Sapphire HD 7950 OC 3GB GDDR5 950 MHz Edition

SonDa5 said:
Reviews with details on PCB design.

Which water blocks are compatible with it?

Anything special about it?

I like the black PCB and the higher speed but other than that is there anything about it that is different than the blue PCB version that is clocked slightly slower?
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there aren't any reviews out yet of this specific card. but the product page says " the design is HD 7970 class that enables more headroom for overclocking". i guess you should easily hit 1100+ speeds.
 
raghu78 said:
there aren't any reviews out yet of this specific card. but the product page says " the design is HD 7970 class that enables more headroom for overclocking". i guess you should easily hit 1100+ speeds.
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Doubtful. That is just marketing fluff with no real meaning. It has no bearing to what the reality is, either way. Also you can get pre oc'd gtx 670 for 399 anyway like the gigabyte which is a far better value than this at 10 less.
 
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I noticed it is the only HD7950 that has a 1x6pin +1x8pin power connectors. All the other HD7950s have 2x6pin connectors.

I'm still looking for reviews or PCB photos.
 
"The new design is HD 7970 class that enables more head room for overclocking. "
I would expect that they are making use of the the same PCB and cooler found on the 7970 OC model reviewed here:
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2012/04/10/sapphire_hd_7970_oc_edition_video_card_review/1

edit: the product page shows the 7850 being 5mm shorter so maybe that isn't the case and they really do produce two distinct black PCBs for their 79XX line.
 
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Prav said:
"The new design is HD 7970 class that enables more head room for overclocking. "
I would expect that they are making use of the the same PCB and cooler found on the 7970 OC model reviewed here:
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2012/04/10/sapphire_hd_7970_oc_edition_video_card_review/1

edit: the product page shows the 7850 being 5mm shorter so maybe that isn't the case and they really do produce two distinct black PCBs for their 79XX line.
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5mm isn't much. Hopefully the PCB is very similar. Does have the same size power connectors 1x6pin+1x8pin.


[H]OCP came close to giving the HD7970 a gold award if it had not been for the high $500+ price tag.

For $389.99 the HD7950 950mhz edition could be a gold winner.

Some thoughts from the [H]OCP review of the HD7970 model.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 had a hand up in performance on the stock Sapphire HD 7970 in every game. The Overclocked Sapphire HD 7970 OC Edition crushed the GeForce GTX 680 though in every game providing the best performance and gameplay experience.
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There are a ton of improved PCB 670 and 680 cards coming to market too so don't assume that this card would crush those at all. It will have competitive performance in games to justify buying AMD if you prefer them, and a better overall card if you use it for non gaming compute. I wouldn't expect anything more than that though.
 
Prav said:
There are a ton of improved PCB 670 and 680 cards coming to market too so don't assume that this card would crush those at all. It will have competitive performance in games to justify buying AMD if you prefer them, and a better overall card if you use it for non gaming compute. I wouldn't expect anything more than that though.
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Believe me if the improved PCB 670s were currently available for $389.99 (price of this card at Amazon) I would be all over it.

I have been waiting for months to get an affordable 28nm card and at this price point this card is looking good right now.
 
SonDa5 said:
Believe me if the improved PCB 670s were currently available for $389.99 (price of this card at Amazon) I would be all over it.

I have been waiting for months to get an affordable 28nm card and at this price point this card is looking good right now.
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I believe this card is very well designed and quite similar to the Sapphire HD 7970 OC with the same power delivery (8pin + 6 pin) and the excellent dual x cooler. With sapphire trixx you will be hitting very high speeds (1100+). I would pick this anyday over a GTX 670. But if you feel inclined to get a GTX 670 go ahead. :)
 
If anybody picks up one of these 7950s please share your overclocking results (max oc, how much voltage, temps, benchmarks, etc). Am optimistic about the overclocking prospects on this model.
 
It would also help if anybody who buys this card posts max OC at stock voltage and max OC (extra voltage) with sapphire trixx. also temps at both the OC speeds.
 
Got one of these from the Amazon deal $389.99.

Photos of it.

layoutSapphire950mzcard.jpg



VRMSapphireHD7950950mhz.jpg



VRMHD7950mhzvertical.jpg



lefttopelectricalSapphireHD7950950mz.jpg



memorySapphireHD7950950mhz.jpg



VoltageControlSapphireOC950mhz.jpg


Please comment about the PCB.


Looks like it is 1 VRM short of the HD7970 Dual X Sapphire version. I don't see any other differences from the Dual X HD7970 version.



Also does somebody know if any water blocks will fit this?
 
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SonDa5 said:
Got one of these from the Amazon deal $389.99.

Looks like it is 1 VRM short of the HD7970 Dual X Sapphire version. I don't see any other differences from the Dual X HD7970 version.

