why not OC'd 7950 instead of 670?

[soccerballtux]

Specifically the Gigabyte Windforce model with the uber fans people seem to like--
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814125414
vs. gtx670
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814125423

Once OC'd wouldn't this be
a). more future proof (384bit bus)
b). more future proof (3GB vram)
In addition, couldn't you flash a 7970 BIOS and unlock it?

I added GB 670 to cart and during checkout was notified it was OOS. This got me thinking of alternatives...

 

[Don Karnage]

Because no one has ever benched a 1200 core 7950. I wonder how a 1300 core 7950 would perform

 

[soccerballtux]

Because no one has ever benched a 1200 core 7950. I wonder how a 1300 core 7950 would perform

is this what it requires? Not going to play BF3, which seems to be the main game the 670 owns at.

Does it just need higher voltage to hit that? If someone has found a hardmod solution I will do it with my nifty soldering capabilities.

 

[Don Karnage]

is this what it requires? Not going to play BF3, which seems to be the main game the 670 owns at.

Does it just need higher voltage to hit that? If someone has found a hardmod solution I will do it with my nifty soldering capabilities.

7950 has voltage control so no hard mods needed. 1200 core will def need more voltage

 

[guskline]

Here's the stock matchup
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/598?vs=550
In many of the matchups very close.

 

[Don Karnage]

Here's the stock matchup
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/598?vs=550

800 core clock that should easily do 1200 and 1300 on water

 

[guskline]

800 core clock that should easily do 1200 and 1300 on water

Don: How much does water add to the overall cost of the card?

 

[Don Karnage]

Don: How much does water add to the overall cost of the card?

Depends on if you just want a gpu block or a full cover

 

[BallaTheFeared]

Overclocking a $400 card just to match another $400 cards stock performance seems like a poor way to go about purchasing things.

 

[Hypertag]

Remember when power usage was really important? Now every AMD fan is commanding us to hike voltage to the silicone nearly melts in order to beat Nvidia's cards that are cheaper.

 

[guskline]

Depends on if you just want a gpu block or a full cover

The reason I asked was from I've seen the blocks etc run the price up $200. Wouldn't it be better to put that money toward a second card or buy a 7970/680?

 

[3DVagabond]

Remember when power usage was really important? Now every AMD fan is commanding us to hike voltage to the silicone nearly melts in order to beat Nvidia's cards that are cheaper.

nVidia's cards aren't cheaper. You do have to up the power usage a lot though for the 7900's to keep up. The trade off is they offer superior compute and 3gig of vram. The reference 670 has that "minimalist" PCB too, but YMMV on that.

 

[Don Karnage]

The reason I asked was from I've seen the blocks etc run the price up $200. Wouldn't it be better to put that money toward a second card or buy a 7970/680?

Extreme overclockers want the most out of there cards. If I have to spend 60 dollars on a gpu block to get 20-30 more mhzs out of an overclock its well worth it.

 

[SolMiester]

nVidia's cards aren't cheaper. You do have to up the power usage a lot though for the 7900's to keep up. The trade off is they offer superior compute and 3gig of vram. The reference 670 has that "minimalist" PCB too, but YMMV on that.

They are if you need exotic cooling to get the high OC, Oh and compute wasn't even on the agenda when the 5 & 6 series AMD's sucked at it...LOL.
And a 7950 that can use its extra 1GB or RAM, come on!

 

[3DVagabond]

They are if you need exotic cooling to get the high OC, Oh and compute wasn't even on the agenda when the 5 & 6 series AMD's sucked at it...LOL.
And a 7950 that can use its extra 1GB or RAM, come on!

Who said anything about exotic cooling being needed? Compute most certainly was on the agenda. It was mentioned quite often as a reason to buy Fermi LOL. If you don't think the extra vram is worth anything, fine. You aren't everyone though. I can actually use it. Multiple modeling programs, Photoshop, UV mapping program... all running together uses a lot of vram. .psd files use a lot more vram than the formats run in games. I haven't upgraded to PS6 yet, but when I do the new OCL rendering engine will run far better on GCN than current Keplers.

 

[BallaTheFeared]

If compute is really an issue than waiting for GK110 would probably be best since GCN has not brought a single program out that I'm aware of yet. There are some coming (CS6), but considering it's not here it seems like a moot point. And if you already have a 580 for compute you probably have a 3GB card anyways if it was really advantageous for you to have it 18 months ago.

Considering the lack of software support almost 6 months later, and the overall lack of a performance upgrade in gaming I dunno why you wouldn't wait for a real compute card from Nvidia instead.

 

[thilanliyan]

If compute is really an issue than waiting for GK110 would probably be best since GCN has not brought a single program out that I'm aware of yet. There are some coming (CS6), but considering it's not here it seems like a moot point. And if you already have a 580 for compute you probably have a 3GB card anyways if it was really advantageous for you to have it 18 months ago.

Bitcoin mining is MILES better on ATI cards. I still find it amazing that my computer is actually making me money, for someone who does not do it as a profession. :thumbsup:

But yes, the more professional oriented compute programs are probably better on CUDA. DC projects I'm not sure about...I think some are better on nV and others on ATI.

 

[Dark Shroud]

Bitcoin mining is MILES better on ATI cards. I still find it amazing that my computer is actually making me money, for someone who does not do it as a profession. :thumbsup:

But yes, the more professional oriented compute programs are probably better on CUDA. DC projects I'm not sure about...I think some are better on nV and others on ATI.

The only problem is that Nvidia's gamer cards no longer support Cuda. Add into that Adobe is going OCL so their software will work on any video card that support OCL. You won't need to spend a fortune on Quatro cards vs a 7950.

 

[Stuka87]

With a good cooler, you dont need water to hit 1200. My Sapphire isnt running at 1250, but at 1100 (Slight voltage bump to 1.250) it only hits 58-59C under load. And thats with the stock 20% fan profile.

 

[Shmee]

also, I am pretty sure you can't unlock this time.

 

[Silverforce11]

Cos 79xx consumes heaps more power once OC with vcore mods.

Its not the performance thats lacking, its the efficiency vs their competitor.

 

[Don Karnage]

With a good cooler, you dont need water to hit 1200. My Sapphire isnt running at 1250, but at 1100 (Slight voltage bump to 1.250) it only hits 58-59C under load. And thats with the stock 20% fan profile.

1100 is for the weak. If you have a 7 series amd card you should be running it over 1200 core.

 

[chimaxi83]

The only problem is that Nvidia's gamer cards no longer support Cuda. Add into that Adobe is going OCL so their software will work on any video card that support OCL. You won't need to spend a fortune on Quatro cards vs a 7950.

You sure?

 

[Leyawiin]

Overclocking a $400 card just to match another $400 cards stock performance seems like a poor way to go about purchasing things.

That's what I was thinking. Unless you're a Bitcoin miner why jump through OC hoops to make it competitive when the price is the same as the GTX 670? Until there are some price cuts to make the gaming performance deficit seem reasonable there's no reason to buy an HD 7950 (other than Bitcoin).

 

[aaksheytalwar]

A 7950 max oc barely beats 670 box oc if at all. A 670 max oc is even better. 7950 custom only makes sense for $350-360+ for 3gb plus custom high oc