Sapphire 7970 vs GHz

[leoweisman]

So I'd almost completely decided on purchasing the SAPPHIRE 100351SR Radeon HD 7970 3GB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card OC with Boost http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202008, but recently that card and the SAPPHIRE Vapor-X 100351VXSR Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition 3GB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202001 both went on sale, and are now both within my price range. I am wondering what differences I will really see with the GHz over the normal, and whether its worth that extra $30-40$... I will only be gaming at 1080p, but I will be trying to max out titles such as PlanetSide 2, BF3, Crysis 3, Far Cry 3, ect. Thank you!

Build:

CPU: i5-3570k
Cooler: Hyper 212 EVO
Motherboard: ASrock Z77 Extreme4
RAM: 2x4GB Corsair Vengeance
SSD: Samsung 840 Series 120GB
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 7200RPM
PSU: Corsair TX 650w v2

 

[TheBigTroll]

im loving the fact that you still havent provided me a point that i have not already denounced on why the OP should get a 7970 ghz over a regular model. please, i dont argue this long unless i know that im providing valid points and with the other side trying to go off topic. so, what other points do you have in your pocket that i havent denounced yet?

 

[TheBigTroll]

if i am wrong, why cant you prove me wrong?

 

[TheBigTroll]

you still havent. i have proved it wrong.
if it was about overclocking, i will happily show you the gigabyte being 5 mhz slower than the top of the line ghz edition card you can get.
if its about temps, it would be dependent on your luck with the silicon as with applies to every card out there.
if its about lifespan, all cards out there will last well beyond the time you replace it
if its about stability, all cards will run at their stock speeds and easily reach 1100mhz out of the box including the crappiest reference 7970s
if its about binning, then why would a gigabyte regular 7970 reach within 5 mhz of a top of the line ghz edition card?

so what are out there that i cannot or did not respond back to that justifies the purchase of a 7970ghz edition card

 

[TheBigTroll]

if the silicon was truely better, so why can a gigabyte 7970 reach within 5 mhz of your so-called "binned 7970 chip" found on a matrix 7970 platinum? so how is it better 😛

you are making a fool of yourself right now.

 

[smeezekitty]

How many 7970s have you tested? You may have gotten a good card, but that does not mean they are all that good.

P.S. Your username is ironic 😉

 

[leoweisman]

my god what did i start here

 

[leoweisman]

so ok, even though most people here agree that the GHz edition offers some performance increases over the 7970, is it worth the extra, how much is it, $40-$50?

EDIT: What about this card? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131471 Not considering some of the bad reviews (I mean its a lot more likely to be writing a review when you're unhappy than when your happy) how would this hold up? It seems like it has extraordinary speeds and is just at the level I'm willing to spend.

Thanks again.

 

[TheBigTroll]

first question,

i have gone through 2 7970s and 1 ghz edition. they were for my friends' rigs. my 7970s (a gigabyte 7970 OC and a sapphire dual x) reached 1275mhz and 1250mhz stability while the ghz edition (another 7970 from gigabyte with the same cooler) reached 1285mhz. so how is paying 50 extra dollars justified for a 10mhz increase in clockspeed when the 10mhz makes almost zero difference?


as for the user name, its my gamer tag.

here is a comparison between the 7970 and 7970ghz. tell me if getting 5 more fps out of the box and paying 50 bucks more is worth it over buying a regular card and putting 3 minutes of your time to go into the drivers and change a number
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/508?vs=618

no point of buying that card. you are basically paying another 50 dollar premium. and plus, as mr.duke said, if it doesnt have the ghz moniker, therefore its completely inferior

 

[UVB076]

so ok, even though most people here agree that the GHz edition offers some performance increases over the 7970, is it worth the extra, how much is it, $40-$50?

EDIT: What about this card? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131471 Not considering some of the bad reviews (I mean its a lot more likely to be writing a review when you're unhappy than when your happy) how would this hold up? It seems like it has extraordinary speeds and is just at the level I'm willing to spend.

Thanks again.

Who are the "most people" you talk about here? You? The GE exists because AMD realized that basically all 7970s are capable of 1000Mhz.

 

[TheBigTroll]

id suggest proving it before you say so. so far, you dont have any evidence

 

[UVB076]

so ok, even though most people here agree that the GHz edition offers some performance increases over the 7970, is it worth the extra, how much is it, $40-$50?

