MSI R6950 Twin Frozr III Power Edition Review

1. Introduction2. MSI R6950 Twin Frozr III Power Edition3. MSI R6950 Twin Frozr III Power Edition (Super High Res Gallery)4. Testing Methodology5. Synthetic: Unigine Heaven Benchmark6. Synthetic: 3DMark Vantage7. Synthetic: 3DMark 118. Image Quality: HQV Benchmark 2.09. Gaming: Resident Evil 510. Gaming: Alien V Predator11. Gaming: Total War Shogun 212. Gaming: Far Cry 213. Gaming: Tom Clancy HAWX 214. Gaming: Dirt 315. Gaming: From Dust16. Gaming: Dead Island17. Technical: Acoustics Performance18. Technical: Thermal Dynamics19. Technical: Power Consumption20. Technical: Overclocking21. Closing Thoughts22. View All Pages

MSI and ASUS have been producing some of the finest video cards this year, and today we are reviewing the R6950 Twin Frozr III Power Edtion card which features the latest Twin Frozr cooler with dual fans. This design utilises Propeller Blade Technology for 20% more airflow when compared against a traditional implementation.

MSI claim that this design helps ensure that the card runs with 11% lower temperatures and with almost 14dBa reduced noise emissions.

Additionally the card supports triple over voltage support via the MSI Afterburner tool (Riva Tuner) and it also features a very capable 6+2 phase power delivery system for improved overclocking potential and stability.

Technical specifications

Model	R6950 Twin Frozr III Power Edition – OC
GPU	AMD Radeon HD 6950
Stream Processors	1404 Units
Core Clock	850 MHz
Memory Clock	5200 MHz
Memory Size	2GB GDDR5
Memory Bus	256 bits
Output	Mini DisplayPort *2 / HDMI / SL DVI-D / DL DVI-I
TDP	< 225 W
Card Dimension	270*116*39 mm
Form Factor	ATX
DirectX	11
OpenGL	4.0
CrossFireX	√
Eyefinity	√
AVIVO HD	√
PowerPlay	√
HDCP	√

The R6950 ships in an attractively designed box with the metal cooler getting much of the focus, as we would expect.

The box opens up into a lovely gatefold presentation, detailing all the technical aspects of the card design. Very nice presentation and certainly a good first impression.

The bundle is comprehensive and contains literature on the range of MSI products, outside the graphics sector. There is also a software disc, power and video converter cables, and a Crossfire bridge.

The Twin Frozr III cooler will be immediately familiar to many regular readers as it uses an all metal design with twin fan implementation. The card is built on a dark PCB and uses a 6+2 phase PWM design.

The card is CrossfireX capable in 2, 3 and 4 way configurations and it requires two 6 pin PCI power connectors for operation.

The card has two DVI connectors as well as a full size HDMI connector and two mini displayport connectors.

The cooler is easily removed with four screws. It is a sophisticated design which works in conjunction with a PCB plate panel underneath. There is a switch which offers ‘performance' and ‘silence' modes, adjusting the fan speeds.

There are four thick heatpipes connected to the nickel plated copper base, feeding into two separate racks of aluminum fins on either side. MSI use Hi-C and Solid Capacitors throughout with Tantalum and Aluminum cores for extra long life, stability and low ESR. They are also using Super Ferrite Chokes with 10% Power Efficiency Improvement and 30% greater current capacity.

The GPUz screenshot highlights the hardware specifications. The MSI card has 1408 unified shaders, 32 ROPS and have 2GB of GDDR5 memory connected via a 256 bit memory interface. The core clock runs at 850mhz and the memory at 1300mhz (5200mhz effective).

On this page we present some super high resolution images of the product taken with the 24.5MP Nikon D3X camera and 24-70mm ED lens. These will take much longer to open due to the dimensions, especially on slower connections. If you use these pictures on another site or publication, please credit Kitguru.net as the owner/source.

Today we are using an overclocked Core i7 970 system which is running at 4.33ghz.

