The graphics card we have reviewed today should serve as an example to all manufacturers of how a GPU should be built. It runs very cool, goes about it's business very quietly and as we have shown, performs at the leading edge in today's high end sector of graphics cards. You could be forgiven for thinking this is the best graphics card we have tested to date and you wouldn't be far off the mark were it not for some niggling drawbacks.
At £372 (at the time of writing), the card is not cheap and for a few more pennies you could have the flagship HD7970. Not that the HD7970 will bag you much more performance as the GIGABYTE HD7950 Windforce x3 performs close to the top of the pile, outperforming all reference designs when overclocked. Still, many would prefer the flagship model over it's trimmed down brother. Another nuance of the GIGABYTE model is the lack of accessories. While other manufacturers clamber for your custom by including HDMI adaptors, multiple manuals and even a game, GIGABYTE seem to be bereft of such luxuries which is a shame. Not that there is anything wrong with the package but when other manufacturers are including such items, the GIGABYTE model is a little less appealing.
I'm not a big fan of the blue PCB either. This is one of those Marmite affairs where you will either love it or hate it. If you have a blue themed PC or indeed do not have a PC case window to show off your hardware then no doubt you will be in the former category of enthusiasts. A black PCB would however open the card's appeal to a wider audience I feel. The cooler itself performs admirably. It would be a fair criticism of the cooler to say it was overkill having three fans and such a large heatsink, especially when the HD7950 is much cooler than the last generation but we would argue that the results speak for themselves. The cooler a card runs, the less rpm a fan needs which equates to a much more civilised gaming experience when you are not sat next to something that sounds like it is running at warp factor 9.
Aesthetics and packaging aside, GIGABYTE have pushed the envelope for other people to follow. They have held true to their company slogan of 'leaders of innovation' and with the Windforce x3 cooler, they have set a benchmark which will be a difficult task to follow.
We were astounded by it's overclocking ability which made the card one of the fastest on test throughout our suite of benchmarks, out pacing both the GTX570 it is directly competing against by quite a margin and indeed the two flagship models, the GTX580 and HD7970. So it goes without saying that should you be on the lookout for a card that is one of the coolest, quietest and highest performing samples on the market today, the GIGABYTE HD7950 Windforce x3 should be very high up on your shopping list.
Click here for an explanation of our awards at Vortez.net. Thanks to GIGABYTE for providing today’s review sample.
At £372 (at the time of writing), the card is not cheap and for a few more pennies you could have the flagship HD7970. Not that the HD7970 will bag you much more performance as the GIGABYTE HD7950 Windforce x3 performs close to the top of the pile, outperforming all reference designs when overclocked. Still, many would prefer the flagship model over it's trimmed down brother. Another nuance of the GIGABYTE model is the lack of accessories. While other manufacturers clamber for your custom by including HDMI adaptors, multiple manuals and even a game, GIGABYTE seem to be bereft of such luxuries which is a shame. Not that there is anything wrong with the package but when other manufacturers are including such items, the GIGABYTE model is a little less appealing.
I'm not a big fan of the blue PCB either. This is one of those Marmite affairs where you will either love it or hate it. If you have a blue themed PC or indeed do not have a PC case window to show off your hardware then no doubt you will be in the former category of enthusiasts. A black PCB would however open the card's appeal to a wider audience I feel. The cooler itself performs admirably. It would be a fair criticism of the cooler to say it was overkill having three fans and such a large heatsink, especially when the HD7950 is much cooler than the last generation but we would argue that the results speak for themselves. The cooler a card runs, the less rpm a fan needs which equates to a much more civilised gaming experience when you are not sat next to something that sounds like it is running at warp factor 9.
Aesthetics and packaging aside, GIGABYTE have pushed the envelope for other people to follow. They have held true to their company slogan of 'leaders of innovation' and with the Windforce x3 cooler, they have set a benchmark which will be a difficult task to follow.
We were astounded by it's overclocking ability which made the card one of the fastest on test throughout our suite of benchmarks, out pacing both the GTX570 it is directly competing against by quite a margin and indeed the two flagship models, the GTX580 and HD7970. So it goes without saying that should you be on the lookout for a card that is one of the coolest, quietest and highest performing samples on the market today, the GIGABYTE HD7950 Windforce x3 should be very high up on your shopping list.
Pros:
+ Phenomenal overclocking ability
+ Best in class cooling
+ Great Performance
+ Very Quiet
Cons:
- Blue PCB may not suit everyone
- Basic Accessories
+ Phenomenal overclocking ability
+ Best in class cooling
+ Great Performance
+ Very Quiet
Cons:
- Blue PCB may not suit everyone
- Basic Accessories
Click here for an explanation of our awards at Vortez.net. Thanks to GIGABYTE for providing today’s review sample.
