Question 1

I've never had a video card that requires extra power beyond what it gets from the slot.  Please explain how that works and what it means for power usage.  Also, this card is large -- what are the slot requirements?  Thanks!

Accepted Answer

You'll need a power supply unit that's 500+ watts to use this video card and the power supply will need to have 2 PCIe connectors.  On this particular card the connectors connect on the top near the rear. It won't work without those additional power connections.

As for it fitting in your case, these cards are HUGE compared to cards that can run off the slot on the mother board. The first thing is this card requires 2 slots.  The second consideration is space on the motherboard (MoBo) Even if you have a MoBo that has 3 or 4 PCIe x16 slots you may not be able to fit 3 or 4 cards on the board without the use of risers because the slots on the board are too close together. The dimensions of the card are in the listing. You'll need to measure the space in your case to determine if it will fit. You should be able to get a single card into a mid tower or larger case no problem.

Question 2

best replacement for this product ?

Accepted Answer

any other 7870 should do, but there are newer cards now too. Look in Toms hardware for the cards list. If you want a specific brand that is more though to recommend.

Question 3

My PC has many issues with this graphics card.  It goes into powersave mode - it blue screens out  or just shuts down.  I bought it over 30 days ago so I cannot rma - any suggestions?

Accepted Answer

Sorry I don't know what to tell you.  At best I can suggest to Uninstaller the card and all drivers for any previous card. Then reinstall the card in a different pci slot if you have one. I had problems with mine going into the slot my old card was in and had to switch it.  Also make sure your power supply is big enough to run everything combined in your computer.

Question 4

how many monitors will it support?

Accepted Answer

According to the Manufacturer's website, it supports up to 4 different displays (you'll just have different plug-ins needed (2 Display port, 1 HDMI, and 1 DVI-D port).

Question 5

I would like to add more displays to my system.  How many monitors can this card handle? Do they all have to be the same connection.  ie all DVI or all display port?  Also can they be daisied?

Accepted Answer

AMD has supported 6-monitors for some time now. While the card has only 5 ports; Display Port outputs can be daisy-chained into one other display if the first has a DP output. You do not have to use the same interface for all displays. I would however recommend using a display port hub for three displays all on one port, or a second since there are two mini-DPs on this card.

Question 6

Can this card be used on a MacPro 4.1 (2009)?

Accepted Answer

If the Mac has at least one PCI Express 3.0 slot, it should work.

Question 7

I currently have a MSI N580GTX Twin Frozr II/OC GeForce GTX 580. Was wondering if this would be comparable or better. Also I am building a cheap gaming rig and was wondering if this can crossfire with: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113331 Hmmm.....decisions decisions.

Accepted Answer

benchmark wise the GTX 580 is better than the radeon 7870. also it depends on what drivers you prefer. i have a radeon 7870 so i decided to crossfire with another one rather than changing everything over. if i were you sense you already have a GtX 580 i would stick with nvidia and Get a second GTX 580.

Question 8

Interested in this card for the performance and the price. Would this card be compatible with a ASUS M5A97 LE R2.0 AM3+ AMD 970 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard with UEFI BIOS ?

Thanks

Accepted Answer

Yes it is compatible with that motherboard.

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