ASUS Matrix 7970 & Asus DCUII 7970?

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Harmzuay

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Apr 14, 2012
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So I'm in the market to buy a 7970. I'm very attracted to ASUS' lineup since I already have the Rampage IV Extreme mobo I'd like to get a video card that goes a long with it.

Right now I have an XFX 7950 DD and I'm not very happy with it, first XFX card I haven't been happy with. It's unbearably loud if the fans go over 60% and has been plagued with problems since I got it and well XFX's customer support isn't telling me anything I don't already know, that and even if I did go through an RMA process I'd be without a computer for at least a couple of weeks because I currently do not have a backup video card since I sold my XFX 6950 DD or I'd just run on that for a little while.

So I decided if I'm going to get a replacement I may as well upgrade to a 7970 that doesn't use AMD's reference PCB and has great overclocking potential. The Matrix 7970 got an [H] Gold award and would be really awesome to have, unfortunately they are out of stock or way over priced anywhere they can be found. Made a few phone calls and the vendors I trust wont have them for at least a month or more. Also I can't order one directly from ASUS or I would do that, though I haven't tried to call them and see about that yet but there is no option to do so on their website.

So I went with a second option the 7970 DCUII, which comes at stock clocks but has pretty much the same PCB & components of the Matrix card. I figure I could purchase that one and overclock it to at least the Matrix clocks if not more. Pretty much looking for something that doesn't have a reference PCB, at least 2 DVI connectors, and cooling that is good but not horridly loud. I'd be willing to go without an ASUS card but I figure I already have an ROG mobo, figured I'd get a video card that had a complimentary feature set.

Ok so now the point. Haha. I'd like to hear thoughts/opinions of people here and if there are people who own either of these cards get their thoughts/opinions on them. Thanks a bunch!
 
I've owned the asus 7970 dcII for about 4 months now and have been very happy with it. The card had a bad rap when it first came out (DOA cards, etc) but the issues seem to have been ironed out. My card (as well as 2 friend's cards have worked flawlessly) When I purchased the card, it was actually the cheapest 7970 available ~360$ CAD so the choice was a no brainer for a card that supports 6 screens, from a reputable manuf and is quiet. There has been a LOT of discussion online about the ability to tweak the voltage on this card. It took a LOT of researching but I did manage to figure out how to do it via software. There is (1) specific version of gpu tweak 2.2.1.4 that allows voltage tweaking available here: http://www.overclockers.com/wp-conte...eakVer2214.zip

I'm not sure why other versions don't support the voltage tweaking, but version 2214 certainly does. Card does 1125/1700 with stock voltage or 1200/1700 @ 1.25V. Considering the price difference with the matrix, I'd definitely consider the dc II if you want to save some $$. Else, the matrix is a VERY nice card, but with the 8000 series likely right around the corner, I'm not sure I'd be willing to drop that kind of dough on a yr old card.
 
Good to know. I was really looking at the DCII and a lot of people seem to be having problems overclocking it because of an inability to unlock the voltage. Though if you can reach that kind of overclock on stock voltage that is pretty awesome all on it's own. I would prefer the Matrix but like I said the DCII seems to be the next best option considering it is made with pretty much the same components minus the factory overclock, not to mention it is cheaper.

I don't mind having to flash the VBIOS to unlock voltage either but if I can do it through software all the better. Less chance of creating a $400+ brick should something go wrong when flashing the card. Haha.

The only thing I'm worried about is buying either card and then 2-3 months down the line the 8000 series comes out. Though I typically wait a little while after something is released so that the kinks can be worked out. Seeing as how both cards aren't exactly cheap I'd like to avoid that but even if the 8000 series does come out soon I wont really need to upgrade at that point either. I haven't seen much on any website though as far as the 8000 series being released any time soon so I think I'm relatively safe in that department.

Thanks for the information, it's good to know that the DCII is a good card and overclocks well. I don't mind doing research if I run into problems with tweaking the voltage either, sometimes it's fun and you can learn a lot doing it. Not to mention there is probably a lot of information out there considering these cards have been out for some time. :)
 
I think the HD 8000 rumors are pointing to Q2 2013 so April-June but I think closer to this end. It appears that it isn't likely to be released immediately, but isn't to far out either depending on how often you upgrade.

That said, it's a continuous question whether to upgrade or wait. :D

The matrix is a sweet card but it is quite a bit of dough. If the price difference wasn't a lot I'd go for it just to be guaranteed the clocks it has plus the likelihood you could go further.
 
My dcII did not require a bios flash to unlock the voltage. I simply used version 2.2.1.4 of gpu tweak and it works.
 
My 7970 DCII-top only recently let me down, but in an unsual way. I got an Overlord OC model and it turned out the dual-link DVI connector was weak/unnable to support the bandwidth for the 75+ Hz. Had to switch to my stock Sapphire card to get a clean signal and got up to 110Hz. I realize this is a limited problem, but it was pretty frustrating to discover as the DCII had been great for an eyefinity card with 3 DP monitors.
 
what about 60hz? i was about to get one (7970 DCu2), but i also have a dual dvi only 2560x1440 monitor...
 
m.oreilly said:
what about 60hz? i was about to get one (7970 DCu2), but i also have a dual dvi only 2560x1440 monitor...
Click to expand...

I've read more than one account of the DL-DVI not functioning on the 7970DC2. I believe it was Hardware.fr who received 2, the original review sample and the backup unit for that one, that didn't work. Plus multiple user accounts.
 
it looks like there is a switch on the card that will allow dual dvi, but at the expense of other ports being disabled. i ended up getting a reference design HIS 7970 for an awesome price ;)
 
I just bought the Matrix over the regular DCII because they have a cool red box and cool lights that I never see.

But I am happy like a pig in the stie! I really love the Asus cards since they have 4x DP and 2x DVI, which suits me great for Eyefinity. - If the price difference would have been less, I would most definitely have gone with the regular DCII, but since it was only €30 difference, I went for the pretty red package!

( I run 3x DP monitors and then a 46inch TV connected with DVI to play Steam Bigpicture from the sofa - Note that you have to use the correct DVI input if you want full speed!)
 
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