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There is no doubt that the latest XFX range of ‘Double Dissipation' graphics cards are right up there with the best Sapphire boards we have tested in recent months.
The XFX HD6790 ‘DD' makes an ideal choice for a versatile media center build and to game with modest settings at 720p. In reality, the card is actually potent enough to power many games at 1080p, although it can run out of a steam with some of the latest Direct X 11 games at this resolution.
At only £116 inc vat it is a great buying decision and runs cool under load. The excellent dual fan cooling system has no problems coping with the thermal overhead while maintaining a non aggressive fan profile. It would be one of our first recommendations for media center build, especially if modest gaming demands are also a priority.
The XFX HD6870 ‘DD' is built around the same cooling system as the lower specified card and is a formidable gaming solution for a high definition television or monitor, excelling at 1080p resolution gaming. We were able to power all the latest Direct X 10 and Direct X 11 titles without needing to compromise by lowering image quality settings.
At £137 inc vat it is considerably more powerful than the HD6790 DD with only a modest price increase (£21). With this extra horsepower however comes a higher thermal footprint and additional noise under extended load. When idle, it only consumes 6 watts more power than the HD6790, highlighting the class leading efficiency standards with the latest AMD 6 series.
The high end XFX HD6950 ‘DD' is easily the most powerful card on test today and will suit gamers who like to crank all the image quality settings to the limit. When powering demanding titles such as Lost Planet 2 and Total War Shogun 2 the performance differences are noticeable in the ‘real world', giving a smoother overall experience at 1080p. It does demand more juice at the socket, but it is still surprisingly quiet under load, making it ideal for gamers who don't want to deal with irritating noise emissions.
At £229.99 inc vat it is also easily the most expensive of the three cards, and it would need to be weighed carefully against the HD6870 DD, which is the best value card of the three on test today. That said, If you want higher image quality settings and more horsepower with demanding Direct X 11 games then it should be at the top of your shortlist.
Pros:
- The ‘DD' dual fan cooler is class leading.
- Good headroom from all cards.
- Price points are aggressive.
Cons:
- The HD6950 DD is considerably more expensive than the HD 6870 DD.
***You can win these cards over here! Hurry closes end of November 2011***
Kitguru says: An excellent range of cards from XFX with one of the best coolers on the market.
Very nice indeed, HD6870 is by far b est value, thats a bargain.
Excellent, I agree HD6870 is best and its very well priced. I dont get paid for 2 weeks sadly 🙁
Thought they had vanished off the face of the earth there for a while. nice to see them back … with a bang.
Never mind the 6870, the 6790 is really more than most people would ever need, quite surprised how well it performs even at 1080p. But for the small price increase, 6870 is much better value.
Very good, thanks for review.
I like XFX< always had good luck with their cards. shame they stopped the cool X shaped boxes they used to have.
are they the first to have used a direct touch heatpipe cooler like this?
Two of the HD6870s seem best to me, just a little more than one of the 6950’s.
They should lower the 6950 price to £199 inc vat IMO or even £190.
Great review man, im really looking at one of those 6790s for my media center, but it seems poor value when the 6870 is only 25 quid more.
6870 FTW. those are great cards. XFX DD version is a bargain, orfered one.
really cool. And the price isn’t really bad…