[/QUOTE]I just.... I'm already spending a SHITLOAD more than I intended on..
No to get to HD7970 speeds, you don't need to go above stock voltage of 1.175V. You can probably max out the MSI TF3 card below 1.175V before your cooler is too loud or the card hits 80*C. For the MSI TF3 7950 card, you don't even need to think about going above "Tahiti XT" stock voltage.So lemme get this straight, to achieve the levels of 7970 with the 7950 i need to above stock volts, thus creating more heat and lowering long term durability?
Why not just get the 810mhz version of the Sapphire 7950 for $280 AR? Chances are the op will get pretty much the same overclocks as the 950mhz version and save $30.OP get the Sapphire HD 7950 950 Mhz edition card for USD 310 after rebate. comes with HD 7970 PCB and has a good cooler. put yourself on auto notify and grab the card when it comes back in stock.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102991
comes with sleeping dogs game. fantastic game . have been playing it for a while. so its a nice value add imo. clock for clock HD 7950 is 3 - 5% slower than HD 7970. As you have seen in the posts above HD 7950 (1.1 Ghz) matches HD 7970 Ghz (1.05 Ghz) . Its quite easy to hit 1.1 Ghz with voltage tweaking and keep temps below 70c easily. All this for 310 bucks. incredible value for your money. :thumbsup:
If you want to buy immediately you could get the Gigabyte HD 7950 Windforce. very good cooler. comes with the sleeping dogs game.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814125414
Premium parts get better binning, his odds of landing a high ASIC rating card are higher. Less voltage=less heat and noise, both will be problems in his case.Why not just get the 810mhz version of the Sapphire 7950 for $280 AR? Chances are the op will get pretty much the same overclocks as the 950mhz version and save $30.
If you didnt notice on the first page I am on a z77 Mobo, with a 3570k @4.0 w/ 212 evo...Mango if you are still gaming on a phenom II then go with the 7950 & save the rest for a future platform upgrade. And yes I game on a Phenom II.
Because I would get the other 7950 at that price, the Vapor X with a better cooler with SSC. No coil whine, better cooler, same price... sold out as well.OP get the Sapphire HD 7950 950 Mhz edition card for USD 310 after rebate. comes with HD 7970 PCB and has a good cooler. put yourself on auto notify and grab the card when it comes back in stock.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102991
comes with sleeping dogs game. fantastic game . have been playing it for a while. so its a nice value add imo. clock for clock HD 7950 is 3 - 5% slower than HD 7970. As you have seen in the posts above HD 7950 (1.1 Ghz) matches HD 7970 Ghz (1.05 Ghz) . Its quite easy to hit 1.1 Ghz with voltage tweaking and keep temps below 70c easily. All this for 310 bucks. incredible value for your money. :thumbsup:
If you want to buy immediately you could get the Gigabyte HD 7950 Windforce. very good cooler. comes with the sleeping dogs game.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814125414
The 7950OC is built on the 7970 PCB. All else being equal it should give higher stable O/C's because of better power delivery. There's always the "silicon lottery" aspect though. You aren't guaranteed to get as good or better a GPU to go along with the better PCB. Although at this point in the maturity of Tahiti the chance of getting a dud chip should be pretty slim.Why not just get the 810mhz version of the Sapphire 7950 for $280 AR? Chances are the op will get pretty much the same overclocks as the 950mhz version and save $30.
there are lots of complaints of voltage locks on the Sapphire HD 7950 Vapor-X . So you might need to flash another BIOS like the Sapphire HD 7950 950 Mhz edition BIOS to fully enable unlocked voltage.Because I would get the other 7950 at that price, the Vapor X with a better cooler with SSC. No coil whine, better cooler, same price... sold out as well.
My bad...If you didnt notice on the first page I am on a z77 Mobo, with a 3570k @4.0 w/ 212 evo...
And I overclocked my phenom, and the performance difference with the 3570k seems almost DOUBLE. So, it was very worth while to me.
But, let's try and stay on the topic.
7950 <> 7970
Now is this because of your CPU or not?Mango, just re-read your initial post & with all things considered, it seems like you & I have something in common, which is a desire to play at the highest settings. I can tell you that with my TriFire setup in sig, I have a min. FPS of ~56 - 75 (depends on # of players on server at time of run) on Ultra settings in BF3. Give or take a couple here or there, that number usually applies to both 32 & 64 multiplayer maps, which is where it counts.
If I were to go back to March, when I built this rig, knowing what I know today (the supporting data we have today wasn't quite ready yet then), I wouldn't even consider the 7950's, if for one reason: Min. FPS. In absolutely no way, shape or form, would I want my Min. to drop even 1 below 56. TBH, IMO, that number is too low for the rig I have.
Sure, we could debate how my Min. is closer to 75 "most" of the time, but I don't care. That's not why I spent that coin. I'm sure you're well aware that with a game like BF3, the Min. is the most important number of the three.
So, it really depends on your priorities & what's most important to you. I wouldn't want you to have buyer's remorse. I picked the right cards, no question. Never a doubt.
Stock vs stock 7970 is 15-20%+ faster than a 7950.
Comparing oced vs oced
7970 will probably oc a bit higher and will also be better clock to clock, so I guess 10-15% diff at least
Comparing 7970 ghz oced to 7950 oced
You can easily expect a 15-20% diff esp in min fps also considering the fact that ghz edition oc even higher
Bottom line
There will always be a difference of at least 10% regardless ESP in min fps
And practically more than 10% many times
I think it's somewhere between, I would guess you might get more then 120. You can try hardforum for sale forum if you have enough posts to post there (50?).180 for a used 6950 is too high. For a used 2 gb 6950 it should be more like 120.
If your question is specific to my Min. of ~56 - 75, I would say yes, that is because of my CPU. At some point in the future (probably a min. of 12 mos. from now), I would like to upgrade to a CPU that can pin all 3 cards @ 95%+ usage. That's asking for a 35% increase in performance over a 2500K @ 4.5.Now is this because of your CPU or not?
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