Introduction

Radeon HD 6970 and Radeon HD 6950 are the first two graphics cards, which are delivered in the reference design of the storage size of 2,048 MB. What is good for the speed, harms the sale price unfortunately, which is why AMD 6950 race sends a 1,024 MB version of the Radeon HD recently.

This is absolutely identical to the “full version” on the store. By the lower cost can AMD 560 TI from NVIDIA (computer base test) of itself intended by AMD opponents of 1,024 MB card compete price against the GeForce GTX. But how does 560 TI the card in everyday practice – against the GTX and compared to the “full version”?

Technical data

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Who wants to read more technical details to the Radeon HD 6950, we recommend the a look in our launch review.

Impressions

AMD Radeon HD 6950 1,024 MB

The Radeon HD 6950 1,024 MB is intended as a direct enemy of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 TI and you can avoid AMD press the more expensive production 2,048 MB variant in a unnecessary price war. Currently, there are 1,024 MB cards of HIS, Sapphire, and XFX, where the Sapphire adaptation with 210 euro is most favourably and is also available. The cheapest 2,048 MB card is to have from 233 euro.

Before we come to the reference design, we want to say that it currently looks not then, as a developer would use this. Instead your own themes with other cooling systems are the on-board partners in the course.

The reference model of the Radeon HD 1,024 MB is visually virtually identical to the 2,048 MB card. The now red PCB measures a length of 27.5 cm, which prior to purchasing a look into the own case should be thrown.

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A cold plate on the back no longer exists, instead the Board with the actual components is to see. The latter is absolutely identical to the bigger brother, the dual BIOS itself still exists. The trick to enable the disabled SIMD units will work on the partner cards but no more. Two six-pin power connectors are needed for the operation.

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Nothing has been done on the dual-slot cooler on the front. There is also a copper cooling block with a vapor Chamber, a copper block with numerous lamellae and a large 80 mm in diameter centrifugal fans, governed by a fan control.

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On Windows added to the Cayman GPU to 250 MHz down, to save electricity, while the memory with 300 MHz is operated. The computer chip with 800 MHz, the VRAM 2,500 MHz works under load. On the bracket of the Radeon HD 6950 1,024 MB in the reference design is the buyer two dual-link DVI-, before two dual DisplayPort and HDMI port according to the 1.4a standard.

Test system

Test system:

• Processor
  • Intel Core i7 965 extreme Edition (overclocked by multiplier to 3.87 GHz, quad-core)
• CPU cooler
  • Noctua NH-U12P
• Motherboard
  • ASUS rampage 2 extreme (Intel X 58, BIOS version: 1639)
• Memory
  • 3 x 2,048 MB Corsair DDR3-1600 (8-8-8-24)
• Graphics cards
  • AMD Radeon HD 6970 (880 / 2.750), 2,048 MB
  • AMD Radeon HD 6950 (800 / 2500), 2,048 MB
  • AMD Radeon HD 6950 (800 / 2500), 1,024 MB
  • AMD Radeon HD 6870 (900 / 2,100), 1,024 MB
  • AMD Radeon HD 6850 (775 / 2000), 1,024 MB
  • ATi Radeon HD 5870 (850 / 2,400), 1,024 MB
  • ATi Radeon HD 5850 (725 / 2000), 1,024 MB
  • ATi Radeon HD 5770 (850 / 2,400), 1,024 MB
  • ATi Radeon HD 5750 (700 / 2300), 1,024 MB
  • ATi Radeon HD 5670 (775 / 2000), 512 MB
  • NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 (772/1.544/2.004), 1,536 MB
  • NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 (732/1.464/1,900), 1,280 MB
  • NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 ti (822/1.644/2.004), 1,024 MB
  • NVIDIA GeForce GTX 470 (608/1,215/1.674), 1,280 MB
  • NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 (675/1,350/1,800), 1,024 MB
  • NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 (675/1,350/1,800), 768 MB
  • NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 (783/1.566/1.804), 1,024 MB
• Power supply
  • M850 Coolermaster real power Pro modular (850 Watts)
• Peripherals
  • Pioneer BDC-202BK SATA Blu-ray drive
  • Western Digital caviar black and 1,000 GB 32 MB cache
• Housing
  • Corsair Obsidian 800dx
• Driver versions
  • ATi catalyst 10.10e
  • ATi catalyst 8.79.6.2RC2 (HD 6900)
  • NVIDIA GeForce 262.99
  • NVIDIA GeForce 263.09 (GTX 570)
  • NVIDIA GeForce 266.56 (GTX 560)
• Software
  • Microsoft Windows 7 x 64
  • Microsoft DirectX 9.0 c
  • Microsoft DirectX 10
  • Microsoft DirectX 11

Benchmarks

The following benchmarks were used during our test:

