# MSI 6950 2gb vs MSI gtx 560 twin frozr II



## flamereaper (Apr 5, 2011)

Hey guys,
I was about to purchase a gtx 560 twin frozr II + seasonic s12II 520w PSU for ~19k, when i came across a combo of MSI 6950 2gb+ corsair vx 550 for ~20k.

Confusion again 

Another factor is that ive never overclocked before and am not willing to take any risks.

Another cause of worry is the high temps in the 6950. I live in chennai which is pretty hot. Will i need to spend extra on cooling if i get the 6950 2gb??

i am getting an i5 2500 rig btw


----------



## Jaskanwar Singh (Apr 6, 2011)

no. 6950 is not hot. 

will you crossfire or sli in future?


----------



## flamereaper (Apr 6, 2011)

no not likely as im getting a dh67cl mobo


----------



## Jaskanwar Singh (Apr 6, 2011)

i suggest 6950 combo.


----------



## flamereaper (Apr 6, 2011)

even if i don't plan on overclocking the card?


----------



## Jaskanwar Singh (Apr 6, 2011)

yes....


----------



## damngoodman999 (Apr 6, 2011)

the Room without A/C will take HD 6950 2GB to maximum 90-100deg after 2 hrs continuous play !

if u have good air conditioned room then Get HD69502GB , also with reference cooler design u cannot overclock further !


----------



## Jaskanwar Singh (Apr 6, 2011)

^^ 
Bench - GPU11 - AnandTech :: Your Source for Hardware Analysis and News
load temp in crysis is 75C for 6950 and 71C for 560. and in furmark - 82C for 6950 and 79C for 560. this is for reference design i suppose.

and we can oc.


----------



## damngoodman999 (Apr 6, 2011)

^^ U forget abt the Room temp ! Its India summer is too hot ! 

HD 6950 - less power consumption , More heat !

GTX 560 - more power consumption , Less heat (non reference design)

If the OP want HD 6950 , he can get ASUS HD 6950 Direct CU II triple slot cooler ! which will be more suffice ! which is 18K !

if the OP is going to unlock to HD 6970 shaders then ! he can get HD 6950 !


----------



## Jaskanwar Singh (Apr 6, 2011)

^^
yaar no need of spending 18k. if he wants even less temps he can get sapphire 6950 1gb or msi gtx560 ti twin frozr II which are non reference.

and in 19k we can get a 6970 or 570 now.


----------



## damngoodman999 (Apr 6, 2011)

As he wish if he is going to unlock to HD 6970 he can get HD 6950 2GB or else GTX 560 twin frozr or Direct CU2


----------



## vizkid2005 (Apr 6, 2011)

So 6950 2gb is bettr naa ???


----------



## coolgame (Apr 6, 2011)

not for hot homes.remember it is also louder and if u have a small cabinet,then the 6950 can be used as a heater.i wud suggest 560ti because this card(reference) can oc well,stay cool and stay quiet.the 560ti TFII stays almost 20 deg cooler.and the TFII can be picked up for 15k


----------



## Jaskanwar Singh (Apr 7, 2011)

i suggest sapphire 6950 1gb. its non reference cooler card and better performer.


----------



## flamereaper (Apr 7, 2011)

> i suggest sapphire 6950 1gb. its non reference cooler card and better performer


Am i not better of with a 560 than a 6950 1gb


----------



## akshayt (Apr 7, 2011)

1 gb 6950 ~ 1 gb 560
so 2 gb 6950 > 1 gb 560 and that is a no brainer

besides, some 6950 unlock to 6970 which then makes it around the 570 mark

2 gb 6950 ~ 2 gb 560 if that exists!


----------



## Tachyon1986 (Apr 7, 2011)

It'll be difficult to get a 6950 that unlocks to 6970 . If you'd purchased the 6950 in the early days since it was launched , you could have done that. But the newer ones can't be unlocked , sad


----------



## vickybat (Apr 7, 2011)

6950 2gb is for a different purpose. Its advantageos for higher resolutions i.e 2560x 1600 or higher. More suitable for multimonitor setups.

But no need spending 18k for it as gtx 570 is almost available for that price now. Btw, newer 6950's cannot be unlocked as the additional shaders are removed using laser cut technique. Its better of to buy a 6970 if that card is desired.

Now op has to specify his gaming requirements. Sapphire hd 6950 1gb and msi gtx 560 twin frozr II have equal performance out of the box and perfect for gaming at fullhd resolutions. Since both are available at around 14k or even less now its wise to go for these if on a budget lesser than 15k.

My personal suggestion is to go for *msi gtx 560 twin frozr II *as its factory overclocked and offers more performance than a reference gtx 560 at same price.

Its a terrific card.


----------



## Jaskanwar Singh (Apr 7, 2011)

flamereaper said:


> Am i not better of with a 560 than a 6950 1gb



your choice yaar. my recommendation is 6950 1gb and thats what i said there


----------



## damngoodman999 (Apr 7, 2011)

@ vickybat 

GTX 570 > 18K from SMC is exclusive offer( i afraid stock wud be gone by today or tom) its not price down from 19K to 20K from retail market, also the OP needs PSU too so we can give him under his budget !

