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7950 Help

George Brown

George Brown

George Brown

Associate
Joined
12 Sep 2013
Posts
19
Hi, first of all i am building my first gaming PC soon and I'm torn between a 7950 and a 7970. but there are so many different makes. i know that they are either Nvidia or AMD. But there are so many. I'm not sure whether to go with a more expensive 7950 or a cheaper 7970.
Could someone also explain the difference in models like I've seen Ice-Q 7950's and then Gigabyte, I'm confused. any help will be Greatly Appreciated! :)
 
The 7950 is the better card when it comes to price for performance. The 7970 is only a little quicker than a 7950 but the price premium is more than the added performance is worth. That said, there are some good deals on 7970s at the moment so if you see one going cheap (closer to the £200 mark) then it's worth considering. I would still go for a 7950 as they are mostly sub £200 now.

It's a good card for gaming at 1080p and will handle most games at high-max settings quite comfortably. 3gb vram should keep it future proof for the next couple of years at least. Most 7950s are good overclockers and will quite easily match a 7970 for performance.

I would advise getting a non-reference card (one with an aftermarket cooler). The Gigabyte Windforce supposedly has a really good cooler. I've got the MSI Twin Frozr III which is a nice card, if a little loud when the fan ramps up above 50%. Sapphire Vapor-X or HIS Ice-Q are other good options.
 
I don't think there will be much in it. The various brands will have slightly different core clock speeds, then you have the boost cards which have a built-in (small) overclock that kicks in when required.

I would definitely get one with an after market cooler i.e. two or three fans on the side rather than the reference blower style fan.
 
If we are talking the same model (ie. both 7950s or both 7970s) then the performance difference will be maybe 2-3% (the clockspeed will be advertised, the faster clock will have a faster performance by default).

The iceQ is a 'blower' type cooler and the TFIII is an 'open' type cooler. Just search for 'blower vs open cooler' on google for more info on the various pros and cons. I reckon iceQ will be noisier but possibly quieter? Haven't had both to compare though.
 
chanjy said:
If we are talking the same model (ie. both 7950s or both 7970s) then the performance difference will be maybe 2-3% (the clockspeed will be advertised, the faster clock will have a faster performance by default).

The iceQ is a 'blower' type cooler and the TFIII is an 'open' type cooler. Just search for 'blower vs open cooler' on google for more info on the various pros and cons. I reckon iceQ will be noisier but possibly quieter? Haven't had both to compare though.
Click to expand...

The Ice-Q Turbo is quieter than the TFIII. probably the quietest cards there is.

Not a 7950 but you get the picture.

 
lol :(

noisier but cooler is what I meant! Although humbug says otherwise and I honestly wouldn't know. TF 7950 is definitely pretty quiet though.
 
chanjy said:
lol :(

noisier but cooler is what I meant! Although humbug says otherwise and I honestly wouldn't know. TF 7950 is definitely pretty quiet though.
Click to expand...

They are both great cards, both are also quiet. its six or two threes.... :)

Go for the TF if thats what you want. you wont regret it.
 
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