Hypothetical- 4070 super vs 7900 GRE… similar price… which do you choose?

PowerColor Hellhound 7900 GRE vs Gigabyte 4070 Super Windforce 3 OC

  • Total voters
    26
D

Dreamerbydesign

Supreme [H]ardness
Joined
Feb 3, 2008
Messages
6,238
Thanks guys, 4070 super was the pick.

Relevant specs:
7800x3d
2x 32gb DDR5 6000 CL30 ram
1000w platinum psu
1440p 165hz target resolution

Choices:

4070 Super 12GB - used but almost full factory warranty. Gigabyte OC 3x Windforce card

PowerColor Hellhound 7900 GRE 16GB - brand new with full warranty

I play many triple A games, lots of indie, some 2d platforming, emulators etc. No AI, not much photo or video editing.

Raytracing? Meh. I’ve had higher end cards that had it like a 3090 prior, and it was not a make it or break it for me. The few games that did support it I’ve completed. So unless it’s a new game with it, this isn’t a major deciding factor.

DLSS vs FSR- these are features I’ve rarely used. I almost always play at native resolution targeting a high frame rate around 165 hz 1440p

Longevity? I keep most video cards 1-3 years. Never more than 2 generations old. What can I say I’m an old school hardware whore within means. I don’t go nuts with spending, but I like new toys. I’ve never owned a gpu more than 2 years in a main gaming rig.

My monitor supports both Freesync and GSync so that’s a wash also.

Normally I’d say nvidia and call it a day. The 12GB of vram and 192 bit memory bus concern me. Yes it is faster gddr6x, but still.

The 7900 GRE JUST had memory overclocking unlocked, making the gddr6 no slouch when it was clocked up to 21.5 Gb/s. I saw some major tech channels showing a +20% improvement in FPS literally by just overclocking the ram. That put it solidly above the 4070 super in many titles at 1440p. Almost all.

So what say you? Which card and why?
 
Last edited:
4070 SUPER is a beast. I'm a fan of the NVIDIA overall polish for the games that I play. That price is very nice @ $450...good, low cost to keep you satisifed until next gen rolls!

learners permit said:
4070 super vs 7900gre testing. This is a long but very comprehensive review.
Click to expand...

OP - be careful with AMD looking better on paper. My 7900 XTX is faster than my NVIDIA cards but the overall feel and polish is less depending on the game.

Bottom line - if you're typically an AMD guy - go 7900 GRE. If you're typically an NVIDIA guy - go 4070 SUPER. If you could go either way - what games do you play? Look for performance on those on YouTube and see who reigns supreme. For me, Fortnite is better on NVIDIA so even my 7950X3D/7900 XTX combo can't compete with 7800X3D/4080S.

Mind you - I stuck with AMD because at this stage in the GPU cycle I just want to have fun with these cards. The Nitro+ 7900 XTX that I picked up is sick.
 
I’ve really focused on the newest revisit reviews since the memory could be overclocked.

Those reviews really shows the 7900GRE pulling ahead by a decent amount.

I’ve always liked nvidia for the stability. But honestly my last 2 AMD cards (6800xt and 6950xt) were rock stable hardware and software wise. And I don’t use the “features” that most people focus on with nvidia, RT and DLSS. So I’m still a bit torn.

Keep the opinions coming, help a fellow old school hardware nerd decide.
 
Dreamerbydesign said:
I’ve really focused on the newest revisit reviews since the memory could be overclocked.

Those reviews really shows the 7900GRE pulling ahead by a decent amount.

I’ve always like nvidia for the stability. But honestly my last 2 AMD cards (6800xt and 6950xt) were rock stable. And I don’t use the “features” that most people focus on with nvidia, RT and DLSS. So I’m still a bit torn.

Keep the opinions coming, help a fellow old school hardware nerd decide.
Click to expand...
I'd take a hard look at used 7900 XT on eBay. The prices were surprising to me. Similar if you have a Micro Center nearby (open box/refurb).
 
sk3tch said:
I'd take a hard look at used 7900 XT on eBay. The prices were surprising to me. Similar if you have a Micro Center nearby (open box/refurb).
Click to expand...
Microcenter is too far away unless it’s a heck of a deal. But yes I’ve looked at the 7900xt. It was my initial choice vs the 4070 super. But the price difference was too much. Especially with the 4070 super around 450.

I also noticed the 7900xt wasn’t terribly different than the 7900GRE except for faster memory speed and the bandwidth increase. Compute cores are very close on these cards.
 
Dreamerbydesign said:
Microcenter is too far away unless it’s a heck of a deal. But yes I’ve looked at the 7900xt. It was my initial choice vs the 4070 super. But the price difference was too much. Especially with the 4070 super around 450.

I also noticed the 7900xt wasn’t terribly different than the 7900GRE except for faster memory speed and the bandwidth increase. Compute cores are very close on these cards.
Click to expand...
Just watch - you'd be surprised:
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=7900+xt&_sacat=0&LH_Complete=1&LH_Sold=1&LH_BIN=1&_sop=15

Watch 7900 XTX too...got my Nitro+ for $821. It's more but there are people dumping their cards (stupidly) for 4080S.
 
