Asus Radeon 6950

[thekevin4]

So it is just a few days before I start ordering parts for my new build, and lo and behold, something has already gone wrong. I had my eye on this card with the intention of flashing it to 6970 specs to get the most bang for my buck. Of course, I made my daily visit to newegg to check up on my wishlist and make sure all was in order, and I see that not only is the card out of stock, but it is listed as discontinued... anyone know the scoop behind this? And while you're here, it seems the options in front of me are to go ahead and buy the 6970, or since I would be spending about the same amount of money a GTX570, you guys have any suggestions as to particular brands/variations of either of these two that would be the best?

(and yes, I am aware that there are many other brands/versions of the 6950 available but unlike the one I was after they do not seem to have an aluminum cover and they all seem to look really cheaply made to me)

 

[flipp1234567]

Newegg.com - MSI R6950 Twin Frozr III PE/OC Radeon HD 6950 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity

This is made by MSI. it may not be overclocked like Asus' but it has twin Frozr fans and it appears that the case is made of aluminum, or some metallic material instead of plastic. i usually buy MSI and/or XFX products. they have served me well.

if u dint know this before (u probably did) there are 2 kinds, 1gb and 2gb video cards. idk if u were plannin on buying the 2gb or 1gb card but the link i gave you is to a 2gb card for 300$. and since u stated that u have the money to buy a 570, i would assume u were planning on purchasing the 2gb card. so this should be a good choice. Only difference is that it snot eyefinity 6 ready and doesn't have as many display ports as the asus.

Additional information:

it seems newegg has 2 asus 6950 inputs. same exact thing, ones out of stock and the other is not

this is the link to the in stock 6950 asus
Newegg.com - ASUS EAH6950 DCII/2DI4S/1GD5 Radeon HD 6950 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity

Edit: i lied, this one is 1GB the other one is 2GB.

 

[Apokalipse]

Also, 6950 2GB cards can be flashed to 6970's. But 1GB cards can't.

 

[Slaymate]

buying a card with the intention to flash it for extra performance is risky and should only be considered if you have the spare cash to replace it if something goes wrong.

 

[thekevin4]

Newegg.com - MSI R6950 Twin Frozr III PE/OC Radeon HD 6950 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity

This is made by MSI. it may not be overclocked like Asus' but it has twin Frozr fans and it appears that the case is made of aluminum, or some metallic material instead of plastic. i usually buy MSI and/or XFX products. they have served me well.

if u dint know this before (u probably did) there are 2 kinds, 1gb and 2gb video cards. idk if u were plannin on buying the 2gb or 1gb card but the link i gave you is to a 2gb card for 300$. and since u stated that u have the money to buy a 570, i would assume u were planning on purchasing the 2gb card. so this should be a good choice. Only difference is that it snot eyefinity 6 ready and doesn't have as many display ports as the asus.

Additional information:

it seems newegg has 2 asus 6950 inputs. same exact thing, ones out of stock and the other is not

this is the link to the in stock 6950 asus
Newegg.com - ASUS EAH6950 DCII/2DI4S/1GD5 Radeon HD 6950 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity

Edit: i lied, this one is 1GB the other one is 2GB.

You are correct in assuming I was going for the 2gb version, I had checked out the first card you posted previously and I noticed that some of the reviews commented on the poor quality of the two fans with one guy saying a fan blade broke off within his case while his PC was running, so I'm not too sure if I like that card as a solution as the thought of a fan blade being shot around the inside of my case makes me cringe, especially with such a pricey product. The more I think about it the more I think the GTX570 would be the best choice, can you guys recommend which brand/version offers the best performance/price/quality combination? Also I forgot to mention this in my initial post but I would like for the card to have an hdmi port as I am using my 32" vizio tv as my current monitor and I would prefer to have it connected to my pc via hdmi

 

[flipp1234567]

You are correct in assuming I was going for the 2gb version, I had checked out the first card you posted previously and I noticed that some of the reviews commented on the poor quality of the two fans with one guy saying a fan blade broke off within his case while his PC was running, so I'm not too sure if I like that card as a solution as the thought of a fan blade being shot around the inside of my case makes me cringe, especially with such a pricey product. The more I think about it the more I think the GTX570 would be the best choice, can you guys recommend which brand/version offers the best performance/price/quality combination? Also I forgot to mention this in my initial post but I would like for the card to have an hdmi port as I am using my 32" vizio tv as my current monitor and I would prefer to have it connected to my pc via hdmi

Hm. i see. i didnt really read the reviews. when i purchase products, i look at the ratio of bad eggs to good eggs, not counting 3 eggs since it is in the middle.
if you're thinking that the card i suggested (MSI) is overpriced, the GTX570 are atleast 25$ more expensive than this card.

and also, most of the graphics cards these days have mini HDMI ports so you need a converter from Mini to standard. i personally dont buy nVidia products so this is as much as i can help you out.