Does anyone know the best GFX card for mining @ $250 or under?

[Kmitchell03]

Anyone have any good recommendations for a gfx card under $250? I currently have a HIS ATI Radeon 6970 which is working ok except that it apparently cant run at its full potential without freezing up (I was getting it up to 400Mhash on average but it would lock up my computer in 30 mins...if anyone knows how I can keep it at this rate without my computer freezing please let me know) and now averages somewhere between 250 to 300 mhash... But I'm looking to get another card thats less expensive to almost double my mining proccess.

- K

http://deepbit.net/userbar/4dbf221e816197c1db000002_02e24acb5b.png

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[niooron]

A unlocked 6950 would be the best. Or a used 5870 if you can find one.

[psknives]

A unlocked 6950 would be the best. Or a used 5870 if you can find one.

Go for a 5870 new, if not then a used one. Make sure your using a custom fan, not STOCK.

edit: 2x 80mm (or bigger) fans minimum would be good... 3 would be better

[Sonata]

5850

[Kmitchell03]

Thanks for the advice! One more question: which model of the 5870's are better? Im look at HIS (which I heard was the best from someones opinion), XFX, or visiontek?

http://deepbit.net/userbar/4dbf221e816197c1db000002_02e24acb5b.png

[rezin777]

A unlocked 6950 would be the best. Or a used 5870 if you can find one.

Go for a 5870 new, if not then a used one. Make sure your using a custom fan, not STOCK.

edit: 2x 80mm (or bigger) fans minimum would be good... 3 would be better

Every single one of my 5870s with custom fans run hotter than the ones with reference fans.

[Kmitchell03]

Also, how would I unlock a 6950?

http://deepbit.net/userbar/4dbf221e816197c1db000002_02e24acb5b.png

[rezin777]

Thanks for the advice! One more question: which model of the 5870's are better? Im look at HIS (which I heard was the best from someones opinion), XFX, or visiontek?

I would buy the cheapest reference 5870 I could find.

[Kmitchell03]

Thanks for the advice! One more question: which model of the 5870's are better? Im look at HIS (which I heard was the best from someones opinion), XFX, or visiontek?

I would buy the cheapest reference 5870 I could find.

I just purchased this one: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003L6HKT4/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?ie=UTF8&m=A1S18DAN6PXTGT

Any ideas on what the MHash will be? Im using https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Mining_hardware_comparison to compare but it gives a wide variety of speeds.

http://deepbit.net/userbar/4dbf221e816197c1db000002_02e24acb5b.png

[Serge]

2  of 5830  =$260

~310MHash/s

~519Mhash/s OC'ed

[kinghajj]

I bought an XFX 5870 off Newegg in late March for around $200. Stock fan, temp usually ranges from 70-78 C, which I've read elsewhere on the forum should be fine. With latest poclbm+amdstream, I get ~370 Mhash/s when not doing anything else, ~350 when doing general computer use.

[keybaud]

I bought an XFX 5870 off Newegg in late March for around $200. Stock fan, temp usually ranges from 70-78 C, which I've read elsewhere on the forum should be fine. With latest poclbm+amdstream, I get ~370 Mhash/s when not doing anything else, ~350 when doing general computer use.

Using MSI Afterburner, the XFX 5870 will run at 965/300 on stock voltages and gives approx 410 MH/s using Phoenix. It should get a little bit more using phatk kernel.