Also does somebody know if any water blocks will fit this?
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Yes its one VRM short of HD 7970 OC Dual X. I think your PCB is the reference HD 7970 PCB. about waterblocks you can read in the link below. you could ask sapphire tech support too. or ask HD 7900 users in overclock.net

http://blogs.amd.com/play/2012/05/23/aftermarket-cooling-for-overclocking-and-silent-enthusiasts/
 
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Getting ready to boot up my rig with the new Sapphire HD7950 950mhz edition.


The card is about 1 inch longer than my GTX 560 ti 448 so I had to replace one of my huge Triebwerk 123 radiator fans with a Scythe slim fan.

Before with the water cooled MSI TF3 PE/OC GTX 560 ti 448.

3xTriebwerkspullhwlab360gtstealth.jpg



Now with the Sapphire HD7950 950mhz edition.

testingHD7950sapphireOC950mhz.jpg



Have high expectations for this card.

Plan on water cooling it ASAP. Going to change up my loop and case configuration to accomodate this card once it is water cooled.
 
SonDa5 said:
Have high expectations for this card.

Plan on water cooling it ASAP. Going to change up my loop and case configuration to accomodate this card once it is water cooled.
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Good luck :) also please post max stable clocks at stock volts and with extra volts.
 
Up and running.

GPU-Z verification.
http://www.techpowerup.com/gpuz/k2w8p/

ASIC quality is 88.3%.

I have uploaded the BIOS to the Techpowerup data base as well.




First things first I wanted to find out what kind of settings are available for over clocking.

Using MSI After burner and SApphire Trixx allows for voltage tuning of core up to 1.38v and memory up to 1.7v and gpu clocks up to 1800mhz+ and memory clocks up to 1800mhz+. The card BIOS is unlocked for core and ram speed over clocking but the card will probably never see speeds faster than 1400mhz on a good water cooling loop. With liquid nitrogen not sure how fast it will go.

SapphireOC950mhzHD7950Range.jpg
 
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Some Benchmarks

Core at 1100mhz, Memory at 1250mhz on stock voltage 1.082V.
3570k 4.8GHZ (RIG in Sig) Fan at 60%, Max Temp 57c on 3dMark06


3dMark11
http://3dmark.com/3dm11/3575947

3DMark Score P8848
Graphics Score 8751
Physics Score 9707
Combined Score 8434

3dMark06
http://3dmark.com/3dm06/16701113

3DMark Score 34921
3DMarksSM2.0 Score 13818
HDR/SM3.0 Score 17450
CPU Score 8710




Core at 1200mhz, Memory at 1250mhz on stock voltage 1.082V.
3570k 4.8GHZ (RIG in Sig) Fan at 60%, Max Temp 57C on 3dMark06


3dMark11

http://3dmark.com/3dm11/3576199

3DMark Score P9330
Graphics Score 9336
Physics Score 9650
Combined Score 8855

3dMark06

http://3dmark.com/3dm06/16701176

3DMark Score 35157
3DMarksSM2.0 Score 13777
HDR/SM3.0 Score 17809
CPU Score 8677

So far with stock voltage and 60% fan the card is stable with these benchmarks.
 
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SonDa5 said:
Some Benchmarks

Core at 1100mhz, Memory at 1250mhz on stock voltage 1.082V.
3570k 4.8GHZ (RIG in Sig) Fan at 60%, Max Temp 67c on 3dMark06


3dMark11
http://3dmark.com/3dm11/3575947

3DMark Score P8848
Graphics Score 8751
Physics Score 9707
Combined Score8434

3dMark06
http://3dmark.com/3dm06/16701113

3DMark Score 34921
3DMarksSM2.0 Score 13818
HDR/SM3.0 Score 17450
CPU Score 8710




Core at 1200mhz, Memory at 1250mhz on stock voltage 1.082V.
3570k 4.8GHZ (RIG in Sig) Fan at 60%, Max Temp


3dMark11

http://3dmark.com/3dm11/3576199

3DMark Score P9330
Graphics Score 9336
Physics Score 9650
Combined Score 8855
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amazing :) 1200 Mhz at stock volts. This card has exceeded even my best expectations. rock on man :)
 
raghu78 said:
amazing :) 1200 Mhz at stock volts. This card has exceeded even my best expectations. rock on man :)
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I'm very happy.

I just got some serious ownage on the regulars that play UT3. :D


This card has an extra 1 2 punch compared to my GTX 560 ti 448. Very happy. :)

I don't want to push the card too much till I get it water cooled. Still going to try to unlock it to HD7970 as well. :)
 
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Nice temps at 1200 mhz, how loud is the fan at 60%? Is the fan on manual or auto setting?
 
