AMD HD7950 Reviews

[slaveondope]

I just realized this:


Take a look at the PCI-E connector. I want a 1,5GB SKU nao!

I'm with this guy

[snoid_zero]

Seems like a lot of chips did not qualify to be 7970.
Hence the good availability of 7950...

[Manicdan]

Have you used GTX580 or 570? They run cool and quiet, 6970 is the louder card actually. When you're looking at a $500 video card since when does $20 in power savings a year matter? I always get a kick out of that.

if the only difference is savings on power, then it makes all the difference, lol. comparing perf/price on cards that are close, actually can end up rather wide due to high power consumption (like the 470/480)
went from a 2900 to 4850, little better perf and saved about 40$ a year in electricity. paid for itself years ago.

[BababooeyHTJ]

if the only difference is savings on power, then it makes all the difference, lol. comparing perf/price on cards that are close, actually can end up rather wide due to high power consumption (like the 470/480)
went from a 2900 to 4850, little better perf and saved about 40$ a year in electricity. paid for itself years ago.

GTX470 and 480 still had good idle power consumption. I could see if you were folding or something like that but my cards don't spend much more than a couple of hours a day under load and thats if I'm lucky. I think that heat and noise are a very good argument and the reason that I was never interested in GTX470 but I'm not too concerned with power consumption under load to be honest. High idle power consumption like 4870 would be an issue for me.

[bill_d]

Have you used GTX580 or 570? They run cool and quiet, 6970 is the louder card actually. When you're looking at a $500 video card since when does $20 in power savings a year matter? I always get a kick out of that. You do make a good point about GTX580 launching at $550 but its been retailing for well under $500 for months now. At the end of the day it is the more feature rich card. I like playing Skyrim with good performance in 3d with AO. Nvidia cards tend to perform a bit more reliably. They just tend to perform well in a wider array of games. I loved 6950 crossfire. It impressed me, great price vs performance option. Personally if price and performance is close like most people I'm always going to pick Nvidia due to the software support. I am always disappointed when a new line up launches that doesn't effect the price vs performance bar one bit.

If I were an eyefinity or really high resolution user I would be far more interested in one of these cards. Thats where they really seem to shine.

don't care about cool and quiet air i watercool, but i do care about how much heat two card pump into the room i'm in

nv card always top the charts in watts so more heat i would have to live with
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/P...S_Plus/25.html

i like some realism in gaming just not real sweat

[mAJORD]

Have you used GTX580 or 570? They run cool and quiet, 6970 is the louder card actually. When you're looking at a $500 video card since when does $20 in power savings a year matter? I always get a kick out of that. .

I get just as bigger kick out of arguments like this

Why assume power bills are the only concequence of higher power consumption? What about the fact people prefer less heat being pumped into their room or loop, (or case for non ref coolers). What about power supply constraints?

When power consumption is within <10w or so I agree it's a non issue, but we're talking about ~60-100w higher load consumption (system) according to the reviews.

[BababooeyHTJ]

I've never noticed my computer heating up my room. I don't know what you guys are smoking. Unless you have your pc set up in a closet or something. I've never heard that argument on the forums, thats a new one. I won't sli those $500 video cards since they might heat up my 5x5 room.

[hyperdoggy]

GTX470 and 480 still had good idle power consumption. I could see if you were folding or something like that but my cards don't spend much more than a couple of hours a day under load and thats if I'm lucky. I think that heat and noise are a very good argument and the reason that I was never interested in GTX470 but I'm not too concerned with power consumption under load to be honest. High idle power consumption like 4870 would be an issue for me.

You're one gen off if you're going to make comparison, 470/480 were going vs 5870/50. Is not easy to forget a flagship product that was half a year late, eating too much power, too loud, and almost but sadly cannot toast an egg.

Again to get back on topic, i don't like the price of the current flagship product from AMD, but this type of pricing was the norm before the stock market crash. That or i'm just spoiled from AMD's 4000-6000 series pricing.

[dasa]

two gtx480 in sli here and yes there power consumption does add up in costs considering i game on them for most of my waking life since they arrived two years ago

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/A...ssFire/22.html
idle 55w single monitor 127w two monitors per gpu adds up
and when overclocked they can heat up my 7x4m room unless its really cold outside
system averages 500-650w while gaming overclocked depends on the game though
this is all heat that the aircon has to use extra power to remove so it all adds up and our power bill is $1300 per quarter for the house

price of 7970 is the same that my gtx480 was at release

[STEvil]

I've got a pair of GTX480's too. They keep the heater from kicking on as often in the winter

If your aircon is coming on then vent the hot air through a window.

