7970 black edition or not?

[flipp1234567]

I want to know if i should buy 7970 BE or just buy the regular edition.

i'm building my new rig piece by piece and i'm wondering if it's worth the extra 50$?

thanks guys.

 

[HAVOC]

The XFX 7970 BE is slightly overclocked and has a dual fan cooler. Performance might be slightly better than the stock 7970, however I'd like to see some temp benchmarks vs. the reference cooler. overall it's not a bad buy if you want the latest and greatest RIGHT NOW. If you were to overclock a reference card, you'd likely want aftermarket cooling. That can run $25-$100+ depending on the cooling device you use. So... the extra $50 isn't all that bad. IMHO.

 

[NCHardwareReviews]

Yes buy it if u plan on overclocking this is a great card. If not, then buy a reference card for less. Either way the 7970 is a sweet card.

Anandtech has a great review on this card.

 

[flipp1234567]

Yes buy it if u plan on overclocking this is a great card. If not, then buy a reference card for less. Either way the 7970 is a sweet card.

Anandtech has a great review on this card.

I literally just read the review before i saw you posted xD. i have to say, they did a great job on the specs for the card, and i have to agree with that, it is an obnoxiously (in a good way) Good card. i don't plan on overclocking. so i guess i should buy a reference card.

What brands would you recommend? I personally like xfx and HIS, but are there any other ones i should look out for?

The XFX 7970 BE is slightly overclocked and has a dual fan cooler. Performance might be slightly better than the stock 7970, however I'd like to see some temp benchmarks vs. the reference cooler. overall it's not a bad buy if you want the latest and greatest RIGHT NOW. If you were to overclock a reference card, you'd likely want aftermarket cooling. That can run $25-$100+ depending on the cooling device you use. So... the extra $50 isn't all that bad. IMHO.

The temperature difference between the reference card and the BE w/ DD don't have much of a temperature difference, only in one noted game, Metro2033. So i'm probably goign to settle with a reference card. I'm just going to look into GPU brands now. any suggestions would be well appreciated!

Thanks guys!

 

[Slaymate]

HardOCP has a nice little overclocking review posted. I wouldn't buy a pre-overclocked version.

HARDOCP - AMD Radeon HD 7970 - AMD Radeon HD 7970 Overclocking Performance Review

 

[HAVOC]

I personally have always had good luck with Sapphire. I've had 3 different cards from them each still working perfectly today.

DO NOT EVER buy a VisionTek Card. I made the mistake of buying a 6970 from VisionTek and I'm now been waiting over 2.5 weeks for an RMA. Contact / Customer Service with VisionTek is next to nothing. It took them 5 days just to reply to my first request for RMA. Then another 2 days to reply to me to give me the RMA number. I Mailed the card same day and it got there two days later (signed for tracked). That was December 29th. It's now January 9th. So 8 business days. I've filed requests for status on the RMA, with no reply.

 

[NCHardwareReviews]

I agree with havoc. Sapphire or xfx. I own a His hd6870 & its just ok.

 

[flipp1234567]

@Slaymate
I just looked at the HARDOCP review on overclocking the 7970. the statistics look amazing, but i'm afraid i might poop my pants trying to overclock it.

For the rest of ya'll, thanks for the feedback so far. I'm wondering, is Diamond a good brand name? i'm probably goign to settle with XFX most likely, and sapphire as close second. But i'm just wondering.

And seeing the OC'd 7970, i'm starting to lean towards the "i have no idea" section of my brain again. and i'm also worried my power supply can't handle the video card now. I bought a 750W corsair power supply. 750W is in my current computer and runs fine, but would it be sufficient for the 7970 under full load (w/ obnoxious OC?, 393W?)

 

[Fat.Clown]

how long do you plan on keeping this card?
longer than 2 years? longer than 3 years? or as long as possible(like 5 years)?

XFX revised their warranty policy for radeon's 7000 series in North America.

How long does this limited warranty last?
The limited hardware warranty for Graphics Cards lasts for a time period of two years.
Which products are eligible for a limited lifetime hardware warranty?
The following Graphics Cards are eligible for an extension of the standard two-year limited hardware warranty:
1. XFX Radeon HD 7000 Series Dual Fan (Double Dissipation Edition) Graphics Cards with Ghost Technology; a floating cover design that maximizes airflow by creating exceptional venting throughout the card.
2. XFX Radeon HD 7000 Series Graphics Cards with 10-digit model numbers ending in “R” (example: “FX-797A-TDFR”)

So, if you plan on keeping this card for longer than 2 years, but less than 3 years, I'd consider brands such as Asus, Gigabyte and Diamond.

Asus - 3 years
Gigabyte - 3 years
above is serial based, no registration required. warranty is valid regardless of where you bought it second hand or retail.

below is registration based. warranty is only valid for original owner.
Diamond - 2 years, extended to 5 years upon registration
XFX none black edition -2 years.
XFX black edition - 2 years, extended to lifetime upon registration.

please note - XFX no longer provide double lifetime warranty for the Radeon 7000 series regardless black edition or not.

 

[flipp1234567]

i plan to keep it as long as possible. this is going to be THE ultimate build for me. for the rest of this year, probably through college, and even after that. The computer will always be strong, just won't (probably) support the modern games 7 years from now, or well atleast.

so i'm going to assume i'm going to want to get XFX BE if i want it to last a long time. and lifetime upon registration... on their website? so basically, if it dies, i can get a new one but if that one dies too i can't?