Question 1

What do I need to have to hook this card up, it just says a 500w power supply, anything else?

Accepted Answer

There are a few limitations:
Your power-supply needs the correct plugs (if you bought the supply separately, unless it is very old or very cheap, it will have the correct plugs).

The other issue I have run into is these carded are a bit long, and in some smaller cases the hard drive bays are too close to the x16 pcie slots.

You probably also need a screw driver to remove the back plate of the case, but installation in a modern system is pretty easy.

If you have never done it before, make sure you pay attention to ESD precautions, and the small lever at the end of the slot you will need to use if you have to remove an existing card.  Also rember the card has to be plugged into the power-supply before you try turning the computer on (it is easy to get excited and skip this step, which will result in the card making a very very angry noise).

Question 2

Hey, I already have a 7970 but its made by Sapphire, the model is no longer being made and if i was to purchase this one would it be compatible? Thanks!

Accepted Answer

I did it years ago with the 1950 series with no issues.  My concern is since the two cards in question are not reference models, differences in firmware may incur conflicts...or not.  If the Sapphire is not the GHz model, in Crossfire mode your speed would be limited to the slower card.  I purchased the XFX to run with the Gigabyte GHz version, but before cutting the tape, changed my strategy and sold the NIB XFX and have set aside the money until AMD's latest and greatest drops considerably in price with better cooling solutions.  I run 1600x1200 and 1080P, and we're getting very close to a single card/GPU that will run all the eye candy maxed out.  My best guess is that it will work.  If you really want to remove all doubts and make a future resale more lucrative buy 2 XFXs and sell the oddball Sapphire while demand is high.  The Egg would appreciate that one!  Good luck.

Question 3

Can someone comment on what the PSU requirements are for two of these cards? For a single one as far as I can tell its 500W. I don't suppose it would be 1000W for two.

I have 750 Capstone Continuous and wonder if this will be sufficient.

Other components in my built are 95W cpu+3 HD's+2 fans+1 stick of RAM.

Accepted Answer

I have 2 of these in crossfire with a FX-8350 with 3 ssd's and 5 fans. I was pulling 770+ watts from the wall when I was playing crysis 3.  I know your CPU draws less than mine, but still you don't want your PSU running at max all the time. It will operate better in the 50%-80% range. I would really suggest upgrading the PSU.

*Just so you know I was able to get this card on a deal on newegg for $335. So you may want to monitor prices for a little while before you buy the 2nd card. The 7970 will also crossfire with the 280x in case it goes off the market.

Question 4

Does Eyefinity on this card work with 6 monitors at the same time?

Accepted Answer

My previous Nvidia 660ti worked on three monitors at once - 2x DVI and 1 HDMI.  The XFX 7970 cannot do that - it forces you to choose between the second DVI and the HDMI via the "Exchange Display" tab.  So most likely it can only do four monitors if you have two cards.  When I disable the secondary monitor and use only one, the EyeFinity control panel only lets me pick amongst two displays.  So I'm pretty sure it can't do it.

Question 5

can I crossfire this card with a 7950 from another manufacturer?

Accepted Answer

According to amd's official chart "yes" but your clock speeds will be lowered on the 7970. Might be cheaper and better to get anoter 7950 if you have one already

Question 6

Would this be a significant upgrade from an EVGA 2GB 192 bit 660ti?

Accepted Answer

Here's some of the benchmarks I used in making this decision:
videocardbenchmark -> high_end_gpus

Here's another:
anandtech -> bench -> product -> 768?vs=860

Apparently I can't link to other sites, but this is some easy research. For videocardbenchmark, you look at the high end GPU and compare numbers. For Anandtech, you compare two GPUs from 2013. Then View the comparison.

It will be an improvement, but how much will depend. Are you going to be using higher resolutions? If so, having a the 3GB over the 2GB could make a difference. But 2GB should be fine for most of the common resolutions of up to 1080p.

You will be fine with either card, but the 7970 Ghz should give you more power. If you do get it, try to get some free games out of it. That also adds to the value of the card.

Question 7

The fan at the rear of the card (opposite of the monitor connectors) has started to make a lot of noise. I have removed the card, aired it out, and it is dust free and shows no damage. The card doesn't get above average temperature under load. Should I worry about it or just be glad I have noise cancelling headphones?

Accepted Answer

It's possible that the fan has become a little warped due to the high temperatures and it might be grinding against something. Can you take off the side panel from your computer to see if anything is there or to see of the fan itself is hitting aanything? Otherwise I would try to RMA if possible since generally those types of issues get worse with time.

Question 8

I am impressed with how this manufacturer responds to complaints directly without using a canned copy, and paste response. What are the usual turnaround times for rmas with xfx, and is it pretty much quick/painless (less than 21 days, and fully repaired)?

Accepted Answer

Once rma was approved, the process was quick and painless. Had the new/repaired card in days.

Questions & Answers