Radeon HD 7950 Owner's Thread

[Fire&Blood]

Does this card make sense for 1440p? My options are quite limited, ~10.4" room in the case, a Antec branded Seasonic 520W power supply and no slots for Crossfire/SLI so even if I were willing to spend $1000, it wouldn't help without building another rig and I'm definitely not doing that.

I have no red or green fetish, at the moment both options look meager for a single GPU tasked with pushing 1440p.

 

[cmdrdredd]

With some overclocking and a little compromise on AA settings in some games will probably be fine at 1440p.

 

[Silverforce11]

With some overclocking and a little compromise on AA settings in some games will probably be fine at 1440p.

With some overclocking, most (even BF3) games will be fine at 1600p, not to mention 1440p:

http://www.techspot.com/review/555-gigabyte-radeon-hd-7970-soc/page4.html

While its no 7970, at the same clock speed the 7950 performs within a few percentage points, hardly noticable.

 

[cmdrdredd]

With some overclocking, most (even BF3) games will be fine at 1600p, not to mention 1440p:

http://www.techspot.com/review/555-gigabyte-radeon-hd-7970-soc/page4.html

While its no 7970, at the same clock speed the 7950 performs within a few percentage points, hardly noticable.

I said in some games compromise must be made. Here's Metro 2033 with max settings.

 

[RussianSensation]

Does this card make sense for 1440p? My options are quite limited, ~10.4" room in the case, a Antec branded Seasonic 520W power supply and no slots for Crossfire/SLI so even if I were willing to spend $1000, it wouldn't help without building another rig and I'm definitely not doing that.

Not going to fit. HD7950 TFIII is built on HD7970 PCB, which itself is 10.5 inches long.

Go with the shorter GTX670 or this GTX670. Even some after market GTX670s won't fit (MSI GTX670 P/E is 10.5" long). Reference GTX680s measure about 10".

 

[Silverforce11]

I said in some games compromise must be made. Here's Metro 2033 with max settings.

Some graphics settings are so furbar it should not be enabled, especially for no visual improvement, such an example is in Metro, and the notoriously poor DoF effect/implementation. Turn it off, enjoy a better gameplay experience without the crippling performance. Its no compromise.

 

[thilanliyan]

So I managed to modify my DD Maze4 GPU block to fit the 7950. Man that block has been a workhorse...was first used on a X1800XL if you can believe it, and it's still going strong!!

Running nice and cool now at 1100MHz core/1.037v (stock volts for this card) at 50C while bitcoin mining. My TF3 does have the 7970 PCB.

I haven't gamed with it yet lol.

Is there any way to tell how much power the card is using in HWinfo64?

 

[Fire&Blood]

Thanks for the warning. It was listed as 10.28" on newegg. Many cards don't have dimensions listed, some Amazon listings for the latest cards have ridiculous dimension numbers listed such 12"x10", obviously made by people who never even opened a computer case.

The bad news is that my drive bay would be a real PITA to remove. I don't have anyone to do LAN parties with, comp never goes anywhere but I don't like the idea of drives laying on the case bottom at all. I just measured again, 10.5 "may" fit. That's my 8.5" 5770 in there:

I wouldn't mind getting a 670 but the higher power recommendations on those worry me a little and they are pricier. On the other hand, if I choose a $80-$100 cheaper 7950, I'm risking the hassle of returning a card I can't fit. Newegg "should" be good about returning, especially once I point them to their own misleading size listing and the $80 difference seems to justify a gamble. Out of all non reference cards, TF3 is the best cooling option that's most likely to fit in there. I guess I have a few weeks to think it through til TF3 is back in stock/my catleap gets here.

 

[Silverforce11]

The Powercolor PCS+ 7950 is exactly 26.5cm long, and its the best "cheap" custom cooler.

I'm running it OC on my 450W PSU, its not a problem if you have a good unit.

 

[Fire&Blood]

The Powercolor PCS+ 7950 is exactly 26.5cm long, and its the best "cheap" custom cooler.

I'm running it OC on my 450W PSU, its not a problem if you have a good unit.

Thanks. I initially dismissed Powercolor brand for no valid reason, simply for not being familiar with the name. I'm researching that card right now.

