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Sapphire HD 7950 Dual Fan OC Review

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SKYMTL

HardwareCanuck Review Editor
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More HD 7950 Launch Coverage:

- Reference version review HERE
- XFX HD 7950 Black Edition DD Review HERE



Usually when a new graphics card is launched it takes a while for the board partners to hightail it out of their usual “reference card funk” and move onto bigger and better things like better cooling solutions and higher clock speeds. The HD 7970’s release showed us that AMD’s supporters are moving along quicker than expected since some of them had overclocked, non reference products ready to go from day one. Now AMD is launching the more affordable HD 7950 and once again we’re about to see a wide variety of similarly pimped out versions straight out of the gate.

XFX-HD7950-64.jpg

Being one of AMD’s premier board partners has allowed Sapphire to get a leg up on the competition in some regions and their new HD 7950 Dual Fan OC is looking to widen that lead even further. It features an overclocked core (don’t expect any massive performance increases here) and as you will see below, one hell of a heatsink design that not only looks great but also cuts down temperatures by a significant amount. For the record, Sapphire is asking $479 for this card, a small premium to pay for what should be one of the best HD 7950 versions available for the next little while.

SAPPHIRE-HD7950-1.jpg

A few weeks ago we already looked at one of Sapphire’s Dual Fan branded models –in that case it was a HD 6970- and came away reasonably impressed with its potential so we’re glad to see its basic design aspects being repeated here. The Dual Fan gets its name from the two large fans that push air down onto its internal heatsink in a typical top-down configuration and is a far cry away from the reference design

SAPPHIRE-HD7950-2.jpg
SAPPHIRE-HD7950-3.jpg

Sapphire’s card uses a pair of large 80mm, 9-bladed fans that spin at a somewhat lethargic speed in order to minimize noise while maximizing airflow. Below these fans and their accompanying plastic shroud are five massive copper heatpipes and an aluminum fin array which is alternately supported by an extensive anodized black heatspreader over the memory modules and VRM modules. All in all, this setup should be more than sufficient to keep the core’s heat under control.

SAPPHIRE-HD7950-4.jpg
SAPPHIRE-HD7950-5.jpg

Along with an aluminum stiffener that runs the card’s length for added stability, Sapphire has decided to stick with the reference PCB. Therefore, the Dual Fan OC houses a pair of 6-pin power connectors as well as a dual BIOS switch. Much like past Dual Fan branded cards, this one has two BIOSes pre-installed: the standard overclocked one and another which incorporates slightly higher voltages in order to facilitate overclocking.

SAPPHIRE-HD7950-8.jpg
SAPPHIRE-HD7950-7.jpg

With a custom heatsink in place, Sapphire has sacrificed size for cooling efficiency by adding about ½” to the reference design’s overall length making the Dual Fan a good 11.5” long. This may cause some issues for smaller cases but most enclosures these days should swallow it without any problems.

SAPPHIRE-HD7950-9.jpg

The backplate shows us a reference layout with the usual dual DisplayPorts, a single HDMI 1.4a output and a DVI connector. With this version, Sapphire also includes adaptors for HDMI to DVI and a mini DP to DisplayPort but make sure you pay attention to the Product Number listed at the top of this review since some versions of this same card may not come with these.
 
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SKYMTL

HardwareCanuck Review Editor
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Joined
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Messages
12,840
Location
Montreal
Test System & Setup / Benchmark Sequences

Main Test System

Processor: Intel Core i7 920(ES) @ 4.0Ghz (Turbo Mode Enabled)
Memory: Corsair 3x2GB Dominator DDR3 1600Mhz
Motherboard: Gigabyte EX58-UD5
Cooling: CoolIT Boreas mTEC + Scythe Fan Controller
Disk Drive: Pioneer DVD Writer
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Black 2TB
Power Supply: Corsair AX1200
Monitor: Samsung 305T
OS: Windows 7 Ultimate N x64 SP1


Acoustical Test System

Processor: Intel 2500K @ stock
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws 8GB 1600MHz
Motherboard: Gigabyte EX58-UD5
Cooling: Thermalright TRUE Passive
SSD: Corsair Performance Pro 256GB
Power Supply: Seasonic X-Series Gold 800W


Drivers:
AMD Beta for HD 7900-series (January 20th)
AMD 12.1 WHQL + CAP 11.12 CAP3
NVIDIA 285.62 WHQL

Application Benchmark Information:
Note: In all instances, in-game sequences were used. The videos of the benchmark sequences have been uploaded below.


Battlefield 3

<object width="640" height="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/i6ncTGlBoAw?version=3&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/i6ncTGlBoAw?version=3&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="640" height="480" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>​

Crysis 2

<object width="560" height="315"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Bc7_IAKmAsQ?version=3&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Bc7_IAKmAsQ?version=3&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="560" height="315" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>​


Deus Ex Human Revolution

<object width="560" height="315"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/GixMX3nK9l8?version=3&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/GixMX3nK9l8?version=3&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="560" height="315" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>​


Dirt 3

<object width="560" height="315"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/g5FaVwmLzUw?version=3&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/g5FaVwmLzUw?version=3&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="560" height="315" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>​


Metro 2033

<object width="480" height="360"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/8aZA5f8l-9E?version=3&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/8aZA5f8l-9E?version=3&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="480" height="360" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>​


Shogun 2: Total War

<object width="560" height="315"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/oDp29bJPCBQ?version=3&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/oDp29bJPCBQ?version=3&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="560" height="315" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>​


Witcher 2 v2.0

<object width="560" height="315"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/tyCIuFtlSJU?version=3&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/tyCIuFtlSJU?version=3&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="560" height="315" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>​


