Are you running ATI 5870, 6870 or Nvidia 460?

[klem]

Originally Posted by Triggaaar

....I added the other parts and compared to a pre OC'ed system it was a big saving (but it might not be for you).

The 69xx series has been pushed back to Dec 13th for the information release, so the cards will hopefully be out soon after that.
.....

The assembly/overclocking/testing is costing me about £50 which I think is a very fair price for an o/c I would be afraid to push for

Where did you get that 13th December date from? I keep coming up against a wall of silence or "can't say due to Non Disclosure Agreements".

Flanker
yes power and heat are one of my (secondary) drivers

SQB
Thanks for that but I found Toms Hardare website and several others placed the 6870 below the 5870 on gaming tests and one of those sites had similar benchmark results to your link but said "benchmarks aren't everything" (don't necessarily reflect the real world of gaming). You're right about the price but I can afford either so it's down to what will run SoW best out of the two. If the 6970 is going to cost much more than the 5870 it's looking like a straight choice for me between 6870 and 5870. Both have their advantages. The 5970, 480GTX and 580 are beyond my reach.

btw I did check the card lengths which is one reason why I chose that case.

[SQB]

yes, that is true, benchmarks dont reflect everything. truth is the 5870 is i teeny weeny bit better, but nothing to make it worth the extra 100 bucks. All this benchmark shows is the difference is so marginal sometimes the "worse" card beats the "better" one.

[Triggaaar]

Originally Posted by klem

The assembly/overclocking/testing is costing me about £50 which I think is a very fair price for an o/c I would be afraid to push for

Wow - I enjoyed doing the OC myself, and learning in the process, but £50! When I looked at Scan's OC'ed components (and overclockers) I was looking at £200.

Where did you get that 13th December date from? I keep coming up against a wall of silence or "can't say due to Non Disclosure Agreements".

here - although the link on the first post is down now, it worked when I first read it. I've read a few other places about the details being released in week 50, I'm pretty sure it's official. The 6850 and 6870 were on sale about the same day that the details (benchmarks, reviews etc) were released, so hopefully that'll be the same this time around.

[klem]

Thanks Triggaaar,

that's really depressing. I read through a fair bit of that thread and several of the links. It seems a fair bet the 6970 won't be out before Christmas unless AMD are sandbagging a little.

I now have to decide whether to go 5870 or get the rig minus the Graphics card and throw in my 7800GTs and wait until the 6970 is available. At least then I will know the performance and the price.

Or can I be patient enough to wait until Q1 2011.
Would probably make sense. Prices may have dropped on the 5870 if the 6970 doesn't turn out to be as good as the hype. Or not.

nnnnnngggg.... I want it now!

[Triggaaar]

Originally Posted by klem

that's really depressing. I read through a fair bit of that thread and several of the links. It seems a fair bet the 6970 won't be out before Christmas unless AMD are sandbagging a little.

I didn't get the feeling that it won't be out for christmas. It's the information they've delayed, and if it's not going to be ready until after christmas, releasing the info on the 13th December doesn't make sense - ie, it's too late to stop some people buying a 580 before the 13th (they could release the info now if it's good news) and it's a bit early if the product still won't be ready. But we'll see.

I now have to decide whether to go 5870 or get the rig minus the Graphics card and throw in my 7800GTs and wait until the 6970 is available. At least then I will know the performance and the price.

It depends if there's a lot of games you're desperate to play now. I've built a new PC and I'm still using my 6600GT, as I'm in no hurry to get new games, and I want a card for SoW. If it's really for SoW, wait (not just for the 6970, but system requirements would be nice).

Would probably make sense. Prices may have dropped on the 5870 if the 6970 doesn't turn out to be as good as the hype. Or not.

I don't think the 5870 will see much proce drop before we know about the 6970. If that turns out to be a good card and a decent price (and while I doubt it'll be as fast as the 580, it'll be faster than the 5870, crossfire better etc, and probably be a reasonable price), the 5870 should then see price drops.

[Hatch]

My 2cts : Wait till SOW comes out and use your current card or a very cheap on the new rig till then.
(If that's possibel).
No use buying a nice card now and realising SOW is more demanding when it come's out.
That'll save some budget for a super card to get all the eye candy.

At least that's why I 'm waiting

[klem]

I have decided to wait a month (until the supposed week 50 release) before deciding on the GPU and buying the package. It wasn't an easy decision.

Having unusually spare cash in the bank at risk from all of life's little foibles is like having a Ferrari on the drive but you can't find the key !

The 6000s out now are priced just at or above the 5000s they replace. I'm hoping the 6970/5870 situation will be the same.

I'd like to thank everyone for their comments and advice. And any more that may come. I'll keep you posted.

[klem]

Just reviving this thread to let you know what I've ordered and ask a question.

I've ordered everything I need except the video card. This is mainly because I want to beat the VAT increase (Jan 1st) and I don't expect any significant price changes for these parts between then and now. So I've ordered:

ASUS Sabertooth mobo
Intel i7 950 3.06GHz overclocked to 4.2GHz by supplier (o/c under warranty)
Prolimatech Megahalems Rev B,Super 6 Heatpipe Tower Cooler
6Gb Corsair DDR3 RAM
128Gb SSD for the OS and Flying software (IL-2, FSX, SoW)
Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit
750W Corsair HX PSU
Coolermaster HAF 912 case and extra 120mm top fan.

It's based around a Scan.co.uk "3XS SLIK i7 X58 950 BlackOps Bundle"....... modified. It will be built, o/clocked and tested by Scan.

I've taken advice from here and elsewhere to double the SSD size and up the Power Supply. I'll plug in my two 7800GTs for now until ATI release the 6970 when I'll be looking at price and performance. I expect it to outperform the 5870 and hopefully (from the 6850 and 6870 prices) will be in the same ballpark as the 5870. If that doesn't meet my hopes I'll go for the 5870. The 480GTX and 580 are outside my budget (which I'm already heading over) and the 480GTX also has a reputation for hot running.

I already have a new DVD drive and a couple of HDDs for other stuff (photos etc).

That's it. Come SoW, "six months" or whatever it's about as far as I can stretch so I've gone now.

It must be worth waiting for...
http://hw-lab.com/some-details-amd-r...es-leaked.html


OK MY QUESTION..
Does anyone have any indication that the 6970 release date is still on track, slipping again or what? Or info on likely price? Long shots I know.