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HIS HD 7770 GHz Edition IceQ X Turbo 1GB Graphics card:
Thanks to a worthwhile factory overclock from HIS, the 7770 GHz Edition IceQ X Turbo is a card which has the muscle to offer playable frame rates for most of our tested games at a 1920×1080 resolution, albeit some with slightly reduced image quality settings.
We were slightly disappointed by the fact that we couldn't push the card's core frequency past the out-of-the-box value of 1100MHz, but this is forgivable for a card that is factory overclocked by 10%. Memory overclocking reaped worthy rewards; a frequency jump of almost 23% allowed us to obtain a performance boost of 9-11% in Crysis 2.
As far as design goes, the HIS 7770GHz Edition IceQ X Turbo's only real difference from a reference AMD 7770 is its cooler. The open-fan IceQ X cooler provided quiet operation and its heat dissipation performance was acceptable. HIS deserves credit for switching to its new IceQ cooler design; the modern versions are much better than the ugly and loud variants of old.
The very basic bundle that is supplied with HIS' factory overclocked, IceQ X Turbo edition of the 7770 card is disappointing. We would have liked at least a CrossFire bridge to be supplied, let alone some form of power adapter.
HIS' 7770 GHz Edition IceQ X Turbo graphics card doesn't seem to be available at the larger retailers, but we did find it for £104.87 from Systo UK. At this price, the HIS 7770 GHz Edition IceQ X Turbo 1GB graphics card is a tough purchase because many similarly-overclocked HD 7770 cards are available for under £100. Aria sells Gigabyte's Radeon 7770 OC for £95.99, and that card features a higher out-of-the-box memory frequency.
If HIS can improve the 7770 GHz Edition IceQ X Turbo graphics card's availability at under £100, it will be able to offer stiffer competition.
The HIS 7770 GHz Edition IceQ X Turbo 1GB graphics card showed good out-of-the-box performance, thanks to its factory-applied frequency boost, and good memory overclocking headroom. The card's IceQ X cooler is able to quietly keep the card cool, but it isn't anything out of the ordinary, in comparison to competing manufacturers' models.
Pros:
- Factory overclocked
- Good memory overclocking headroom
- Quiet cooler
- Attractive appearance
Cons:
- Basic bundle
- Priced higher than competing Radeon HD 7770 graphics cards
KitGuru says: An attractive card which features a worthwhile factory overclock and a quiet cooler, but is priced higher than its competitors.
HIS HD 7850 IceQ 2GB Graphics card:
Using enhanced power delivery components, the HIS 7850 IceQ 2GB graphics card is able to offer excellent power consumption figures and low operating temperatures.
Unfortunately, those enhanced power delivery components don't translate into good overclocking headroom. We were very disappointed to see the HIS 7850 IceQ's core frequency topping out at less than 1GHz – 980MHz to be precise. Memory overclocking was good, with the Elpida chips reaching 1430MHz.
With the HIS 7850 IceQ graphics card's overclocked frequencies of 980MHz core and 1430MHz memory, Crysis 2 saw a healthy boost in its average frame rates.
HIS has taken a gamble with the design of the 7850 IceQ graphics card. Its improved power delivery components will undoubtedly increase its price, as will the large IceQ cooler. While this gamble didn't pay off in terms of performance and overclocking headroom, the power components' extra efficiency does help the HIS 7850's IceQ cooler to maintain low temperatures at a desirable noise level.
Our biggest complaint comes from the needlessly-oversized IceQ cooler. The extra 10mm of air intake does little to improve cooling performance, but certainly has the potential to cause multi-card users headaches.
Another negative point for HIS' 7850 IceQ graphics card is the product line-up in which it is situated. HIS has so many identically named and indistinguishable cards in its product line that making the correct purchase based on a trip to the manufacturer's website isn't as easy as it should be.
Priced at £169.99 from OverclockersUK, the HIS 7850 IceQ graphics card is one of the more expensive reference-clocked 7850 cards on the market. Limited availability has again had a negative effect for HIS, as MSI, XFX, Sapphire and Gigabyte all have 2GB 7850 graphics cards available for less than £160 at Scan and Aria.
With an effective cooling solution and efficient power components, HIS' 7850 IceQ is a card which is let down by its current price and awkward form factor. Our sample's core overclocking headroom was also disappointing, but this could be the individual card, not the entire series.
Pros:
- High performance cooling solution
- Efficient power delivery components
- Good memory overclocking potential
- Good out-of-the-box performance
Cons:
- Priced higher than many competing Radeon HD 7850 graphics cards
- Cooler is larger than 2 slots
- Our sample had poor core overclocking potential
KitGuru says: While HIS has implemented an enhanced power delivery design and a high performance cooler, the 7850 IceQ's larger-than-dual-slot form factor and uncompetitive price tag steer it away from an award.
Sapphire HD 7850 Dual-X 1GB Graphics card:
Sapphire's 1GB Dual-X-equipped 7850 graphics card offers very good out-of-the-box performance which proves that 1GB of VRAM is still enough for today's mid-range cards, in many circumstances.
We were impressed by the 1GB card's ability to keep pace with the higher-priced 2GB variant from HIS. This gives an indication that many of today's games and benchmarks don't require an extra gigabyte of frame buffer on a mid-range card.
Overclocking potential of the Dual-X card was excellent. We were able to surpass the 1GHz core frequency barrier by 11%, reaching a maximum speed of 1110MHz. Memory overclocking didn't reveal figures that were as good as those that we obtained from the HIS cards, but 1350MHz is still a good overclock.
With a high memory and core frequency overclock, Sapphire's Dual-X 7850 was able to offer a large performance boost in Crysis 2.
The Sapphire 7850 Dual-X 1GB graphics card's design is very good. Sapphire uses a non-reference, but very popular, PCB design which shrinks the board's length to just 206mm. Instead of taking HIS' approach, Sapphire has designed the cooler around the PCB, meaning that it is a perfect fit and doesn't cause any interference issues.
Sapphire's Dual-X cooler does a very good job at quietly cooling the Pitcairn GPU. The dual fan unit's performance wasn't quite as good as that of HIS' IceQ model, but the noise output was lower. Rectangular in shape and black in appearance, Sapphire's use of the effective Dual-X cooler results in an attractive, non-interfering graphics card.
Priced at £134.99 from Amazon, Sapphire's Dual-X-equipped 1GB 7850 represents good value for money. It is amongst the cheapest 1GB 7850 cards available and comes equipped with an excellent dual fan cooler.
Pros:
- Excellent cooling solution
- Good out-of-the-box performance
- Very good overclocking potential.
- Non-intrusive design
- Attractive appearance
Cons:
- Tough competition at the £135 price point
KitGuru says: A competitively-priced graphics card which comes equipped with a high performance, low noise cooler and has good overclocking headroom.
Thats a nice looking Sapphire board, great price too.
I have a single fan Sapphire HD7850 and its excellent, this would be wicked. Might try and sell mine on ebay and pick this up at that price, before it rises