I want the HD 7950

[Cusco]

I like explaining stuff through walls of text. Bear with me.

Last month, I significantly upgraded some hardware. I got myself a new mobo, cpu, RAM as well as an ssd. I was naive enough to actually believe (read: hope) that my old HD 5570 would be sufficient, since I don't play many games and I've had a medium/low computer for years, so I'm used to bad graphics.

The hope was just shattered when I realised partly that I play more games than I thought, and partly how annoying it gets to still have 25 fps on low/med settings on most games with the HD 5570, when you constantly compare it to the speed of running windows/photoshop/other not extremely gpu-demanding stuff with an ssd and other decent hardware. So I've decided to upgrade the GPU anyway. Aaand I am rather impatient, since the low fps on low graphics gets more annoying every day. Aaand I don't want to feel that I have to upgrade it again next year. So I've decided to buy a HD 7950, despite being relatively overpriced at the moment.

There is a problem with this. The store that I would very much like to buy it from (Komplett.se, fellow Scandinavians will know why I strongly prefer this site to any other site) will not get any more Sapphire HD 7950 (the cheapest one) in stock until April 31st, which is even a preliminary date. The XFX version recommends a 650 W PSU and I only have 550 W (Sapphire recommends 500 W), aaand buying a Sapphire HD 7970 instead is just too expensive. I only work ~65 hours a month on low hourly wage and whilst I don't have any regular expenses whatsoever (no rent, no gas, nothing like that), the 7970 would cost, quite literally, my whole salary.

I don't have much of a problem buying a GPU that leaves me with $150 for the rest of the month because, as previously stated, I don't have any expenses. I'm not irresponsible enough not to think about filling up my savings account, but yeah, I havn't been working for long and I don't earn much, so I have some catching up to do in terms of my wishlist-from-the-past-eighteen-years before I start putting money in the savings account every month. And again, this is an investment, I don't want to feel like I have to upgrade it again in a year or two. All of this makes walking the economical path quite a bit less tempting.

So, here are my options:

1. Wait more than a month for the Sapphire HD 7950 to be restocked.

2. Buy the Sapphire HD 7950 more expensively elsewhere (or) from some store that I don't trust.

3. Buy the XFX HD 7950, but will I be able to run it without risk, using a 550 W PSU? A 650 W is recommended for the XFX version.

4. Buy a MSI HD 7950, but it's slightly more expensive, the cost of a XFX Black. I would rather buy the XFX Black than this one, if I can. Also, MSI do not say any recommended W, it only says that it uses 225 W. I do not know what I can compare that to, I'm somewhat of a newbie at this.

5. Buy the Sapphire HD 7970, which Komplett have literally hundreds in stock, but it costs around 95% of this months' salary.

6. I realise that I have already closed a lot of doors for other options, but meh, if you have any alternative that would really suit my needs and demands, post it.

I'll post my setup so that you can see somewhat if I should be able to use the XFX despite the 650 W recommendation. It being so much higher than the Sapphire recommendation, makes me wonder if XFX have had users with other, much more demanding hardware in mind, considering it's a rather high-end GPU.

Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-2500K CPU @ 3.30GHz 3.30 GHz - I would like to OC it to 4.0 GHz (Yes, I know it's capable of far more)
Memory: 4x4 GB Kingston HyperX DDR3
Motherboard: ASUS P8Z68-V PRO/GEN3
PSU: Corsair VX550 (550W)
GPU: XFX Radeon HD 5570
Hard Drive: Intel® SSD 520 Series 120GB, + 570gb shared between two (320+250) other, old disks, don't know the exact types.
Case: Antec Performance One P180
Mouse: Logitech G5, if that's of importance
Keyboard: Logitech G15, if that's of importance
Other? Four fans, but I can't imagine them being of importance here; if they somehow prove to cause the Do or Don't for the XFX, then it's a Don't.

Thank You in advance.

[Deleted]

According to inet.se (which is a great site, I've personally bought several items from there and only had problem once and it got fixed very fast) and according to XFX (on inet) it only needs 500w...


http://www.inet.se/produkt/5409390/x...-hd7950-3072mb
Rek. nätdelsstyrka 500 W

Which is the same as

http://www.komplett.se/k/ki.aspx?sku=742606
Rekommenderad strömförsörjning 650 W

[chaud]

What is wrong with something like http://www.amazon.de/Sapphire-RADEON...687290&sr=8-10 ?

500W is plenty since that PSU is decent.

[Deleted]

The stated recommended PSU is always very excessive.

Often that recommendation is almost sufficient for two cards, while also running an enthusiast class CPU. (Which requires a lot more power)

[Deleted]

What is wrong with something like http://www.amazon.de/Sapphire-RADEON...687290&sr=8-10 ?

500W is plenty since that PSU is decent.

As far as I know amazon do not export to Sweden cause of taxes and such.

