managed to get a display by doing just that!
 
Wow, thanks for all the quick replies.
sanaxe1 said:
Just get something like a used AMD 280x for £75
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I'll take a look, thanks.
Armageus said:
You will struggle to get a cheap card with 2x DVI outputs, however HDMI->DVI cables are cheap. I've use HDMI to dvi cables and adapters on several different graphics over the years (Intel onboard, AMD and NVIDIA), and not had an issue.
Click to expand...
Thanks. I'm fine with HDMI to DVI cables.

Something like the below is likely the cheapest option

My basket at Overclockers UK:
Total: £46.68 (includes shipping: £9.90)​
Click to expand...

Wow that is cheap. I don't need to go that cheap, but if it's all I need then there's no point in wasting money. I'm just trying to avoid spending loads of a gaming card that I don't need.​

synixx said:
Don't suppose you tried removing the CMOS battery for 5 mins when the card stopped working? The beeps are never a good sign but back in the 8800GT days I managed to get a display by doing just that!
Click to expand...
No. Is that a CMOS battery on the graphics card, or motherboard? Is it something I should try now?

Thanks again all, much appreciated.
 
Triggaaar said:
No. Is that a CMOS battery on the graphics card, or motherboard? Is it something I should try now?

Thanks again all, much appreciated.
Click to expand...

The motherboard. Make sure to save your BIOS settings as it will reset the BIOS. It has fixed some rather weird problems for me in the past :p

If your card is beeping though I wouldn't hold my breath.
 
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