So I purchased a WX7100 off ebay (Dell Precision 7710/7720 version) thinking that if it performs as well as an RX580 and has better future proofing than other cards on the list compiled by
@MichaelDT that it would be the best investment. Ironically, not having to use a Dremel tool to grind down the heatsink like I would have to do to accommodate the Nvidia cards also factored into my decision as I thought it would be one of the easiest cards to install. Then I realized that doing the backlight mod was going to require much more effort now that DyingLight supply is MIA. I'm still waiting for my Radeon 6970m heatsink to arrive in the mail but I guess I have my work cut out for me in the meantime. I found many references to
@wlagarde 's Backlight Control mod guide on this thread but it was a bit difficult to find so I'm going to post the link here for anyone who scooped up one of the AMD GPUs:
Backlight Control Background: The 2011 iMac display backlight system uses pulse-width-modulation (PWM) to control backlight intensity. A PWM control signal is generated within the logic board-video card circuit and routed to the PWM input on the backlight board. The PWM frequency is 13KHz and...
forums.macrumors.com
Luckily I have access to all the tools needed for this mod but I would certainly recommend that anyone who doesn't to go with one of the Nvidia GPUs as they don't require the same mod in order to run (much easier to grind down the heatsink). Also if I'm wrong about Dying Light hardware hopefully someone will correct me. Big thanks to everyone who's put so much work into making and keeping this thread up to date. There is so much invaluable information here it's insane. If anyone has any tips on ensuring my backlight mod/upgrade doesn't go south that would be appreciated.
Wish me luck and I'll be posting pics, etc once all the hardware arrives and I jump through all the hoops.