7950 - Thoughts?

[realmike15]

I'm looking for an upgrade to my HTPC/Gaming PC. Bearing that in mind, I need something with external blowing fans to keep things cool, and it has to support HD Audio Bitstreaming to my receiver (DTS-HD/Dolby TrueHD). The 7950 seems like a no brainer in the $300 range (based on benchmarks I've seen), but I'd like to know what you guys think.

I'm currently running a 5770 which has treated me well, but ATI/AMD software seems dog slow... so I wouldn't mind switching back to nVidia if I could find a graphics card that matches Performance/Price/Value. nVidia's bitstreaming support seems spotty too, so there's that problem as well.

Looking for general suggestions...
Thanks for reading!

 

[Binky]

Look at the HIS version. It did well in noise and temps in the recent Tom's tests. It has a rear exhaust setup. Most 7950's that I've seen have a rear vent, but its not a true exhaust setup.

 

[sxegloxx]

I'm looking for an upgrade to my HTPC/Gaming PC. Bearing that in mind, I need something with external blowing fans to keep things cool, and it has to support HD Audio Bitstreaming to my receiver (DTS-HD/Dolby TrueHD). The 7950 seems like a no brainer in the $300 range (based on benchmarks I've seen), but I'd like to know what you guys think.

I'm currently running a 5770 which has treated me well, but ATI/AMD software seems dog slow... so I wouldn't mind switching back to nVidia if I could find a graphics card that matches Performance/Price/Value. nVidia's bitstreaming support seems spotty too, so there's that problem as well.

Looking for general suggestions...
Thanks for reading!

What software are you refering to?

 

[realmike15]

What software are you refering to?

The driver software package

 

[Silverforce11]

The only good blower type 7950 is the HIS ICEq Turbo... and its very good for a blower.

 

[sxegloxx]

The driver software package

In my experience ATI/AMD cleaned up after the 5xxxx series. The drivers are much better now and are on par with Nvidia, I have Own BOTH nvida and AMD.

Furthermore, usually AMD is quick about tweeking drivers as soon as major games hit beta.

Don't sweat AMD drivers, thats generally a concern of the past.

I had a buddy who owned NVIDA exclusively for the last 8 years and just bought a 6870.

"I can't believe how slick this card is".....thats what he said.

 

[Termie]

At $300, the 7950 is the best bet. If you'll be running that C2Q (Q6700?), keep in mind that you'll be cpu-limited in most games, so you might consider stepping down to the 7850 or 7870. You just missed this deal on the HIS 7870 with the 7950 cooler: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814161404. Maybe it will come back in stock.

One of the better deals right now is this HIS 7850 model, which is partially externally exhausting: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814161405

Note that no other custom coolers are actually externally exhausting, so if that's important to you, the reference designs might be your best bet, but they will be louder. For instance, this reference 7870: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814161405

 

[RussianSensation]

I can't recommend HD7950 class of card for a stock Q6700. That CPU even bottlenecks a GTX460. Unless you overclock that CPU, I am actually having a hard time making a GPU recommendation above the 5770. Even my Q6600 @ 3.4ghz was already bottlenecking my HD6950, so a 2.67ghz Q6700 is dead in the water. You'll get some increase in GPU limited games such as Crysis 2, Crysis 1, Metro 2033, but spending $300 on a modern GPU with a 6 year old CPU doesn't seem like a great idea to me. Next year that CPU will be 7 years old. Time flies

If you have Haswell CPU upgrade plans, then sure. Otherwise, even HD7850 would be overkill. If you want a quieter and more efficient card, see if you can sell the 5770 and pick up an HD7770 Ghz edition or maybe an HD6870.

Adam_the_giant seems to have a great user experience with his HTPC 7770 connected to a Plasma. If you have any specific questions regarding sound being sent to the receiver, you should message him directly for his direct user experience. I am sure he would be of great help
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2265197

 

[Face2Face]

I would pick up a HD 7850 for $200 and call it day...

