PowerColor, Sapphire, XFX HD 7950 Review - PAGE 1

While the reference Radeon HD 7950 is a great performer, there are going to be a host of custom SKUs from AIB partners available on day one. In this review we are going to be looking at three custom graphics cards from Sapphire, PowerColor and XFX. All three of the HD 7950 models we are going to be examining sport a robust dual fan thermal solution, overclocked frequencies and high quality components. These ingredients will not only help make each model faster than the reference card, but also improve the overall efficiency and lower the acoustic levels as well.

Throughout the review we are going to be examining the graphics cards alphabetically, so we start with the PowerColor PCS+. This card includes a heatsink utilizing large 8mm heatpipes, a pure copper base and dual 92mm fans. This heatsink design is advertised to keep the GPU up to 15% cooler and 20% quieter. In addition, the PowerColor model is overclocked to 880MHz and for improved efficiency sports a digital PWM solution, multi-phase design and ferrite core chokes.

Next up we have the Sapphire HD 7950, which comes overclocked at 900MHz and like the PowerColor model includes a robust dual fan thermal solution. The solution used by Sapphire is similar to what they have used on other recently released high-end graphics cards, as it includes a five heatpipe design paired with a copper base and dual PWM fans. However, to improve the efficiency even further, Sapphire has attached a heatspreader to the PCB which is designed to cool the on-board components such as the memory and VRM.

Last but not least, we have the XFX R7950 Black Edition. This graphics card is also overclocked by 100MHz, giving it a 900MHz GPU engine, along with a 3GB memory sub-system clocked at 1250MHz. The BE graphics card also includes signature XFX thermal technologies such as HydroCell, Double Dissipation and Ghost thermal technology. All of these serve to increase the thermal performance of the R7950 while lowering the noise output. The XFX R7950 also comes equipped with Durate professional grade components, which consist of solid capacitors, ferrite core chokes and a 2oz copper layer.

It doesn’t take Matlock to find the similarities in these graphics cards, as all three companies are pushing to improve the performance and thermal efficiency via high-quality on-board components, overclocked frequencies and robust thermal solutions. However, each company uses their own unique technologies and components to get the job done.