Showing posts with label Cards. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cards. Show all posts

Monday, 23 January 2012

Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Cards in 3-Way CrossFireX

Introduction

Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Cards in 3-Way CrossFireX

Since the launch of the AMD Radeon HD 7970 we've looked at the reference model to see how it performs when the card sits on its own. With that done we then took the time to install a second reference design card into the mix and see how performance with the HD 7970 running in CrossFire.

Today we grab a third card and see what happens when we move to a three way CrossFireX setup. Since we've already looked at the Sapphire card in full detail in our CrossFire review mentioned above, we'll be getting into the performance side of things fairly quickly today.

The first thing we need to do is just take a quick look at our testbed, if you've been following our HD 7970 series of content, though, you shouldn't see anything out of the ordinary. Once we've done that we'll move onto the performance of the setup and see how it compares to other HD 7970s we've looked at.

When we've moved away from two cards and onto three and four card setups we've seen that performance can tend to get hit a fair bit. Quite often we don't see the gains we'd like to see and that ultimately makes three and four card setups quite overpriced and sometimes impractical. Still, the HD 7970 has shown us some wonderful performance so far... fingers crossed it translates over to today's 3-Way CrossFireX setup.

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Friday, 20 January 2012

Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Cards in CrossFire

Introduction

Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Cards in CrossFire

We're slowly working our way through our HD 7970s which we have on hand. We started off by checking out the reference card from AMD to find out the kind of performance was on offer from the new AMD model. We then checked out the first card that stepped away from the reference cooler; the XFX HD 7970 3GB Black Edition Double Dissipation.

After that we moved onto the HIS HD 7970 3GB and took the time to overclock it to see just what kind of potential was on offer from the brand new model. Today the Sapphire HD 7970 3GB showed up and it was time to see what happens when we finally put together a pair of these new cards and see what kind of performance we're able to get out of the new models when in CrossFire.

As always, before we get into the performance side of things, we've got to take a closer look at the box and the package before we take a closer look at the card itself. Once we've done that we'll quickly cover the specifications and make sure CrossFire is working before we get into the testbed side of things and of course check out the performance.

The Package

Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Cards in CrossFire

Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Cards in CrossFire

Checking out the box there's nothing too out of the ordinary going on. We've got the brand and model on the front along with some of the main features highlighted including the 3GB of GDDR5 running on a 384-bit bus. Turning over expands on some of the features a bit more and gives us a bit of an idea what's going on with the package.

Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Cards in CrossFire

Checking out the package we've got the typical paperwork including a key to become a Sapphire Select Club Gold Member. Also above you can see a CrossFire Bridge, DVI to VGA connector and full length HDMI cable. Thinking the package was a little light I double checked with Sapphire to see what came in the package. Unfortunately the card had done the rounds and the last place that had it didn't put everything back in. Along with what you can see above we've also got a MiniDP to Single Link DVI Active Adapter, HDMI to DVI Adapter and a MiniDP to DP connector.

It's worth noting that Sapphire is the first company to include a MiniDP to DP connector, as we've been saying all along, if you're going to make use of a DisplayPort cable, it will come in extremely handy and prevent the need of having to purchase one separately.

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Monday, 16 May 2011

Revised GeForce GTX 590 Cards In June

Remember the horror of GeForce GTX 590 going up in smoke while benching? Well, apparently NVIDIA has found a way to solve this issue completely without doing a quick fix through the drivers. The solution : a much needed hardware fix where the new inductors are added to the card. However, the new inductors are larger in size therefore a change to the baseplate is needed.

Read more at VR Zone.

Revised GeForce GTX 590 Cards In June - More news at DV Hardware

Tuesday, 15 March 2011

Fully Compatible NVIDIA Graphics Cards for Mac OS X

type="html">One of the most important components in a custom build is the graphics card.  If you're building a CustoMac, it's an especially tricky decision.  Not only do you have to worry about what will be a good performer for the cost, but you also have to be informed what is fully supported, and what is not.

Below we've listed a few fully compatible NVIDIA graphics cards for Mac OS X.   Each gives a range of port options, full install compatibility, and are known to work with minimal configuration.  They may not be the most powerful or newest cards available, however they are undoubtedly smart and safe options.  All of the following models have been personally tested by our team.

DVI/VGA
This oldie is a perfect fit for someone on a budget who doesn't need much power, but wants a silent card with two working outputs.  Full acceleration enabled with GraphicsEnabler=Yes.


DVI/DVI
A standby choice for many enthusiasts, this card gives great performance.  Full acceleration enabled with GraphicsEnabler=Yes.


A great choice for a HTPC setup, with working audio + video via HDMI.  Full acceleration enabled with GraphicsEnabler=Yes.


DVI/DVI/Mini-HDMI

DVI/DVI/Mini-HDMI
DVI/DVI/Mini-HDMI
The newest cards to gain compatibility status, these three 'Fermi' cards are a good choice for their new architecture, CUDA support, and awesome next-generation performance.  Full acceleration enabled with GraphicsEnabler=Yes.  Details here
*NVIDIA 4xx cards are fully supported, but some users are reporting random freezes and open gl issues.  Take caution when choosing these cards for now.  Update: these cards are not recommended yet. -tonymacx86

For more information about compatible graphics cards, check out the Graphics Card Database on the Wiki.  Feel free to add a comment here with detailed info about your compatible models.

-tonymacx86 & MacMan

For discussions on this and other topics, register today at tonymacx86.com!


CustomBeast Now Available for NVIDIA 4xx Graphics Cards + USB 3.0 Support

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CustomBeast is now available for NVIDIA 4xx graphics cards!  Supported specs now include any Gigabyte H55, P55, or X58 motherboard with any NVIDIA graphics card. 

In other news we have made some changes to CustomBeast.  During our testing we have found that the MacPro3,1 smbios.plist provides the best performance.  Because of this, we are removing the option for System Identification.  As an added bonus, we will now be including USB 3.0 drivers for supported motherboards.


-tonymacx86 & MacMan

For discussions on this and other topics, register today at tonymacx86.com!