Sapphire 7870 XT vs 7950

UCLAco2016 · Mar 4, 2013

The 7950 is only about $40-$50 more, which imo isn't that much. I always see people posting how the 7870 xt can OC to about the same as a stock 7950, but from what I've heard the 7950 can OC to roughly a stock 7970. So, which one?

7870 XT

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202024

7950

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202006&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_sp=&AID=10440897&PID=3332167&SID=u00000687

I'm leaning towards the 7950. Because I don't play bioshock or tomb raider, and when I build my computer I'm to want to test it with one of the most graphical demanding games out right now; Crysis 3. So I can save $60 since the 7950 comes with it. But for arguments sake, lets just assume I don't care about any of the games the cards come with.

estabya · Mar 4, 2013

Lots of cards can OC to the stock speeds of the next fastest cards, but like you said that card in turn can OC to the next fastest. Honestly, if you can afford the $290 for the 7950 you ought to grab that. I would argue the Tahiti 7870 offers the best bang for the buck, but if you can afford it I do not see any reason not to grab a 7950 for that price. They are awesome cards

raghu78 · Mar 4, 2013

go with the HD 7950. 15% faster at stock. at the same clocks the HD 7950 is 15 - 20% faster than HD 7870 Tahiti LE

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/HIS/HD_7950_X2_Boost/31.html

BF3 1920 x 1200

HIS HD 7950 iceq x2 boost (1210 mhz) - 82.9
HIS HD 7950 iceq x2 boost - 67.5
club3d HD 7870 Tahiti LE (1210 mhz) - 69.8
club3d HD 7870 Tahiti LE - 59.2

here is a user comparison of both cards at 1 ghz

http://www.overclock.net/t/1345122/sapphire-hd-7870-xt-based-on-amd-tahiti-le-chip/70#post_19294019

eBombzor · Mar 4, 2013

+7950. Tho I would advise you to not go with Sapphire coolers. My 7870 XT has a weird buzzing noise, while being loud under load.

UCLAco2016 · Mar 5, 2013

Thanks for the help everyone, anymore input would be welcomed. I have a question about the PSU though. I plan on buying this PSU

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139050

I know it's enough assuming I don't OC anything. But if I wanted to slightly oc the 7950, and OC my 3570k to like 4.5ghz would 500w still be sufficient? I was going to buy this rosewill 750w psu http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182133 but I won't be getting paid by the time the deal ends lol.

eBombzor · Mar 5, 2013

Quote:

Originally Posted by UCLAco2016

Thanks for the help everyone, anymore input would be welcomed. I have a question about the PSU though. I plan on buying this PSU

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139050

I know it's enough assuming I don't OC anything. But if I wanted to slightly oc the 7950, and OC my 3570k to like 4.5ghz would 500w still be sufficient? I was going to buy this rosewill 750w psu http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182133 but I won't be getting paid by the time the deal ends lol.

Yea but the CX line has a reputation of coil whine, and it's pretty severe.

raghu78 · Mar 5, 2013

the corsair CX500M with 38A on +12v rail (38 x 12 = 456W) is more than enough for running an overclocked HD 7950 with overclocked 3570k. if you

if you can spend a bit more go for the rosewill capstone 550 which is a 80 PLUS GOLD rated psu. very high quality psu with 45A on +12v rail. 5 year warranty.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B006BCKEL6/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new

XAslanX · Mar 5, 2013

Quote:

Originally Posted by eBombzor

Yea but the CX line has a reputation of coil whine, and it's pretty severe.

I've had my CX500 since late Sept. last year and I haven't heard a single peep out of it.

I'd go with the 7950 as it has an extra GB of VRAM which will come in handy for future games.

