what gpu to buy
#1
I need to upgrade my computer so probably i will mount a new computer instead of upgrading this one. im searching online for hardware and since i crack some hashes i would like some of your opinion on what is the best thing to buy up to 1700€ (arround 2000 usd).

i play a little, i crack some hashes, most of the day im at the computer working and it spends almost all day without turning it off so if you can have cooling recommendations that would also be great. i read online that the HD5970 is one of the best gpus for hashcracking but is there a better one for a similar price out there?

thanks in advance and sorry if i posted this on the wrong forum. i had no idea where to ask this.
#2
HD5970 is a fantastic gpu, but the radeon 5000 series is two generations old now. amd deprecated the 4000 series this year, so 5000 series will likely be deprecated within the next ~ 18 months.

i would recommend going with a used HD6990 if you can find one for < 500 USD (not impossible), or a new HD7970.
#3
(07-21-2012, 03:20 PM)epixoip Wrote: HD5970 is a fantastic gpu, but the radeon 5000 series is two generations old now. amd deprecated the 4000 series this year, so 5000 series will likely be deprecated within the next ~ 18 months.

i would recommend going with a used HD6990 if you can find one for < 500 USD (not impossible), or a new HD7970.

is the HD7760 supirior in speed than the other ones? i dont konw why but it costs only 380€ here in my country. please let me know what is the fastest. i also have to think what is the motherboard im goin to buy and if it will have 2 pci-e slots or just one.
#4
HD7760? afaik there is no such card, if you re-read i said HD7970.

have a look at the benchmark threads on this forum to get an idea of what's fastest. as of right now HD6990 and HD5970 are the fastest; they're nearly the same in terms of speed, just depends on the algorithm and what the clocks are set at. HD6990 definitely benefits from VLIW4 architecture and for certain hash types can beat an overclocked HD5970.

but the HD7970 is a really fantastic card too, very impressive. if i were purchasing a gpu right now i'd buy it over anything else.
#5
(07-21-2012, 03:48 PM)epixoip Wrote: HD7760? afaik there is no such card, if you re-read i said HD7970.

have a look at the benchmark threads on this forum to get an idea of what's fastest. as of right now HD6990 and HD5970 are the fastest; they're nearly the same in terms of speed, just depends on the algorithm and what the clocks are set at. HD6990 definitely benefits from VLIW4 architecture and for certain hash types can beat an overclocked HD5970.

but the HD7970 is a really fantastic card too, very impressive. if i were purchasing a gpu right now i'd buy it over anything else.

thank you for your support, i see many diferent HD6990 on the market and all with almost the same price.
XFX Radeon HD6990 4Gb GDDR5 (PCI-E) 660,15€
Sapphire Radeon HD6990 4Gb DDR5 (PCI-E) 630,00€
Gigabyte Radeon HD6990 4GB GDDR5 (PCI-E) 755,70€
PowerColor Radeon HD6990 4GB GDDR5 (PCI-E) - AX 643,75€
Asus Radeon HD6990 4GB DirectCU II 3DI4S GDDR5 669,95€
Club 3D Radeon HD6990 4Gb GDDR5 (PCI-E) 712,45€

i have no idea what is the difference between them
#6
The difference is the manufacturer. The bios seems to be the same according to techpowerup.
#7
(07-21-2012, 07:59 PM)K9 Wrote: The difference is the manufacturer. The bios seems to be the same according to techpowerup.

yes, on that page all say 2GB and the card is 4GB, besides that everything seems ok.
now i know what gpu to use, im goin to start mounting the computer in a few days. thank you all for your help
#8
For the cost of a 6990, it looks like you can almost get 2 7970s - which will be faster than the 6990, probably use about the same power, and are just a better architecture.

I highly recommend the 7970. It's a radically different internal architecture than the previous GPUs (6xxx and before), and it's flat out better. The fact that a single device 7970 is almost as fast as a dual device 6990 in some hashes should tell you something.
#9
(07-22-2012, 05:49 PM)Bitweasil Wrote: For the cost of a 6990, it looks like you can almost get 2 7970s - which will be faster than the 6990, probably use about the same power, and are just a better architecture.

I highly recommend the 7970. It's a radically different internal architecture than the previous GPUs (6xxx and before), and it's flat out better. The fact that a single device 7970 is almost as fast as a dual device 6990 in some hashes should tell you something.

just to be clear let me know if you are talking about this gpu:
http://www.kuantokusta.pt/precos/nm_pesq...isa=HD7970+