Processor: Core i7 970 @ 4.33ghz
Cooling: Coolit Vantage
Motherboard: MSI X58A-GD65
Chassis: Thermaltake Level 10 GT
Power Supply: Corsair AX1200
Memory: 6GB ADATA @ 2133mhz 9-10-9-32
Storage: Kingston SSDNow V+ 512GB Gen 2 SSD (Storage) / Crucial RealSSD C300 256GB (OS boot)
Monitors: Hazro Ultra Sharp HZ230Wi, Dell Ultrasharp U2410 Rev A00

Other graphics cards for comparisons:
AMD HD6970
Sapphire HD6870 Dual Fan Overclock Edition
AMD HD6870
Sapphire HD6850 Vapor X Edition
AMD HD5870
Sapphire HD5850 Xtreme
AMD HD5770
Sapphire HD6790
Sapphire HD5770 Vapor X
Nvidia GTX580
Nvidia GTX570
Nvidia GTX550ti

Software:
Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit

Unigine Heaven Benchmark
3DMark Vantage
3DMark 11
Fraps Professional
Steam Client
FurMark
HQV 2.0 Software

Technical Monitoring and Test Equipment:
Nikon D3X with R1C1 kit
Keithley Integra unit
Thermal Diodes
Raytek Laser Temp Gun 3i LSRC/MT4 Mini Temp
Extech digital sound level meter & SkyTronic DSL 2 Digital Sound Level Meter

Games:
Resident Evil 5
Dirt 3
Far Cry 2
Alien V Predator
Total War: Shogun 2
Tom Clancy H.A.W.X.
Dead Island
From Dust

All the latest BIOS updates and drivers are used during testing. We perform generally under real world conditions, meaning KitGuru tests games across five closely matched runs and then average out the results to get an accurate median figure. If we use scripted benchmarks, they are mentioned on the relevant page.

Unigine provides an interesting way to test hardware. It can be easily adapted to various projects due to its elaborated software design and flexible toolset. A lot of their customers claim that they have never seen such extremely-effective code, which is so easy to understand.

Heaven Benchmark is a DirectX 11 GPU benchmark based on advanced Unigine engine from Unigine Corp. It reveals the enchanting magic of floating islands with a tiny village hidden in the cloudy skies. Interactive mode provides emerging experience of exploring the intricate world of steampunk.

Efficient and well-architected framework makes Unigine highly scalable:

• Multiple API (DirectX 9 / DirectX 10 / DirectX 11 / OpenGL) render
• Cross-platform: MS Windows (XP, Vista, Windows 7) / Linux
• Full support of 32bit and 64bit systems
• Multicore CPU support
• Little / big endian support (ready for game consoles)
• Powerful C++ API
• Comprehensive performance profiling system
• Flexible XML-based data structures

We use the following settings: 1920×1080 resolution. Anti Aliasing off. Anisotrophy 4, Tessellation normal. Shaders High. Stereo 3D disabled. API: Direct X 11.

The MSI R6950 Twin Frozr III scores an average of 37.3 frames per second which is a very good result with this intensive synthetic benchmark.

Futuremark released 3DMark Vantage, on April 28, 2008. It is a benchmark based upon DirectX 10, and therefore will only run under Windows Vista (Service Pack 1 is stated as a requirement) and Windows 7. This is the first edition where the feature-restricted, free of charge version could not be used any number of times. 1280×1024 resolution was used with performance settings.

The MSI overclocked card scores just under 21,000 points, coming in behind the reference clocked GTX570.

3DMark 11 is designed for testing DirectX 11 hardware running on Windows 7 and Windows Vista the benchmark includes six all new benchmark tests that make extensive use of all the new features in DirectX 11 including tessellation, compute shaders and multi-threading.

After running the tests 3DMark gives your system a score with larger numbers indicating better performance. Trusted by gamers worldwide to give accurate and unbiased results, 3DMark 11 is the best way to test DirectX 11 under game-like loads.

If you want to learn more about this benchmark, or to buy it yourself, head over to this page.

The latest 6 series of AMD cards are very strong with Direct X 11 titles, and we can see that the MSI overclocked HD6950 falls into the performance chart 200 points behind the reference clocked GTX570.

