For Diablo 3, would this graphics card be plenty?

[Damerae]

I was determined to purchase the Sapphire Radeon 6950 2GB graphics card, but I am beginning to wonder if this card will be overkill. I will not be playing any other game other than Diablo 3.

I use a 1920 x 1080, 23" monitor, and I've read that a 2GB 6950 Radeon is the route to go for best picture at high resolutions. However, I'm beginning to wonder if a 6950 will be overkill for Diablo 3. I plan to only play the game at 60 fps considering my monitor only has a 60hz refresh rate, so being able to play the game with 60 fps on ultra settings through the most graphic intensive areas would be ideal. Would I be able to obtain 60 fps on ultra settings with a Radeon 6870?

If not, I will go ahead and purchase the Sapphire Radeon 6950 2GB, but I thought I would ask first to try and save some money if I could.

Please let me know

[glo]

There's only been a handful of benches done on the game, but even on those, cards like the 6770 are maxing the game at 1080p and keeping 60+ FPS. You also need to factor in your CPU, but as far as the 6870 is concerned, it wont come close to being maxed out with v-sync on.

[Dedweight]

The two are fairly comparable, AnandTech as the 6950 edging out the 6870 by a mere 5%(usually less), if money is a concern the 6870 would be more than enough, if not the 6950(1GB version) would work. As for the 1GB vs 2GB question, the 2GB version is great for resolutions higher than 1080p or multiple monitors, seeing as you use 1080p 1GB would be plenty and might save you a couple bucks.

For reference I use the XFX HD6950 1GB and have been able to max out most games at or above 60FPS at 1080p(games being Skyrim and Deus Ex: Human Revolution), the only thing I don't like about the XFX is that it's loud and runs fairly hot(would love to drop it's temp a good 5C).

[Damerae]

The two are fairly comparable, AnandTech as the 6950 edging out the 6870 by a mere 5%(usually less), if money is a concern the 6870 would be more than enough, if not the 6950(1GB version) would work. As for the 1GB vs 2GB question, the 2GB version is great for resolutions higher than 1080p or multiple monitors, seeing as you use 1080p 1GB would be plenty and might save you a couple bucks.

For reference I use the XFX HD6950 1GB and have been able to max out most games at or above 60FPS at 1080p(games being Skyrim and Deus Ex: Human Revolution), the only thing I don't like about the XFX is that it's loud and runs fairly hot(would love to drop it's temp a good 5C).

Great! Thank you for the response. That's exactly what I was looking for. Thank you for clarifying the 1GB vs 2GB thing... I wasn't sure if it was important for 1080p (1920 x 1080) resolutions or higher. It seems it only matters for higher resolutions greater than 1080p, so that's great to hear.

Are you able to recommend a good brand for the 6870 card? Are there any other brands that I should go for besides the XFX if I decide to go for the Radeon 6950 1GB card? Or should I just stick with XFX?

P.S. Glo, I have an I5-2500k processor that I plan to overclock come time to start playing Diablo 3 only it it requires the additional overclock.

[Synthaxx]

Games like D3 and SC2, being from the perspective they are, don't have the single biggest drain on resources every game does; View Distance. With no need for massive view distance, the resources are spent on special effects and textures. Without view distance to calculate and render, almost any card out there becomes sufficient.

[Demoness]

Games like D3 and SC2, being from the perspective they are, don't have the single biggest drain on resources every game does; View Distance. With no need for massive view distance, the resources are spent on special effects and textures. Without view distance to calculate and render, almost any card out there becomes sufficient.

Exactly. A single mid range(~$200) card will run D3 at maximum settings above 60 fps at all times. I have beta access to D3 and my single GTX 570 never dropped out of the triple digits when I had vsync off.

[Keller]

the 7000 series is releasing in a month.

[Damerae]

the 7000 series is releasing in a month.

Meaning... Prices will decrease? In other words, I should wait until the new cards are released to purchase a graphics card to save money?

Sweet! Then I should be fine with a Radeon 6950 1GB if a GTX 570 is able to run D3 beta on ultra settings at great fps.

[Fleaz]

6950 should be fine... 7000 series is well.. no one knows pricepoint yet so no one can say if its going to be value for money(prob will be ATI always have been) i run a 3970 but only because i got it cheap