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7870 GHz Edition or 7950 Core Edition?

BradDodi
By BradDodi
in Graphics Cards
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Go to solution Solved by TechFan@ic,

The HD 7950 is significantly more powerful than the 7870.
With the 7950 you get a total of 1792 GCN cores, 3GB of video memory and a 382bit wide memory interface.
That's 40% more GCN cores over the 7870s 1280 cores, 50% more video memory and a 50% wider memory interface.
However the 7950 core edition is clocked lower (800mhz vs 1000mhz) than the 7870, so the performance improvement will not be 40%, more in the range of 25%-30% and because it's the core edition, it will not have adequate cooling for overclocking.

I would high recommend grabbing a non-reference 7950 like the Sapphire dual-X, the 15 pounds you pay extra are well worth it, because it will give you the ability to really open the taps up and overclock this card to outperform 680s/770s & 7970 Ghz editions.
perf_oc.gif
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/HIS/HD_7950_X2_Boost/31.html

The extra 1GB of memory will also come in very handy with upcoming titles, especially considering both next-gen game consoles dedicate more than 4GB of memory for graphics.
The higher memory bandwidth and capacity also gives you the option to upgrade to a higher resolution monitor down the line without having to worry about memory constraints.
The better game bundle is also a plus.

Posted

Hey,

Looking to buy a graphics card for around £200. Found a 7870 for £160 and a 7950 for £197.

The 7870 is a "GHz Edition" and the 7950 is a "Core Edition", which means pretty much nothing to me. I'm assuming the GHz edition means it will overclock better? They both come with the Never Settle bundle and the 7950 has 1 fan, but the 7870 has 2.

 

Anyone know which one I should get? Thanks!  :)

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You can't find another cooler for the 7950? Because thats what I would get. And ghz edition means it's already overclocked

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Posted

7950 that cooler isn't That bad but it'll be a bit loud that's all.

Interested in Business and Technology

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GHz Edition means it is overclocked more than others, just a factory stable overclock so you don't have to do it.

 Asus M5A99X Evo  - AMD FX-8350 - 16GB Corsair Vengeance 1866Mhz - Corsair 120mm Quiet Edition Fans - BenQ XL2411Z- EVGA GTX 980 Superclocked - Fractal Design Define R4 - Corsair H100i - 2 TB 7200rpm HDD - Samsung 840 Evo 120GB - Corsair RM750w PSU - Logitech G502 Proteus Core - Corsair K70 RGB MX Red - Audio Technica M50x + Modmic 4.0 - LG 23EA63V x2


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Posted
  • Solution

The HD 7950 is significantly more powerful than the 7870.
With the 7950 you get a total of 1792 GCN cores, 3GB of video memory and a 382bit wide memory interface.
That's 40% more GCN cores over the 7870s 1280 cores, 50% more video memory and a 50% wider memory interface.
However the 7950 core edition is clocked lower (800mhz vs 1000mhz) than the 7870, so the performance improvement will not be 40%, more in the range of 25%-30% and because it's the core edition, it will not have adequate cooling for overclocking.

I would high recommend grabbing a non-reference 7950 like the Sapphire dual-X, the 15 pounds you pay extra are well worth it, because it will give you the ability to really open the taps up and overclock this card to outperform 680s/770s & 7970 Ghz editions.
perf_oc.gif
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/HIS/HD_7950_X2_Boost/31.html

The extra 1GB of memory will also come in very handy with upcoming titles, especially considering both next-gen game consoles dedicate more than 4GB of memory for graphics.
The higher memory bandwidth and capacity also gives you the option to upgrade to a higher resolution monitor down the line without having to worry about memory constraints.
The better game bundle is also a plus.

My build : Glamor Shot.  Intel & AMD, Architectural Discussion.

 

 

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Posted

Wait for 9XXX series.

 

Just take the 7950, but get a better cooler like the IceQ X2.

Main Rig: CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X | RAM: 32GB (2x16GB) KLEVV CRAS XR RGB DDR4-3600 | Motherboard: Gigabyte B550I AORUS PRO AX | Storage: 512GB SKHynix PC401, 1TB Samsung 970 EVO Plus, 2x Micron 1100 256GB SATA SSDs | GPU: EVGA RTX 3080 FTW3 Ultra 10GB | Cooling: ThermalTake Floe 280mm w/ be quiet! Pure Wings 3 | Case: Sliger SM580 (Black) | PSU: Lian Li SP 850W

 

