Is AMD 'boost' more than just a bios upgrade?

[pmv]

Given that here in UK the 660ti can be gotten for about £200, while the 7950 goes for £220-£250 but seems to be £250 or above if its specifically described as the 'boost' version (most of them around still seem to be the original type - I thought they were going to be phased out?), I was wondering what the score is with flashing the bios from a non-boost 7950 to the faster type? Presumably its by no means sure to work?

(AMD and nvidia, for all the feuding on here, seem extremely close in cost/performance ratio these days, compared to past eras)

 

[ICDP]

The non-boost edition 7950s run at a lower stock voltage and will give similar performance than a boost edition. I would actually prefer the non-boost editions for this reason.

I have been noticing that on Overclockers UK the HD 7950 prices have been creeping up slightly towards GTX 670 prices. So use aria.co.uk or scan.co.uk and you will get your card around 10% cheaper. HD 7950 is still ahead on price/perf but IMHO once you get to the £260 bracket you may as well get a GTX 670 because they are faster at stock without worrying about the silicone OC lottery. Though having said that if you aren't finding decent HD 7950s for less than £220 you aren't looking

http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Comp...raphics+Card+++2+FREE+GAMES!+?productId=54047

A great little card that allows voltage control and has a decent fan. I tested the 7970 version of this card and it was a great little piece of hardware.

The GTX 660Ti is still around the same price as a HD 7950 here in the UK (if you check around). In all honesty I would avoid a GTX 660Ti unless you get one at an amazing price.

 

[Grooveriding]

I've gone through two MSI TF3 7950s. The first was an older model, built on the 7970PCB and was not boost. It had a stock voltage of 1.087 I believe. It died on me and I had to return it to newegg. The second one I received is built on MSI's custom 7950 PCB and is a boost version with a stock voltage of 1.25V.

Both cards had the same stock clocks of 966? I think. The voltage on the boost cards seems to be set too high, because you don't need 1.25V. My card can do 1100Mhz with 1.15V, but to do 1200 it does need the full 1.25V. The only difference is the BIOS AFAIK, there are boost and non-boost cards that are identical physically, the only difference being the BIOS they are flashed with.

 

[MeldarthX]

Aria isn't a bad place to buy; you also got Ebuyer; which depending at times is good or bad Tekheads; Novatech also all UK......CLS or something like that.

I got to deal with prices all the time for customers over here - I'm torn between 7870 and 7950......trying to decide which will be the best upgrade from my 6870 with custom cooler

 

[Mushkins]

The Boost BIOS sucks, its not designed to *hold* those boost clocks, the clocks constantly jitter up and down in small bursts of extra speed.

You're much better off buying a cheaper non-boost card and properly OCing it to the boost clocks (or beyond). This provides a more stable clock under load and avoids any potential weird behavior from the clocks jumping all over the place all the time. Or just buy a factory-OCed card.

 

[pmv]

So the gist of it is that the boost and non-boost cards aren't really 'binned' for greater potential core clock, its just a bios and voltage difference, hence one could most likely get just as good a result from a non-boost one?

And, yeah, forgot about aria, thanks for tip.

 

[ICDP]

So the gist of it is that the boost and non-boost cards aren't really 'binned' for greater potential core clock, its just a bios and voltage difference, hence one could most likely get just as good a result from a non-boost one?

And, yeah, forgot about aria, thanks for tip.

Exactly.

For example. I tested a Matrix Platinum 7970 that holds a price premium over "normal" HD 7970s.

Matrix 7970. Max OC: 1180/1650 @ 1.3 volts.
VTX-3D X-Edition 7970 unlocked voltage - Max OC: 1220/1710 @1.265 volts.

I sent the Matrix back under UK DSR laws and used the money to get the The VTX 7970 which was £100 cheaper and it overclocked better. So even a premium price, so called OC friendly card does not = binned chips that are guaranteed to OC well.