Enhance your 6950=unlock to 6970!

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Originally Posted by Glow9

Can a 6850 be unlocked to 6870? I doubt it but anyone ever try it?

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no, lazer cut.

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Originally Posted by Dezmen

So maybe 6970 do have more than 1536 SP?

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no.
gpu-z dont read card it just run what is input by wizzard.

Just ordered 2 XFX 6950's. Was originally very disappointed with the Cayman launch, but a combination of cheap prices, good cfx performance, future driver improvements, 2GB memory (eyefinity user here), and a very good chance of unlocking to HD6970 speeds has put me back in the AMD camp. Here's hoping both unlock.

hmm.. maybe this was AMD's secret plan after all.. sneaky.

will put my cards on sale, if someone buys them I'll join the 6950's gamble club :p

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Originally Posted by hurleybird

Just ordered 2 XFX 6950's. Was originally very disappointed with the Cayman launch, but a combination of cheap prices, good cfx performance, future driver improvements, 2GB memory (eyefinity user here), and a very good chance of unlocking to HD6970 speeds has put me back in the AMD camp. Here's hoping both unlock.

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:up: right on

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Originally Posted by cowie

Unlocking pipes kicks ass!!!

but i dought amd wants you to do that,so enjoy it while you can.

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Don't expect AMD is really gonna throw down the hammer. Just like how they did with manufacturers and unlocking cores on their cpu's. It's win win for enthusiasts and AMD. Cards costs same to produce (likely) you got buy it everyone wins. Free enthusiast marketing. All us nerds are buzzing around the forums talking about awesome deal on the card it drives up sales.

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Originally Posted by Glow9

Don't expect AMD is really gonna throw down the hammer. Just like how they did with manufacturers and unlocking cores on their cpu's. It's win win for enthusiasts and AMD. Cards costs same to produce (likely) you got buy it everyone wins. Free enthusiast marketing. All us nerds are buzzing around the forums talking about awesome deal on the card it drives up sales.

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Speak for yourself :shakes:....most of us are "geeks" :p:

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Originally Posted by miahallen

Speak for yourself :shakes:....most of us are "geeks" :p:

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+1

http://www.wikihow.com/images/c/c5/I...-Christmas.jpg

How-to-Tell-the-Difference-Between-Nerds-and-Geeks

:rofl:

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Originally Posted by Glow9

Don't expect AMD is really gonna throw down the hammer. Just like how they did with manufacturers and unlocking cores on their cpu's. It's win win for enthusiasts and AMD. Cards costs same to produce (likely) you got buy it everyone wins. Free enthusiast marketing. All us geeks are buzzing around the forums talking about awesome deal on the card it drives up sales.

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Fixed for our benefit :p:

This is marketing that AMD can't even hope to buy. Nothing gets people excited like buying a $300 card that can be modded to a $380 card for free. I'm 100% sure that they knew that enthusiasts would learn about this.


1. The 6950 and 6970 are physically identical, down to the last circuit.
2. BIOS switch on the side of the card.
3. Coolers are identical.

It seems like AMD is ahead of the game again in terms of features. Why didn't Nvidia think of this? :ROTF:

I guess this confirms the rumours of excellent yields.

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Originally Posted by flippin_waffles

I guess this confirms the rumours of excellent yields.

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Unfortunately, HD 69X0 series are not that great compared to HD58X0 and that's not a rumour ...

Who will buy HD6970 now ?

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Originally Posted by Mad Pistol

1. The 6950 and 6970 are physically identical, down to the last circuit.

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Nope...

http://img196.imageshack.us/img196/2319/front1pn.th.jpg

http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/9784/frontkc.th.jpg

Edit- Uploaded pics and replaced above pics with thumbnails.

can you really feed an unlocked cayman without the 8-pin? :confused:

In this review:
http://lab501.ro/placi-video/asus-ra...overclocking/8

an HD6950 /out mod, pushed to 1.2-1.35-1.45-1.5V with cold air, so I don't see great problems with HD6950@HD6970 and 1.175V

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Originally Posted by LordEC911

Nope...

-images removed-

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Uh.. mind pointing out the difference? If you mean the power connectores, the extra two wires on an 8-pin dont actually do anything for helping bring more power to the card and are not "different" between the 50 and 70 due to that. You can bypass them on any card by using some gator clips.

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Originally Posted by LordEC911

Nope...

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Maybe it is just me, but other than the VRM heatspreader tape, they look the same to me.

http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/5...0vs6950.th.jpg

Had to whip out paint really quick.

Edit- Do I have any idea what it is or does? Nope.
I just know they aren't 100% identical.

^ huh, wonder what the hell that is...

Obviously they threw a mini flux capacitor on there xD

/twiddles thumbs

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Originally Posted by RaZz!

+ the device id is still 1002-6719 (6970 has 1002-6718).

we'll be able to fix the device id and memory timings etc. when RBE gets an update for the 6900s - which hopefully happens soon :D

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:stop: :stop: :stop: This has me worried and has possibly got us all fooled.
Think for a minute... the drivers think that you are still using a 6950 purely because of the divice ID and install drivers for it respectively.
Now, this would mean that the drivers are infact still using the 1408 shaders and not the 1536 we are lead to believe...
The performance increase could be purely from the extra core speed.
I found it weird that when i downclocked my flashed cards to 6950 speed i saw next to no gain...

Anyone care to speculate ?

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Originally Posted by vvulture

:stop: :stop: :stop: This has me worried and has possibly got us all fooled.
Think for a minute... the drivers think that you are still using a 6950 purely because of the divice ID and install drivers for it respectively.
Now, this would mean that the drivers are infact still using the 1408 shaders and not the 1536 we are lead to believe...
The performance increase could be purely from the extra core speed.
I found it wierd that when i downclocked my flashed card to 6950 speed i saw next to no gain...

Anyone care to speculate ?

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The benchies from stock 6950 clocks with the unlocked shaders showed improvement so they are getting used. At least in TPU's article, 5fps I think it was. That is still a gain, however small over stock clocks/shaders. And at 6970 clocks/shaders the tests were identical next to a full blown 6970.

I hope you are right MM, but i feel like something is not right...
3Dmark11 still sees the cards as 6950's, so logically if it can still differentiate after flashing, i'm sure the drivers can too...

Time will tell i guess... as soon as we can change to the correct device ID.

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Originally Posted by vvulture

I hope you are right MM, but i feel like something is not right...
3Dmark11 still sees the cards as 6950's, so logically if it can still differentiate after flashing, i'm sure the drivers can too...

Time will tell i guess... as soon as we can change to the correct device ID.

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You are making me want to flash stock back, run high clocks, and see if it is the same :D

Anybody have an easy guide to installing ATI drivers? ATI virgin coming over from Nvidia. 6950 CF waiting to be installed. :D

Don't have to flash back... just put bios switch to position 2 and boot up.
cheers

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Originally Posted by vvulture

Don't have to flash back... just put bios switch to position 2 and boot up.
cheers

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Oh yea forgot about the magic switch xD Have you tried it yet?

Edit: I also saw your posts on TPU, are you not able to run 950/1450?