Server: CPU: AMD Ryzen 3 3100 | RAM: 32GB (2x16GB) Crucial DDR4 Pro | Motherboard: ASUS PRIME B550-PLUS AC-HES | Storage: 128GB Samsung PM961, 4TB Seagate IronWolf | GPU: AMD FirePro WX 3100 | Cooling: EK-AIO Elite 360 D-RGB | Case: Corsair 5000D Airflow (White) | PSU: Seasonic Focus GM-850

 

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I recommend you try and go for a 7950 with another cooler, the xfx one definately isnt the best

cpu: intel i5 4670k @ 4.5ghz Ram: G skill ares 2x4gb 2166mhz cl10 Gpu: GTX 680 liquid cooled cpu cooler: Raijintek ereboss Mobo: gigabyte z87x ud5h psu: cm gx650 bronze Case: Zalman Z9 plus


Listen if you care.

Cpu: intel i7 4770k @ 4.2ghz Ram: G skill  ripjaws 2x4gb Gpu: nvidia gtx 970 cpu cooler: akasa venom voodoo Mobo: G1.Sniper Z6 Psu: XFX proseries 650w Case: Zalman H1

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please dont get that cooler....spend a little extra and get one of these....much better in my opinion

 

£203 - http://www.scan.co.uk/products/3gb-xfx-radeon-hd-7950-dd-28nm-5000mhz-gddr5-gpu-800mhz-1792-cores-2x-dvi-hdmi-2x-mini-dp

 

£212 - http://www.scan.co.uk/products/3gb-msi-radeon-hd-7950-twin-frozr-oc-be-28nm-5000mhz-gddr5-gpu-880mhz-1792-cores-dvi-hdmi-2x-mini-dp

 

enjoy, also if you havent figured it out already i would suuggest getting the 7950 over the 7870...

 

-Anubikai

| i5-4670k at stock until I do a custom WC loop | H80i | Asus Matrix Platinum 7970 at stock until I do a custom WC loop  | MSI Z87 GD65 | 1TB CAVIAR BLACK | 250gb Blue Scorpio | HX750 80 PLUS GOLD modular | 16GB INTEL EXTREME EDITION PATRIOT 1866MHZ | Coolermaster Storm Enforcer with two Red 20cm fans intake and exhaust |

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please dont get that cooler....spend a little extra and get one of these....much better in my opinion

 

£203 - http://www.scan.co.uk/products/3gb-xfx-radeon-hd-7950-dd-28nm-5000mhz-gddr5-gpu-800mhz-1792-cores-2x-dvi-hdmi-2x-mini-dp

 

£212 - http://www.scan.co.uk/products/3gb-msi-radeon-hd-7950-twin-frozr-oc-be-28nm-5000mhz-gddr5-gpu-880mhz-1792-cores-dvi-hdmi-2x-mini-dp

 

enjoy, also if you havent figured it out already i would suuggest getting the 7950 over the 7870...

 

-Anubikai

I would advise against the XFX DD 7950, both XFX & Gigabyte lock the voltages on their cards, so overclocking will be very limited, however the MSI Twinfrozr would be a great choice although a dual-fan Sapphire, HIS or Powercolor card would run ever so slightly quieter.

My build : Glamor Shot.  Intel & AMD, Architectural Discussion.

 

 

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I would advise against the XFX DD 7950, both XFX & Gigabyte lock the voltages on their cards, so overclocking will be very limited, however the MSI Twinfrozr would be a great choice although a dual-fan Sapphire, HIS or Powercolor card would run ever so slightly quieter.

 

the msi 7950 can get a tiny bit loud, but a custom curve seems to fix it.....also i can oc this card to limits...i would advise for the msi...spend the extra £12 for quality....fully metal shroud aswel...no plastic crap...

 

-Anubikai

| i5-4670k at stock until I do a custom WC loop | H80i | Asus Matrix Platinum 7970 at stock until I do a custom WC loop  | MSI Z87 GD65 | 1TB CAVIAR BLACK | 250gb Blue Scorpio | HX750 80 PLUS GOLD modular | 16GB INTEL EXTREME EDITION PATRIOT 1866MHZ | Coolermaster Storm Enforcer with two Red 20cm fans intake and exhaust |

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the msi 7950 can get a tiny bit loud, but a custom curve seems to fix it.....also i can oc this card to limits...i would advise for the msi...spend the extra £12 for quality....fully metal shroud aswel...no plastic crap...

 

-Anubikai

I can't disagree with that 1300mhz overclock, it's quite phenomenal.

My build : Glamor Shot.  Intel & AMD, Architectural Discussion.

 

 

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  • Author

Thanks guys. Gonna get the card next week so I'll bare this all in mind. I'll end up getting either the Sapphire or the MSI one. Both seem very decent.

 

Thanks again!  :)

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