HIS HD7970 Crossfire Review

AMD's HD7970 is a lightning fast graphics card set to appease performance gamers who want the maximum image quality at the highest resolutions. The HIS HD7970 card we reviewed today is just a reference solution and brings nothing new to the table of a potential customer, unless they want to play with the ‘weight lifter' accessory which can support the graphics card, eliminating pressure from the PCI e slot.

When I first laid eyes on the HIS HD7970, I was slightly disappointed, especially as I had just reviewed the new ‘XFX R7970 Double Dissipation‘ solution, which has received such painstaking attention to detail. HIS couldn't even manage to adhere the company sticker the right way around on the cooler, which is beyond careless. Clearly someone in HIS had loaded a batch of AMD boards on the conveyor without paying attention.

We didn't even include overclocking results today, as the HIS solution delivered exactly what we would expect from an AMD reference card – around 100mhz on the core. Results can be seen here.

With regards to performance we have no concerns and everything we said on launch day still holds true. The new reference cooling solution is much improved on the old AMD design, although it is still audible when loaded. Building a system with two HD7970's in a Crossfire configuration increases the ambient temperature, causing the fans to work harder and emit more noise. While Crossfire performance is exceptionally impressive we feel that many people would find the noise irritating. This is why I find the XFX R7970 DD version of this card so appealing … because with dual fans, and an improved cooler, the card is very quiet and runs at a much lower thermal overhead.

Using two of these cards in Crossfire also makes me yearn for a HD6990 replacement, as I can't wait to see Quad Crossfire performance from the latest architecture. There is no doubt that AMD have nailed Tessellation performance and are making Nvidia play catch up in 2012. We don't know how long this will last, as Nvidia are assuredly miffed that their GTX580 has been slapped into second place.

The HIS HD7970 is a fine card, and would have received our gold award if we could turn back time to the AMD launch day in December. In the space of a few weeks however the situation has changed and the XFX R7970 Double Dissipation has rewritten the rule book, offering so much more at a small premium of around £30. It is one of the finest video cards ever made and stands out a mile with the HD7970 cards we have received to date.

The HIS HD7970 is worth buying, if HIS can assure that the price is competitive. With such an array of reference cards being released this week, it all boils down to getting the best price possible.

As a new high end solution to improve their company name, HIS have done themselves no favours because simply slapping a sticker on the wrong way around and bundling in a plastic support stand won't win over the hearts of the enthusiast audience. It seems XFX have stolen the thunder today, and deservedly so. We do hope HIS will release an ICEQ version of the HD7970 at a later date.

Is Crossfired HD7970 worth around £900? Only if you have a fat bank account and need to run multiple screens with high image quality settings.

Pros:

• AMD's HD7970 is the new class leader.
• Crossfire performance is astounding.
• New reference cooler is a step up from the previous AMD design.

Cons:

• lackluster release, and company sticker on the wrong way round.
• the price needs to be competitive to sell.
• Can get loud in Crossfire.

Kitguru says: A great video card, but it doesn't stand out against other partner HD7970's and will only sell if HIS can get the pricing right.

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