As an eBay Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
If they have around the same warranty, outside playing one of the few title that advantage one over the other a lot, seem like a fair GRE is the better card but cost more situation (specially if it is $450 versus $530+tax) and cost more by about how much it is the better choice, so close to a pure preference.
 
sk3tch said:
Just watch - you'd be surprised:
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=7900+xt&_sacat=0&LH_Complete=1&LH_Sold=1&LH_BIN=1&_sop=15

Watch 7900 XTX too...got my Nitro+ for $821. It's more but there are people dumping their cards (stupidly) for 4080S.
Click to expand...
I’d snatch up a 7900xtx for 800 before I did a 7900xtx at 730. I’ve been combing the interwebs. It’s funny how I set a limit then throw it out the windows for weeks and weeks lol

I’ve even seen brand new 7900xtx’s briefly on sale for 800-820 but I always of course miss those sales. There have been numerous posted in the last 3 months. Just always missing them.

4070 super until next gen might be the play. It’s more than mid cycle for this gen..
 
Last edited:
As an eBay Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
Dreamerbydesign said:
I’d snatch up a 7900xtx for 800 before I did a 7900xtx at 730. I’ve been combing the interwebs. It’s funny how I set a limit then throw it out the windows for weeks and weeks lol

I’ve even seen brand new 7900xtx’s briefly on sale for 800-820 but I always of course miss those sales. There have been numerous posted in the last 3 months. Just always missing them.

4070 super until next gen might be the play. It’s more than mid cycle for this gen..
Click to expand...
You must not have clicked the link - 7900 XTs selling for around $550
 
sk3tch said:
You must not have clicked the link - 7900 XTs selling for around $550
Click to expand...
You were right I missed the link. There were some good deals that ended. Unfortunately nothing in that price range currently for listings I just saw.
 
Thank you guys for the input. The 4070 super stayed. I think it’s a better bet considering I only play at 1440p, and I plan to sell it I’m sure when next gen hits anyways if it’s worth buying.

If I was thinking more long term I’d probably have taken the 7900 GRE
 
shoulda went 7900. it beats the 4070s in most things ive seen. unless you reaally want RT....
 
Rev. Night said:
TechPowerUp just reviewed the exact 7900 GRE you mentioned. It's slightly ahead of the 4070 Super in raster. 4070 Super is better at RT, and the dlss 3 frame gen is much more widely supported than amds. Both cards are going to be extremely quiet. And they cost about the same.

My vote would be for the 4070.

https://www.techpowerup.com/review/powercolor-radeon-rx-7900-gre-hellhound/31.html
Click to expand...
Worth noting that driver-level AMD Fluid Motion Frame is basically universal to DX11/DX12 games. Easiest way to double your FPS with negligible latency. I use it every day for Helldivers 2, anywhere from 170-240 fps at 1440P max settings with maybe 10-20ms of added latency.
 
But it doesn't work with AMD Chill. In my experience, putting on FMF and then capping the frame rate in the game still leads to a much louder machine than just doing amd chill alone.

I also have a 7900xtx, so i'm fine with default performance. 120fps is all i need
 
Before AMD unlocked the memory boosts clocks, I would have aimed for the 7900 GRE ... now that AMD has unlocked memory clocks, I'm even more hard pressed to say the GRE.
 
Eshelmen said:
Before AMD unlocked the memory boosts clocks, I would have aimed for the 7900 GRE ... now that AMD has unlocked memory clocks, I'm even more hard pressed to say the GRE.
Click to expand...
If the prices were the same I would too. But the 4070 super is about $70-$80 bucks cheaper at least. Both equal I’d have kept the GRE
 
Dreamerbydesign said:
But honestly my last 2 AMD cards (6800xt and 6950xt) were rock stable hardware and software wise. And I don’t use the “features” that most people focus on with nvidia, RT and DLSS. So I’m still a bit torn.

Keep the opinions coming, help a fellow old school hardware nerd decide.
Click to expand...
go AMD then.
 
You said you don't care about DLSS or RT but are concerned about the size of the frame buffer, in which case I'd go with the 7900 GRE and overclock the VRAM or look for a 7900 XT on sale. Also, if your upgrade cycle is 1-3 years, you're probably going to upgrade to a significantly better RT solution next cycle anyway if you decide you care about it later on. I don't personally think the current hardware stack is up to snuff for RT at this point in any case, save for the 4090 (albeit I play at 4K). RT right now reminds me of the early days with anti-aliasing, when your Geforce 2 or Voodoo 5 technically supported it, but it tanked the framerate and I never wanted to use the feature until the Radeon 9700 finally made it playable. With RT, I don't think the framerate sacrifice is worth the visual experience that I've had with it, but it seems like you've already made that determination for yourself.

Besides, being able to unlock a ton of performance VIA overlocking is what [H] is all about. Finding products where that's still a thing is becoming rarer and rarer as many products are already maxed out out of the box with algorithms already hunting down peak performance. AMD left a lot on the table with the 7900 GRE that enthusiasts can have a good time trying to unlock, but that is also a black box since OCs are never a guarantee.

