Responding to the threat of NVIDIA's Kepler line-up, AMD launched a GHz edition of the Radeon HD 7970, back in June, which introduced a higher clock and a boost frequency, enabled through adjustments to both the bios and Catalyst drivers, allowing cards to overvolt and overclock should power and thermal conditions permit it.
Unlike the HD 7970, this update to the HD 7950 will not have a special name and will, it seems, slowly replace existing offerings under the same title. Here's a quick comparison of the changes the new variant will bring:
|
AMD Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition |
AMD Radeon HD 7970 |
AMD Radeon HD 7950 (w/Boost) |
AMD Radeon HD 7950 |
|
| Stream Processors | 2048 | 2048 | 1792 | 1792 |
|
Texture Units |
128 | 128 | 112 | 112 |
| ROPs | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 |
| Core Clock | 1000MHz | 925MHz | 850MHz | 800MHz |
| Boost Clock | 1050MHz | N/A | 925MHz | N/A |
| Memory Clock | 6GHz GDDR5 | 5.5GHz GDDR5 | 5GHz GDDR5 | 5GHz GDDR5 |
| Memory Bus Width | 384-bit | 384-bit | 384-bit | 384-bit |
| VRAM | 3GB | 3GB | 3GB | 3GB |
| FP64 | 1/4 | 1/4 | 1/4 | 1/4 |
| Transistor Count | 4.31B | 4.31B | 4.31B | 4.31B |
| PowerTune Limit | 250W+ | 250W | 225W | 200W |
| Manufacturing Process | TSMC 28nm | TSMC 28nm | TSMC 28nm | TSMC 28nm |
| Architecture | GCN | GCN | GCN | GCN |
| Launch Date | 22/06/2012 | 09/01/2012 | 17/08/2012 | 31/01/2012 |
Unlike the HD 7970 GHz Edition, the new boosted Radeon HD 7950 features an increase in core clock only, with memory staying put at 5GHz. A Boost clock has now been introduced and the effective power consumption limit has been raised to allow the PowerTune Boost system to work its magic. With these improvements, the AMD Radeon HD 7950 with Boost will clock in anywhere between 6 and 16 percent greater that its Boost-free predecessor.
SAPPHIRE has been quick to the mark with this product refresh and has already announced the SAPPHIRE HD 7950 3GB OC with Boost Vapor-X Edition, offering all of the above, however with a Boost frequency of 950MHz as opposed to the standard 925MHz, activated through a toggle-able dual-bios. No doubt the increase in speed is made possible with the firm's unique Vapour-X cooling system, which claims to offer increased cooling performance at lower noise levels.
Expect other OEMs to catch on fast and follow-up with their own boards shortly.