HQV Benchmark 2.0 is an updated version of the original tool and it consists of various video clips and test patterns which are designed to evalute motion correction, de-interlacing, decoding, noise reduction, detail enhancement and film cadence detection.

There are two versions of the program, standard definition on DVD and high definition on Bluray. As our audience will be concentrating on HD content so will we.

This has a total of 39 video tests which is increased from 23 in the original and the scoring is also up from a total of 130 to 210. As hardware and software gets more complicated, the software has been tuned to make sure we can thoroughly maximise our analysis.

Read our initial analysis over here

	MSI R6950 Twin Frozr III
Dial	4
Dial with static pattern	5
Gray Bars	5
Violin	5
Stadium 2:2	5
Stadium 3:2	5
Horizontal Text Scroll	5
Vertical Text Scroll	5
Transition to 3:2 Lock	5
Transition to 2:2 Lock	0
2:2:2:4 24 FPS DVCAM Video	5
2:3:3:2 24 FPS DVCam Video	5
3:2:3:2:2 24 FOS Vari-Speed	5
5:5 FPS Animation	5
6:4 12 FPS Animation	5
8:7 8 FPS Animation	5
Interlace Chroma Problem (ICP)	5
Chroma Upsampling Error (CUE)	5
Random Noise: Sailboat	5
Random Noise: Flower	5
Random Noise: Sunrise	5
Random Noise: Harbour Night	5
Scrolling Text	5
Roller Coaster	5
Ferris Wheel	5
Bridge Traffic	5
Text Pattern/ Scrolling Text	5
Roller Coaster	5
Ferris Wheel	5
Bridge Traffic	5
Luminance Frequency Bands	5
Chrominance Frequency Bands	5
Vanishing Text	5
Resolution Enhancement	15
Theme Park	5
Driftwood	5
Ferris Wheel	5
Skin Tones	7
Total	196

196 points is pretty much in line with other AMD based hardware with the latest drivers. A very strong result.

Resident Evil 5, known in Japan as Biohazard 5, is a survival horror third-person shooter video game developed and published by Capcom. The game is the seventh installment in the Resident Evil survival horror series, and was released on March 5, 2009 in Japan and on March 13, 2009 in North America and Europe for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. A Windows version of the game was released on September 15, 2009 in North America, September 17 in Japan and September 18 in Europe. Resident Evil 5 revolves around Chris Redfield and Sheva Alomar as they investigate a terrorist threat in Kijuju, a fictional town in Africa.

Within its first three weeks of release, the game sold over 2 million units worldwide and became the best-selling game of the franchise in the United Kingdom. As of December, 2009, Resident Evil 5 has sold 5.3 million copies worldwide since launch, becoming the best selling Resident Evil game ever made.

No problems powering the Direct X 1o based Resident Evil 5, scoring an average of 118 frames per second, slightly ahead of the reference clocked GTX570.

Aliens V Predator has proved to be a big seller since the release and Sega have taken the franchise into new territory after taking it from Sierra. AVP is a Direct X 11 supported title and delivers not only advanced shadow rendering but high quality tessellation for the cards on test today.

To test the cards we used a 1080p resolution with DX11, Texture Quality Very High, MSAA Samples 1, 16 af, ambient occulsion on, shadow complexity high, motion blur on. We use this with most of our graphics card testing so cards are comparable throughout reviews.

Strong results with this demanding Direct X 11 game, averaging 54 frames per second, almost equalling the reference clocked GTX570.

Shogun 2 is set in 16th-century feudal Japan, in the aftermath of the Ōnin War. The country is fractured into rival clans led by local warlords, each fighting for control. The player takes on the role of one of these warlords, with the goal of dominating other factions and claiming his rule over Japan. The standard edition of the game will feature a total of eight factions (plus a ninth faction for the tutorial), each with a unique starting position and different political and military strengths.

All settings are pushed to mixed high/ultra settings as shown below.

Real world testing can fluctuate a little, especially with dynamic environments. With this test we also like to include built in benchmark results via Steam so readers can directly compare against their own hardware. Direct X 11 1080p and 720p results are below.

