Quietest and Coolest 7970s

[aShufflinZombie]

Hello world and all who inhabit it.

I'm planning on building a $2500 computer for my cousin which means dual 7970s.

I was originally planing on a Sapphire (http://m.newegg.com/Product/index?itemNumber=N82E16814202008) but I'm not sure if that's the best idea for a crossfire configuration.

So what would you recommend for the coolest and quietest 7970s?

Thanks!

 

[RussianSensation]

$2500 computer and you are going with 7970s? I am pretty sure you beat that. I think you can put together a system with dual 780s around i5 4670K and a monitor for around $2,500 USD.

 

[powruser]

As long as the motherboard and case can fit them (they're triple slot cards), I can vouch for Asus' DirectCU II cooler being both effective AND very quiet. I have one on order that should arrive early next week so I'll update with my impressions. However if it's anything like my Asus GTX 770 DirectCU II it'll be extremely quiet and run cool as well.

MSI's Twin Frozr coolers are very well regarded also.

I had a Gigabyte GTX 770 WindForce card, but that was noticeably louder than my Asus GTX 770. My theory on that is that they had to use smaller size fans to be able to fit three fans on the card, and smaller fans have to ramp up to higher RPMs to push the same air as larger fans, causing them to be louder. I also had a bad experience with coil whine on my Gigabyte cards, and their customer service/RMA service was terrible. I compared PCB pictures of my Asus and Gigabyte 770s and it's quite obvious that Gigabyte used generic power delivery components. MSI uses high quality components as far as I can tell.

TLDR is that I would stick with Asus or MSI. Don't have any experience with Sapphire so I can't comment there.

Let us know what you decide and good luck!

 

[raghu78]

$2500 system. you can easily fit two Hawaii Pro aka R9 290 cards in the budget. definitely not HD 7970. Hawaii most probably has hardware frame pacing. so definitely Hawaii over Tahiti. wait for launch reviews and then decide.

 

[aShufflinZombie]

I really can't wait. My cousin needed this computer last week so Hawaii is not an option.

He's using the computer for 3ds and Photoshop so gaming isn't a high priority.

Nice catch on the Asus 7970s. The case is more than big enough and they are only $268 each on the egg. Going to go with them.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Why do you need dual cards for Photoshop and 3ds software?

 

[aShufflinZombie]

Why do you need dual cards for Photoshop and 3ds software?

He wants it to be futureproof for at least 5 years.

 

[cmdrdredd]

He wants it to be futureproof for at least 5 years.

I don't understand...those applications don't use crossfire and SLI for extra acceleration that I know of.

You can run multiple monitors off a single card too.

 

[RussianSensation]

He wants it to be futureproof for at least 5 years.

6 core Intel CPU, SSD, 16 GB of DDR3 and a FirePro/Quadro card. Getting AMD in CF for photoshop/professional software work is a waste of $.

2nd, it's not going to be easy to fit 2x Asus DCUII 7970s on a mobo since they are triple slot cards.

3rd, the best way to future proof is to upgrade more often NOT overspend now and keep the same system without upgrades for 5-6 years.

 

[blackened23]

As long as the motherboard and case can fit them (they're triple slot cards), I can vouch for Asus' DirectCU II cooler being both effective AND very quiet. I have one on order that should arrive early next week so I'll update with my impressions. However if it's anything like my Asus GTX 770 DirectCU II it'll be extremely quiet and run cool as well.

MSI's Twin Frozr coolers are very well regarded also.

I had a Gigabyte GTX 770 WindForce card, but that was noticeably louder than my Asus GTX 770. My theory on that is that they had to use smaller size fans to be able to fit three fans on the card, and smaller fans have to ramp up to higher RPMs to push the same air as larger fans, causing them to be louder. I also had a bad experience with coil whine on my Gigabyte cards, and their customer service/RMA service was terrible. I compared PCB pictures of my Asus and Gigabyte 770s and it's quite obvious that Gigabyte used generic power delivery components. MSI uses high quality components as far as I can tell.

TLDR is that I would stick with Asus or MSI. Don't have any experience with Sapphire so I can't comment there.

Let us know what you decide and good luck!

I love the Asus DC II cooler but in the case of the 7970, I would respectfully suggest staying away if crossfire is desired. Keep in mind the 7970 DC2 is actually a triple slot cooler which makes crossfire basically un-usable. I have tried triple slot coolers in SLi / crossfire in the past, and the temperatures become unsustainable REAL quick - whereas with a double slot cooler, you can manage much more easily if the case has good airflow.

So with that being the case, i'd suggest perhaps the Sapphire Dual X 7970 if nvidia is out of the question - nvidia also obviously has some great products in that price range as well.

 

[aShufflinZombie]

How about a GTX 780 instead? I didn't know that 7970 xfire would be a problem.

Would the 780 have any problems pushing a 1440p display?

 

[RussianSensation]

Get him EVGA Classified 780. He'll be more than satisfied and later he can add a 2nd one. An overclocked 780 trades blows with HD7970CF/7990 in games because you need higher FPS with CF/SLI to feel the same level of smoothness as a single card.

If he won't get a 2nd 780, then Galaxy HOF 780 is a very good card too.

 

[aShufflinZombie]

Get him EVGA Classified 780. He'll be more than satisfied and later he can add a 2nd one. An overclocked 780 trades blows with HD7970CF/7990 in games because you need higher FPS with CF/SLI to feel the same level of smoothness as a single card.

If he won't get a 2nd 780, then Galaxy HOF 780 is a very good card too.

What's the difference between the EVGA ACX FTW 780 and the EVGA Classified 780? There's a $30 price gap between them and the FTW is clocked higher but priced lower.

 

[blackened23]

I don't imagine your friend is a benchmarking nut so i'd say just get the FTW. The classified is designed for extreme tweakers who like to fiddle with voltage and stare at benchmarks.

 

[aShufflinZombie]

I don't imagine your friend is a benchmarking nut so i'd say just get the FTW. The classified is designed for extreme tweakers who like to fiddle with voltage and stare at benchmarks.

He hasn't even heard of the word overclock before so I'm good.

 

[RussianSensation]

If he won't overclock, get the MSI Gaming 780. It's much quieter than the EVGA ACX model.
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/graphics/display/geforce-gtx-780-evga-gigabyte-inno3d_6.html#sect0

 

[DominionSeraph]

You should take this over to General Hardware and have them give you a complete build.

 

[TheGoat Eater]

I just wanted to say that the FROZR coolers that MSI uses are definitely great in temps and sound. on auto settings they are very quiet on all the various models I have tested - GTX 670PE/660TF/680TF/770l were the ones in the last year and on all of them they performed like champs.