Did I make a mistake ? HD 6950 2gb in Crossfire vs HD 7970?

It was recommended that I crossfire dual 6950 2gb gpus for my gaming rig. My pc came with a single HD 6950 2gb card and I just recently purchased a second, didn't get it yet so I can return it and potentially sell off the new Gpu inside the pc already. Would it be wiser to stick with crossfire or go for the HD 7970 which will be pretty much an even trade if I return the 2nd gpu I purchased before opening it. I already have a buyer for the HD 6950 and would be able to get one 7970 3gb card.

I decided on crossfiring because I want to run max settings on max res on a single 32 inch lcd. Not sure what to do, any help or advice is appreciated.

-mike

If you can sell your 6950 and get a 7970 and the performance is greater or equal then I say get it, otherwise get another 6950.

Well, I already have the 2nd 6950 2gb card, I haven't opened it yet and really did not research this at all. I have no idea which HDMI port to use, I am not running dual monitors so how do I get both gpus working together through 1 monitor via hdmi.

I should definitly return the gpu and sell the one that came with the pc, right?

Well, I already have the 2nd 6950 2gb card, I haven't opened it yet and really did not research this at all. I have no idea which HDMI port to use, I am not running dual monitors so how do I get both gpus working together through 1 monitor via hdmi.

I should definitly return the gpu and sell the one that came with the pc, right?

kryptonianpride

You need to install the 2nd card, connect the crossfire bridge. I'm not sure about AMD, but I know you're not required to re-install the GPU drivers again for SLI setups - just pop in the 2nd card and it should detect it and all is well.

You want to keep your monitor connected to your current GPU, just as it is. If you were to pick up a second monitor, you would connect that one to your first GPU as well - since you don't have one, don't worry about it.

You may need to enable Crossfire in CCC, but that's a guess on my part since I've never ran Crossfire before.

A small number of games won't run too well with CrossfireX (Batman AC in DX11, for example), but a 6950 or 6950CF should be plenty of power to manage nearly any game adequately.

Ya, I saw the videos on youtube explaining the lack of scaling on batman city when in sli or crossfire mode, but it was entirely a driver issue that can be fixed, according to what they said. I just bought both batman games and will be using them with the new razer hyrda motion controller, some re5, portal 2. I am game shopping right now but am sure I dont want bf3 or mw3.

Crossfired 6950 2GB's should be a tad bit faster than a single 7970 but the drawback revolves around having to deal with CF issues here and there. I don't think the $600 price tag on the 7970 is worth the slight decrease in performance and increase in stability compared to 2x 6950's. If the card was priced around the $350-400 mark, it would be a lot more reasonable.

If I were you, I'd return that second 6950 2GB and hold onto the one you have right now. You won't be able to run max settings at your resolution but a single 6950 2GB should have enough power to tide you over temporarily. Just bear with your current setup for a another month or so until the 6 series is released by Nvidia; hopefully causing the prices on the 7900 series to stabilize around a cheaper price point. Who knows, the 6 series might entice you to jump ship. Overall, just be patient and you'll have more options and better leverage in your decision in a short time frame.

i would go for the 7970 because driver updates will give more performance, and be supporetd longer. and use less power.

[QUOTE="kryptonianpride"]

Well, I already have the 2nd 6950 2gb card, I haven't opened it yet and really did not research this at all. I have no idea which HDMI port to use, I am not running dual monitors so how do I get both gpus working together through 1 monitor via hdmi.

I should definitly return the gpu and sell the one that came with the pc, right?

neatfeatguy

You need to install the 2nd card, connect the crossfire bridge. I'm not sure about AMD, but I know you're not required to re-install the GPU drivers again for SLI setups - just pop in the 2nd card and it should detect it and all is well.

You want to keep your monitor connected to your current GPU, just as it is. If you were to pick up a second monitor, you would connect that one to your first GPU as well - since you don't have one, don't worry about it.

You may need to enable Crossfire in CCC, but that's a guess on my part since I've never ran Crossfire before.

I have dual 6950s and its easy to get them up and running. Just install the second card, then attach the bridge (neither slot really matters as it will pick it up nonetheless). Then turn Catalyst control center own and right under the "Gaming" tab enable AMD CrossfireX and youre good to go. Also check under "Performance" check the GPU's to see if it selected the different cards.

Honestly unless you want to crossfire 7970s eventually just stick with the 6950s and save money for when you can get the 8XXX series. There should be a huge jump in performance then that there wont be an arguement over the two.