Buying a new card this weekend!

[jacktesterson]

I will agree with you that going from a 6870 to a 7850 was not a huge upgrade. The thing I needed most was the increased memory for Skyrim with mods. I can tell you I can run the game much smoother now and increase the AA to 4X without an issue. But I bought this model thinking I could get 1200c core or more from it to reach GTX 580/7950 stock speeds. Well, that hasn't happened thus far, so I may get a 7950.. We will see. I look forward to your results.

Yeah

You're going to laugh.

I saw that HiS 7870 IceQ come back on sale for $199 AR on Newegg today.

Its the only blower style cooled 7850/7870 that I've seen that allows voltage control too. I love blower style coolers, I find they work best in smaller cases as long as they fit. In my modded case I can fit any card and have some air flow.

My 7850 PE is unopened, I was about to install and switch it out tonight, but that card is the card I've been eying for a while. I thought it would never come back in stock. Anyways, I set up an RMA to return the 7850 at no restocking cost. I bought the 7870. Sorry 🙂

 

[Face2Face]

Yeah

You're going to laugh.

I saw that HiS 7870 IceQ come back on sale for $199 AR on Newegg today.

Its the only blower style cooled 7850/7870 that I've seen that allows voltage control too. I love blower style coolers, I find they work best in smaller cases as long as they fit. In my modded case I can fit any card and have some air flow.

My 7850 PE is unopened, I was about to install and switch it out tonight, but that card is the card I've been eying for a while. I thought it would never come back in stock. Anyways, I set up an RMA to return the 7850 at no restocking cost. I bought the 7870. Sorry 🙂

🙂

No worries. I am bringing the 7850 PE back today or tomorrow. I like the card ok, but it wasn't a big enough upgrade for me. Who knows you could have got a bunk card like mine? I will say the build quality is excellent, not like my crappy HIS 6870. Had to RMA that one two times....

That 7870 is a great deal though at that price!

 

[ocre]

I will agree with you that going from a 6870 to a 7850 was not a huge upgrade. The thing I needed most was the increased memory for Skyrim with mods. I can tell you I can run the game much smoother now and increase the AA to 4X without an issue. But I bought this model thinking I could get 1200c core or more from it to reach GTX 580/7950 stock speeds. Well, that hasn't happened thus far, so I may get a 7950.. We will see. I look forward to your results.

this is exactly why no one should buy a card with overclocking expectations. You buy a card for the performance you need at stock, overclocking is only a bonus and should not be necessary for the performance your wishing to achieve. There is a big chance you will be disappointed if you buy based on overclocked expectations. I dont care who tells you what- its been proven time and time again, people getting let down when they should be happy with their GPU purchase. Overclocking expectations leads to disappointments instead of happy buyers.

🙂

No worries. I am bringing the 7850 PE back today or tomorrow. I like the card ok, but it wasn't a big enough upgrade for me. Who knows you could have got a bunk card like mine? I will say the build quality is excellent, not like my crappy HIS 6870. Had to RMA that one two times....

That 7870 is a great deal though at that price!

Bunk card??? Your card is not bunk. This is what i am talking about. Now instantly your questioning your GPU or your ability to overclock right. People are led to expect a certain overclock and now there has got to be something wrong when you dont get there. News Flash.......wrong!!!!

Buy the performance you need from the start and you will be 100% happy with the bonus overclocking can give. Yes, there are many posters showing great overclocks but people like to brag. You wouldnt expect people to brag about their little epeen would you? Those wont be spoken of much, would they? Think about it, from a higher view. When its something great, you hear bout it...... Typically a tiny few can make the loudest noise......So much to contemplate....OC and true stability. 3dmark stable, gpuz stable, or specific app stable doent mean its fully stable....Maybe stable enough for epeen screen shots.....long enough for a benchmark, whatever.....

But just for fun, let us consider every single reported overclock with 100% stability 100% of the time.......uhm.

