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New graphics card time again!

Veradun

Veradun

Veradun

Associate
Joined
16 Jan 2012
Posts
465
Location
UK
Hey everyone :)

Just so you're familiar with my current rig:

1 x Cooler Master CM-690 II Lite Dominator Case
1 x Gigabyte Z68XP-UD3 Intel Z68 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard
1 x Intel Core i5-2500K 3.30GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - OEM
1 x Gelid Tranquillo CPU Cooler (Socket 754/939/940/AM2/AM2+/AM3/LGA775/LGA1155/LGA1156/LGA1366)
1 x Sapphire ATI Radeon HD 6950 "Dual Fan Edition" 2048MB GDDR5 (Unlocked to 6970)
1 x Kingston HyperX Genesis Grey 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit
1 x XFX 650W XXX Edition Modular '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply
1 x Lightscribe Blu-Ray DVD+RW+DL Drive (My old one)
1 x Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 500GB (My old one)
1x Seagate Barracuda 1TB
Click to expand...

Now, from what I understand it's generally accepted to have one faster single GPU over two crossfired ones performance wise as some games don't support it and micro stutter.

So, it would be wiser to get this instead of another 6950 right:

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-155-MS&tool=3

That is really the max I want to spend on the upgrade really.

Performance wise, I see a big difference, being that I can only get the 6950 to 900/1350 stable while the 7970 has 1010 core, not sure on the mem clock but I've seen people OC them to 1200/1575 which is a big improvement over mine. Now although I can see that improvement in the numbers, how does that translate into FPS and smoothness? Granted mine plays almost all games on Ultra with a solid FPS but sometimes the MSAA can make it cry. Not to mention I'm getting an extra GB of VRAM.

So I'd just like to know what to expect performance wise with the newer card. I generally only buy a new GPU when I see the current one struggle and this does slightly in Far Cry 3.

Now, if anyone has a better card for suggestion I'm all ears.

Secondly, I want to replace my BD-ROM drive with a BD-RW so I can burn to Blu-Ray discs, I was looking at these two, which is better?

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CD-116-LG&groupid=701&catid=10&subcat=314

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CD-151-SA&groupid=701&catid=10&subcat=314

Finally, I'd like to ask if that 7970 would be fine with my current PSU and if it's any bigger than the 6950 2GB so I know if it will fit :)
 
The 7970 you talk of (MSI 7970 OC) is a mighty fine reference card. They have a reputation of being good overclockers.

If you're not on a tight budget then i can highly recommend this card and it would be fine with your psu. Just bare in mind that the cooler that comes with it will be noisy at or above 60% fan speed so you might want to consider a custom gpu cooling solution such as the Accelero Xtreme or even putting it under water.

EDIT Check this out

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-155-MS&groupid=701&catid=56&subcat=938

Its there for £299. Myself and Proto both own this card and we have some of the highest 7970 GPU scores in the world on the latest 3DMark benchmark.
 
Last edited:
dave_beast said:
If it's just for gaming, you're probably better off going for a 7950 and saving some money. Overclocked, a 7950 is about 70% more powerful than your current 6950 and is the high end card of this generation.

I suggest this model:- http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-098-GI&groupid=701&catid=56&subcat=1673
Click to expand...

That'd be a mighty fine saving of £70 when I buy the card (probably will have gone back to £320 when I get paid on Friday). Although I have to admit, I am a power whore and like to get the system as powerful as possible while keeping costs down. Like not buying the 6GB model lol xD

LtMatt said:
The 7970 you talk of (MSI 7970 OC) is a mighty fine reference card. They have a reputation of being good overclockers.

EDIT Check this out

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-155-MS&groupid=701&catid=56&subcat=938

Its there for £299. Myself and Proto both own this card and we have some of the highest 7970 GPU scores in the world on the latest 3DMark benchmark.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that's the card I was looking at. It does look like a bargain at £300, probably £320 like I said when I buy it Friday, but still sounds like an awesome card.

Is it much bigger/fatter than the 6950 2GB? Just want it to fit in the case :D

~>Dg<~ said:
7970 is about twice as fast as a 6950 stock
Click to expand...

Damn! That sounds gooood! Nice and powerful with a good price.

Anyone have any input on the BD-RW?
 