*Notes:

- All games tested have been patched to their latest version

- The OS has had all the latest hotfixes and updates installed

- All scores you see are the averages after 3 benchmark runs

All IQ settings were adjusted in-game and all GPU control panels were set to use application settings
 

SKYMTL

HardwareCanuck Review Editor
Staff member
Joined
Feb 26, 2007
Messages
12,840
Location
Montreal
3DMark 11 (DX11)

3DMark 11 (DX11)


3DMark 11 is the latest in a long line of synthetic benchmarking programs from the Futuremark Corporation. This is their first foray into the DX11 rendering field and the result is a program that incorporates all of the latest techniques into a stunning display of imagery. Tessellation, depth of field, HDR, OpenCL physics and many others are on display here. In the benchmarks below we have included the results (at default settings) for both the Performance and Extreme presets.


Performance Preset

XFX-HD7950-30.jpg


Extreme Preset

XFX-HD7950-31.jpg
 

SKYMTL

HardwareCanuck Review Editor
Staff member
Joined
Feb 26, 2007
Messages
12,840
Location
Montreal
Battlefield 3 (DX11)

Battlefield 3 (DX11)


For this benchmark, we used a sequence from the Rock and Hard Place mission. The results may seem lower than normal and this is due to the fact that after playing through the game multiple times, this one are was found to be the most demanding on the GPU. As with all of the tests, we try to find a worst case scenario in order to ensure a given card can properly play through the whole game instead of just a “typical” section.

1920 x 1200

XFX-HD7950-32.jpg


XFX-HD7950-33.jpg


2560 x 1600

XFX-HD7950-34.jpg


XFX-HD7950-35.jpg
 

SKYMTL

HardwareCanuck Review Editor
Staff member
Joined
Feb 26, 2007
Messages
12,840
Location
Montreal
Crysis 2 (DX11)

Crysis 2 (DX11)


Crysis 2 with the DX11 and Texture Package installed not only looks great but it is a strain on any GPU. For this benchmark, we used a classic runthrough which includes far views, explosions, combat and close-in knifing; basically every hallmark of gameplay.

1920 x 1200

XFX-HD7950-36.jpg


2560 x 1600

XFX-HD7950-37.jpg
 

SKYMTL

HardwareCanuck Review Editor
Staff member
Joined
Feb 26, 2007
Messages
12,840
Location
Montreal
Deus Ex: Human Revolution (DX11)

Deus Ex: Human Revolution (DX11)


Deus Ex: Human Revolution may not be the hardest game for today’s high end gaming rigs to render. While the game mostly takes place indoors, it is the few outdoor areas that put additional strain on graphics cards. So for this test, we use one of the more involved outdoor sections: the Sharif Manufacturing Loading Docks.

1920 x 1200

XFX-HD7950-40.jpg


XFX-HD7950-41.jpg


2560 x 1600

XFX-HD7950-42.jpg


XFX-HD7950-43.jpg
 

SKYMTL

HardwareCanuck Review Editor
Staff member
Joined
Feb 26, 2007
Messages
12,840
Location
Montreal
Dirt 3 (DX11)

Dirt 3 (DX11)


Dirt 3 isn’t all that much different from its predecessor but the developers have added a few more visual touches but boost image quality. In this case, we used the Michigan Rally track since it features some of the hardest to render features of the game: expansive vistas, water, dirt effects, trees and many other items.

1920 x 1200

XFX-HD7950-44.jpg


XFX-HD7950-45.jpg


2560 x 1600

XFX-HD7950-46.jpg


XFX-HD7950-47.jpg
 

SKYMTL

HardwareCanuck Review Editor
Staff member
Joined
Feb 26, 2007
Messages
12,840
Location
Montreal
Metro 2033 (DX11)

Metro 2033 (DX11)


For this test we use a walkthrough and combat scene from The Bridge level which starts at the beginning of the level and lasts for about 3 minutes of walking, running and combat. Famerates are measured with FRAPS and Advanced PhysX is turned off.

1920 x 1200

XFX-HD7950-49.jpg


2560 x 1600

XFX-HD7950-50.jpg
 

SKYMTL

HardwareCanuck Review Editor
Staff member
Joined
Feb 26, 2007
Messages
12,840
Location
Montreal
Shogun 2: Total War (DX11)

Shogun 2: Total War (DX11)


Due to its very nature, Shogun 2 is a tough game to benchamark since the in-game tool doesn’t accurately convey an in-game experience. So we took a pre-recorded battle which pits three large armies against one another and includes camera zooms, fog, gun smoke and other items. Using a pre-recorded sequence also effectively removes the CPU from the equation since it doesn’t have to process AI.

1920 x 1200

XFX-HD7950-52.jpg


XFX-HD7950-53.jpg


2560 x 1600

XFX-HD7950-54.jpg


XFX-HD7950-55.jpg
 

SKYMTL

HardwareCanuck Review Editor
Staff member
Joined
Feb 26, 2007
Messages
12,840
Location
Montreal
The Witcher 2 (DX9)

The Witcher 2 (DX9)


The Witcher 2 may be a DX9 based game but its graphics quality is beyond reproach. In this benchmark we take an area out of The Kayran mission and include one of the toughest effects the graphics engine has in store for the GPU: rain. Throughout this sequence, rain plays a large part but explosions, combat and even some sun shafts are included as well.

1920 x 1200

XFX-HD7950-57.jpg


XFX-HD7950-58.jpg


2560 x 1600

XFX-HD7950-59.jpg


XFX-HD7950-60.jpg
 
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