@ FLAMEREAPER
Dont go for HD 6950 2GB now all the brands are blocking the umodding bios !  if u can get GIGABYTE card then get HD 6950 2GB its the only card now coming with modding facility 

Anyway as all says go for MSI GTX 560ti twin frozr > 14.8K is fabulous price for that card ! never gets better .


----------



## akshayt (Apr 7, 2011)

These options are no brainers
6950 2gb 16k 
570 2gb 18k

both at SMC Intl, New Delhi

But you should go for a 700+ watts PSU from Seasonic/CM Silent Pro(not extreme not GX) etc for such cards!


----------



## vickybat (Apr 7, 2011)

^^ I guess the gtx 570 is 1.25gb and not 2gb. Checked smc international and the msi gtx 570 1.25gb was 18.7k.

The pricing of 6950 2gb is correct though and is really a sweet deal but useless at fullhd resolutions. Its advantage lies in a multimonitor setups and cfx scaling due to the extra vram.

At 14k, msi gtx 560 twin frozr II is the best deal imo.


----------



## vizkid2005 (Apr 7, 2011)

I want 2 game at full res and have my mind stuck with the 6950 2 gb ... 
BEcause :
1. When u can buy a 1gb card at 14k y not buy a 2gb card at 16k ... only 2k extra ... 
2. Also I have this (kind of) Mind Block : More Gb Graphics = Better Performance ... 


Please Help me out here ...
Shuld I go for 6950 2 gb(Refrnce) or 560 tin frozr ???? 

My house is pretty hot n pretty dusty ... 

These are my Temps at idle with ac in the room  running ...


----------



## akshayt (Apr 7, 2011)

In some current games like GTA IV, perhaps Metro 2033 etc and almost all future games, 2 GB will make a HUGE difference even at 19x10 and in some time perhaps at 16x10 as well.

In this the 6950 2gb at 16k is a no brainer!


----------



## damngoodman999 (Apr 8, 2011)

vizkid2005 said:


> I want 2 game at full res and have my mind stuck with the 6950 2 gb ...
> BEcause :
> 1. When u can buy a 1gb card at 14k y not buy a 2gb card at 16k ... only 2k extra ...
> 2. Also I have this (kind of) Mind Block : More Gb Graphics = Better Performance ...
> ...



2011 GPU's are really powerful with 1GB , if u r going to setup a multi display or more than 2XXX resolution graphics then go for HD 6950 2GB

the HD 6950 2GB is reference cooler produce more heat , MSI GTX 560ti twin frozr is enough to handle all games still this GTX 560 twin frozr wins 7/10 games compare to HD 6950 2GB @ 1900 X 1200 resolution !

If u want u can get HD 6950 1GB is also good ! but for cooler i say GTX 560ti !!


----------



## coolgame (Apr 8, 2011)

a difference but not at all noticeable.the vram does not calculate.it only stores all ur textures etc.so at full hd,1gb is more than sufficient.if u are running at hd+ then the vram kicks in for the performance difference.get a 560ti since it is very cool even at full load.and the 6950 is a pretty hot card when stressed.what is the use of getting a card that will compromise your system?reference gtx 560ti is a cool card. the TwinFrozrII is almost 20 degrees cooler


----------



## vizkid2005 (Apr 8, 2011)

Jaskanwar Singh said:


> ^^
> Bench - GPU11 - AnandTech :: Your Source for Hardware Analysis and News
> load temp in crysis is 75C for 6950 and 71C for 560. and in furmark - 82C for 6950 and 79C for 560. this is for reference design i suppose.
> 
> and we can oc.



Dude As for the temps posted in reviews ... They will obviously be lower ... coz the reviewers sit in AC rooms at the time of reviewing, Not in India ... 
Mumbai is getting hotter by the day !!!  ... 
Summer is here !!! 

Should I get 560 twin frozr ??? Isn`t there a non reference cooler for 6950 ??? 
Also my mobo and psu wuldn`t allow for sli ... 

So what do I more vRam of 6950 or Coolness of 560 ????


----------



## flamereaper (Apr 8, 2011)

I did some research, the msi 6950 2gb twin frozr II is the best option. Get it fr around 16.5k i think

Theitdepot - Msi Radeon HD6950 2048MB GDDR5 ATI PCI E Graphic Cards R6950 Twin Frozr II-OC)

that site usually overprices everything.

