7870 xt vs 7950

Hardware GPU
1

Hey all,

I have an i7 3770 build for work and some gaming. I'm just wondering what the difference would be between the 7870 xt and 7950 with moderate overclocks. Is it worth the extra 50 bucks? Maxed settings SC2 with good min fps would be about as much juice as I would need. I do some 3D CAD work too.

Note: 7870 xt (tahiti) not the normal 7870

Thanks!

2

You could even get a 7770 and get really good FPS in SC2 lol, but I would get the 7870XT since it nips at the 7950's heels and is a bit cheaper.

3

well, it depends. I like the 7870 XT but for the sole fact that nobody makes one that is particularly attractive. The Powercolor one doesn't match the color scheme that I want, and the Sapphire's PCB matches absolutely nothing. But if the aesthetics don't matter, then the 7870 XT is great bang/buck because its clock rate isn't that far off of the existing 7950 and its performance still doesn't fall far behind.

4

Grabbed my 7950 for $260 off ebay. Unopened. 7870XT runs about $240/250, if you're looking for a steal look on ebay :D.

The answer to you question is sort of. The XT is just a downgraded/retarded 7950, it's not really $50 worse than the 7950. You don't need the 7950 for your game load though, and they have the same memory interface, and are only seperated by about 200 stream processors (difference between a 7970 and a 7950 is about the same).

5

Sounds good. So really the 7870 xt should be called a 7930?

I just bought one from Super Biiz.

6

the 7870XT actually has a 256bit interface vs the 7950's 384bit.

 

7

the 7950 is a good choice if you are planing to oc because if done correctly you can oc to near 7970 performance

8

7870 is a great card.  i have one my self.

if you gonne oc the 7870, then its faster then a stock 7950, but ofc the 7950 is oc able too.

i see i this way, the 7870 to the 7950 isnt a big step forward. the big step forward is wenn you stepup from the 7870 to the 7970.

9

Thanks for the help guys. I got a Sapphire 7870 xt. Can I crossfire that with a 7950 in the future? Also what is the best 7950 to get thermals/noise/cost?

10

Get the ASUS DirectCUII or the MSI TwinFrozr. Those are really chilly and quiet. Any are fine as long as they don't have a reference design cooler.

11

Noise will be the DCUII(which is triple slot) with the Windforce 3x just behind it, Thermal will be the DCUII and Windforce x3, Cost will be the Windforce and XFX cards (which can get really noisy and hot) 

I have a Windforce x3 7950 and it really quiet and cool at stock, get a little warmer and louder when OC'd but still well within tolerable levels

12

What's the difference between the windforce and windforce x3? Both gigabyte cards?

13

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyte-video-card-gvr795wf33gd

This is the x3 correct?

14

gpuboss.com is pretty good for a quick look up comparison of different cards.

15

Same thing, Windforce x3 is the Triple fan version of there cooler style, which everything from the 7870 and up should have for gigabyte.

16

Yep that would be it.