Before I buy, what do you guys think about this video card. Radeon 6950 $245 AR

[Mr. LL]

Well, as has been the case every single time in my life I started looking for a good video card I ended up picking one that is much more than I intended to spend. Since money doesn't grow on tree's I figured I would ask all the very knowledgeable and helpful guys/gals on this forum to make sure this is a good deal or there isn't a better option for the money or there isn't some hidden problem with this card I don't know about.

From what I have read it is a excellent card and is very easy to unlock to a 6970 which is my plan. All in all I generally like Geforce cards the best but after looking at benchmark results on this card and several similar Geforce cards this one seems to outperform the Geforce cards if you compare the cost of one card for another, especially if you consider you can unlock it to 6970 or near 6970 performance.

Newegg.com - SAPPHIRE 100312-3SR Radeon HD 6950 Dirt3 Edition 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity

After a $20 rebate it's about $245. I think it comes with Dirt3 so I would probably sell that on Ebay if I can and maybe offset the cost another $20 - $30 or so.

 

[baron5]

That's probably the go, I guess a 560 ti could be a good choice also as it runs a bit cooler and quieter. However if your plan to unlock it then i guess that would be the better choice.

 

[Twizted_3kgt]

They're pretty close. The 6950 edges out the 560Ti in most benchmarks I've seen. But it costs more and doesn't overclock as well. Now unlocking it may change all that.

 

[Slaymate]

Not all cards will unlock, you can buy two of the exact same cards and one may unlock and the other might not, it's a risky gamble in my book.

 

[tj_extreme]

Slaymate is right, I bought 2 6950 2gb cards, hoping to unlock them both, and it didn't work.