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I might buy a 5970


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This is a rant, I know I'm crazy.

 

I am seriously considering purchasing a refurbished 5970. Yes I know it's a bad idea.

 

I understand it's a bad idea. 5970's run stupid HOT, are stupid LOUD and don't always scale well in all games. I also understand that they can have throttling issues along with stutter and just behave badly. They are stupid.

However, they were one of the most badass cards ever built, and I want one. I have always wanted one but they were way too much money at the time. Now they are $120 O.O That's literally a days wages. I want it.

 

My PSU is up to the task, my case will need a slight modification but should fit. I want it.

 

For the price of a R7 260X new, and for about half of what a GTX 960 costs I could have equal-ish performance.

 

I think I might be crazy, I mean I could get a 6970 for $100. Less hassle and a lot less heat, but it's not my hero card. I could save up and buy a GTX 960 and be happy for another 5 years.

But I don't want a a 6970 or a 960, I want a stupid bad idea.

 

The 5970 might as well be a Lamborghini Diablo, I wanted one as a kid but as an adult I just feel like it isn't sensible. I don't want to be boring!

God help me, I'm going to buy a 5 year old 300 watt leaf blower-esq,ice cap melting, 12 inch long, nuclear reactor of a graphics card.

 

 

 

 

 

:teehee: I'm gonna do it.

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I had one.  Don't buy it.  The RAM will be a limitation on EVERY new game, that's why I got rid of mine.

1650x1050 is my current resolution, do you think it will still by a problem?

Even when I do upgrade to 1080p I would still think 2gb of VRAM would be enough. The GTX 960 is tailored for 1080p and it is only a 2gb card.

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Yes, it will still be a problem.

 

Unless you can find a 4 GB card (2x2GB) the 1 GB of RAM per chip will always suck.  Even Skyrim sucked on my 5970. :(

 

EDIT:  Are current AMD drivers even supporting the 5970?

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2GB VRAM is fine, especially at that resolution, unless you play at Ultra settings or use mods that eat up lots of VRAM for better textures. Typical games are built to use up just less than 2GB VRAM for high settings, and less than 3GB VRAM for ultra settings. Poorly console ported games expect PC users to have better graphics cards than those in consoles, so sometimes those games might be a problem, but again, it's their fault, not yours - having a super-high end graphics cards won't fix their issues.

 

Still, a HD 5970 is outdated. A single HD 7950 (or R9 280) outperforms it, and it will have 4GB VRAM. I see used non-reference HD 7950's going for $125 to $100 all the time.

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But I wanted to be stupid :(

 

 

Yes, it will still be a problem.

 

Unless you can find a 4 GB card (2x2GB) the 1 GB of RAM per chip will always suck.  Even Skyrim sucked on my 5970. :(

 

EDIT:  Are current AMD drivers even supporting the 5970?

I find the skyrim trouble strange. I'm running the standard texture pack on my little 1gb 5770 and it does just fine if I keep anti aliasing below 8x. Above that it gets a little wonky sometimes.

I'm not sure "support" would be the right word but 5XXX series still works with all the games I have tried. The drivers are pretty darn bullet proof at this point. I never thought of that I guess. Optimization for the 5970 is probably out of the question at this point.

 

2GB VRAM is fine, especially at that resolution, unless you play at Ultra settings or use mods that eat up lots of VRAM for better textures. Typical games are built to use up just less than 2GB VRAM for high settings, and less than 3GB VRAM for ultra settings. Poorly console ported games expect PC users to have better graphics cards than those in consoles, so sometimes those games might be a problem, but again, it's their fault, not yours - having a super-high end graphics cards won't fix their issues.

 

Still, a HD 5970 is outdated. A single HD 7950 (or R9 280) outperforms it, and it will have 4GB VRAM. I see used non-reference HD 7950's going for $125 to $100 all the time.

That's what I had read, more than 2gb is just for making my e-peen seem larger, as proper grooming also seems to do.

 

Used doesn't work for me, refurbs or new. Newegg and other e-tailors only. I'm sick and tired of dealing with private online sales and craigslist in my area is terrible for electronics.

6990? I will go straight up window licking with that one. I could just get a good nice card for 6990 money.

 

Edit: Apparently HD 5XXX and 6XXX are still being updated every now and then, the last update was about 3 months ago.

Edited by GabrielTessin

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2 GB on a 5970 means two 5870 1 GB cards...so a "2 GB 5970" is only a 1 GB card thanks to how Crossfire works.

 

Seriously, it's a waste of money.  Even if you can find a 4 GB version (so really a 2 GB card) it's just not worth the money.

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2 GB on a 5970 means two 5870 1 GB cards...so a "2 GB 5970" is only a 1 GB card thanks to how Crossfire works.

 

Seriously, it's a waste of money.  Even if you can find a 4 GB version (so really a 2 GB card) it's just not worth the money.

Well thats a bummer.

Might as well buy up a couple 9800 GX2s for quad SLI and call it a day :P (I'm kidding but would it be epic?)

 

In all seriousness, thanks for talking some sense into me. I will just save up and get a current gen card.

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I had one.  Don't buy it.  The RAM will be a limitation on EVERY new game, that's why I got rid of mine.

+1

 

Yes, it will still be a problem.

 

Unless you can find a 4 GB card (2x2GB) the 1 GB of RAM per chip will always suck.  Even Skyrim sucked on my 5970. :(

 

EDIT:  Are current AMD drivers even supporting the 5970?

+1 I sold my 5970 BECAUSE of Skyrim and the card's lack of Vram to run it properly.

 

2GB VRAM is fine, especially at that resolution, unless you play at Ultra settings or use mods that eat up lots of VRAM for better textures. Typical games are built to use up just less than 2GB VRAM for high settings, and less than 3GB VRAM for ultra settings. Poorly console ported games expect PC users to have better graphics cards than those in consoles, so sometimes those games might be a problem, but again, it's their fault, not yours - having a super-high end graphics cards won't fix their issues.

 

Still, a HD 5970 is outdated. A single HD 7950 (or R9 280) outperforms it, and it will have 4GB VRAM. I see used non-reference HD 7950's going for $125 to $100 all the time.

Yeah I can EASILY see a 7950 or even a 7970 for the same or not much more used and they are a WAY better investment. My skyrim experience was GREATLY improved when I sold the 5970 for a 7950, best switch ever haha

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2 GB on a 5970 means two 5870 1 GB cards...so a "2 GB 5970" is only a 1 GB card thanks to how Crossfire works.

 

Seriously, it's a waste of money.  Even if you can find a 4 GB version (so really a 2 GB card) it's just not worth the money.

Yeah, I know. He was talking about 2GB VRAM being enough, and I was talking along those lines.

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