Best 7950 for overclocking?

[nishank93]

I've heard great reviews about the Sapphire Dual-X 7950, in terms of both overclocked temperature and silence. However, I'd like to hear your opinion/experience with the Asus DirectCUII 7950.

In terms of the best overclock, silence and temperatures, which cooler is better?

 

PS - I'm not going down the crossfire route, so I don't care that the Asus is a triple slot card (there is plenty of space on my motherboard if I do anyway). I'm getting the DCUII Top edition and Dual-X for about the same price, hence this question. If you guys think there is a better 7950 than either of these two, go ahead and let me know.

[IVIeLt]

Quite litterally ANY 7950.

 

Just because it comes from a different vendor in no way means it will overclock more than another chip. You basically just playing the silicone lottery when it comes to overclocking potential

[iNsahne303]

I have the Asus 7950 and it overclocks like a beast. I'd pick this one again.

[CaptRex635]

Personally I think that the better route is the Asus DirectCUII 7950, though there is no real guarantee that going with certain manufacturers help overclocks. 

 

Tell us which one you go with, Good Luck!  :) 

[TechFan@ic]

The HIS 7970 IceQ X2 is the best 7950 in terms of overclocking.

 

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

 

 

 

[R4STABAN]

The HIS 7970 IceQ X2 is the best 7950 in terms of overclocking.

 

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

 

 

Always take reviewers overclocks with a pinch of salt and remember it's a lottery.

 

In what way would it benefit HIS to send techpowerup an untested 7950? Or for that matter, why would MSI let linus bench a random 660ti, they'd give them proven clockers to make their cards look good.

[killerx525]

Always take reviewers overclocks with a pinch of salt and remember it's a lottery.

 

In what way would it benefit HIS to send techpowerup an untested 7950? Or for that matter, why would MSI let linus bench a random 660ti, they'd give them proven clockers to make their cards look good.

I think you may have a point with manufacturer giving reviewers the cream of the crop GPUs.

[TechFan@ic]

Always take reviewers overclocks with a pinch of salt and remember it's a lottery.

 

In what way would it benefit HIS to send techpowerup an untested 7950? Or for that matter, why would MSI let linus bench a random 660ti, they'd give them proven clockers to make their cards look good.

The quality of the GPU is a lottery, stock voltage is not.

These cards overclock better than anything else because they come with a higher voltage rating right out of the box & you can overvolt even more.

These results are also consistent across all reviews of said graphics card & end user reviews on forums as well.

 

[nishank93]

Quite litterally ANY 7950.

 

Just because it comes from a different vendor in no way means it will overclock more than another chip. You basically just playing the silicone lottery when it comes to overclocking potential

Yes, I understand that. I only wanted to compare the coolers. Plus, since Asus has different versions of DCUII cards (normal, OC, Top), I would expect buying a Top card to give me better chance at the silicone lottery.

[nishank93]

I have the Asus 7950 and it overclocks like a beast. I'd pick this one again.

Thanks! :)

[nishank93]

Always take reviewers overclocks with a pinch of salt and remember it's a lottery.

 

In what way would it benefit HIS to send techpowerup an untested 7950? Or for that matter, why would MSI let linus bench a random 660ti, they'd give them proven clockers to make their cards look good.

I'm quite happy I'm not the only one who thinks manufacturers send pre-tested hardware to reviewers.

[nishank93]

The HIS 7970 IceQ X2 is the best 7950 in terms of overclocking.

 

I thought about getting that card, but I just don't like that big X in the middle :D

[TechFan@ic]

I thought about getting that card, but I just don't like that big X in the middle :D

 

I really don't like it either but I don't think that you'll see it once the card is installed.

The three 7950s that I always recommend are the HIS IceQ, the Sapphire Dual-X & the MSI Twinfrozr.

The HIS IceQ is better in all categories, it overclocks better, runs cooler & quieter but it's the largest out of the three & the unconventional looks might throw some people off.

The Dual-X & the MSI Twinfrozr both overclock very well, but not as well as the IceQ, the Sapphire card also runs a tiny bit quieter than the MSI card.

I don't recommend the ASUS DCUII because it's expensive, large & very heavy so you'll need a support bracket for it, otherwise it can damage or even break your PCIE slot.

There are also some issues with the initial designs which led to a lot of DOA cards.

I don't recommend XFX or Gigabyte cards because they have locked voltages.

[killerx525]

I don't like XFX at all because of reliability.

[nishank93]

I really don't like it either but I don't think that you'll see it once the card is installed.

The three 7950s that I always recommend are the HIS IceQ, the Sapphire Dual-X & the MSI Twinfrozr.

The HIS IceQ is better in all categories, it overclocks better, runs cooler & quieter but it's the largest out of the three & the unconventional looks might throw some people off.

The Dual-X & the MSI Twinfrozr both overclock very well, but not as well as the IceQ, the Sapphire card also runs a tiny bit quieter than the MSI card.

I don't recommend the ASUS DCUII because it's expensive, large & very heavy so you'll need a support bracket for it, otherwise it can damage or even break your PCIE slot.

There are also some issues with the initial designs which led to a lot of DOA cards.

I don't recommend XFX or Gigabyte cards because they have locked voltages.

Yeah, I know I won't see it once it is installed, but I will know it is there, and it spoils the fun a little. I thought the weight of the DCUII cards wouldn't be a problem since they're screwed into the back of the case (and the cards have backplates). I like Asus because from what I've heard, they use higher quality and longer lasting components right across their product range.

I think I'll just pick between the Sapphire and Asus based on the colour of the Z87 motherboard I end up getting :D

[TechFan@ic]

Yeah, I know I won't see it once it is installed, but I will know it is there, and it spoils the fun a little. I thought the weight of the DCUII cards wouldn't be a problem since they're screwed into the back of the case (and the cards have backplates). I like Asus because from what I've heard, they use higher quality and longer lasting components right across their product range.

I think I'll just pick between the Sapphire and Asus based on the colour of the Z87 motherboard I end up getting :D

Both cards are black, you won't see the red lines on the Asus card once installed in your system.

[nishank93]

Both cards are black, you won't see the red lines on the Asus card once installed in your system.

The colour scheme for graphics cards is just in my head. Its silly, I know. Right now, I don't really know which motherboard to get, now that Asus has gone gold with their P9Z77-V Pro equivalent on Haswell.

[IVIeLt]

Yes, I understand that. I only wanted to compare the coolers. Plus, since Asus has different versions of DCUII cards (normal, OC, Top), I would expect buying a Top card to give me better chance at the silicone lottery.

 

Not really, Just means that your paying more for Asus to take some of that overclocking headroom away from you from the factory.

 

Only on rare cases will you see chips that have actually been through a binning process to make sure they have good overclocking potential. Cards like the 680 Classified from EVGA and the 7970 Matrix from Asus are examples of that.

[mgsstar]

I wouldn't go with the Asus card because I don't really like heavy coolers hanging in my system only having the PCI-E slot and the screw to support it. I would also recommend the HIS Iceq X2 card because this card is a very good card and I don't think you will see the X on the card since the fan is facing down.

[jimi]

asus or msi

[nishank93]

Sweet, thanks for all the advice guys. Really appreciate it! :) I think I'll stick to the Sapphire Dual-X 7950 for my summer build!

[Nit3Rid3R]

I love Asus cards because they look really best, and they aren't all that more expensive here (we're talking like 10 dollars more). Other than that, I would have to say the MSI card.