I have a Antec branded Seasonic 520W PSU so it should be good for most cards at stock, maybe even some overclocking without stressing it too much.

 

[SickBeast]

I saw this card for $290 at Direct Canada not long ago. The prices are really dropping on GPUs lately. Same with SSDs. It's a good time to upgrade if you need one.

 

[zaydq]

Water blocked 7950 will rock. Im not too familiar with the OC ability on the other brands considering the msi one used a 7970 pcb. I have a picture of the measurement of the card on page 2 i believe and its darn well near 11" long. In my case I have about 1/8" clearance haha.

I hit 1225mhz/1600mhz max on my card. Temperatures weren't the issue keeping me from getting any higher. I doubt anyone will need much higher than that but I can say i hit 1100/1375 on stock voltage. Ive also seen reviews where the 7950/7970 tend to outdo Nvidia on higher res gaming.

I will note though I am fairly unmoved by the TF3 cooling solution. Albeit great at stock clocks and small overclocks, it doesn't do too great without having higher fan speeds at 1225/1600. I set up a fan profile and it keeps my card at a maximum of 80*C under high stress but it hits speeds of 62%.

 

[Fire&Blood]

After doing a dance over at us.ncix.com with me putting an item in cart and then it disappearing, after I registered with them, I was able to place an order:

Let's see if I get a cancellation email on Monday. LOL, MSI's page lists the card's length at 261 mm= 10.2756"

 

[Homeles]

You could also modify your case to make the card fit. You don't need all of those bays, right? You could punch out some of the aluminum.

 

[thilanliyan]

I hit 1225mhz/1600mhz max on my card. Temperatures weren't the issue keeping me from getting any higher. I doubt anyone will need much higher than that but I can say i hit 1100/1375 on stock voltage.

What voltage is that at? VRM temps?

Mine also does 1100MHz on stock voltage.

 

[RussianSensation]

Let's see if I get a cancellation email on Monday. LOL, MSI's page lists the card's length at 261 mm= 10.2756"

I find that hard to believe. The TFIII uses a reference PCB. I just measured my Sapphire DX on the reference 7970 PCB. From the case to the end of the PCB = 270mm (10.6") and 286 mm (11.26") with the fan shroud.

The PCB may be 10.5" (266-267mm) but there are 2-3mm between the PCB and case because of the metal airflow bracket videocards use. So the effective PCB length+the metal bracket secured in the case would be 10.6 inches (~270mm) for a reference 7970 PCB card.

Also, if you look at this Post #43, the 7970 TF3 is pushing almost 11 inches.

Anyway, the HD5770 reference design is actually ~8.75" with the shroud. Looking at your screenshots, you have about 2-2.25 inches after the shroud of the HD5770. So your actual case can probably fit a card that's 11.0 inches in length. It'll probably come down to mms for you

I think you'll be fine. Your initial assessment that the case can only fit a card ~ 10.2 inches is likely off from the measurement of the 5770. Just use the ruler from the HD5770's metal bracket all the way to the metal cage of the case and see how long it is! That's gotta be more than 10.2.

 

[Fire&Blood]

I'll look at my options once the card is here and I try to install it, assuming my order actually goes through. There is the remote chance of the older 6+6 PCB being shipped to me so I may not need to modify the case. Considering my luck in the past, I'll probably have to spend quite some time on getting the clearance needed only to find out the card is DOA or something.

find that hard to believe. The TFIII uses a reference PCB. I just measured my Sapphire DX on the reference 7970 PCB. From the case to the end of the PCB = 270mm (10.6") and 286 mm (11.26") with the fan shroud.

The PCB may be 10.5" (266-267mm) but there are 2-3mm between the PCB and case because of the metal airflow bracket videocards use. So the effective PCB length+the metal bracket secured in the case would be 10.6 inches (~270mm) for a reference 7970 PCB card.

Also, if you look at this Post #43, the 7970 TF3 is pushing almost 11 inches.

I believe you. LOL, every review has different numbers. Guru3d measured it at 265mm. Just posting what I saw on MSI's site, bottom of the page:
http://msi.com/product/vga/R7950-Twin-Frozr-3GD5-OC.html#?div=Specification

 

[RussianSensation]

I'll look at my options once the card is here and I try to install it, assuming my order actually goes through. There is the remote chance of the older 6+6 PCB being shipped to me so I may not need to modify the case. Considering my luck in the past, I'll probably have to spend quite some time on getting the clearance needed only to find out the card is DOA or something.

