Which brand HD 7870 should I get?

[Kadence]

Which brand HD 7870 should I get?

I want to get an HD 7870, but there's many options out there and I don't know what to pick.

Here's what Amazon has:

• Sapphire Radeon HD 7870 GHZ OC 2 GB 256 -bit GDDR5 DL-DVI-I/SL-DVI-D/HDMI/DP PCI-Express Graphics Card 100354OC-2L - $175, 4.5 rating
• Gigabyte AMD Radeon HD 7870 2 GB GDDR5 DVI-I/HDMI/2x Mini-Displayport PCI-Express 3.0 Graphic Card GV-R787OC-2GD - $210, 4.7 rating
• HIS 7870 IceQ 2 GB(256bit) GDDR5 2x Mini-DiplayPort HDMI DL DVI-I (HDCP) PCI Express X 16 3.0 Graphics Card H787Q2G2M = $185, 4.4 rating
• XFX AMD Radeon HD 7870 2GB GDDR5 2DVI/HDMI/2Mini DisplayPort PCI-Express Graphics Card FX787ACDFC;FX-787A-CDFC - $230, 4.5 rating
• ASUS Graphics Cards with ASUS Exclusive DirectCU Thermal Solution (HD7870-DC2-2GD5-V2) - $198, 4.2 rating
• XFXAMD Radeon HD 7870 2GB GDDR5 2DVI/HDMI/2 Mini Display Port PCI-Express Video Card FX787ACNFC - $218, 4.2 rating
• Gigabyte AMD Radeon HD 7850 2 GB GDDR5 DVI-I/HDMI/2x mini-Displayport PCI-Express 3.0 Graphic Card GV-R785OC-2GD - $180, 4.6 rating
• MSI AMD Radeon HD 7870, 2GB GDDR5, PCI Express 3.0 Graphics Card R7870-2GD5T/OC = $216, 4.2

Some of these cost as much as an HD 7950 on Newegg:

• GIGABYTE GV-R795WF3-3GD Radeon HD 7950 3GB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card - $225, $200 after rebate
• SAPPHIRE 100352-3L Radeon HD 7950 3GB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card - $220, $200 after rebate

Why do some of the 7870's cost more than the 7950's I listed? Also what's the best bang for the buck - an HD 7870 for $175-$185 seems like a great deal, but those 7950's on Newegg for $200 after rebates seem awfully attractive.

Oh - and I'm not interesting in overclocking, if that makes a difference.

 

[KingFatty]

Maybe it's just that there isn't as much surplus supply of 7870s, so the price doesn't drop like the 7950s? I think the 7950s have dropped in price more than any other card recently, relatively speaking.

What about the 7870 XT or whatever it's called, the one based on the 79XX series architecture, have you considered that? I bet you it's currently priced even higher than a proper 7950 just because of its rarity, even though it's worse. I say take advantage of the huge deals on the 7950s, I cannot understand how to justify a 7870 it just doesn't make sense when you can get a 7950???

 

[know of fence]

What's happening? Those 7950s used to cost 400+ bucks, and now you also get 3 games. Getting the bigger card is a no-brainer, if your case / power supply allows it. You can always downclock it a little and run it more efficiently at the same performance / noise level as a small card.

 

[raghu78]

the HD 7950 is a no-brainer. best value for money. HD 7950 is 30 - 35% faster than HD 7870 at the same clocks.

if you will not overclock get the Gigabyte HD 7950 because it comes at 1000 mhz out of the box. but overclocking is very easy and sapphire dual x which comes at 925 mhz has a quieter cooler. 1100 mhz is fairly easy on HD 7950 cards. so think and decide.

 

[Kadence]

OK, looks like I'll be getting the 7950 then. Thanks everyone for the advice!

the HD 7950 is a no-brainer. best value for money. HD 7950 is 30 - 35% faster than HD 7870 at the same clocks.

if you will not overclock get the Gigabyte HD 7950 because it comes at 1000 mhz out of the box. but overclocking is very easy and sapphire dual x which comes at 925 mhz has a quieter cooler. 1100 mhz is fairly easy on HD 7950 cards. so think and decide.

Hmm, the Newegg details specs say the Gigabyte is 900 mhz, and the Saphire page says it's 850 core and 925 "boost" (which I assume means an in-built OCing option?).

Is there another version of the Gigabyte that's 1000 mhz, or are the Newegg specs wrong?

 

[raghu78]

OK, looks like I'll be getting the 7950 then. Thanks everyone for the advice!

Hmm, the Newegg details specs say the Gigabyte is 900 mhz, and the Saphire page says it's 850 core and 925 "boost" (which I assume means an in-built OCing option?).

Is there another version of the Gigabyte that's 1000 mhz, or are the Newegg specs wrong?

Gigabyte has updated the card with 900 mhz core and 1000 mhz boost. newegg has not updated the correct specs. comes with a 8 + 6 pin power connector. but locked voltage. also the Gigabyte does not have VRM heatsinks

http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=4121#sp

here is a user giving feedback on gigabyte hd 7950
http://www.overclock.net/t/1416711/gigabyte-windforce-gold-standard

sapphire HD 7950 comes with unlocked voltage and VRM heatsinks. also sapphire dual x is quieter than gigabyte windforce cooler

http://www.overclock.net/t/1367119/sapphire-100352-3l-hd7950-stripped-for-your-viewing-pleasure

if you decide on gigabyte amazon has free shipping

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-list...9136266&sr=1-1&keywords=HD+7950&condition=new

 

[Kadence]

Gigabyte has updated the card with 900 mhz core and 1000 mhz boost. newegg has not updated the correct specs. comes with a 8 + 6 pin power connector. but locked voltage. also the Gigabyte does not have VRM heatsinks



here is a user giving feedback on gigabyte hd 7950


sapphire HD 7950 comes with unlocked voltage and VRM heatsinks. also sapphire dual x is quieter than gigabyte windforce cooler



if you decide on gigabyte amazon has free shipping

[/QUOTE] Thanks for the info! I...ce between revision 1 and 2 for the Gigabyte.

 

[raghu78]

Thanks for the info!

If I ordered the Gigabyte from Newegg (Amazon doesn't appear to have the same rebate, though maybe it's just not listed), would I for sure be getting a revision 2 card? Or would it be random and luck based?

The thread you linked to indicated a noteworthy difference between revision 1 and 2 for the Gigabyte.

all Gigabyte cards are rev 2 based. they stopped rev 1 a long time ago. i think sometime last year after the HD 7950 boost launch in Aug. so yes you will get only rev 2 for whether you order from amazon or newegg.