In the grand scheme, if you seen 100 different posters bragging on a specific GPUs overclock, it is just a drop in the bucket compared to how many are actually sold. There are so many factors in the end that making purchases based on overclocking is just a grand set up for disappointment. I really would love for this to go away. This misleading ideology. I believe the hardware you buy should make you happy. I love PC and the advancement in hardware excites me. I like to share this love and excitement with peers in communities. I find some of these mentalities disappointing when it leads to let downs. When its probable to be set up for a let down. This i wish would change.

Anyway, the 7950 really should get you what you wanted from the start. Luckily your not gonna be effected and you can easily get the 7950. But take this as a lesson, buy the performance you need from the start. Its already over 580 speeds.

Do keep us informed on your progress. I would love to see your 100% bonus performance from overclocking when you get the 7950

 

[Face2Face]

ocre,

I would quote your post, but that's a lot of writing. I am going to agree with you on your post. I originally should have purchased a 7950. I was impatient and wanted to overclock and see what I could get. I called the card bunk, because MSI markets the card as a great overclocker, so I was expecting something better than 1100 at the core. You live you learn. I will be able to exchange it, for the 7950. I plan on picking up the 7950 tonight or tomorrow. I will keep you guys informed.

MSI Jazz

http://www.msi.com/product/vga/R7850-Power-Edition-2GD5-OC.html

 

[jacktesterson]

I do agree with Ocre... But a lot of 7850s reach 1200+ 24/7 stable. There is tons of threads out there about it. I had one already that would bench anything at 1300. Can't blame him for bring disappointed but I do agree with you.

 

[ocre]

I do agree with Ocre... But a lot of 7850s reach 1200+ 24/7 stable. There is tons of threads out there about it. I had one already that would bench anything at 1300. Can't blame him for bring disappointed but I do agree with you.

and we have seen a lot of them with good results but all what we seen arent a drop in the bucket compared to the amount of 7850s actually sold. Then there are tons of other factors i didnt even bring up. For example, the initial wave silicon and process changes over the lifetime. I didnt want to get off track on this because of the direction but there are many reasons we shouldnt buy gpus expecting specific overclocked performance. Buy the GPU that offers the performance you actually need, right out of the box.

 

[Face2Face]

Well I just exchanged the 7850 PE for the 7950 TF3. I got home and took it out of the box and noticed it's the model that has the Ref 7970 board. One 6pin one 8pin power. Did a quick ASIC score on it and it scored 92.9%. Pretty dang good if you ask me. Started playing some Skyrim with 8XAA 16XAF @ Ultra with 30 mods. The most memory usage I saw was 1840MB. I do notice this card runs pretty hot. Playing Skyrim for 20min and this cards sitting at 74-76c. Running Heaven and the card has been seeing 76-77c. I haven't even started to overclock this thing yet and it running hot and the fan and spinning around 60-70% getting kinda loud. Is this typical temps for the 7950?

 

[Face2Face]

Well.... Looks like this cards is going back. Playing Skyrim for 30-45min and started getting artifacts. This is why I am glad I purchased local, so I don't have to deal with RMA's and shipping. 3rd times a charm?

 

[RussianSensation]

Well I just exchanged the 7850 PE for the 7950 TF3. I got home and took it out of the box and noticed it's the model that has the Ref 7970 board. One 6pin one 8pin power. Did a quick ASIC score on it and it scored 92.9%.

^ That's nearly cream of the crop 7950 card. 1150-1200mhz GPU overclock would have been guaranteed on that chip. The reason it didn't happen is your case.

Those temperatures are way too hot for stock clocks. I am thinking you have suboptimal case airflow. Typical temperatures in a modern case with a 7950 TF3 at stock speeds would be 65-67*C based on reviews. As I said many times, a modern case is critical for overall system temperatures. I have posted a reply to another user to remind gamers on our forum that a modern case is very important for achieving quiet noise levels and good temperatures on overclocked modern GPUs:

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2269142

If you want a card with a beefier cooler, Sapphire Vapor-X has a substantially improved cooler over the MSI TF3 card. Alternatively, since your case doesn't appear to be able to exhaust heat effectively, a card with a blower style design is preferable.

 

[Face2Face]

^ That's nearly cream of the crop 7950 card. 1150-1200mhz GPU overclock would have been guaranteed on that chip. The reason it didn't happen is your case.

