1. #1

    i5 2500k and HD 6950 a balanced combo?

    I'm looking at buying an i5 2500k and an HD 6950 in my next gaming build. Computer is primarily for playing WoW but will be used for other games. When I say balanced I'm just wondering if one will severely limit the other in terms of performance and If I'd be better off with a cheaper alternative. (Even though both are the best value/performance components currently available as far as I know) Also what brand for the GPU do people prefer for Radeons?

  2. #2
    See my sig. The 6950 is overkill for WoW, but if you're playing any other games you'll appreciate the horsepower. I did notice a bit of an improvement in WoW over my old GTX275 (and the DX11 path is appreciated too) but in other games like Starcraft II, World of Tanks, EVE Online, and so forth I noticed a significant speed boost when upgrading.

    XFX gives a double lifetime warranty for the video card. I don't overclock GPUs anymore (and don't see much point to it really) so I didn't need one with the super ultra triple slot water cooled mega cooler with the kung fu grip, and the warranty transfers to another owner if you re-sell it in the future. For those that do overclock, I know Asus makes some damn good coolers for the NVIDIA line but I don't know if they put their Twin Frozr cooler on AMD cards.
    Super casual.

  3. #3
    there are twin frozr versions of the 6950 available
    cant really go wrong with that cpu since it can be overclocked to 4.2ghz in about 30secs

    but yes you wont be restricting the performance of cpu/gpu with those
    Last edited by aiuda; 2011-10-11 at 11:53 AM.

  4. #4
    I hear a lot of bad things about xfx... mostly that their cooling systems suck and the fans are loud.
    I prefer msi myself. Asus and sapphire are also good brands.
    If the radiance of a thousand suns were to burst at once into the sky, that would be like the splendor of the Mighty One... now I am become Death, the Destroyer of Worlds.

  5. #5
    Deleted
    If it's for playing WoW mainly (you raid 25mans) it hurts to say this, but don't go ATI. For anything else beside WoW, sure. I upgraded my gtx 460 to a 6950 (modded to 6970) and I get worse fps in 25 mans than I did with the 460 (i3-2300 @ 3.3 Ghz, 8 gb ram). Ofcourse any other game is smooth.

  6. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by gogusrl View Post
    If it's for playing WoW mainly (you raid 25mans) it hurts to say this, but don't go ATI. For anything else beside WoW, sure. I upgraded my gtx 460 to a 6950 (modded to 6970) and I get worse fps in 25 mans than I did with the 460 (i3-2300 @ 3.3 Ghz, 8 gb ram). Ofcourse any other game is smooth.
    You may have screwed up your flash or something.. there's no way a 460 can outperform a 6970.
    You shouldn't notice much change in your fps at all since 25mans are cpu-capped.
    If the radiance of a thousand suns were to burst at once into the sky, that would be like the splendor of the Mighty One... now I am become Death, the Destroyer of Worlds.

  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by taekvideo View Post
    I hear a lot of bad things about xfx... mostly that their cooling systems suck and the fans are loud.
    I prefer msi myself. Asus and sapphire are also good brands.
    My temps have never been anywhere near high, though I can hear the fan spin up sometimes when the card is under load. Not all the time though, but the side fans in my Storm Scout help keep it cool enough so it doesn't need to spin up. It is noticeable when it does rev up though.
    Super casual.

  8. #8
    Deleted
    Quote Originally Posted by taekvideo View Post
    You may have screwed up your flash or something.. there's no way a 460 can outperform a 6970.
    You shouldn't notice much change in your fps at all since 25mans are cpu-capped.
    So much cluelesness and ignorance in 1 post hardly can be achieved.First flash and WoW have nothing in common.Second even if 25 mans are cpu capped that doesnt mean that it doenst matter what video you use...yes it barely matters in case you play on Low settings with 0 AA and 0AF but on 8AA+Ultra settings and 1920x1080-2560-1440 Video matters alot.Third Nvidia is ahead of ATI in WoW and there mainstream cards are doing about as good as ATI highend in this game.

