A 6950 costs between $250-$300. (Comparable to nVidia's new 560 Ti)
A 6970 costs between $340-$380. (Top-of-the-line ATi card)

By simply stuffing the firmware from a 6970 into a 6950, you get a huge upgrade for free.

http://www.techpowerup.com/articles/...ng/vidcard/159