Those temperatures are way too hot for stock clocks. I am thinking you have suboptimal case airflow. Typical temperatures in a modern case with a 7950 TF3 at stock speeds would be 65-67*C based on reviews. As I said many times, a modern case is critical for overall system temperatures. I have posted a reply to another user to remind gamers on our forum that a modern case is very important for achieving quiet noise levels and good temperatures on overclocked modern GPUs:

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2269142

If you want a card with a beefier cooler, Sapphire Vapor-X has a substantially improved cooler over the MSI TF3 card. Alternatively, since your case doesn't appear to be able to exhaust heat effectively, a card with a blower style design is preferable.

Not sure if I am convinced... Every type of video card I have installed in the case (Non-blower type) has never had an issue overheating. GTS 250, 6870 and the previous 7850 all had avg temps. I do realize they are less powerful GPU's. The card is now crashing bad, even when it's hitting low 70's. Even two instances where the entire computer shut down. Not sure if I damaged it with heat? or it's just a bad card? The highest I have seen it go is 78c, that's about what the reference coolers do? Shouldn't hurt the card..... Either way it's going back.

 

[RussianSensation]

Try Gigabyte Windforce 3x, Sapphire Dual-X 950mhz, Sapphire Vapor-X instead, or wait for a deal on a GTX670 🙂

 

[Face2Face]

Try Gigabyte Windforce 3x, Sapphire Dual-X 950mhz, Sapphire Vapor-X instead, or wait for a deal on a GTX670 🙂

I really like the Sapphire Vapor-X, but I am trying to buy local and the only 7950 card they sell is the MSI TF3. I am going to try one more card. If the same thing happens.... I am going to ...... well ....game on my old 8800 GTX or 9800 GX2... 🙂

 

[RussianSensation]

I would love to see your 100% bonus performance from overclocking when you get the 7950

Overclocking was never guaranteed on XP+ 2500 Barton, Athlon X2 3800+, Core 2 Duo E6400, Q6600 G0, Core i7 920/860, Core i5 750/760, Core i5 2500k/i5 3570k, GeForce 6600, GeForce 8800GT, GeForce 460/GeForce 470, and yet it is overclocking that made many of these products so popular among enthusiasts. Intel even launched K series CPUs for overclockers! The market clearly exists.

Luckily with the HD7950, there are no performance trade-offs at current prices. It's faster than a 660Ti at stock speeds, and with an 1135 mhz overclock, it's faster than a $450 HD7970 GE / $500 GTX680. Looks like Greenhell6 got an unlucky card but contrary to his example there are hundreds of people who did get good overclocking 7950s. He should still not give up.

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sapphire/HD_7950_Vapor-X/31.html

If we all followed your advice, we'd be wasting $500 extra on Core i7 3960 over 3930, getting Core i7 975 vs. Core i7 920, GTX580 for $500 instead of getting a $250 HD6950 and unlocking it, or $350 GTX570, etc. etc. Sorry but enthusiasts generally consider overclocking. GTX460 became legendary for budget gaming because of it.

The reason we overclock is so that we don't have to waste so much $ on faster parts. That's why it's so rewarding. If we all could afford GTX690s and 3960s, there would not many reasons to try to get a 7950 OC or core i5 3570k and overclocking them. We wouldn't even need to research parts. Spend 5 min finding the fastest CPU and GPU and buy it.

If overclocking is not for you, that's fine. Overclocking has been a part of the game on this forum since the first day I joined, and way before me (Celeron 300A). OCing has always been respected by enthusiasts here as well since any person with $ can the fastest parts. Some people simply cannot afford to do so. In that case should they settle for base performance and forget about it? Some may, others are more adventurous.

If $500 GTX680/7970 GE is your thing, no one is stopping you from getting those cards. Plenty of people on our forums buy $500 GPUs and don't overclock them. If 1 7950 card failed to reach 1100mhz, it takes $10 to ship it back and get another. $340 spent is still $160 less than a GTX680 and $110 less than a 7970 GE.