Shogun 2 runs well on current day AMD hardware. The results show great performance from the overclocked MSI graphics card.

Far Cry 2 (commonly abbreviated as “FC2 or “fc2″) is an open-ended first-person shooter developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft. It was released on October 21, 2008 in North America and on October 23, 2008 in Europe and Australia. It was made available on Steam on October 22, 2008. Crytek, the developers of the original game, were not involved in the development of Far Cry 2.

Ubisoft has marketed Far Cry 2 as the true sequel to Far Cry, though the sequel has very few noticeable similarities to the original game. Instead, it features completely new characters and setting, as well as a new style of gameplay that allows the player greater freedom to explore different African landscapes such as deserts, jungles, and savannas. The game takes place in a modern-day East African nation in a state of anarchy and civil war. The player takes control of a mercenary on a lengthy journey to locate and assassinate “The Jackal,” a notorious arms dealer.

Far Cry 2 is still a popular game and the open world environment can be taxing on even the latest hardware available today.

Settings: 1920×1200, D3D10, Disable Artificial Intelligence(No), Full Screen, Anti-Aliasing(8x), VSync(No), Overall Quality(Ultra High), Vegetation(Very High), Shading(Ultra High), Terrain(Ultra High), Geometry(Ultra High), Post FX(High), Texture(Ultra High), Shadow(Ultra High), Ambient(High), Hdr(Yes), Bloom(Yes), Fire(Very High), Physics(Very High), RealTrees(Very High).

Far Cry 2 has proven a popular title, with a demanding Direct X 10 engine. even at these high settings the MSI card is able to power the engine, maintaining frame rates in excess of 50 at all times.

Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.X. 2 is an arcade-style flight action game developed by Ubisoft Romania and published by Ubisoft. After the events of the first game, the H.A.W.X squadron is sent to Middle East, where a high level of violence is being registered, and the appearance of various insurgents leaders in various hotspots. The team also has to investigate the mysterious disappearance of Russian nuclear weapons. The player will be controlling three groups: one American (Hunter), one British (Munro) and one Russian (Sokov), each with its own pilots and supporting characters. There will also be references to other characters in the Tom Clancy universe.

We are testing in full DX11 mode with all settings to maximum.

HAWX 2 runs well on Nvidia hardware, although the MSI card has no problems maintaining frame rates above 50 at all times.

Dirt 3 is a rallying videogame and the third in the Dirt series of the Colin McRae Rally series, developed and published by Codemasters, although the “Colin McRae” tag has been completely removed from this iteration (having been previously been removed from American versions of previous games in the series).

We used the Ultra preset for the testing.

Dirt 3 is a great game, but it isn't one of the most demanding engines for modern day performance oriented hardware. We can see that even at these high settings the MSI graphics card is able to maintain an average of 60 frames per second.

Campaigns in From Dust are structured as a sequence of missions, whereby completing certain objectives expedites the tribe’s progress and bestows additional powers, such as the capacity to jellify water. Tribal shamans alert the player to natural disasters, notably tsunamis and volcanic eruptions, shortly before they occur. These disasters can be inhibited through creative, physical manipulation of the environment: a tsunami can be jellified, wildfires extinguished, and lava flows diverted.

We are including this game today as it is one of the best indie games we have played in recent years.

From Dust is capped around the 30 fps zone, but lesser hardware has a problem maintaining the rates. The MSI card however maintains a pretty solid 30fps throughout.

Dead Island is set in the fictional island of Banoi, located off the coast of Papua New Guinea. The main characters wake up in the Palms Resort hotel to find the island attacked by zombies and mysteriously, they are immune to whatever is making people into zombies. As they try to find and help other survivors, they must also find a way to escape the island as well.

Dead Island doesn't stress high end hardware and the frame rates above show just how much graphics power is on tap from the MSI card, averaging around 150fps throughout our test environment.