[dasa]

aircon runs anyway as my room isnt insulated well enough to keep out 45c heat although the last few months its mostly only been 33-38c
while it costs more i dont really like exposing my overclocked rig to those temps and the aircon copes so its not a critical issue just an extra cost i have to consider and will influence my next upgrade to an extent
being a inverter model the more heat being introduced to the room the more power it will use to remove that heat

[Olivon]

Thanks to : http://www.3dcenter.org/

[DuraN]

I've never noticed my computer heating up my room. I don't know what you guys are smoking. Unless you have your pc set up in a closet or something. I've never heard that argument on the forums, thats a new one. I won't sli those $500 video cards since they might heat up my 5x5 room.

Last year I lived in a student dorm room, about 10 sqm. During winter when it was creeping down towards -20 c I could chill in sweatpants and a t-shirt thanks to my 4Ghz i7 930 and GTX470. It was awesome. When spring came my room got so hot during the day I had trouble sleeping when the night came, not so awesome :p

[Andrew LB]

I've never noticed my computer heating up my room. I don't know what you guys are smoking. Unless you have your pc set up in a closet or something. I've never heard that argument on the forums, thats a new one. I won't sli those $500 video cards since they might heat up my 5x5 room.

I think they still buy into the myth about man-made global warming.

But now that I think about it, the whole performance/watt argument became widespread in the AMD/ATi following about a half decade ago when the die-hards were desperately trying to justify purchasing inferior products. It's no different than this latest claim that "AMD is Smoother". The same goes for putting a K&N air filter in your car and claiming you gain 15hp.

[Aruffell]

Another review, in video format - http://www.eteknix.com/reviews/graph...-video-review/

Written one is out soon.

[initialised]

I just realized this:



Take a look at the PCI-E connector. I want a 1,5GB SKU nao!

Same markings on the pair of Powercolor V2 Reference I've been benching

[Cuthalu]

I think they still buy into the myth about man-made global warming.

But now that I think about it, the whole performance/watt argument became widespread in the AMD/ATi following about a half decade ago when the die-hards were desperately trying to justify purchasing inferior products. It's no different than this latest claim that "AMD is Smoother". The same goes for putting a K&N air filter in your car and claiming you gain 15hp.

Your theory of mind needs a bit more development.

[Cold Fussion]

In Australia the 7950 costs $100 more than the GTX 580. I really don't understand retailers here.

[dasa]

In Australia the 7950 costs $100 more than the GTX 580. I really don't understand retailers here.

there is enough competition amongst retailers that they dont crank up the price that much
its the distributors that like to make a bit extra on a new product but atleast they do drop the price after a while unlike supermarkets which work on a average of 75% profit margin in au with some items making them over 300% profit

[Piotrsama]

I just realized this:



Take a look at the PCI-E connector. I want a 1,5GB SKU nao!

You think you'll be able to "unlock" memory? Wouldn't put much hopes on that...

[Lanek]

there is enough competition amongst retailers that they dont crank up the price that much
its the distributors that like to make a bit extra on a new product but atleast they do drop the price after a while unlike supermarkets which work on a average of 75% profit margin in au with some items making them over 300% profit

Lets say Australia is a particular case and have allways been... if i buy from Switzerland a product in Australia ( order it ), it will surely cost me less of an Australian who buy it there, in a shop... ....

Australian charge a lot on margin, transport, sometimes you have the feeling to be in 1890 and they count you the boat transport as it was 200 years ago .. ( and you better have to live in the good half part of Australia )

I have got the exact same things in New Zealand.

But outside this, Australia is one of the few countries i will like to live... What a beautyfull country

[mAJORD]

In Australia the 7950 costs $100 more than the GTX 580. I really don't understand retailers here.

Coming down now. Cheapest store has sapphire ref for $499.

C cheapest 580 is $485

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk

[SKYMTL]

Thanks to : http://www.3dcenter.org/

Hey, we won! Sorta....

[BababooeyHTJ]

I just realized that AMD launched their "midrange" gpu at the same price as GTX260.

[cold2010]

@sweclockers
http://www.sweclockers.com/recension...lack-edition/1
HD 7950 CF

Caspian Border