• Synthetic benchmarks:
  • 3DMark 11, version 1.00
• Game benchmarks:
  • Battlefield: Bad company 2, full version, version 589035
  • Battleforge, full version, version x (forcibly updates)
  • Call of duty: Modern warfare 2, full version
  • Crysis warhead, full version, version 1.1
  • F1 2010, full version, version 1.01
  • Gothic 4, full version, version # 2
  • Just cause 2, full version
  • Lost planet 2, full version
  • Mafia 2, full version
  • Mass effect 2, full version, version 1.02
  • Metro 2033, full version
  • Stalker – call of Pripyat, full version, version 1.602
  • StarCraft 2, full version

All benchmarks run with maximum details, so that the graphics card will be charged as high. As settings we chose this 1680 x 1050, 1920 x 1200 and 2560 x 1600 (last resolution only when appropriately fast graphics cards). So we pay tribute to the modern high accelerators tribute, the resolutions lower by their Rechenkraft CPU limited will make. In addition to the pure resolutions we can iterate through the benchmark course with two (and if possible achtfachem) anti-aliasing and 16-fachen anisotropic filter. We use TSSAA (NVIDIA) or AAA (AMD) to smooth alpha-test textures because of compatibility issues not within our benchmark show.

After careful consideration and multiple analysis of even recorded game sequences, we have come to the conclusion, that the quality of texture filtering on current AMD and NVIDIA graphics cards is only then more or less identical when is placed on an AMD graphics card the texture controller on “High Quality”. This is necessary from the catalyst 10.10 and only from the Radeon HD 5800 series and up. Radeon-HD 5700 cards such as the show for the same level with “Quality”. On NVIDIA accelerators, we leave it at the default settings.

Driver settings: NVIDIA graphics cards (GF1xx)

• Texture filtering: Quality
• Vertical sync: off
• Trilinear optimization: A
• Anisotropic sample optimization: from
• Negative LOD bias: clamp
• AA mode: 1xAA, 4xAA, 8xQAA
• Transparency AA: Off

Driver settings: AMD graphics cards (HD 5800, HD 6000)

• Texture filtering quality: high quality
• Wait for vertical refresh: always off
• AA mode: 1xAA, 4xAA, 8xAA
• Anti-aliasing mode: Multi-sampling
• PowerTune: 0 (default, only HD 6900)

Driver settings: AMD graphics cards (HD 5000 except HD 5800)

• Texture filtering quality: Quality
• Wait for vertical refresh: always off
• AA mode: 1xAA, 4xAA, 8xAA
• Anti-aliasing mode: Multi-sampling

Synthetic benchmarks

3DMark 11

Using the 3DMark 11 has the Futuremark benchmark specialist provided the latest variant of the popular series of graphics to download, which sets again technical standards. As API only DirectX 11 used and this is also the feature list looks: it is not only tessellation used, just as intense compute shader calculations are provided. The developer is proud also of the lighting, different depth of field effects, and other features. We test the performance as well as the extreme preset, the latter with the popular 1080p resolution being done.

DirectX 9 benchmark

Arcania – Gothic 4

Whether Arcania – really deserves Gothic 4 the honorary historic name is controversial in the scene. Because there is not only a new developer without experience in the popular RPG series with Spellbound, also has the latest development not too much with its predecessors including risen common and makes much different. Playful is therefore very controversial, but there are actually not much to gripe regarding the technology. Because Arcania looks good no doubt and demands a lot from modern hardware. The old DirectX 9 standard is used as an API. The test sequence includes a run of the main character through a village, and shows very many different details.

Call of duty: MW2

With modern warfare 2 moves the action series “Call of Duty” after a visit to the past again in the future and does the craft as usual very well. But not only playful white to like the first-person shooter, technically making used a small step forward – and that, although it always still same graphics engine as in call of duty 2. Visually call of duty MW2 is however a completely different level: send shader and an intelligent use of Parallax mapping cover up the partly somewhat weak textures. Nevertheless, the graphic is now dusty.

Mafia 2

Mafia 2 the successor of the most famous mafia game of ever has been released in 2010 after a long wait. The question whether 2 k could take Czech the high level of the great game in the successor is, technically, to do with the “LS3D”-engine but much right. Because the DirectX 9 renderer runs among others with depth of field and global illumination quite heavy guns on. Normal MSAA does not support the game but, instead, the internal AA function focuses on higher-quality (probably double) SSAA, which but not able to convince regarding the quality. Our test sequence contains a walk through a park and shows numerous vehicles and people so in addition to lots of vegetation. We have switched off GPU PhysX for this test.

Mass effect 2

With mass effect 2, a role-playing game has now again found their way in our test course that is playfully at a high level and also comes with a very good story, therefore. Technically it is used again Unreal engine 3, where it has been updated slightly compared to the first part. A DirectX 10 support is still missing. Graphically the game rips out although no trees, white but still to convince. Since the implementation chosen by BioWare support no native anti-aliasing, we need to impose anti-aliasing on ATi-as well as on NVIDIA products by means of the driver menu, what but easily work in both cases.