Video Cards: PowerColor vs XFX vs Sapphire; 1GB vs 2GB?

Okay, i'm trying to choose a Radeon HD 6950

Here are my options:



Powercolor Radeon HD 6950 1GB for $240

Sapphire Radeon HD 6950 1GB for $255

XFX Radeon HD 6950 1GB for $260



Also, I would like to know if it;s worth investing in a 2GB Graphics Card

From what I have researched, it's only required if you use resolution higher than 1080p

However, i plan for this build to last me a long time, I would like to know if it's worth it, and if at what rate would standard HD resolution increase? Heres my options for 2GB:



PowerColor Radeon HD 6950 2GB for $270

Sapphire Radeon HD 6950 2GB for $285



Witch Card is better for it's price, and is the 2GB version worth it?|||>I have used the last two for years. Some problems at times, with Sapphire, but not much. I have never had a problem with XFX cards and I just swapped out about a year ago, a GTX 9800 Overclocker XFX and never had a problem with it to an XFX Radeon 5870 and still using it for a year with no problems...I think the XFX is the best, based on my experience with these cards/ The powercolor is the low end of your choices...or the low end leader, as they say in marketing.



Oh, and I am not convinced 2 gigs of GDDR5 really does you any more than a 1 Gig card does. I think its marginal myself...not really needed (a 2 gig vid card).|||The 2GB version is definitely worth it. It used to be that any video card with more than 1GB was overkill unless you were running resolutions more than 1080p.

But as well as that, we learned from the Crysis 2 that high res textures and tesselation chews up shitloads of VRAM. So currently, more VRAM is desirable in not only higher than 1080p resolutions but also hi res textures features in games and also tesselation in games.



The performance of each brand of 6950 will be the same. The only difference between the cards is the cooling system, the price, the build quality and the warranty.

Personally, i'd go with the Sapphire or the XFX, whichever offers the best warranty.|||Upgrading to the 2 gigs is most definitely worth it. Its less than 50$ more and it's a whole gig more. You'll eventually want to do another upgrade of you don't get the best now. There is not a very big difference in the power color and the sapphire except that sapphire is said to have a better product.|||At the 6950 level, 2GB isn't worth it. The GPU just doesn't have the muscle to utilize enough of that extra GB to make it worth it. If you have the extra $$$ to spend then go with the GTX 570 or HD 6970, that will give you a BIG increase in performance.

As for comparing the two 6950s, look at the benchmarks, not only for performance but also for temps. Read the reviews and check out the warranties too.