Voltage Unlocked 7970

[Merzbro]

I'm looking for an unlocked 7970 to finish off my build, as far I understand most brands started shipping voltage locked since the release of the Ghz edition.

Also I need a Dual Link-DVI connection for my 120hz monitor.

Apparently the following are unlocked:

MSI 7970 OC
MSI 7970 Lightning
Asus 7970 Matrix Platinum
Asus 7970 DCUII TOP (with bios flash).

Problem is the first one is a reference model and the last 3 sell for silly money.

I was thinking of perhaps getting the MSI OC and attaching an aftermarket cooler like the Arctic Accelero to lower the fan noise, but by the time I do that I may as well shell out for a lightning.

This is my build (haven't picked out PSU yet):

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (£173.17)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler (£55.82)
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V LK ATX LGA1155 Motherboard (£97.05)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Green 3TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive (£83.99)
Storage: Sandisk Ultra Plus 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk (£125.00)
Case: Corsair 500R White ATX Mid Tower Case (£91.53)
RAM: Patriot Viper 3 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£81.00)
Total: £707.56

Thanks.

 

[Diagro]

Dont go for the DCII, Many have problems on the DVI-D Ports and they are not actually unlocked via a bios flash. You have to use a specific Gpu-Tweak (2.2.1.4) to unlock the voltage.

I would go for the cheapest reference you can find that's unlocked

 

[tommybhoy]

First things first, you need to remove the fleabay link and price altogether due to forum rules.

Second point, the Lightning doesn't have any DL-DVI.

MSI 7970 OC is a cracker, but the fans a screamer above 60%, purchase it here and you are free to remove the warranty void sticker to fit aftermarket cooling.

The AC Extreme/Alpehnfon Peter can tame the noise and keep temps under control with the majority of them hitting 1200/1800MHz oc'ed.

 

[wazza300]

powercolour v3 isn't voltage locked,comes with a decent aftermarket cooler too

 

[Merzbro]

First things first, you need to remove the fleabay link and price altogether due to forum rules.

Second point, the Lightning doesn't have any DL-DVI.

My apologies, I removed it.

I thought I understood all this DVI business but apparently not.

Looking at this:

Surely the Lightning has dual link DVI?

 

[tommybhoy]

Definitely no DL-DVI.

In order to get this card Eyefinity6 support MSI had to make a compromise, and that meant splitting the available DP bandwith -- one dual-link link DVI connector has been merged into single-link DVI connectors. Honestly I have a lot of issues with that design choice. Nobody, and I do literally mean not one of our readers (consumer) makes use of Eyefinity with six screens with the big phat bezel in the middle. Next to that this one card is not powerful enough to game on with six monitors really.

http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/msi_radeon_hd_7970_lightning_review,27.html

First let's get the bad news out of the way.

By not including a DualLink DVI port MSI have abandoned those who use a large monitor. We would be happy to overlook this if an included Active DVI-Displayport adapter was included in the package but sadly it is not. It will cost you an additional £140 to buy one!

http://www.vortez.net/articles_pages/msi_r7970_lightning_review,19.html

The most frustrating problem for me was the lack of a dual-link DVI monitor connection on the HD 7970 Lightning. The two DVI ports only provide a single link each, which is not good enough for our test resolution of 2560x1600. 2560x1440 or any 3D at 120 Hz won't work either. In order to connect a dual-link DVI monitor to the Lightning, one has to purchase an active DisplayPort to DVI adapter

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/MSI/HD_7970_Lightning/33.html

 

[Merzbro]

Definitely no DL-DVI.

Nevermind I was just being stupid.

Apparently single-dvi ports on GPUs just have all the pins but the middle ones don't do anything. It's quite explicit on MSI's site that they're single link.

 

[Merzbro]

Ok I've narrowed it down to 3 cards which are all £280-290:

Sapphire HD 7970 Dual-X
Powercolor HD 7970 V3
VTX3D HD 7970 X-Edition

As far as I can ascertain all of these are voltage unlocked unless someone can tell me otherwise.

I'm inclined to go for the Sapphire as they're the most reputable brand.

 

[Yaayuh!]

Merzbro, if you configure your trust i have something that may interest you.

 

[Merzbro]

Merzbro, if you configure your trust i have something that may interest you.

Done.

 

[Yaayuh!]

Done.

Sent.

 

[martos123]

I recently bought a pair of MSI OCs and can confirm they aren't voltage locked. I can't see any warranty stickers on them either that would be broken if you removed the stock cooler.

The fans are noisy though!!

 

[tommybhoy]

I recently bought a pair of MSI OCs and can confirm they aren't voltage locked. I can't see any warranty stickers on them either that would be broken if you removed the stock cooler.

You must have got older OC stock as all the new stock MSI gpu's have got a warranty void sticker on the screws now, although if purchased from OcUK, MSI are allowing cooler removal.

The fans are noisy though!!

Wc'ing or AC Extremes/Peter's sort out the noise:

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18471131&page=34

 

[MaximusV]

The Sapphire 7970 Vapor-X GHZ Edition is unlocked.