Birthday time which 7970 shall I choose?

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fastman

Golden Member
Oct 9, 1999
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Lucky me, my girlfriend is going to buy me a 7970 for my B-day, Mar 3rd and wants me to have it by then too.

Is there anyone one in particular that stands out from the rest?

I would like to stay with reference one or one with a nicer cooler and try a little O/C of my own.

Thanks all :)
 
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Agenesis

Member
Nov 13, 2011
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The DC2 versions are the more desirable around, but they're non-reference. Other than that they're all the same. The gigabyte in particular has a custom cooler and is reference design, xfx has a double d version that has 2 fans, and msi has an preoverclocked one that has a custom cooler.
 
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fastman

Golden Member
Oct 9, 1999
1,521
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81
Agenesis said:
The DC2 versions are the more desirable around, but they're non-reference. Other than that they're all the same. The gigabyte in particular has a custom cooler and is reference design, xfx has a double d version that has 2 fans, and msi has an preoverclocked one that has a custom cooler.
Click to expand...

DC2 does that mean dual display?
 
Golgatha

Golgatha

Lifer
Jul 18, 2003
12,433
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Agenesis said:
The DC2 versions are the more desirable around, but they're non-reference. Other than that they're all the same. The gigabyte in particular has a custom cooler and is reference design, xfx has a double d version that has 2 fans, and msi has an preoverclocked one that has a custom cooler.
Click to expand...


I'm quite happy with the Gigabyte card. It runs cool, is nearly silent under gaming load, and it is a bit shorter than the reference cards because the HSF doesn't extend out past the PCB.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125413

It's also in stock as of the moment I'm posting this.
 
rageofthepeon

rageofthepeon

Member
Jan 31, 2012
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Not a big fan of the 3 slot monster that is the ASUS 7970 DC2. I'd say go Gigabyte Windforce for a custom cooled card or Sapphire reference 7970 with the option to watercool or add on your own 3 fan aftermarket cooler later on.
 
LagunaX

LagunaX

Senior member
Jan 7, 2010
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If u r getting reference then the cheapest one unless you are concerned about the warranty length or a game that is bundled with it - XFX charges a premium for it's warranty.
If you are getting aftermarket then read a couple reviews or even Newegg reviews on the overclock levels and noise to see where your target overclock and budget intersect.

Myself, for example, don't keep cards long enuf to care about the warranty and bought a lightly used one 1 month after they were released - a used Diamond reference for $500 shipped - there were no aftermarket ones at that point yet.
 
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aoya

Junior Member
Feb 21, 2012
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schott1984 said:
Sorry to hijack, but what does reference mean?
Click to expand...

Reference means it uses a design that is supplied by the chip (ATI/nVidia) designer. If you compare all "reference" designs, they all look identical except for maybe some coloring or labeling.
 
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djnsmith7

Platinum Member
Apr 13, 2004
2,612
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I'm currently running 2 MSI base models & a VisionTek on the way (TriFire). I was also eyeballing the Asus for a while as well. Those would be my top 3, although I'm pretty sure the XFX wouldn't be a bad idea either. Hell, why not throw in Sapphire while we're at it for good measure.

Sounds like a keeper you got there...I won't even go into what I got for my b day...Let's just leave it at "it was awesome."
 
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skipsneeky2

Diamond Member
May 21, 2011
5,035
1
71
I sure hope the 7970 and 7950 come in 1.5gb models soon,i would love to purchase one but even my 2gb gtx560 is vastly overkill but i hated the idea of a 1gb card and all i need is 1.5gb for 1920x1080.

1.5gb models at $100 cheaper per model or even $75 would be very nice.:)
 
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Absolute0

Senior member
Nov 9, 2005
714
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Some models harder to find than others. But not much difference really... heatsink (almost all the same), warranty, and accessories.

I got the MSI because it was accessible and cheap. Works great.
 
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djnsmith7

Platinum Member
Apr 13, 2004
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NCIX, Amazon & Tiger Direct all had at least one of the mfg's I mentioned in stock on Wednesday.
 
wand3r3r

wand3r3r

Diamond Member
May 16, 2008
3,180
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I'd also suggest taking a look at their warranties, if you go reference (the default/stock design by AMD), there are few other differences. Most people will want to resell within 3 years so it can make a difference in the resale value.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0ArCtGVODPUTtdEdEUjRiSFdyckZ1Q1dGNUI3bkd5R1E#gid=0

Personally I'd recommend MSI/ASUS, I wouldn't get the ASUS DCII due to the recent issues that have been popping up, although I don't know how severe the problems are I just wouldn't want to deal with any issues on such an expensive card.
 
MrK6

MrK6

Diamond Member
Aug 9, 2004
4,458
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81
If you want to keep the price down (for her sake or yours :p), this reference Sapphire is the way to go: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102961 . Basically, it's reference, but it's the only card that comes with the complete array of accessory adapter cables, which is a great value.

If don't mind spending a bit more, really want the lowest noise possible (especially when overclocking), this custom cooled Gigabyte has gotten great reviews: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125413 .
 
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aaksheytalwar

Diamond Member
Feb 17, 2012
3,389
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If it is of any value, I can do 1125 1575 at stock volts with my msi 7970 and haven't tried higher.

Dunno about how other brands oc but all should be pretty decent I guess :)
 
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