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03-13-2012, 03:20 PM
by (http://mygaming.co.za/news/author/derrick-cramer)Derrick Cramer (http://mygaming.co.za/news/author/derrick-cramer) on March 13, 2012
http://mygaming.co.za/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/7970-feature-530x298.jpg
Overall score80%
Performance 9.5
Features 8
Value for money 6.5
AMDs top of the range offering gets put through its paces
The next generation of graphics cards from AMD is here, and offers gamers the best performance possible in their respective classes.
The daddy-O of the series is the HD7970, and AMD has been kind enough to send MyGaming a review unit. Is it the best card currently on the market? Yes, heres why:
Technology overview
The HD7970 is the top range card of the HD7900 series, aimed at gamers who want the best performance possible and dont care about the cost. The list of features includes being based on Graphics Core Next (GCN) architecture, HDMI 1.4a and DisplayPort 1.2 ports, and PCIe 3.0 interface support.
Being an HD7900 series card, the HD7970 ships with all the new technology AMD has to offer, including Eyefinity 2.0. The latest version of EyeFinity supports up to 4k resolution displays over one output port, has intelligent bezel correction, and can split independent video and audio streams to selected monitors and more. For a full look at Eyefinity 2.0, read the Mygaming EyeFinity 2.0 overview (http://mygaming.co.za/news/hardware/30496-amd-eyefinity-2-0-technology-detailed.html).
The HD7970 also features ZeroCore technology. This is a power saving feature that allows the card to draw less than 3w during a long idle state when the computer is on, but not powering a monitor. Also present is intelligent power management for multi-graphics card setups. While working in a 2D environment, only the primary graphics card draws its normal amount of power, the rest are put into a long idle state. For more on AMD ZeroCore, read the Mygaming ZeroCore Overview (http://mygaming.co.za/news/hardware/30456-amd-zerocore-technology.html).
http://mygaming.co.za/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/7970-front-angle.jpg (http://mygaming.co.za/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/7970-front-angle.jpg)7970 front angle
Performance
Metro 2033
Known as the new Crysis, Metro 2033 is one of the most demanding games on your hardware currently available. We played through a set level three times, and recorded the average frame rate of the level using Fraps. These averages were then averaged to get the result below. All graphics settings were maxed, while tessellation was turned off. The resolution was 1920 x 1200.
Scores:
GTX570 24.5fps average
HD6950 25.9fps average
HD7950 35fps average
HD7770 19.7fps average
HD7750 14.2fps average
HD7970 40.4fps average
http://mygaming.co.za/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Metro-2033-score-HD7970.jpg (http://mygaming.co.za/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Metro-2033-score-HD7970.jpg)Metro 2033 scores
Unigine heaven
First up for the Synthetic benchmarks is Unigine heaven, a DirectX 11 benchmark that focuses on a variety of methods to stress modern graphics cards. We made use of the HWbot Xtreme DX11 pre-configured settings during testing, and the benchmark was run three times on each card, with the upper and lower samples disregarded.
Scores:
GTX570 X1257.93
HD6950 X885.89
HD7950 X1406.308
HD7770 X750.41
HD7750 X582.45
HD7970 X1879.34
http://mygaming.co.za/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Unigine-Heaven-score-HD7970.jpg (http://mygaming.co.za/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Unigine-Heaven-score-HD7970.jpg)Unigine Heaven scores
Trackmania
The now outdated DirectX 9.0c standard is often ignored in modern benchmarks, and for good reason. The standard is almost completely irrelevant for modern gamers, though as a quick and easy indication of real world performance for those who (like me) still enjoy the occasional classic title, so it was added in for good measure. Tests were run at 1920 x 1200, with all graphics settings maxed out, and AA set to 16x.
Scores:
GTX570 87.3fps
HD6950 65.8fps
HD7950 78.2fps
HD7770 50fps
HD7750 45.5fps
HD7970 85.1fps
http://mygaming.co.za/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Trackmania-score-HD7970.jpg (http://mygaming.co.za/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Trackmania-score-HD7970.jpg)Trackmania scores
3D Mark Vantage
3D Mark Vantage is still one of the best synthetic benchmarks to compare current generation graphics cards. While there are still a host of DirectX 10 titles on the market, performance in this segment will remain relevant.
Scores:
GTX570 25481
GTX570 20719 physics off
HD6950 20630
HD7950 22804
HD7770 14365
HD7750 11408
HD7970 24712
http://mygaming.co.za/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/3D-Mark-Vantage-Overall-score-HD7970.jpg (http://mygaming.co.za/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/3D-Mark-Vantage-Overall-score-HD7970.jpg)3D Mark Vantage Overall scores
3D Mark Vantage GPU
Scores:
GTX570 21661
GTX570 21657 physics off
HD6950 21511
HD7950 25845
HD7770 13441
HD7750 10114
HD7970 28172
http://mygaming.co.za/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/3D-Mark-Vantage-GPU-score-HD7970.jpg (http://mygaming.co.za/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/3D-Mark-Vantage-GPU-score-HD7970.jpg)3D Mark Vantage GPU scores
Conclusion
There is no doubt that the HD7970 is the new performance king, offering the highest scores of any graphics card available today.
Impressive performance aside, the cost of a HD7970 is a major barrier, putting the card out of reach of all but the high-end enthusiasts who are able (and willing) to pay over R6,500 for a single PC component.