I ordered two of these from Amazon last night, can't wait to get something new to play with. Hopefully they overclock as well as yours!
 
SonDa5 said:
I'm very happy.

I just got some serious ownage on the regulars that play UT3. :D

This card has an extra 1 2 punch compared to my GTX 560 ti 448. Very happy. :)

I don't want to push the card too much till I get it water cooled. Still going to try to unlock it to HD7970 as well. :)
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great to hear that you are happy with the card. I think unlocking the card to HD 7970 is unnecessary. Once you have your watercooling setup you can push for 1300 Mhz. I wouldn't push any further than 1300 Mhz in the interest of long term stability. Just helps to be safe.:)
 
Did you get the 3 free games bundled with your card or is that only for Newegg?
 
Are you getting and coil whine like the Sapphire 7970 owners are getting since these share the same PCB?
 
Blkout said:
Did you get the 3 free games bundled with your card or is that only for Newegg?
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I bought mine from Amazon and they don't have that offer. Amazon does have the lowest price on the card though.
 
SonDa5 said:
I bought mine from Amazon and they don't have that offer. Amazon does have the lowest price on the card though.
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Yea, I figured that might be the case, its not really worth it to me to pay $20 more to get it from Newegg for those games which I would likely sell anyway and probably wouldn't make any money on it. I may jump on this card and replace the MSI Twin Frozr 7850 I got in my desktop PC. Its not that I'm unhappy with it, but a 7950 just gives me a bit more power to play with. I still have my Windforce 670 in my other PC as well.
 
SonDa5 said:
I haven't noticed any coil whine.
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That's good then, is that because you use Vsync or have you noticed any without Vysnc? I always use Vsync so I guess if it doesn't do it wth Vysnc enabled, that's good enough for me.
 
Blkout said:
That's good then, is that because you use Vsync or have you noticed any without Vysnc? I always use Vsync so I guess if it doesn't do it wth Vysnc enabled, that's good enough for me.
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I don't use Vsync on UT3. I have 120mhz monitor. I did use vsync at 60hz for BF3 and I didn't notice any coil whine.
 
FURRY DONUT TIME!!!

Temps and voltage info before I put a water block on this card. GPU-Z is showing max voltage used to run Furmark.
Fan fixed at 100% The fan isn't very loud at all. In contrast my GTX 560 ti 448 TF3 fan is louder at max rpm.


FurmarkTempstockHD7950DualX.jpg



More findings.


The stock bios on this card has gpu speeds up to 1800mhz and voltage adjustments up to 1.38v. Alot of overhead room for over clocking. The card doesn't run very stable above 75C at 1250mhz wtih stock heat sink. I'm guessing I should have no problem running 24/7 stable 1300mhz on gpu with water block. As soon as I get a water block I will post more info on how water cooling helps.
 
Another before water block temperature screen shot at 1200mhz.

Ambient temps about 7c hotter than the last test. This time need 1.13v for stability. (probably because of extra ambient temp heat).


This screen shot show vrm temps.


SHD79501200mhzairtestbeforeblock.jpg
 
SonDa5 said:
Another before water block temperature screen shot at 1200mhz.

Ambient temps about 7c hotter than the last test. This time need 1.13v for stability. (probably because of extra ambient temp heat).
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Interested to hear your temps and speeds after you setup watercooling :)
 
raghu78 said:
Interested to hear your temps and speeds after you setup watercooling :)
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This is with the Swiftech MCW82-7900 GPU only block.
27C ambient Temps
Just a quick 10 minute test at 1205/1575
VDDC set to 1.15v
Board Power Li at +15

VRMTemPShwinfo64.jpg


Happy with the results.
 
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SonDa5 said:
This is with the Swiftech MCW82-7900 GPU only block.
Same settings as before. Ambient Temps a cooler at 23C.

Happy with the results.
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fantastic. I knew this card was a winner and a great value for money. :)
 
raghu78 said:
fantastic. I knew this card was a winner and a great value for money. :)
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$389 was over my budget by $89 that I set about 4 months back for max money I would pay for a decent 28nm card. I was lucky I had a few gift certificates that I was gifted and I did some recycling. If it were not for my extra money in gift certificates and recycling I wouldn't have bought it.


I noticed that the die doesn't have markings on it. Is that normal for HD79XX cards?


HD7950die.jpg
 
SonDa5 said:
$389 was over my budget by $89 that I set about 4 months back for max money I would pay for a decent 28nm card. I was lucky I had a few gift certificates that I was gifted and I did some recycling. If it were not for my extra money in gift certificates and recycling I wouldn't have bought it.


I noticed that the die doesn't have markings on it. Is that normal for HD79XX cards?
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Yeap thats how my sapphire looked as well. Nice and shinny ha.

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1690568
 
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