[Deleted]

You're only getting 25 fps on med/low settings with that setup? Something is terribly wrong, stop pouring your money into something you clearly know nothing about and find someone to help you get the best from your computer. I run a pc that is much much worse then that, and I get a steady 30-40 fps on most games on med/low settings.

[Cusco]

Thank you for the quick replies and the information, I've already learned some stuff.

So, XFX it is, then. I might as well ask if the Black-version is, in practice, worth the extra ~$30 or if I should just go with the standard version? I mean, it's more expensive, but not more so than the standard msi that I considered buying.

Edit: Hoochlol, to be fair, I should've mentioned that it's 25 fps on low on BF3 and 25-30 on semi-low on L.A. Noire (prioritized AA on L.A. N.). I run wow perfectally fine at 60++ (often 120) fps using high-ultra with medium shadows and very low AA+multisampling.

Edit2: I have to go now, eventual questions cannot be answered before I get back, in around 19 hours.

[BicycleMafioso]

So, XFX it is, then. I might as well ask if the Black-version is, in practice, worth the extra ~$30 or if I should just go with the standard version? I mean, it's more expensive, but not more so than the standard msi that I considered buying.

Black just means it's pre-overclocked.
The XFX is decent. It's not as good as the 7970 version of the cooler, but still very good.

You are basically paying for 100 MHz higher on the core speed, and 125 higher (x4 because it's GDDR5, so 500 MHz, ie 10%) on the VRAM-clock.
I can assure you that most HD7950's reach clockspeeds of >1050 (I've yet to see one not reaching 1200, but I'm playing it safe) without even adjusting voltage, and that is done by simply increasing the number.

So I call it wasted money.

[NomadicGod]

I bought the Radeon HD 6870 and it can handle any game on any settings at 1920x1080 (even BF3). It costs less than 200 USD at most places and it will allow you to buy a better PSU.

Radeon HD 6870
4gb ddr3
dual core 2.7ghz

[BicycleMafioso]

I bought the Radeon HD 6870 and it can handle any game on any settings at 1920x1080 (even BF3). It costs less than 200 USD at most places and it will allow you to buy a better PSU.

I'm confused why he'd need a 'better' PSU as the one he has is more than sufficient for his needs and by no means bad at all.
More watt != more fps.

[NomadicGod]

I'm confused why he'd need a 'better' PSU as the one he has is more than sufficient for his needs and by no means bad at all.
More watt != more fps.

It was just a suggestion don't get your panties in a bunch.

[chaud]

I bought the Radeon HD 6870 and it can handle any game on any settings at 1920x1080 (even BF3). It costs less than 200 USD at most places and it will allow you to buy a better PSU.

Radeon HD 6870
4gb ddr3
dual core 2.7ghz

I have the same 6870 and a 920 @ 3.7 and it cannot play BF3 on max settings. Resolutions make a large difference.

[Deleted]

It was just a suggestion don't get your panties in a bunch.

A bad suggestion though, which is why he questions you. He already have a descent PSU. The XFX GPU option is fine.

[Cusco]

Black just means it's pre-overclocked.
The XFX is decent. It's not as good as the 7970 version of the cooler, but still very good.

You are basically paying for 100 MHz higher on the core speed, and 125 higher (x4 because it's GDDR5, so 500 MHz, ie 10%) on the VRAM-clock.
I can assure you that most HD7950's reach clockspeeds of >1050 (I've yet to see one not reaching 1200, but I'm playing it safe) without even adjusting voltage, and that is done by simply increasing the number.

So I call it wasted money.

Hehe, I see, thank you!

I bought the Radeon HD 6870 and it can handle any game on any settings at 1920x1080 (even BF3). It costs less than 200 USD at most places and it will allow you to buy a better PSU.

Radeon HD 6870
4gb ddr3
dual core 2.7ghz

Buying a 6870 would limit me a lot further on, which is why I won't buy one. I'm not the kind of guy who buys a 500 hp Ferrari to max it on the Nürbürgring, I'm rather the kind of guy who would buy a 500 hp Rolls-Royce. I do very much want high potential, for the moments when I temporarily grow a lead-foot (which I undoubtedly will, sometimes), but most of the time I just want comfort and long-livety. The 6870 won't give me as much potential and most importantly it does not have the long-livety.

I know I could also buy a $200 GPU now, a new $200 GPU in 18 months and another $200 GPU in another 18 months, rather than buying a $590 GPU today (Yes, the 7950 is $590 in Sweden), but tomorrow, I don't want to spend $200. It's the same reason that I never buy anything on installments. I would rather spend more money today and get quality and long-livety, rather than reserve $200 x2 of the cash I'll have in the future.

Yes, I'm stubborn.


Anyhow, my questions are answered, the standard XFX it is. Unless anyone has anything to add, I thank you very much for the help and wish you all a pleasant day.