Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.
Note: This feature may not be available in some browsers.
Will the 7870 be a worthwhile upgrade over the 560Ti 448 cores?
The performance on the 560ti448c is fine for me now but the vram limit is killing me in games I play.
Good review,yes Amd is milking for what its worth. Any chance of seeing an 6970x2 vs the new 7000 series for price entry. With the 7000 stealing the show the 6900 should be dieing a quick death and reselling much cheaper.
The only ones allowing AMD to do whatever it sees fit are independent reviewers bestowing awards on significantly overpriced cards. If trusted review sites such as [H] came out and panned AMD's 7xxx series as the rip-off it is compared to the 6xxx series, we'd be seeing MIR's slapped on the 7950, 7770, 7870, 7850 in an effort to convince users to ignore the reviews and try their new cards anyways. The 7970 as mentioned before is safe, I have no problem with a premium for the "top dog" card.
If the 7870 is on par with the 6950, then no, not really.
I would consider picking up a used unlocked 6950 2 GB card if you need more VRAM.
The thing is, the pricing is causing the 7000 series to not really "steal the show" when you can pick up a comparable 6000 series product for $50-100 less.
The only ones allowing AMD to do whatever it sees fit are independent reviewers bestowing awards on significantly overpriced cards. If trusted review sites such as [H] came out and panned AMD's 7xxx series as the rip-off it is compared to the 6xxx series, we'd be seeing MIR's slapped on the 7950, 7770, 7870, 7850 in an effort to convince users to ignore the reviews and try their new cards anyways. The 7970 as mentioned before is safe, I have no problem with a premium for the "top dog" card.
I think you are mistaken. The only way that we'd be seeing MIRs on these cards right now is if people were to stop buying them. Review site awards or poor reviews would have little effect. Ultimately, unless demand falls off at current prices (which it probably won't until Kepler is released) it doesn't matter what reviews say.
If the 7870 is on par with the 6950, then no, not really.
I would consider picking up a used unlocked 6950 2 GB card if you need more VRAM.
The thing is, the pricing is causing the 7000 series to not really "steal the show" when you can pick up a comparable 6000 series product for $50-100 less.
Then again the prices might be hiked up a bit initially for release from price gouging retailers.AMD Radeon HD 7870 2GB - $349
AMD Radeon HD 6970 2GB - $379
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 1.25GB - $339
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 1.5GB - $469
For my dollar, the HD 7870 is the best card in that collection.
What do you think creates that demand, though? My guess is that most anyone who is going to buy these cards did the research online about them first. If all the reviews said "these are overpriced, do not buy" I bet it would have significantly affected sales.
No, I want 6950 prices for the 7870.So you want 6870 prices for the 7870 because the names are similar even though it has the same performance as the 6970? I'm not quite following your logic? The 6970's are $350ish as well...WTF?
Unlockable, free (new at the time) game, $250. That's a deserving Gold Award winner right there.As for whether to choose the Sapphire HD 6950 2GB DDR5 DiRT 3 Special Edition or one of the countless other ones that currently are selling for $249.99 after mail-in rebate. Well we feel that with the custom heatsink, GPU voltage tweaking, a great GPU tweaking program, and full version game bundle, the Sapphire HD 6950 is where it's at. Given all the above, with a competitive price tag, we feel that the Sapphire HD 6950 2GB DDR5 DiRT 3 Special Edition deserves a HardOCP Editor's Choice Gold Award.
When it comes to power consumption, certainly the 7870 beats the competition silly. It is faster than a 570 so probably a good upgrade from a 560 Ti 448.
Then again the prices might be hiked up a bit initially for release from price gouging retailers.
I think I'll wait for Kepler, hopefully I can sell my card and get one of kepler or the 7870.
No, I want 6950 prices for the 7870.
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2011/07/25/sapphire_hd_6950_2gb_dirt_3_video_card_review/10
July 25, 2011
Unlockable, free (new at the time) game, $250. That's a deserving Gold Award winner right there.
Thanks for doing my homework today. I did exactly that and as someone above stated, yes I do my research before I buy. A new 6950 2g mem is going for 289 and the 6970 on average 350 seems like the prices aren't coming down for the 6900 series YET. They seemed to have crawled up somewhat, the 6970 were 50 cheaper few months back. I've been keeping track cause I want to build a xfire.No, I want 6950 prices for the 7870.
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2011/07/25/sapphire_hd_6950_2gb_dirt_3_video_card_review/10
July 25, 2011
Unlockable, free (new at the time) game, $250. That's a deserving Gold Award winner right there.
Yes, more for less. That's how technological advancement tends to work.more for less
How are they in a different league? The sapphire dirt 3 card is unlockable, it was a 6970 you could buy for $250...LAST YEAR.So you want a 6970/7870 at 6950 prices...I see what your saying but those 2 cards are in a different league. We all would like to see lower prices in every performance range so still don't see the gripe?
When it comes to power consumption, certainly the 7870 beats the competition silly. It is faster than a 570 so probably a good upgrade from a 560 Ti 448.
Regarding price, the AMD cards cost around the same as competing NVidia cards, so I don't see any reason to complain. 7870 2GB price is between 570 1280M and 570 2560M, and 7850 2GB price is between 560 Ti 1GB and 560 Ti 2GB.