EDIT: What about this card? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131471 Not considering some of the bad reviews (I mean its a lot more likely to be writing a review when you're unhappy than when your happy) how would this hold up? It seems like it has extraordinary speeds and is just at the level I'm willing to spend.

Thanks again.

Who are the "most people" you talk about here? You? The GE exists because AMD realized that basically all 7970s are capable of 1000Mhz.

No the GE is a better GPU and not even the same silicon it's better.

You are literally saying "even though it's the same thing, because the name is different it's better".

 

[smeezekitty]

so ok, even though most people here agree that the GHz edition offers some performance increases over the 7970, is it worth the extra, how much is it, $40-$50?

EDIT: What about this card? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131471 Not considering some of the bad reviews (I mean its a lot more likely to be writing a review when you're unhappy than when your happy) how would this hold up? It seems like it has extraordinary speeds and is just at the level I'm willing to spend.

Thanks again.

Who are the "most people" you talk about here? You? The GE exists because AMD realized that basically all 7970s are capable of 1000Mhz.

No the GE is a better GPU and not even the same silicon it's better.

You are literally saying "even though it's the same thing, because the name is different it's better".

No, he isn't.

 

[TheBigTroll]

oh goodie. a few mhz increase in speed and a 50mv decrease at reference spec means that its a completely different piece of silicon. at that rate i will have to change the name of my video card whenever i tweak something in the settings

 

[UVB076]

so ok, even though most people here agree that the GHz edition offers some performance increases over the 7970, is it worth the extra, how much is it, $40-$50?

EDIT: What about this card? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131471 Not considering some of the bad reviews (I mean its a lot more likely to be writing a review when you're unhappy than when your happy) how would this hold up? It seems like it has extraordinary speeds and is just at the level I'm willing to spend.

Thanks again.

Who are the "most people" you talk about here? You? The GE exists because AMD realized that basically all 7970s are capable of 1000Mhz.

No the GE is a better GPU and not even the same silicon it's better.

You are literally saying "even though it's the same thing, because the name is different it's better".

Tahiti XT2 is not the same as Tahiti XT.
http://www.techpowerup.com/167711/AMD-Radeon-HD-7970-GHz-Edition-quot-Tahiti-XT2-quot-Detailed.html

The same way the 2GR-FE in the Lotus Evora isn't the same as the one in the Toyota Camry.
Yes, the Evora is better packaged and comes with a few more horsepower and a bit more torque, but when you reflash the ECU and raise the rev limiter (basically overclocking, but for engines) they are powered by the exact same thing.

 

[UVB076]

so ok, even though most people here agree that the GHz edition offers some performance increases over the 7970, is it worth the extra, how much is it, $40-$50?

EDIT: What about this card? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131471 Not considering some of the bad reviews (I mean its a lot more likely to be writing a review when you're unhappy than when your happy) how would this hold up? It seems like it has extraordinary speeds and is just at the level I'm willing to spend.

Thanks again.

Who are the "most people" you talk about here? You? The GE exists because AMD realized that basically all 7970s are capable of 1000Mhz.

No the GE is a better GPU and not even the same silicon it's better.

You are literally saying "even though it's the same thing, because the name is different it's better".

Tahiti XT2 is not the same as Tahiti XT.
http://www.techpowerup.com/167711/AMD-Radeon-HD-7970-GHz-Edition-quot-Tahiti-XT2-quot-Detailed.html

The same way the 2GR-FE in the Lotus Evora isn't the same as the one in the Toyota Camry.
Yes, the Evora is better packaged and comes with a few more horsepower and a bit more torque, but when you reflash the ECU and raise the rev limiter (basically overclocking, but for engines) they are powered by the exact same thing.

But the engine block/GPU core is a better more refined and "Higher Binned" cherry picked iteration. Essentially you pay a bit more and in turn you get a more efficient and refined product that is guaranteed to perform better sometimes allot better.

Yeah, but in terms of pure performance, you can get the same performance from it. It's a bit more sketchy, since it's not warrantied but it can be done.

 

[2wenty]

No the GE is a better GPU and not even the same silicon it's better.

You are literally saying "even though it's the same thing, because the name is different it's better".

