GIGABYTE vs XFX vs ASUS vs DIAMOND vs ETC...?!?

[gigabytecoin]

So many choices - all of them create ATI 5970 cards... which one is best? Or are they all identical products simply with another name slapped on them and according price?

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[M4v3R]

Don't buy XFX. It looks fancy, but they are cheap and you can't overclock them much (they are factory overclocked, but not so much), meaning - you will have slower speeds. I'd say go for Sapphire, because these cards are very OC-able.

[gigabytecoin]

Ok I think I'm getting it now.

So they all basically use the same parts/specs/chipsets/etc... but certain companies allow differing levels of overclock-ability?

[MDKing]

I don't have 5970 but two 5870s from Gigabyte and I have to say they rock.

[m4rkiz]

Ok I think I'm getting it now.

So they all basically use the same parts/specs/chipsets/etc... but certain companies allow differing levels of overclock-ability?

they using same chips, same design, but electronic components, memory chips, quality of pcb can be different

my saphire went easily to 900/1250 @ 1.11v and can most likely be pushed even further (690 khashes so far  )

if you want to overclock get yourself decent aftermarket cooler - http://www.arctic.ac/en/p/cooling/vga/19/accelero-xtreme-5970.html?c=2182

keeps my overclocked 5970 under 65 degrees celsius and is nearly inaudible

[sc8nt4u]

The Accelero extreme is a decent cooler for your GPU, but it's actually worse for your VRM temps. I find that I'm limited by my VRM temps more than anything else. You're better off setting up a 80-120mm fan right in front of the card where the power plugs in to blow into the card directly - cheaper, but a lot louder! I've been running 24/7 100% load for the last 1 1/2 months with no interruption in mining.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/3590
http://www.geeks3d.com/20100809/vga-cooler-accelero-xtreme-5970-vga-cooler-tested-with-furmark/
http://www.overclock.net/ati-cooling/754712-accelero-xtreme-5970-review-11.html

I'm running a XFX BE and Gigabyte 5970.

[M4v3R]

Ok I think I'm getting it now.

So they all basically use the same parts/specs/chipsets/etc... but certain companies allow differing levels of overclock-ability?

Yeah, basic specs like clock speed or ALU count (two things that really matter in hashing) are basically the same. They sometimes differ in amount of VRAM, but it's irrelevant for hashing. So I'd go for the one with best cooling or just cheapest one.

[grue]

so what is the best manufaturer? in terms of $/MH (overclocked)