Just my thoughts.
 
HockeyJon said:
You said you don't care about DLSS or RT but are concerned about the size of the frame buffer, in which case I'd go with the 7900 GRE and overclock the VRAM or look for a 7900 XT on sale. Also, if your upgrade cycle is 1-3 years, you're probably going to upgrade to a significantly better RT solution next cycle anyway if you decide you care about it later on. I don't personally think the current hardware stack is up to snuff for RT at this point in any case, save for the 4090 (albeit I play at 4K). RT right now reminds me of the early days with anti-aliasing, when your Geforce 2 or Voodoo 5 technically supported it, but it tanked the framerate and I never wanted to use the feature until the Radeon 9700 finally made it playable. With RT, I don't think the framerate sacrifice is worth the visual experience that I've had with it, but it seems like you've already made that determination for yourself.

Besides, being able to unlock a ton of performance VIA overlocking is what [H] is all about. Finding products where that's still a thing is becoming rarer and rarer as many products are already maxed out out of the box with algorithms already hunting down peak performance. AMD left a lot on the table with the 7900 GRE that enthusiasts can have a good time trying to unlock, but that is also a black box since OCs are never a guarantee.

Just my thoughts.
Click to expand...
I appreciate your thoughts! And agree entirely on being able to overclock and tinker. I haven’t over locked a cpu in years now because most are so fast or maxed out from the factory.

I haven’t returned either card yet. I’m thinking of testing out the GRE and would post the 4070 super if I liked the GRE better.

I’ve seen so many benchmarks in the last few days. Many reviewers went back and re did benches for these after the memory overclock was unlocked. Surprisingly there are very few situations the 4070 super wins. But I also like the idea of tinkering and seeing what my card can do.

I also am leaning more so toward the 16GB of vram. I watched many benchmarks use over 12gb of ram on the GRE while at the same time getting to 9-11gb of usage on the 4070 super. To me that means the games CAN use more, and will if you have it. And those were games the GRE was pulling ahead. When the memory is overclocked the GRE seems like a beast.
 
Dreamerbydesign said:
I appreciate your thoughts! And agree entirely on being able to overclock and tinker. I haven’t over locked a cpu in years now because most are so fast or maxed out from the factory.

I haven’t returned either card yet. I’m thinking of testing out the GRE and would post the 4070 super if I liked the GRE better.

I’ve seen so many benchmarks in the last few days. Many reviewers went back and re did benches for these after the memory overclock was unlocked. Surprisingly there are very few situations the 4070 super wins. But I also like the idea of tinkering and seeing what my card can do.

I also am leaning more so toward the 16GB of vram. I watched many benchmarks use over 12gb of ram on the GRE while at the same time getting to 9-11gb of usage on the 4070 super. To me that means the games CAN use more, and will if you have it. And those were games the GRE was pulling ahead. When the memory is overclocked the GRE seems like a beast.
Click to expand...

For what it's worth, for the price I was going to have to pay to upgrade my 1070Ti, 12GB VRAM was a non-starter for me. I keep my cards typically a little longer than you do, so my choices became 7900XT, XTX, 4080, or 4090. I was able to get a Lenovo Y32P monitor and a 7900XTX on sale for a few hundred CAD less than it would have been for me to go all-in on a 4090, and considering the RT benchmarks at 4K for even the 4080 being not that great, I decided to get the 7900XTX and have been satisfied with my purchase so far. The 4080 would have costed me more money, but delivers less raster performance which was my primary concern at 4K. Going from 30 or 40FPS on a 7900XTX to 50FPS on a 4080 with RT on doesn't matter to me because I don't want to play at either framerate.

That said, I don't have a lot of RT heavy titles, but the ones that I do have, I did take for a spin, and my conclusion was that they can add some great visual effects when implemented well. Some titles made more of a difference than others, but I generally didn't notice it much when I was playing the game and concentrating on objectives. RT is something that looks stunning in screenshots, but during gameplay, I don't notice it a whole lot since most titles that already look amazing with raster graphics only get a minor upgrade with RT. I noticed RT the most in titles like Quake II RTX, Doom, or Minecraft, but those are comparatively low-texture games.

DLSS is superior to FSR in terms of image quality, although I've been using FSR on a few titles and have no complaints. AMD also launched fluid motion frames which works with DirectX and I've found it works well enough. Am I missing DLSS? Not really, but others can disagree, and that's fine too. This is MY use case I'm referring to, not someone else's.

12GB has proven to be insufficient in some titles despite what some people on this forum (and Nvidia) will want to admit, but your mileage will vary. RT will also boost VRAM requirements, but at 1440P, it will be less the limiting factor than 4K. Note I said LESS. I wouldn't sink that kind of money in a 12GB card at this point, but again, that's me. If you're upgrading next generation then you might not care, but that was the Achilles heel for the 4070 series which was on my shopping list until they made the decision to launch it with 12GB VRAM.

If you decide to go with the 7900 GRE, let us know how the VRAM overclocking goes, I'll be curious to see it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top