Tahiti XT2 is not the same as Tahiti XT.
http://www.techpowerup.com/167711/AMD-Radeon-HD-7970-GHz-Edition-quot-Tahiti-XT2-quot-Detailed.html

The same way the 2GR-FE in the Lotus Evora isn't the same as the one in the Toyota Camry.
Yes, the Evora is better packaged and comes with a few more horsepower and a bit more torque, but when you reflash the ECU and raise the rev limiter (basically overclocking, but for engines) they are powered by the exact same thing.

But the engine block/GPU core is a better more refined and "Higher Binned" cherry picked iteration. Essentially you pay a bit more and in turn you get a more efficient and refined product that is guaranteed to perform better sometimes allot better.

Yeah, but in terms of pure performance, you can get the same performance from it. It's a bit more sketchy, since it's not warrantied but it can be done.

You 'can', but a higher binned card is cherry picked, meaning it's more efficient and can handle higher overclocks while still remaining stable. You're essentially paying for a 'guaranteed' ability to overclock higher than a reference card, except that assumption may not always be true since the consumer is relying on the company's binning process.

 

[UVB076]

I'm going to not continue the quote mountain, if you get a Sapphire card (or maybe even a Gigabyte card) it will have exceptional binning anyway.

 

[icraft]

I don't think overclocking voids the warranty.

It's does if you break the card from OCing.

would you like me to post my conversation with my gigabyte rep?

What Oc'ing doesnt void it? What card did you get?!? I need one!
But really, if you do oc the Ghz goes higher, if you dont, it's better anyway. Ghz all the way.

 

[TheBigTroll]

so ok, even though most people here agree that the GHz edition offers some performance increases over the 7970, is it worth the extra, how much is it, $40-$50?

EDIT: What about this card? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131471 Not considering some of the bad reviews (I mean its a lot more likely to be writing a review when you're unhappy than when your happy) how would this hold up? It seems like it has extraordinary speeds and is just at the level I'm willing to spend.

Thanks again.

Who are the "most people" you talk about here? You? The GE exists because AMD realized that basically all 7970s are capable of 1000Mhz.

No the GE is a better GPU and not even the same silicon it's better.

You are literally saying "even though it's the same thing, because the name is different it's better".

Tahiti XT2 is not the same as Tahiti XT.
http://www.techpowerup.com/167711/AMD-Radeon-HD-7970-GHz-Edition-quot-Tahiti-XT2-quot-Detailed.html

The same way the 2GR-FE in the Lotus Evora isn't the same as the one in the Toyota Camry.
Yes, the Evora is better packaged and comes with a few more horsepower and a bit more torque, but when you reflash the ECU and raise the rev limiter (basically overclocking, but for engines) they are powered by the exact same thing.

But the engine block/GPU core is a better more refined and "Higher Binned" cherry picked iteration. Essentially you pay a bit more and in turn you get a more efficient and refined product that is guaranteed to perform better sometimes allot better.

Yeah, but in terms of pure performance, you can get the same performance from it. It's a bit more sketchy, since it's not warrantied but it can be done.

Actually no the XT2 is faster and will OC better that's why you pay more.

i have shown you matrix platinum vs a regular gigabyte 7970 oc. 5mhz is not 50 bucks

 

[TheBigTroll]

I don't think overclocking voids the warranty.

It's does if you break the card from OCing.

would you like me to post my conversation with my gigabyte rep?

What Oc'ing doesnt void it? What card did you get?!? I need one!
But really, if you do oc the Ghz goes higher, if you dont, it's better anyway. Ghz all the way.

every card warranty isnt voided by overclocking your card. just that if you fry it though, then its offically void. but then you cant do that unless you dont know crap about computers

 

[smeezekitty]

You might want to reduce the quote depth. It is turning into a mess 😉

 

[leoweisman]

Kind of moving on to a different topic, excluding the mass of DOA reviews, what do people think of the PowerColor 7970 I linked earlier? I've heard that it has high stock clocks but its a bad OCer, is this true? How well does this card run?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=14-131-471&SortField=0&SummaryType=0&Pagesize=10&PurchaseMark=&SelectedRating=-1&VideoOnlyMark=False&VendorMark=&IsFeedbackTab=true&Page=4#scrollFullInfo

EDIT: It looks like its between this and the Sapphire 7970 GHz now, the non-GHz seems to have gone out of stock permanently today 🙁🙁🙁

 

[UVB076]

Sapphire makes some of the best cards in terms of overclocking ability.