If you live in chennai then bad luck coz graphic card prices are out of the roof, the 6870 still sells at 14.5k here and the msi 560 at 15.2k


----------



## Jaskanwar Singh (Apr 8, 2011)

see the Sapphire 6950 2GB available at smcinternational.in for 15960.
Sapphire Radeon HD 6950 - 2GB
*img219.imageshack.us/img219/8991/radeonhd69504d9c0cc8363.jpg

and the Sapphire 6950 1GB (14385 INR)- 
Sapphire Radeon HD 6950 - 1GB
*img138.imageshack.us/img138/4634/radeonhd69504d9c0af1a1d.jpg

now please tell what temperature problems will arise!!



akshayt said:


> These options are no brainers
> 6950 2gb 16k
> 570 2gb 18k
> 
> ...



these are not no brainers. these are one of the best futureproof cards. and a corsair vx550w is sufficient for 570 and vx450w for 6950.



vizkid2005 said:


> I want 2 game at full res and have my mind stuck with the 6950 2 gb ...
> BEcause :
> 1. When u can buy a 1gb card at 14k y not buy a 2gb card at 16k ... only 2k extra ...
> 2. Also I have this (kind of) Mind Block : More Gb Graphics = Better Performance ...
> ...



get the non reference cooler one from smcinternational. 
yes 2gb is futureproof.




vizkid2005 said:


> Dude As for the temps posted in reviews ... They will obviously be lower ... coz the reviewers sit in AC rooms at the time of reviewing, Not in India ...
> Mumbai is getting hotter by the day !!!  ...
> Summer is here !!!
> 
> ...



i mentioned a non reference. and you have elite 430. just install a side panel and back fan imo.


----------



## Cilus (Apr 8, 2011)

My choice is also HD 6950 2GB. Ya, in all current generation games the difference between the 1 GB and the 2 GB version in terms of performance at 1080P resolution is really low, but with more shader heavy games coming in near future, the extra 1 GB frame buffer will always help, especially when using 4X or 8X Anti-Aliasing.
And one thing, although AMD told initially that they are gonna use laser cut to remove the extra shaders for stopping the HD6950->HD 6970 conversion, till date 90% of the cards are getting unlocked to H 6970. So Op can try his luck. I think it is a business strategy by AMD, encouraging the advanced users to go for it.
And look at the price point...at 15.8K it is really a good deal. And one thing I really like about these HD 69XX cards is about their dual BIOS setup. So ven if the modding fails, by just using the simple Switch, user can revert back to the original BIOS.


----------



## akshayt (Apr 8, 2011)

I have a 6970 2gb and haven't even needed to check my temps, in fact the nvidia cards are known to have temp probs in this generation.

AMD period!


----------



## Jaskanwar Singh (Apr 8, 2011)

^you have 6970 
i think first one in this forum. 
pics of that beauty please.

but nvidia cards are pretty cool this season. that was the prob with those 480, 470, 465.


----------



## ico (Apr 8, 2011)

vickybat said:


> Btw, newer 6950's cannot be unlocked as the additional shaders are removed using laser cut technique.


you'll be actually surprised to know that those 'newer' HD 6950 2GB haven't even made the USA market properly. People are still getting their HD 6950 2GB unlocked with over 90+ percent success rate. Surely worth a punt.

My recommendation will be HD 6950 2GB @ 16k from SMCInternational.in.



vizkid2005 said:


> So what do I more vRam of 6950 or Coolness of 560 ????


There is only a difference of 4-5 degree C between load temps of both GTX 560 and HD 6950.

Lastly, the new Catalyst 11.4 drivers have brought significant performance improvements in many gamaes.



akshayt said:


> I have a 6970 2gb and haven't even needed to check my temps, in fact the nvidia cards are known to have temp probs in this generation.
> 
> AMD period!


This is a little off-topic. Which driver are you using?


----------



## Joker (Apr 8, 2011)

yup. i will also suggest hd 6950 2gb for 16k from smc. seems to be the VFM card at the moment.

gtx 570 is still 20k+ at most places. only the msi variant is available at 19k from SMC.


----------



## coolgame (Apr 8, 2011)

at that price(16k) if u find a non reference cooled 6950 2GB only then buy it


----------



## Joker (Apr 8, 2011)

a forum member has just unlocked his hd 6950 2gb to hd 6950: *www.thinkdigit.com/forum/1368998-post20.html


----------



## Jaskanwar Singh (Apr 8, 2011)

coolgame said:


> at that price(16k) if u find a non reference cooled 6950 2GB only then buy it



see post #29


----------



## vizkid2005 (Apr 8, 2011)

Saw reviews of Msi 6950 2gb twin frozr II ... Seems gud ... But I`m not buying it at the moment .. coz xams are coming n I have many a Kt`s to clear   ...

So I will be buying in mid- end of June ... 
I hope prices will come down a bit ... 

But are u sure any new card series are not coming in ??? 
I mean the war betwwen nVidia n AMD is ON for the best gpu !!!
They release new cards like every other day  ...


----------



## vickybat (Apr 9, 2011)

^^ You might see amd southern islands around june or july. Nvidia's kepler will be launched at Q4 2011.


----------



## vizkid2005 (Apr 9, 2011)

For technology if u wait ... U keep waiting .... Thats why buy whats best at that time ...


----------

