In January we saw the launch of the GeForce GTX 560 Ti as the big news of the day. The GeForce GTX 560 Ti card stole the spot light and was a major product launch for NVIDIA filling in the sweet spot of pricing around $249. However, there was actually another launch that was a bit under the radar on that same day from the AMD side of things. In fact, this launch of a new Radeon HD 6950 1GB video card goes to directly compete with the new GeForce GTX 560 Ti. We have taken it through its paces and see how it performs. We are pitting the new Radeon HD 6950 1GB graphics card against this 2GB version and an GeForce GTX 560 Ti in an apples to apples testing to see how they compare in performance. - HardOCP

AMD Radeon HD 6950 1GB Card Performance Review

The new Radeon HD 6950 1GB video card is actually a partner driven video card, and not a new GPU from AMD. This Radeon HD 6950 1GB video card uses the same GPU's as the Radeon HD 6950 2GB which has been out for a few months now, the only difference is half the memory capacity. This reduction in capacity means the video card will be priced cheaper, but still have the same punch as the Radeon HD 6950 2GB video card. This reduction in memory capacity means however it will not be able to scale as high in gaming resolution and anti-aliasing settings, especially with CrossFireX, since it will be limited by its memory.

These Radeon HD 6950 1GB are exactly the same size as the Radeon HD 6950 2GB video card. The obvious aesthetic factor that separates the two video cards is that the new Radeon HD 6950 1GB reference video card lacks the back metal plate as found on the Radeon HD 6950 2GB graphics card. This makes the 1GB version of the video card lighter in weight, at least as far as reference designs go. Since this is a partner driven video card we will see custom cooling and custom printed circuit board designs. In essence, other than the obvious back plate, you would not be able to tell which version was which from looking solely at the card.

We were shocked to find that in a shader driven game like Metro 2033 both AMD Radeon HD 6950 video cards performed faster than the GeForce GTX 560 Ti card by a significant margin. This is a complete reversal prior to the Radeon HD 6900 series, where NVIDIA used to allow the highest framerates in this game. It is not the case anymore. As it stands there is no better value than Radeon HD 6950 based video cards in this sweet spot of around $249. This Radeon HD 6950 has proven to be a powerhouse for gaming and now you have just two different pricing options. These 1GB models are undercutting the GeForce GTX 560 Ti right now.

And the 2GB models compete with the factory overclocked GeForce GTX 560 Ti cards. In all our gaming experience with all three video cards, there is no better value than these Radeon HD 6950 2GB graphics card right now. The inclusion of the 1GB version just gives gamers one more option. If you are gaming at middle widescreen or lower, and are on a budget get this 1GB version. While if you love the high levels anti-aliasing eye candy, or games at higher resolutions go for the Radeon HD 6950 2GB model to enjoy games even more.