14 DAY TRIAL // After AMD made official the 1GB version of the Radeon HD 6950 GPU, many manufacturers have started bringing such cards to market, XFX just announcing that it has introduced two new 1GB HD 6950 models to its line of graphics cards, including the factory overclocked “XXX Edition.”
Introduced as an answer to Nvidia's GTX 560 Ti, the 1GB version of the HD 6950 is based on the same Cayman core as the regular HD 6950.
This means that the cards are almost identical in their specifications, both editions carrying 1408 stream processors, 88 texturing units, 32 ROPs, as well as a 256-bit memory bus.
The only thing that is changed, except for the video buffer size, is the length of the PCB as the 1GB model measures 25.9cm compared to the 27.5cm of the 2GB edition.
Moving back to XFX's GPUs, both cards feature custom designed coolers, the standard clocked version of the HD 6950 1GB packing one fan placed right in the middle of its black plastic shroud.
The XXX Edition model, however, uses a far more innovative cooling system, as it comes equipped with an aluminum radiator that covers the full length of the card, three heatpipes drawing the heat away from the Cayman core.
On top of the heatsink, XFX has placed dual PWM controlled fans to dissipate the heat generated while in operation.
The improved cooling system is also accompanied by improved factory clocks, as the core runs at 830 MHz and the memory at 5200MHz, compared to the default 800/5000MHz.
As usual, both models pack dual DVI ports, a couple of mini DisplayPort adapters and an HDMI output.
The regular XFX Radeon HD 6950 is priced at 240€, while the XXX Edition is just a bit more expensive as XFX retails it for 245€. (via ComputerBase.de)