 

[cmdrdredd]

I would pick up a HD 7850 for $200 and call it day...

Pretty much the answer right here. A 7950 would be fast but your CPU holds it back and the 7850 will do everything you seem to want.

 

[Jhatfie]

I was faced with a similar question a while back in my HTPC/Denon receiver combo, granted I am running a i3-2120 for a cpu. Went with the Sapphire 7850. Very pleased with my choice. Performance is great at 1080p and drivers have been rock solid.

 

[Binky]

I was faced with a similar question a while back in my HTPC/Denon receiver combo, granted I am running a i3-2120 for a cpu. Went with the Sapphire 7850. Very pleased with my choice. Performance is great at 1080p and drivers have been rock solid.

That's a pretty serious video card for an HTPC machine. My most powerful HTPC card is a GT430!

 

[realmike15]

In my experience ATI/AMD cleaned up after the 5xxxx series. The drivers are much better now and are on par with Nvidia, I have Own BOTH nvida and AMD.

Furthermore, usually AMD is quick about tweeking drivers as soon as major games hit beta.

Don't sweat AMD drivers, thats generally a concern of the past.

I had a buddy who owned NVIDA exclusively for the last 8 years and just bought a 6870.

"I can't believe how slick this card is".....thats what he said.

Good to know, I am indeed using the 5770 and even the latest drivers are painfully slow.

 

[Binky]

I don't understand how drivers can be slow. The card can be slow, but how can drivers be slow?

 

[realmike15]

I can't recommend HD7950 class of card for a stock Q6700. That CPU even bottlenecks a GTX460. Unless you overclock that CPU, I am actually having a hard time making a GPU recommendation above the 5770. Even my Q6600 @ 3.4ghz was already bottlenecking my HD6950, so a 2.67ghz Q6700 is dead in the water. You'll get some increase in GPU limited games such as Crysis 2, Crysis 1, Metro 2033, but spending $300 on a modern GPU with a 6 year old CPU doesn't seem like a great idea to me. Next year that CPU will be 7 years old. Time flies

If you have Haswell CPU upgrade plans, then sure. Otherwise, even HD7850 would be overkill. If you want a quieter and more efficient card, see if you can sell the 5770 and pick up an HD7770 Ghz edition or maybe an HD6870.

Adam_the_giant seems to have a great user experience with his HTPC 7770 connected to a Plasma. If you have any specific questions regarding sound being sent to the receiver, you should message him directly for his direct user experience. I am sure he would be of great help
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2265197

I am indeed planning to move to Haswel, but I'm surprised to hear you guys say you think I'll be bottle necking my GPU that badly. I've heard modern games really lean heavily towards GPU these days, which makes the CPU less important. Anyway, I do plan on upgrading the Motherboard/CPU/RAM when Haswel comes out, so I I'd still be future proofing myself even if I don't see much benefit in the short term.

 

[realmike15]

I don't understand how drivers can be slow. The card can be slow, but how can drivers be slow?

Doing anything with the drivers is slow, opening the interface, making adjustments, applying updates... it's all slow. Everything other than game performance.

 

[realmike15]

I would pick up a HD 7850 for $200 and call it day...

I'm going to seriously consider this, since most people think I'd be heavily bottle necking a 7950, and I was hoping to spend around $200 instead anyway.

 

[realmike15]

That's a pretty serious video card for an HTPC machine. My most powerful HTPC card is a GT430!

Personally, I'm using my HTPC for much more than just watching movies. It's my gaming machine as well, combined with a 46" Samsung LED, Denon 7.1 Receiver, and Definitive Technology 5.1 Surround Speakers.

It's hard to compare a 24" Monitor 2.1 Audio typical desktop setup, once you've started playing on a 46" LED Television with true 5.1 Surround.

Two very different beasts, no offense intended to anyone who uses a regular computer setup.