 

[Face2Face]

Ok, got the new card. This one is a 7970 Reference board as well. ASIC is at 89%, still pretty good. This card runs about 5c cooler than the other. No lockups or artifacts so far. I think RS has a good point. My current case may not be up to snuff with this videocard. I may have to use this as my server case and get a new case come soon. All in all I am happy with this new card.

EDIT* I have added an additional 120MM fan to my case, blowing over the 7950. I now can jump the core to 1000 and the memory to 1400. I am getting 70-74C max temps in heaven and Skyrim on stock voltage. Still a little hot, but this card seems to run much better. Skyrim now is freaking awesome, so glad I jumped to the 7950.

 

[ocre]

Overclocking was never guaranteed on XP+ 2500 Barton, Athlon X2 3800+, Core 2 Duo E6400, Q6600 G0, Core i7 920/860, Core i5 750/760, Core i5 2500k/i5 3570k, GeForce 6600, GeForce 8800GT, GeForce 460/GeForce 470, and yet it is overclocking that made many of these products so popular among enthusiasts. Intel even launched K series CPUs for overclockers! The market clearly exists.

Luckily with the HD7950, there are no performance trade-offs at current prices. It's faster than a 660Ti at stock speeds, and with an 1135 mhz overclock, it's faster than a $450 HD7970 GE / $500 GTX680. Looks like Greenhell6 got an unlucky card but contrary to his example there are hundreds of people who did get good overclocking 7950s. He should still not give up.

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sapphire/HD_7950_Vapor-X/31.html

If we all followed your advice, we'd be wasting $500 extra on Core i7 3960 over 3930, getting Core i7 975 vs. Core i7 920, GTX580 for $500 instead of getting a $250 HD6950 and unlocking it, or $350 GTX570, etc. etc. Sorry but enthusiasts generally consider overclocking. GTX460 became legendary for budget gaming because of it.

The reason we overclock is so that we don't have to waste so much $ on faster parts. That's why it's so rewarding. If we all could afford GTX690s and 3960s, there would not many reasons to try to get a 7950 OC or core i5 3570k and overclocking them. We wouldn't even need to research parts. Spend 5 min finding the fastest CPU and GPU and buy it.

If overclocking is not for you, that's fine. Overclocking has been a part of the game on this forum since the first day I joined, and way before me (Celeron 300A). OCing has always been respected by enthusiasts here as well since any person with $ can the fastest parts. Some people simply cannot afford to do so. In that case should they settle for base performance and forget about it? Some may, others are more adventurous.

If $500 GTX680/7970 GE is your thing, no one is stopping you from getting those cards. Plenty of people on our forums buy $500 GPUs and don't overclock them. If 1 7950 card failed to reach 1100mhz, it takes $10 to ship it back and get another. $340 spent is still $160 less than a GTX680 and $110 less than a 7970 GE.

obviously everything i have said totally escaped your comprehension. Whatever your drive is here sort of makes me chuckle. You really just dont get it but i will take the time to respond. If you *need* the performance level of a 3960 i would recommend buying the 3960. But who needs that kind of performance? These days rarely does anyone need the flagship level of CPU performance and a lower model works all the same. These days, in the CPU world people already are taking my advice and buying at least the CPU power they need and overclocking it as a bonus. If not then you could be selling them some bulldozer cores based on the fact that you might could overclock them to Ivy performance. But of course that would be stupid wouldnt it?

Enough with CPUs you try to throw in, specifically lets talk GPUs. You know the topic i was speaking of. Funny how you arent recommending the OP go out and buy another 7850 for overclocking. Another contradiction. If your needs necessitate a set performance it would be in anyone's best interest to buy a card that gives them at least that amount of performance. Its very elementary but your driven to contest. Of course your not out buying a 7850 and needing 7970 performance are you? This isnt about buying what you can afford and overclocking to get the most out of it. You know thats not the subject. i was about to explain it to you all over again but i stop...... i already wrote it and it was really clear!

I bet if you really tried hard enough you might actually get what i said. Others are able, to bad you couldnt. Perhaps your drive to be right will continue to overpower your comprehension skills. Maybe not, idk. whatever dude. Not my problem.