To sum up the AMD HD7970: its a powerful, feature rich card which keeps noise and power consumption low, and framerates high. If you can afford it, there is no better card to get.
http://mygaming.co.za/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/7970-ports.jpg (http://mygaming.co.za/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/7970-ports.jpg)7970 rear ports
http://mygaming.co.za/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/7970-feature-530x298.jpg
Overall score80%
Performance 9.5
Features 8
Value for money 6.5
AMDs top of the range offering gets put through its paces
The next generation of graphics cards from AMD is here, and offers gamers the best performance possible in their respective classes.
The daddy-O of the series is the HD7970, and AMD has been kind enough to send MyGaming a review unit. Is it the best card currently on the market? Yes, heres why:
Technology overview
The HD7970 is the top range card of the HD7900 series, aimed at gamers who want the best performance possible and dont care about the cost. The list of features includes being based on Graphics Core Next (GCN) architecture, HDMI 1.4a and DisplayPort 1.2 ports, and PCIe 3.0 interface support.
Being an HD7900 series card, the HD7970 ships with all the new technology AMD has to offer, including Eyefinity 2.0. The latest version of EyeFinity supports up to 4k resolution displays over one output port, has intelligent bezel correction, and can split independent video and audio streams to selected monitors and more. For a full look at Eyefinity 2.0, read the Mygaming EyeFinity 2.0 overview (http://mygaming.co.za/news/hardware/30496-amd-eyefinity-2-0-technology-detailed.html).
The HD7970 also features ZeroCore technology. This is a power saving feature that allows the card to draw less than 3w during a long idle state when the computer is on, but not powering a monitor. Also present is intelligent power management for multi-graphics card setups. While working in a 2D environment, only the primary graphics card draws its normal amount of power, the rest are put into a long idle state. For more on AMD ZeroCore, read the Mygaming ZeroCore Overview (http://mygaming.co.za/news/hardware/30456-amd-zerocore-technology.html).
http://mygaming.co.za/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/7970-front-angle.jpg (http://mygaming.co.za/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/7970-front-angle.jpg)7970 front angle
Performance
Metro 2033
Known as the new Crysis, Metro 2033 is one of the most demanding games on your hardware currently available. We played through a set level three times, and recorded the average frame rate of the level using Fraps. These averages were then averaged to get the result below. All graphics settings were maxed, while tessellation was turned off. The resolution was 1920 x 1200.
Scores:
GTX570 24.5fps average
HD6950 25.9fps average
HD7950 35fps average
HD7770 19.7fps average
HD7750 14.2fps average
HD7970 40.4fps average
http://mygaming.co.za/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Metro-2033-score-HD7970.jpg (http://mygaming.co.za/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Metro-2033-score-HD7970.jpg)Metro 2033 scores
Unigine heaven
First up for the Synthetic benchmarks is Unigine heaven, a DirectX 11 benchmark that focuses on a variety of methods to stress modern graphics cards. We made use of the HWbot Xtreme DX11 pre-configured settings during testing, and the benchmark was run three times on each card, with the upper and lower samples disregarded.
Scores:
GTX570 X1257.93
HD6950 X885.89
HD7950 X1406.308
HD7770 X750.41
HD7750 X582.45
HD7970 X1879.34
http://mygaming.co.za/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Unigine-Heaven-score-HD7970.jpg (http://mygaming.co.za/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Unigine-Heaven-score-HD7970.jpg)Unigine Heaven scores
Trackmania
The now outdated DirectX 9.0c standard is often ignored in modern benchmarks, and for good reason. The standard is almost completely irrelevant for modern gamers, though as a quick and easy indication of real world performance for those who (like me) still enjoy the occasional classic title, so it was added in for good measure. Tests were run at 1920 x 1200, with all graphics settings maxed out, and AA set to 16x.
Scores:
GTX570 87.3fps
HD6950 65.8fps
HD7950 78.2fps
HD7770 50fps
HD7750 45.5fps
HD7970 85.1fps
http://mygaming.co.za/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Trackmania-score-HD7970.jpg (http://mygaming.co.za/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Trackmania-score-HD7970.jpg)Trackmania scores
3D Mark Vantage
3D Mark Vantage is still one of the best synthetic benchmarks to compare current generation graphics cards. While there are still a host of DirectX 10 titles on the market, performance in this segment will remain relevant.
Scores:
GTX570 25481
GTX570 20719 physics off
HD6950 20630
HD7950 22804
HD7770 14365
HD7750 11408
HD7970 24712
http://mygaming.co.za/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/3D-Mark-Vantage-Overall-score-HD7970.jpg (http://mygaming.co.za/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/3D-Mark-Vantage-Overall-score-HD7970.jpg)3D Mark Vantage Overall scores
3D Mark Vantage GPU
Scores:
GTX570 21661
GTX570 21657 physics off
HD6950 21511
HD7950 25845
HD7770 13441
HD7750 10114
HD7970 28172
http://mygaming.co.za/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/3D-Mark-Vantage-GPU-score-HD7970.jpg (http://mygaming.co.za/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/3D-Mark-Vantage-GPU-score-HD7970.jpg)3D Mark Vantage GPU scores
Conclusion
There is no doubt that the HD7970 is the new performance king, offering the highest scores of any graphics card available today.
Impressive performance aside, the cost of a HD7970 is a major barrier, putting the card out of reach of all but the high-end enthusiasts who are able (and willing) to pay over R6,500 for a single PC component.
To sum up the AMD HD7970: its a powerful, feature rich card which keeps noise and power consumption low, and framerates high. If you can afford it, there is no better card to get.
http://mygaming.co.za/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/7970-ports.jpg (http://mygaming.co.za/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/7970-ports.jpg)7970 rear ports