Top high-end graphics cards?

[jenneth]

I can't seem to find the HD 7970 Ghz online to get a price under AMD moniker.... I see gigabyte, XFX, etc....... same thing?

Yep, although certain brands are more reputable than others.

 

[MysteriousRJC]

Yep, although certain brands are more reputable than others.

Once again I'm way out of the loop of which brands are reputable. Can you guys suggest which brands are the better reputable brands? Is there actually an AMD branded card?

 

[MysteriousRJC]

Anyone?

 

[Eureka]

Once again I'm way out of the loop of which brands are reputable. Can you guys suggest which brands are the better reputable brands? Is there actually an AMD branded card?

AMD(ATi) stopped branding their own cards a long time ago.

For top quality and aftermarket (custom coolers and sometimes board designs), Asus, Gigabyte, HIS, and MSI tends to come up often.

Reference should be the same across all, but Diamond comes up often as a good reference builder.

 

[wand3r3r]

I'll repost what I put in another thread recently about warranties...

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

I'd go EVGA> MSI > Gigabye maybe. > all the rest

I just had a major hassle with Asus and an RMA so I'll avoid them personally for a while.

EVGA (NV only) and MSI are both serial based, and both allow removing the cooler/tim etc. They both have good cards and the Lightnings are fun to play with.

The sapphire cards have been pretty well received, and are voltage unlocked (verify the model).

 

[raghu78]

if you want the best value for money go with HD 7950 boost. sapphire, his and msi have unlocked voltage.

Sapphire HD 7950 boost(925 mhz) . reference HD 7950 PCB. 290mm long.
http://www.superbiiz.com/detail.php?name=AT-7950BST

MSI HD 7950 BE (960 mhz boost). reference HD 7950 PCB. 262mm long.
http://www.msi.com/product/vga/R7950-TF-3GD5-OC-BE.html
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814127734

HIS HD7950 Iceq x2 boost (950 mhz). reference HD 7970 PCB. more pwm phases than reference HD 7950. 311mm long. so make sure it fits in your case.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814161429

at the same clocks HD 7950 is 5% slower than HD 7970. the average overclock on these cards is 1150 - 1200 mhz. HD 7950(1100 Mhz) matches HD 7970 ghz(1050 mhz).

if you want the best performance go for Sapphire HD 7970 OC(1 ghz) or MSI HD 7970 Ghz(1.05 ghz)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814202008
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814127732

 

[MysteriousRJC]

thank you for the replies

 

[UaVaj]

single gpu. another vote for 7950. best overall value. just do not crossfire it.

 

[blastingcap]

I'll repost what I put in another thread recently about warranties...

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

I'd go EVGA> MSI > Gigabye maybe. > all the rest

I just had a major hassle with Asus and an RMA so I'll avoid them personally for a while.

EVGA (NV only) and MSI are both serial based, and both allow removing the cooler/tim etc. They both have good cards and the Lightnings are fun to play with.

The sapphire cards have been pretty well received, and are voltage unlocked (verify the model).

This, except that I have had a good ASUS RMA experience the one time I needed to do so, so go figure.

 

[Fastx]

single gpu. another vote for 7950. best overall value. just do not crossfire it.

I would have no problem imo going CF knowing I have do a little tweaking for now should I decide to add another 7950 in the near future after researching this subject for weeks.

 

[UaVaj]

I would have no problem imo going CF knowing I have do a little tweaking for now should I decide to add another 7950 in the near future after researching this subject for weeks.

get it straight. not tweaking. it is neutering.

if neutering is your cup of tea. more power to you.

 

[Fastx]

get it straight. not tweaking. it is neutering.

if neutering is your cup of tea. more power to you.

Its tweaking with a side effect of a little neutering. No problem the gains far outways this imo.

 

[BallaTheFeared]

With new cards coming up there is no reason to even consider CF at the current prices imo.

Maybe when you can get a second 7950 for under $180, hopefully by then the drivers will have been fixed.

Either way I think it's best just to get a decent single card, or wait for the huge price drops after the refresh happens to stag good deals on cards that are only slightly worse than the now overpriced refresh products.

 

[Fastx]

Just my thoughts on this and I look at it like this imo.

IMO I would not buy a 2GB vc today would only go 3GB min but that is just my opinion. Let me say for the record I have had Nvidia cards, been very happy and wanted to go Nvidia again but decided to go AMD this time.

BUT.
GTX 670 4GB/256 bit around $420.00
Decide to go SLI around $840.00

HD 7950 3GB/384 bit
Decide to go HD7950 CF $269.00 per card or $458.00 CF after selling games per ebay from both cards around $80.00. That is less than the cost of a single GTX 680 4gb. With a 7950 CF setup you also have the option to drop down to a single card anytime you want in CF oc to 7970 GHz performance for some games if you want. To me there is also the fun factor of running two cards, tweaking/experimenting/playing with CF. You get a nice setup to run dual of single card for $538.00 or $458.00 after selling the games. Yes you have to tweak CF.