I think when the time comes to build a new system, you should get a new case. The case you have is too old school and looks like it has barely any airflow. There aren't any honeycomb openings for colder air to enter at the bottom, no bottom mounted PSU, no fan mounting options at the bottom, etc. Your card will be soaking in all the heat it dumps into the case and your stock Intel heatsink isn't a tower design either. Your case is the perfect environment for spiders to make a new home in the winter because it's going to be nice and warm in there.

I think you will be fine as long as the card is < 11.0.

 

[Binky]

You can make any card fit in any case. You just need a dremel, or some beer and pizza (and a friend with a dremel who likes beer and pizza).

 

[thujone]

i think when this card initially released it was using a different, non-7970 pcb. that's why it's still shown with the 6+6 pin power on newegg

 

[Fire&Blood]

Thanks guys. I measured once again, from the GPU bracket:

I'll find a solution, one way or another, at the moment just weighing what my odds are for a plug and play experience vs. modding stuff on my own.

Reading the Jan and Feb reviews for 7950 TF3, they were definitely using 6+6 boards back then, those were likely ~1/2" shorter.

 

[RussianSensation]

I will note though I am fairly unmoved by the TF3 cooling solution. Albeit great at stock clocks and small overclocks, it doesn't do too great without having higher fan speeds at 1225/1600. I set up a fan profile and it keeps my card at a maximum of 80*C under high stress but it hits speeds of 62%.

After adding voltage to the GPU and overclocking from 800mhz reference 7950 speeds (+53% overclock), your TF3 cooler can still keep the card at around 80*C. I think it's pretty impressive. Sure, it might not be as quiet as you would like but try doing that on a stock 7950/7970 cooler.

Also, you basically saved nearly $200 since MSI TwinFrozr III 7950 was on Newegg for $499.99 3-4 months ago and you got it for less than pretty much any reference 7950 today. I think you got one of the best deals in town. Your 1225mhz card is probably as fast as my 7970 and cost way less than my card.

 

[Fire&Blood]

I think when the time comes to build a new system, you should get a new case. The case you have is too old school and looks like it has barely any airflow. There aren't any honeycomb openings for the air to scape at the bottom, no bottom mounted PSU, no fan mounting options at the bottom, etc. Your card will be soaking in all the heat it dumps into the case and your stock Intel heatsink isn't a tower design either. Your case is the perfect environment for spiders to make a new home in the winter because it's going to be nice and warm in there.

I think you will be fine as long as the card is < 11.0.

Haha, I can't argue the points you made. The spider home will likely be passed onto family or friends once I decide it reached EOL. Funny thing is, when I went about deciding which components to get, it was supposed to be a HTPC, without any GPU, just running HD2000 for netflix and HDMI out to TV but the gamer in me suddenly awoke after almost 3 years of hibernation. Back in March, when I was putting this together, 1440p, OC and SLI didn't even cross my mind. Heck, I still have a wireless mouse & kb for media since the plan was to use them for browsing and watching movies on the TV.

Back on topic, after doing my research, 7950 became really great bang for the buck once it went below $350. At 1440p it's pushing it but that applies to all other single GPU solutions as well. Those willing and able to run multiple can do better but it takes a lot to work all the kinks out of SLI/CF set ups. I'm guessing it will be another 7-8 months before better options start to emerge.

 

[Silverforce11]

After adding voltage to the GPU and overclocking from 800mhz reference 7950 speeds (+53% overclock), your TF3 cooler can still keep the card at around 80*C. I think it's pretty impressive. Sure, it might not be as quiet as you would like but try doing that on a stock 7950/7970 cooler.

I just had to think about this for a bit and remind myself its GPUs we're talking about.

Never has it been so common to see ~50% OCs, that's absolutely nuts and actually shows how low a target AMD set for these cards.

1.225ghz is also only slightly above average with vcore, a lot of forum users push it to 1.3ghz, so whats that, 60% OC??

 

[The_Golden_Man]

800MHz to 1300MHz on a GPU, is totally insane. Custom cooled 7950's clearly give you alot bang for buck.