Steve Foster said:
That'd be a mighty fine saving of £70 when I buy the card (probably will have gone back to £320 when I get paid on Friday). Although I have to admit, I am a power whore and like to get the system as powerful as possible while keeping costs down. Like not buying the 6GB model lol xD



Yeah, that's the card I was looking at. It does look like a bargain at £300, probably £320 like I said when I buy it Friday, but still sounds like an awesome card.

Is it much bigger/fatter than the 6950 2GB? Just want it to fit in the case :D



Damn! That sounds gooood! Nice and powerful with a good price.

Anyone have any input on the BD-RW?
Click to expand...

Its a good price and the only 7970 reference you can find these days. Good if you want to put a custom cooler on there or water cooling. Plus they have the added fact of being good clockers. The length is about 11.5 inches i think.
 
LtMatt said:
Its a good price and the only 7970 reference you can find these days. Good if you want to put a custom cooler on there or water cooling. Plus they have the added fact of being good clockers. The length is about 11.5 inches i think.
Click to expand...

I believe it should fit then at that length, will have to ask OCUK techs before buying though as I'd hate having to send it back lol.

I've never got into water cooling though as I've always been scared of a random leak and the system being destroyed lol xD
 
Just upgraded from a MSI 6950 to a Sapphire 7950, straight away without any tweaking I am running around 50 - 60% faster in all my games I have tested!

Metro 2033
1920 x 1080 everything maxed out running at 45 - 60 fps even with a lot going on in game!

Even ARMA II took a massive jump will playing online, same resolution, same everything maxed out as much as possible, again around a 40% increase, plus for some strange reason my in game graphics look a lot more crisper!

Same CPU, Mboard and memory as yourself :)
 
MarkeR said:
Just upgraded from a MSI 6950 to a Sapphire 7950, straight away without any tweaking I am running around 50 - 60% faster in all my games I have tested!

Metro 2033
1920 x 1080 everything maxed out running at 45 - 60 fps even with a lot going on in game!

Even ARMA II took a massive jump will playing online, same resolution, same everything maxed out as much as possible, again around a 40% increase, plus for some strange reason my in game graphics look a lot more crisper!

Same CPU, Mboard and memory as yourself :)
Click to expand...

Wow, that is a big performance jump. I kept an eye on Far Cry 3 last night and with max settings but MSAA off completely, I was getting 30Min-47High or an average of 38FPS. And like most people, I do prefer 60FPS.

At least I know the 7950 is more than suitable and cheaper. It all comes down to how I feel on Friday. I'd probably lean towards the 7970. The free games are also a bonus :D
 
Actually, just seen that some cards of the 8xxx series are being released soon. Would there be a point in waiting for the 8970? Anyone guess on it's release?
 
Steve Foster said:
Actually, just seen that some cards of the 8xxx series are being released soon. Would there be a point in waiting for the 8970? Anyone guess on it's release?
Click to expand...

Q4 apparently but still nothing in concrete yet, and I'd doubt it'd be £299 ;)

You'll miss almost a years worth of 'better' gaming in the mean time too :p
 
I can personally vouch for the Sapphire 7950 as im running one myself and just ordered another one yesterday. It just goes and goes and goes without issues and the cooling on that badboy is among the best when it comes to air as it is very efficient and silent at the same time.
 
I won't wait then! :D

I've just seen this offer on OCUK FB page:

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-303-SP&tool=3

£60 more than the MSI, but not only do you get Crysis 3 & Bioshock, you get Aliens Colonial Marines, Sleeping Dogs, Nexuiz & Shogun 2!

Not sure if that offer will still be on when I get paid as it says limited time only. Which is the better 7970 out of the two/. As I only really want the extra Alien game, but the if the cards worse, it'd be better to just buy the MSI and Aliens seperately, but it must cost more for a reason lol xD
 
Bump.

Which is the better card for overall performace:

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-155-MS&groupid=701&catid=56&subcat=938

or

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-303-SP&tool=3

£60 difference for the same card. I want the one with the best potential. To me, it looks like the Sapphire may have the edge with its dual fan for better cooling. Only bad thing is it says 1000MHz clock or 1050MHz Boost. What can that get to with overclocking? As the other should get 1200 no problem :)

EDIT: Not to mention you get more free games with the Sapphire for the current time.
 
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