AMD Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition Review: Battling For The Performance Crown
by Ryan Smith on June 22, 2012 12:01 AM EST- Posted in
- GPUs
- AMD
- GCN
- Radeon HD 7000
Crysis: Warhead
Kicking things off as always is Crysis: Warhead. It’s no longer the toughest game in our benchmark suite, but it’s still a technically complex game that has proven to be a very consistent benchmark. Thus even four years since the release of the original Crysis, “but can it run Crysis?” is still an important question, and the answer continues to be “no.” While we’re closer than ever, full Enthusiast settings at a 60fps is still beyond the grasp of a single-GPU card.
Since the launch of the GTX 680 it’s been clear that Crysis is a game that favors AMD’s products and this is no clearer than with the 7970GE. AMD was already handily beating the GTX 680 here, most likely due to the GTX 680’s more limited memory bandwidth – so the faster 7970GE widens that gap even further. The 7970GE is a full 25% faster than the GTX 680 here at 2560 and is extremely close to hitting 60fps at 1920, which given Crysis’s graphically demanding nature is quite incredible, and for all practical purposes puts the 7970GE in its own category. Obviously this is one of AMD’s best games, but it’s solid proof that the 7970GE can really trounce the GTX 680 in the right situation.
As for the 7970GE versus the 7970, this is a much more straightforward comparison. We aren’t seeing the full extent of the 7970GE’s clockspeed advantage over the 7970 here, but the 7970GE is still at the lower bounds of its theoretical performance advantage over its lower clocked sibling with a gain of 8% at 2560. The 7970GE is priced some 16% higher than the 7970 so the performance gains aren’t going to keep pace with the price increases, but this is nothing new for flagship cards.
When it comes to minimum framerates the 7970GE further expands its lead. It’s now 35% faster than the GTX 680 (and just short of 30fps) at 2560, which neatly wraps up the 7970GE’s domination in Crysis. Even its performance lead versus the 7970 improves, with the 7970GE increasing its lead to 13%. A year ago NVIDIA and AMD were roughly tied with Crysis, but now AMD has clearly made it their game. So can it run Crysis? Yes, and a lot better than the GTX 680 can.
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behrouz - Friday, June 22, 2012 - link
nevermind i got itLepton87 - Friday, June 22, 2012 - link
I don't agree that 7970GHz isn't any faster than GTX680.http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/AMD/HD_7970_GHz...
Just look at the performance summaries. At 2560x1600 it's clearly the faster card.
Homeles - Friday, June 22, 2012 - link
Keep in mind, every 680 boosts differently. Every site is going to have different opinions because of this.CeriseCogburn - Saturday, June 23, 2012 - link
That's why a collated average is so helpful."
Summary of results at a resolution of 2560x1600:
GeForce GTX680 is on average 32.36% more efficient than GeForce GTX580,
GeForce GTX680 is on average 6.39% more efficient than the Radeon 7970. "
http://translate.google.pl/translate?hl=pl&sl=...
The GTX 680 wins. It's clear beyond any amd fanboys illusions, wishes, and fantasies, most often stated every time, till the day they croak it.
It's "their opinion" though, so "it's not wrong"... (if that tracks as true for you check your forehead for 3 stamped letters.)
thebluephoenix - Sunday, June 24, 2012 - link
Efficiency? You know that 5870 was far more efficient than GTX480. 6970 also compared well to GTX 580.Before calling people fanboys be sure that you aren't one.
For me it's simple, 7970 has good compute performance, and GTX 680 has PhysX.
7970 GE = 7970 OC Edition, still a very good card.
CeriseCogburn - Tuesday, June 26, 2012 - link
It's the wording used by the collator, a foreigner no doubt, "efficiency" you fool, since you didn't check the link.It MEANS FRAME RATE.
Leave it to the retarded, once again, to jump, screech, and FAIL.
thebluephoenix - Thursday, June 28, 2012 - link
Efficiency usually means energy efficiency. Perf/Watt, (or rMAX/rPeak, on Top500 site).Except for google translated polish pages, obviously.
Frame rate is speed, so the card is faster, not more efficient.
Go now, be (nV)idiot somewhere else.
CeriseCogburn - Saturday, June 30, 2012 - link
It is ALSO more efficient. How clueless are you still ? Why do clueless Cluseau's respond ?Look, if you ever decide to click the link and take a gander for an hour or two ( my estimation about how long it would take for you to get a round opinion of the massive database of the most popular reviewers concerning these tow cards, don't get back to me.
A gigantic thank you would be nice but I'm not expecting it.
Maybe silverblue needs a friend too, then you can spew name calling together, and giggle, that is likely the extent of the mental capacities, so have at it.
silverblue - Friday, June 29, 2012 - link
Yet amusingly, you failed to point out the error of the author's ways before somebody here pulled you up on it... I doubt that efficiency is a word that can be mis-translated; the author just used the wrong term. The very fact that you quoted two lines with the same incorrect term proves that you were happy enough to treat it - as is so often in your case - as factual. If anything, the 680 is probably something in the region of 10-15% more efficient per frame than the 7970 based off the collated results on that article, notwithstanding the fact that drivers have been significantly revised for both architectures since then.You also stated that the article was '"their opinion" though, so "it's not wrong"' but you slate everybody else's conflicting opinions as wrong. Am I the only person seeing an issue with this approach?
I'm really confused as to why you even bother to visit here except to be a class-A troll, and I'm going to take some of my own advice and flat out ignore you from now on unless you actually say something of any use. Ordinarily, I wouldn't tell others what to do but on this occasion, I implore them to follow suit. We should put you in a room with Beenthere just for the hell of it.
CeriseCogburn - Saturday, June 30, 2012 - link
You're goners in the head dude.The article, which you still obviously never looked at (as it will crush your amd fan heart), collates reviews from around the web, including this sites.
It's not an opinion, it's FACTS, as best we can get them, in one BIG mathematically deduced pile, and the word is meant to be FRAME RATES, which of course is all you amd fan boys claim you care about, unless of course you were spewing about eyefinity without 3 monitors and no $100 adapter that took a year and a half to come down to $35 not available...
Just face the facts for once, like a man.