Which 7950 to choose from

[bigtalon]

Ok, so I recently purchased a 7870, but after realizing its faults, and it is now tax time, and the money is in the process of being refunded for the 7870, I figured I would just step it up to the 7950. My question is, what is a good reliable 7950 brand ?

MSI Twin Frozr 7950
Gigabyte 7950
HIS 7950
XFX Double D 7950

Or would you suggest a different one ? Any help here would be greatly appreciated!! Please don't say go with nvidia, I've got burnt out on them, I like Radeon cards, Should I save up another $100+ and get the 7970 ? or is the 7950 good ?

Current System Specs:
ASRock Z77 Motherboard
Intel i5 3570k Processor
8gb Corsair Ram
750w PSU
Sapphire Radeon HD 7870


If I go with the 7950, can the 750w psu handle it ? and same question for the 7970 ?

I was hoping if I went with the 7950, I wouldn't need to upgrade the psu or anything, and from looking at statistics the 7970 isn't super ahead of the 7950 so the extra $100 seems like wasted money ?


Basically, I have $450 tops to spend, What card would you suggest for that limit ?

 

[bigcyco1]

I would recommend are Sapphire's HD 7950 Vapor-X comes with a large dual-fan cooler that uses the company's famous vapor-chamber technology. On the Vapor-X you will also find a "Lethal Boost" button which switches to a second BIOS with higher clock speeds. With this BIOS, clocks are increased to 950 MHz GPU and 1250 MHz memory.
Pricing of the Sapphire HD 7950 Vapor-X is $330 which is a 10% premium.Your psu is enough to run 2x 7950.

 

[EzioAs]

Your psu is enough to run 2x 7950.

Assuming it's good quality, not some cheap unit

 

[hytecgowthaman]

All companies are use same component from Amd just change the stickers and put own fans in it.
so search which companies customer care nearest and give good service to u.

 

[bigcyco1]

Assuming it's good quality, not some cheap unit

True.

 

[stanistheman]

Why are you going from a 7870 to a 7950?. if you want a upgrade why not crossfire 7870s and smash 7950/7970

 

[unksol]

All companies are use same component from Amd just change the stickers and put own fans in it.
so search which companies customer care nearest and give good service to u.

This is NOT true. only reference cards use the AMD PCB. Custom cards use the GPU chip and design their own PCB with generally better voltage phases and components, as well as binning the chips.

I second sapphire. They are an AMD partner, make great stuff, and when the cat sabotaged my 6950 Toxic (and fully expected to be billed for repairs) they had a new one in my hands 2weeks later, no questions asked. A year after it was out of production. Awesome, stupid easy warranty experience.

 

[unksol]

Why are you going from a 7870 to a 7950?. if you want a upgrade why not crossfire 7870s and smash 7950/7970

His 7870 failed and he is getting a refund. Reading fail. Lol

Also lots of boards don't support crossfire.

 

[ZephyrBit]

If you want to OC i would HIGHLY recommend the Gigabyte, but because its open shroud i would only get it if your case has sufficient cooling. If not then get this HIS (a different one) The HIS will give you a decent overclock.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161420

 

[bigtalon]

The PSU is a Corsair Enthusiast 750w 80 Plus Bronze, So you guys suggest going with the Sapphire models of the 7950 ?

Whats the difference between these 3 ? :

Sapphire 7950

Vapor-X Sapphire 7950

Sapphire 7950 11196-00-40g


and why is the last 1 $60 more is it better or should i stick with one of the $329 models ? Also, the vapor-x comes pre-oc'd is that a good thing ? As I know some companies aren't great at "stock OC"

 

[EzioAs]

Factory overclocked are pretty good because it's been tested and guaranteed stable by the manufacturer although they usually come at some price premium.

Among those 3, I consider the Vapor-X the best and if it were me, I'd go with that one although it's out of stock at the moment. The first one is good as well.

I can't determine why the last one is much more expensive than the other 2, anyway just don't buy this one. It's really not much of an issue since the other 2 have way better cooler and lower price.