Capt · Mar 5, 2013

Stay away from Sapphire because there are a lot of people complaining about black screen/sleep bug/green vertical lines etc. Go with Gigabyte or MSI.

raghu78 · Mar 5, 2013

Quote:

Originally Posted by Capt

Stay away from Sapphire because there are a lot of people complaining about black screen/sleep bug/green vertical lines etc. Go with Gigabyte or MSI.

you are talking about the regular sapphire hd 7870 (pitcairn) . the op is asking about sapphire hd 7870 xt (tahiti le). that is a different card and does not have the problems which you come across with sapphire hd 7870 (pitcairn). the user reviews on newegg for sapphire hd 7870 xt are very positive

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202024

Kynes · Mar 5, 2013

Either one is a great choice.

At 1080p both cards do great and those 7870's seem to overclock well.

I went with a MSI 7950 myself should be here Wednesday. I just chose the 7950 seemed like a better buy to me.

Just get you a good quality PSU and you'll be set.

UCLAco2016 · Mar 5, 2013

I'm still looking for more answers on if the corsair cx500 semi-modular psu will work well with it, and so far it seems good. I'm also considering the 7950 over the 7870 xt because of resale value. 1 or 2 years from now it seems like it will be easier to sell a 7950 compared to a 7870 xt.

Kynes · Mar 5, 2013

Yes there is resell to consider.

What kinda budget for the power supply?

I would think with the i5 and the 7950 you wouldn't need a 700+ watt power supply. Maybe something like 550 to 600.
Also look for a single 12v rail.

I used a corsair gs 600 on crossfire 6870's and a 1090t and P2 X2 unlocked and both overclocked same with the gpu's and had no problems.

XAslanX · Mar 5, 2013

Quote:

Originally Posted by UCLAco2016

I'm still looking for more answers on if the corsair cx500 semi-modular psu will work well with it, and so far it seems good. I'm also considering the 7950 over the 7870 xt because of resale value. 1 or 2 years from now it seems like it will be easier to sell a 7950 compared to a 7870 xt.

The CX500M is more than enough. I'm running an overclocked i5 750 and 7950 boost on mine just fine without any issues.

UCLAco2016 · Mar 6, 2013

Thanks for the help so far everyone, one more question though.

Would you all recommend the HIS IceQ 7950?http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161420 ? It looks really smexy, and according to tomshardware, it has the best cooling out of all the 7950s.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-7950-review-benchmark,3207-10.html

eBombzor · Mar 6, 2013

Quote:

Originally Posted by UCLAco2016

Thanks for the help so far everyone, one more question though.

Would you all recommend the HIS IceQ 7950?http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161420 ? It looks really smexy, and according to tomshardware, it has the best cooling out of all the 7950s.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-7950-review-benchmark,3207-10.html

Yea that cooler is epic. It cools extremely well and it's actually pretty quiet. Plus it's a blower-style cooler.

TFchris · Mar 6, 2013

I'd go with the hd7950

raghu78 · Mar 6, 2013

Quote:

Originally Posted by UCLAco2016

Thanks for the help so far everyone, one more question though.

Would you all recommend the HIS IceQ 7950?http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161420 ? It looks really smexy, and according to tomshardware, it has the best cooling out of all the 7950s.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-7950-review-benchmark,3207-10.html

what case do you have. the his hd 7950 iceq x2 boost is the best HD 7950 card if you can fit it in your case . its 311mm long.

http://www.hisdigital.com/un/product2-731.shtml

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161429

UCLAco2016 · Mar 6, 2013

Quote:

Originally Posted by raghu78

what case do you have. the his hd 7950 iceq x2 boost is the best HD 7950 card if you can fit it in your case . its 311mm long.

http://www.hisdigital.com/un/product2-731.shtml

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161429

A bitfenix prodigy. But $50 is too much over my budget.

raghu78 · Mar 6, 2013

Quote:

Originally Posted by UCLAco2016

A bitfenix prodigy. But $50 is too much over my budget.

fine. go with the sapphire hd 7950 boost which you initially picked . reference AMD PCB design. unlocked voltage. good cooler. positive user reviews. best price. 29 cm long. so check if you can fit it in your case.

http://www.sapphiretech.com/presentation/product/?cid=1&gid=3&sgid=1157&pid=1713&psn=&lid=1&leg=0

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202006

Sapphire 7870 XT vs 7950

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