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Just when you think all is well and BAM; Lightning strike.

Cleeecooo

Cleeecooo

Cleeecooo

Soldato
Joined
8 Oct 2010
Posts
22,382
Location
Purley - Croydon
As the title alludes to, one of my 7970 Lightnings has decided to give up on life (just when I finished my build too :(). None of the lights are on and it isn't recognised. Haven't tried any troubleshooting, not sure there's any point TBH.

So, why am I starting a thread? Well, seeing as LTGs are out of stock everywhere and EOL, I have a horrible feeling I won't be getting a working one back, so now I'm after suggestions as to what to change my graphics card to.

My main needs are something silent (ie, watercooled), reliable (good brand for when it breaks), and most importantly, I want to spend as little money as possible.

Specs:
  • i7 3930K
  • Asus Rampage IV Extreme
  • 2x MSI 7970 LTG
  • 16gb RAM
  • Some other stuff too, I think
  • 3 monitors

I'm happy with this level of performance (of both LTGs), so anything around that would be good. I'm open to any extreme suggestions you guys may have, whether that be completely changing everything, or keeping most/all of it. The most important thing now is that it must be as little hassle as possible and as inexpensive as it can be.

Thanks!
 
They may offer you a 280x as a replacement but there isn't a Lightning model yet so I dunno.

See what happens with the warranty first then make a decision from there imo.
 
A couple of R9 290s seem like the obvious suggestion. That or GTX780s.
That'd be a performance boost too.
R9 280Xs are basically 7970s (maybe a little be faster at stock due to faster stock clocks?) so you might be able to get a couple of them, but if you're spending money I'd be tempted to spend a bit extra and get a performance boost out of it. At least you have something to show for the effort/expense then.
 
Kotu said:
280x is a rebranded 7970, it will even crossfire with your working 7970.
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Suarez7 said:
They may offer you a 280x as a replacement but there isn't a Lightning model yet so I dunno.

See what happens with the warranty first then make a decision from there imo.
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TheRealDeal said:
You will most likely get a similar card back whether it's a 7970 or 280x. I would just hold fire as your performance will be back to the same levels soon.
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ooh, that's nice, but I then have the issue of no compatible waterblocks. Not to mention, I don't really think LTG 7970 for a 280X is a particularly fair trade :(

GoogalyMoogaly said:
A couple of R9 290s seem like the obvious suggestion. That or GTX780s.
That'd be a performance boost too.
R9 280Xs are basically 7970s (maybe a little be faster at stock due to faster stock clocks?) so you might be able to get a couple of them, but if you're spending money I'd be tempted to spend a bit extra and get a performance boost out of it. At least you have something to show for the effort/expense then.
Click to expand...

It's tempting to spend more, but considering there's a small possibility that I won't be using this PC for some years, so I don't want to spend any money on it. I just need it to work well right now.

Anyone have any suggestions as to what to do if it's a 280X offered as a replacement?
 
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I personally wouldn't accept a standard 280x in replacement for a Lightning as it's a slight downgrade tbh looking at a few quick benchmarks between a 7970ghz edition and a 280x.

You may get really lucky and be offered a 290 but then this would put you in a new predicament with crossfire and waterblocks.
 
Suarez7 said:
I personally wouldn't accept a standard 280x in replacement for a Lightning as it's a slight downgrade tbh looking at a few quick benchmarks between a 7970ghz edition and a 280x.

You may get really lucky and be offered a 290 but then this would put you in a new predicament with crossfire and waterblocks.
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Worse still, just took a look at the R9 specs and it won't be compatible with my monitors either (I need atleast 2 DP and DVI-D).
 
Cleeecooo said:
Worse still, just took a look at the R9 specs and it won't be compatible with my monitors either (I need atleast 2 DP and DVI-D).
Click to expand...

I would get on the phone to them and explain your situation. They may have held some lightnings back for rma purposes. At least you may get some answers faster before making your mind up on how to move forward.
 
Cleeecooo said:
ooh, that's nice, but I then have the issue of no compatible waterblocks. Not to mention, I don't really think LTG 7970 for a 280X is a particularly fair trade :(



It's tempting to spend more, but considering there's a small possibility that I won't be using this PC for some years, so I don't want to spend any money on it. I just need it to work well right now.

Anyone have any suggestions as to what to do if it's a 280X offered as a replacement?
Click to expand...

Fair enough, as you say doesn't make sense to spend money on it if you're not going to use it for a while.
When you say no compatible waterblocks, do you mean your lightning blocks won't fit or that there aren't any 280X blocks or that your lightning block's connectors won't line up?
I guess your options are to sell the replacement and try to buy a 2nd hand lightning or sell the lightning and buy a matching 280X. You will need new waterblocks though.
 
TheRealDeal said:
I would get on the phone to them and explain your situation. They may have held some lightnings back for rma purposes. At least you may get some answers faster before making your mind up on how to move forward.
Click to expand...

I'll post in the CS section now :)

GoogalyMoogaly said:
Fair enough, as you say doesn't make sense to spend money on it if you're not going to use it for a while.
When you say no compatible waterblocks, do you mean your lightning blocks won't fit or that there aren't any 280X blocks or that your lightning block's connectors won't line up?
I guess your options are to sell the replacement and try to buy a 2nd hand lightning or sell the lightning and buy a matching 280X. You will need new waterblocks though.
Click to expand...

Regarding the waterblocks, I know that my current ones won't fit anything other than another lightning, so if I am offered a 280X, that would be just as useless to me as this dead LTG.

I'm building a watercooled PC for a friend, so selling the current working LTG would be no issue at all, My main problem would be being left with an LTG block for no reason and also whatever I get as a replacement :/
 
Im considering moving to a 290x, currently run a 7970 lightening boost edition....


Just saying...


The 290x i want isnt in stock atm though. (saphire triX)
 
No help but sorry to hear Cleee and hope you get a replacement quick. Those LTG's packed up a lot from what I see :(
 
Sorry to hear your bad luck Clee, my Lightning is still going, perhaps I should think about getting rid of it.
 
Mike306 said:
Sorry to hear your bad luck Clee, my Lightning is still going, perhaps I should think about getting rid of it.
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chief barker said:
To some unsuspecting mug?
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:D

Small update, got the cooler back on and put it in a new computer. This time the reactor core light up and the fans spin, no output and the main lights at the back don't work either like they do on the working one
 
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