What advantages does the AMD Radeon 7970 HIS iceQ have over the refere

[Sirwalrus]

This is my first post on Tom'sharware, so forgive me there's a thousand other threads about the same thing...

I'm buying my first gaming PC soon, and I was going to use the reference 7970, but all the reviews I've seen say it's a very well performing card, but runs hot and sounds like a hair dryer.
I've done some research on the HIS iceQ 7970, and everything I've seen says it has better cooling, and is quieter.

Has anybody here used one, or compared the two? How much quieter/cooler is the IceQ, is it worth the money?

My build will be:
Case - CM Storm Stryker
Mobo: ASRock Z77 Extreme4
RAM - 8GB Corsair Vengeance DDR3 @1600MHz
PSU - 850W gold certified LEPA
CPU - Intel core i5 3570k (I would go with the 8350FX, but I chose the i5 because Intel has more upgradabilty without needing a different motherboard)
GPU - AMD Radeon HD 7970 3GB HIS IceQ edition.

 

[Sirwalrus]

Apparently my question was too long. I meant to say 'reference card'

 

[vrumor]

The HIS has an aftermarket cooler on it. Not the reference cooler. Also, you are incorrect in the upgradability of Intel. The 1155 socket is dead after this generation of CPUs. Haswell will be a new socket hence needing a new motherboard. AMD is sticking with the AM3 socket for at least another generation after Piledriver. So its the opposite of your thinking.

 

[Sirwalrus]

@vrumor: That might change my mind about getting Intel over AMD. Most benchmarks I've seen show the 8350FX outperforming the i5 and i7.
I'll look into a little more.

 

[vrumor]

That HIS 7970 is $380 right now on Newegg and comes with Crysis 3 and Bioshock Infinite as well. Was looking at one myself as I just bought a Dell UltraSharp 2560x1600 monitor and may need another one. Dont know yet. The 8350 is nice, almost went with one myself when I upgraded from a 1090T a few months ago. But hadnt used Intel in 15 years and wanted to give it a shot. Im pleased with my decision. The 1090T is still viable and lasted me 3 years. Sheesh time flies.

 

[Sirwalrus]

That HIS 7970 is $380 right now on Newegg and comes with Crysis 3 and Bioshock Infinite as well. Was looking at one myself as I just bought a Dell UltraSharp 2560x1600 monitor and may need another one. Dont know yet. The 8350 is nice, almost went with one myself when I upgraded from a 1090T a few months ago. But hadnt used Intel in 15 years and wanted to give it a shot. Im pleased with my decision. The 1090T is still viable and lasted me 3 years. Sheesh time flies.

Yeah, Crysis and Bioshock is a pretty good bonus.

I have really no idea how this 'quoting' system works yet.

 

[Sirwalrus]

Best answer selected by Sirwalrus.