We have changed our method of measuring noise levels. We have built a system inside a Lian Li chassis with no case fans and have used a fanless cooler on our CPU. We are using a heatpipe based passive power supply and an Intel SSD to keep noise levels to a minimum. The motherboard is also passively cooled. This gives us a build with completely passive cooling and it means we can measure noise of just the graphics card inside the system when we run looped 3dMark tests. Ambient noise in the room is around 20-25dBa. We measure from a distance of around 1 meter from the closed chassis and 4 foot from the ground to mirror a real world situation.

Why do this? Well this means we can eliminate secondary noise pollution in the test room and concentrate on only the video card. It also brings us slightly closer to industry standards, such as DIN 45635.

KitGuru noise guide
10dBA – Normal Breathing/Rustling Leaves
20-25dBA – Whisper
30dBA – High Quality Computer fan
40dBA – A Bubbling Brook, or a Refridgerator
50dBA – Normal Conversation
60dBA – Laughter
70dBA – Vacuum Cleaner or Hairdryer
80dBA – City Traffic or a Garbage Disposal
90dBA – Motorcycle or Lawnmower
100dBA – MP3 player at maximum output
110dBA – Orchestra
120dBA – Front row rock concert/Jet Engine
130dBA – Threshold of Pain
140dBA – Military Jet takeoff/Gunshot (close range)
160dBA – Instant Perforation of eardrum

The MSI card is very quiet generally, only becoming audible when pushed hard with the latest version of Furmark. When gaming, the fan system only emits around 32.8dBa of noise. When using the silent fan profile, noise is reduced by around 1.8 dBa when under Furmark load.

The tests were performed in a controlled air conditioned room with temperatures maintained at a constant 25c – a comfortable environment for the majority of people reading this.

Idle temperatures were measured after sitting at the desktop for 30 minutes. Load measurements were acquired by playing Crysis Warhead for 30 minutes and measuring the peak temperature. We also have included Furmark results, recording maximum temperatures throughout a 30 minute stress test. All fan settings were left on automatic.

The Twin Frozr III cooler on this card certainly lives up to our expectations, achieving excellent figures of 60c when gaming, and only 67c when loaded with the synthetic stress test – Furmark.

Using the silent fan switch causes temperatures to rise by around 5c under load.

To test power consumption today we are using a Keithley Integra unit and we measure power consumption from the VGA card inputs, not the system wide drain. We measure results while gaming in Crysis Warhead and record the results.

Very impressive efficiency figures, demanding only 20 watts when idle and around 150 watts when gaming.

We overclocked with the latest MSI version of Afterburner.

The final clock increases aren't as good as we would have hoped. We tried a combination of voltage settings and tweaks but 920mhz from the core was the best we achieved, with total stability.

The overclock helped to boost the frame rates from an average of 37.3 fps to 38.8 fps.

There are many modified discrete graphics solutions on the market today and working out which one to buy can prove to be a long and involved process. Without a doubt the R6950 Twin Frozr III continues the long line of success stories for MSI and we can certainly recommend it as a shortlist product.

Noise emissions are reduced significantly thanks to the intelligent dual fan cooling solution, helped in part by the efficient propeller blade technology. The thermal properties of the R6950 are improved noticeably, with maximum temperatures registering 60c when gaming. A standard HD6950 with a reference cooling solution will often operate at a 20c+ higher threshold.

The HD6950 doesn't lack when it comes to high resolution gaming, and the overclocked R6950 helps improve performance slightly. When it came to manually overclocking the card, we hit the wall a little sooner than expected, but this will vary from board to board. Any settings over 920mhz and the display would corrupt, which was slightly disappointing.

The card is slightly difficult to find in the UK, however Amazon stock it via a partner for £284.75, which seems rather expensive in today's market. Luckily just before going to press we managed to get another link on OCUK, priced at a much more reasonable £235 inc vat. OCUK are also throwing in Deus Ex and Dirt 3 for free, which seems like a smart buy to us.

Pros:

• Great performance.
• Fantastic cooling system.
• dual fan settings.
• full voltage control options via latest version of MSI Afterburner.

Cons:

• our card didn't overclock to the levels we had hoped.

Kitguru says: Another excellent card from MSI.

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