  9. #9
    Scarab Lord Wries's Avatar
    10+ Year Old Account
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Location
    Stockholm, Sweden
    Posts
    4,127
    Quote Originally Posted by Healingftw View Post
    So much cluelesness and ignorance in 1 post hardly can be achieved.First flash and WoW have nothing in common.Second even if 25 mans are cpu capped that doesnt mean that it doenst matter what video you use...yes it barely matters in case you play on Low settings with 0 AA and 0AF but on 8AA+Ultra settings and 1920x1080-2560-1440 Video matters alot.Third Nvidia is ahead of ATI in WoW and there mainstream cards are doing about as good as ATI highend in this game.
    Screwed up flash means you have something like a web browser in the background while playing and as a result some AMD configs downclock the GPU.
    A 6970 should really not be a bottleneck in WoW even at very high settings and resolutions.
    Even IF we grant Nvidia some kind of advantage (overblown by tomshardware, having 0-credibility since their intel bias), the 6970 is a high-end performer and it's just damn unrealistic that it'd perform sub-par in WoW.

  10. #10
    Bloodsail Admiral dicertification's Avatar
    10+ Year Old Account
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    1,006
    I have a 6970 and never drop below 40 frames on rag, that's on an i7 920 @ 4ghz at near ultra. it is better than the 6950 but the minimum frames are usually caused by being cpu limited. Your 6950 will easily allow 25 man raiding on a 2500 k, as your cpu is gonna be beast.

    About the guy with the 6950 that he bios flashed..... Hate to say it, but you did something wrong.

  11. #11
    Yeah, my 6950 is smooth as a mirror in WoW.
    Super casual.

  12. #12
    Warchief sizzlinsauce's Avatar
    10+ Year Old Account
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    Bellforest, Tower state
    Posts
    2,188
    Quote Originally Posted by Healingftw View Post
    So much cluelesness and ignorance in 1 post hardly can be achieved.First flash and WoW have nothing in common.Second even if 25 mans are cpu capped that doesnt mean that it doenst matter what video you use...yes it barely matters in case you play on Low settings with 0 AA and 0AF but on 8AA+Ultra settings and 1920x1080-2560-1440 Video matters alot.Third Nvidia is ahead of ATI in WoW and there mainstream cards are doing about as good as ATI highend in this game.
    he meant flashing your card to a 6970. it amazes me how you even got through doing so if you can't read. then again you did get a lower performance so you probably did do it wrong.

  13. #13
    As an NVIDIA fan boi, i recently bought 2 460's GTX's (2 cheaper then 1 560+ or 1 6950+) SLI'd OC'd to 850/1700/2000 along with an i5 2500k (oc'd to 4.1 for 24/7, my cheapy mobo limits me to 4.7 max), and it's been amazing. Obvioiusly you need a mobo/PSU to handle SLI.

  14. #14
    Deleted
    Quote Originally Posted by Gringgotts View Post
    I'm looking at buying an i5 2500k and an HD 6950 in my next gaming build. Computer is primarily for playing WoW but will be used for other games. When I say balanced I'm just wondering if one will severely limit the other in terms of performance and If I'd be better off with a cheaper alternative. (Even though both are the best value/performance components currently available as far as I know) Also what brand for the GPU do people prefer for Radeons?
    Yes, it's a very well balanced combo and something I'd consider getting myself.

  15. #15
    i run a i7 2600K at 4.7GHz and my 6970 its severe overkill for WoW like +100fps in places like org or raids, which is why i capped wow at 40 since there is really no need. But for the other games i play its needed.

  16. #16
    Scarab Lord Wries's Avatar
    10+ Year Old Account
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Location
    Stockholm, Sweden
    Posts
    4,127
    Quote Originally Posted by mrwisdom View Post
    i run a i7 2600K at 4.7GHz and my 6970 its severe overkill for WoW like +100fps in places like org or raids, which is why i capped wow at 40 since there is really no need. But for the other games i play its needed.
    You ended up capping manually at 40? Why 40? It should be smoother even being at 30 (half of the average LCD refresh rate) or of course the generally preferred 60.

  17. #17
    Quote Originally Posted by Wries View Post
    You ended up capping manually at 40? Why 40? It should be smoother even being at 30 (half of the average LCD refresh rate) or of course the generally preferred 60.
    Reduces strain.

    I have maxfpsbk set to 5 so when I'm tabbed out waiting for queue my temps can drop. I have large 60HZ monitors so I cap vsync sometimes, depending on what I'm doing.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •