XFX 7970 GHz Edition; overall and CFX

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dannyboy2233

dannyboy2233

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Hey guys!
So, recently I have decided that I would like to run SLI/CFX in my system. I was 99% decided on the MSI Lightning 770's in SLI (as I have used NVIDIA all my life), but then I decided that I wanted cards which could be easily water cooled in the future. I did some research, and the only waterblocks that would cool my 770's were the EKWB ones (meant for reference cards), so I wasn't sure that I trusted it. However, this 7970 GHz Edition card (from XFX) appears to contain the reference PCB, meaning that it would be quite easy to apply a waterblock. Also, it is on sale for $390 on Amazon at the moment.
My questions are these; first of all, has anyone had any experience with this card? Would you guys recommend it?
Second of all, would these cards actually water cool that well compared with the 770's I was planning on buying?
And third of all (perhaps the most important), is the drivers; do you guys think that there will be a great performance upgrade over the Lightning 770, what with the problems in the CFX drivers?
EDIT: Also, could an 800W PSU do this reasonably?
Overall, do I SLI the Lightning 770's (focusing on water cooling), or CFX the XFX 7970 GHz Edition (focusing on water cooling)?

Here are the links to the two cards:
7970 GHz:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/XFX-Edition-CrossFireX-Graphics-FX-797G-TDFC/dp/B008RWH6AK
Proof that it is reference PCB: http://www.ocaholic.ch/modules/smartsection/item.php?page=9&itemid=974
Lightning 770:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/MSI-DisplayPort-DL-DVI-I-N770-Lightning/dp/B00CZ58WQ2

Thank you all so much in advance! :)
 
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Intel God

Intel God

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Crossfire is still currently screwed up. Amd says it'll have a driver fix in about 5 weeks but well see and ek will be producing a gtx 770 lighting waterblock.

What motherboard do you run? The windforce 770 will run super cool on ir because the cooler is overbuilt

Review

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Gigabyte/GeForce_GTX_770_WindForce_OC/31.html

Temps

temp.gif
 
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dannyboy2233

dannyboy2233

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I probably have to have the GPU's purchased within the next few weeks. Do I buy the AMD and see about the drivers, or should I just stick with the 770's? Also, what do you think would be the performance difference?
Thanks :)
 
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Intel God

Intel God

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Amd makes a great card but there's no point in buying a 7970 and hoping that amd releases a driver to fix the problem. The 770 has no issues in sli and will be faster then a 7970. Go with the sure thing
 
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dannyboy2233

dannyboy2233

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But will that have issues if I try to water-cool it, since it doesn't have the reference PCB?
And what 770's do have reference PCB's?
 
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Intel God

Intel God

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Can I ask why you want to watercool? Max overclocks? The card linked below can be water cooled


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121770
 
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dannyboy2233

dannyboy2233

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I thought that the Asus DCUII cards didn't use the reference PCB design...?
Also, another problem I had was the 256-bit memory bus, as well as the only 2 GB of VRAM. Would I be better off getting the Windforce 770 with 4 GB of VRAM (which can in no way be water-cooled), or do you think that the 256-bit memory bus would prohibit that 4 GB from being completely utilized?
I would love to run multi-monitor someday, so...
Thanks :)
 
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G

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AMD drivers are apparently going to be released in July, with or without another delay. 770 have been perfect from all the reviews. Watercooling is expensive so get ready to shell out at least 300+. Is it worth it... depends if you can't do it on air
 
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dannyboy2233

dannyboy2233

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But my only worry is that of the VRAM. First of all, should I stick with the Lightning @ 2 GB, or the Gigabyte @ 4 GB?
And water-cooling would just be a sort of a hobby thing. Sounds spoiled, I know, but I've always wanted to try it, and I figure I might as well get something that allows me to do so. However, it isn't absolutely necessary.
 
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G

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If you are going to water cool check to make sure its reference PCB. For the water cooling parts do your research, if you are you going with EK there are some not recommended (cant remember atm) due to corrosive with different mixes. Are you doing 2 x 770 as well as CPU? If so then you are needing either 2x240 rad + some or a 360 rad + some. As said before you need to do your research because that's a lot of heat going through a loop.

Help this helps, Zero
 
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dannyboy2233

dannyboy2233

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Yeah I know, I've been doing a lot. But do you think that only 2 GB of VRAM will be a foreseeable problem at any point in the near future?
 
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Intel God

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The ek cooling configuratior states the asus card I linked works with its waterblock. As for the vram. For now 2gb is fine for a single screen but if you're thinking about surround in the future the 4gb cards might be better for you. The 256 but bus isn't a problem because most 770 guys have overclocked the memory past 8000mhz effective.
 
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G

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For future proof 4GB. Everything else I think has been answered by this guy
 
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dannyboy2233

dannyboy2233

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But see, then it gets tricky. I pretty much either have to go with water-cooling in the future, or multiple monitors in the future; and to be honest, I'm leaning towards water-cooling.
The reason for this is that (at the moment), the only card which is 4GB VRAM and supports any sort of waterblock is the EVGA 770 ACX SC Classified, which is $510, and that's way too much for a 770.
I either go with the EVGA 770 ACX SC 2GB for $420 (and be able to water-cool since it has the reference PCB), or go with the Gigabyte Windforce 4GB and not have any available waterblocks due to the custom PCB (and most likely none to come).
 
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Intel God

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Did I miss where you answered why you want to watercool?
 
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dannyboy2233

dannyboy2233

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To be honest, mostly just to try it out. I think it'd be something cool to do, and it would most likely allow for higher OC's, and GPU Boost 2.0 would work better with cooler temps.
However, I have just come upon the Palit Jetstream 4GB card, which is having a custom waterblock be made for it by EK. However, it is a 2.5 slot card, and I can't seem to find the price.
I hate to change the subject, but this is kind of related; I have a Corsair Obsidian 650D and an Asus P8 Z77-V Pro; would dual 2.5 slot GPU's fit?
Thanks :)
 
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