05-28-2014, 11:04 AM
perhaps part of your confusion is how the model number convention changed between the 5xxx and 6xxx line.
prior to the 6xxx product line, the x8xx notation was the top of the line single GPU products, and x9xx was reserved for the dual GPU products. xx70 was used to denote the top-performing card in each product line.
starting with the 6xxx product line, x9xx became the top of the line for both single and dual GPU products, with xx70 being used to denote the top-performing single GPU card and xx90 used to denote the top-performing dual GPU card.
so a 5850 is more comparable to a 6950.
prior to the 6xxx product line, the x8xx notation was the top of the line single GPU products, and x9xx was reserved for the dual GPU products. xx70 was used to denote the top-performing card in each product line.
starting with the 6xxx product line, x9xx became the top of the line for both single and dual GPU products, with xx70 being used to denote the top-performing single GPU card and xx90 used to denote the top-performing dual GPU card.
so a 5850 is more comparable to a 6950.