One fact that has not been stressed enough IMO is that with the 7850, AMD has brought 2560x1600 gaming to cards with one 6-pin PCIe power connector. This is quite an achievement.
Yes, more for less. That's how technological advancement tends to work.
How are they in a different league? The sapphire dirt 3 card is unlockable, it was a 6970 you could buy for $250...LAST YEAR.
Unless you mean the 7870 is coming out a year later and costs $100 more while delivering similar performance. In which case you're right, they're in a different league.
The league of "How the fuck does tech not only not get faster, but increase in price 40% YOY, and get a [H] silver award in the process?"...I'm not sure it's a league that will really take off, it's quite a mouthful.
Yes, more for less. That's how technological advancement tends to work.
How are they in a different league? The sapphire dirt 3 card is unlockable, it was a 6970 you could buy for $250...LAST YEAR.
Unless you mean the 7870 is coming out a year later and costs $100 more while delivering similar performance. In which case you're right, they're in a different league.
The league of "How the fuck does tech not only not get faster, but increase in price 40% YOY, and get a [H] silver award in the process?"...I'm not sure it's a league that will really take off, it's quite a mouthful.
The only ones allowing AMD to do whatever it sees fit are independent reviewers bestowing awards on significantly overpriced cards. If trusted review sites such as [H] came out and panned AMD's 7xxx series as the rip-off it is compared to the 6xxx series, we'd be seeing MIR's slapped on the 7950, 7770, 7870, 7850 in an effort to convince users to ignore the reviews and try their new cards anyways. The 7970 as mentioned before is safe, I have no problem with a premium for the "top dog" card.
I just hope these prices drop demand and raise supply.
It's barely faster than a GTX 570. The only real benefit would be for the added VRAM.
So you want a 6970/7870 at 6950 prices...I see what your saying but those 2 cards are in a different league. We all would like to see lower prices in every performance range so still don't see the gripe?
The gripe is that you are basically not getting any benefit from the new generation. I can buy a 7870 for $349, or I can buy the year old 6970 for $350 and get the exact same performance. So where's the advantage of a new generation? When the GTX 570 came out and replaced the GTX 480 (on the performance side) it didn't cost the same as the GTX 480 - it was cheaper. When the GTX 460 came out and replaced the GTX 285 (performance wise) it also was cheaper (significantly, in that case). So you would expect to see the new card replace the old one at a lower price point. You xan make the argument that the price for the 7970 is valid since it sets a new performance band (I don't agree, but you can argue it) but the 7870 does not. It is a drop in replacement for the 6970 at the exact same price. So much for progress.
Wrong....you want to take a regular 6950 and try to unlock it with no guarantees, which will also void the warranty and call it a 6970. That is logic fail right there. I don't care about fucking awards, only performance per dollar with power savings as a bonus. And technological advancements tend to be pricier at first release. Welcome to the real world.
The gripe is that you are basically not getting any benefit from the new generation. I can buy a 7870 for $349, or I can buy the year old 6970 for $350 and get the exact same performance. So where's the advantage of a new generation?
The gripe is that you are basically not getting any benefit from the new generation. I can buy a 7870 for $349, or I can buy the year old 6970 for $350 and get the exact same performance. So where's the advantage of a new generation? When the GTX 570 came out and replaced the GTX 480 (on the performance side) it didn't cost the same as the GTX 480 - it was cheaper. When the GTX 460 came out and replaced the GTX 285 (performance wise) it also was cheaper (significantly, in that case). So you would expect to see the new card replace the old one at a lower price point. You xan make the argument that the price for the 7970 is valid since it sets a new performance band (I don't agree, but you can argue it) but the 7870 does not. It is a drop in replacement for the 6970 at the exact same price. So much for progress.
I'm sure they hear the one customer that won't buy their product and it's not their loss as much as it is yours.
I'm sorry but no, he is not the only one, the general sentiment I've found in many other sites is the same as his, the 7xxx series is either way overpriced or the performance just does not guarantee the need for an upgrade from the 6xxx generation.
And unless nvidia blows the entire civilization with kepler, I'm sure the same will apply to them with kepler and the gtx 5xx family. Right now the only thing it will bring to the table is driving the prices down, at this moment AMD is really being INTELish with their GPUs.
As a mentioned in another, similar thread:
".. I figure you will see a massive price drop once the GTX 660 series emerges... I figure this price drop will occur in the beginning of the 3rd quarter. Based on figures I have seen, the GTX 660 will flat out DOMINATE the 7870 in performance (the GTX 660 is supposed to be as fast as the 580, and the 660 Ti should trump the 7950... the 660 is rumored to be priced at $319, the Ti at $399)."
Ian
yeah and your point is? intel doesn't have any problems selling processors with their insane prices, and guess what, neither does AMD with their current prices on the 7k series. if they were having problems selling cards the prices would of been dropped already but they aren't. the fact is at their current prices they can give up 10-15% of their sales and still make the exact same profit that they would of made if they were to drop the prices to get those 10-15% more sales. its a business, not a charity service, they are in it to make money and that is it.