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This is the first HIS graphics card box that has appealed to me. The simple, dark colour scheme looks dramatic set against the product name.
The bundle is extensive, including video adapters, a Crossfire connector, software disc and literature on the product. HIS also include the ‘weight lifter' – a plastic support bridge which negates weight applied to the PCI e slot. This bundle also includes a download code for Dirt Showdown from Codemasters – a worthy addition.
The HIS 7970 X Turbo 3GB IceQ X2 is built around a blue PCB. The large cooler overhangs the PCB a little on one side.
This card is Crossfire capable in 2, 3 and 4 way configurations.
It requires power from two 8 pin PCI E power cables. In theory this card could demand up to 375W of power.
The I/O backplate is a custom design with a button positioned top left. There is a single DVI port, a single full sized HDMI connector and four mini DisplayPorts.
The rear I/O panel button switches between output configurations as shown above. This is not a ‘Turbo' button to enhance clock speeds.
The cooler is a substantial design with a copper base connected to four thick heatpipes which lead into two separate racks of aluminum fins on either side. The two large fans cover the complete length of the cooler ensuring air flow to the components underneath is maximised. HIS are using a separate black heatsink plate to cool the memory and VRM's.
An overview of the HIS 7970 X Turbo 3GB IceQ X2, built around the 28nm Tahiti core. 1,180mhz core and 1,500mhz memory (6Gbps effective) speeds. The card has dual geometry engines, eight render back ends, 2048 unified shaders, 32 color ROPs per clock and 128 Z/stencil ROPs per clock.
Thats one of the sexiest video cards ive seen to date!
havent had the change to read the whole review, but i need to ask why only OCUK stock these cards? I dont like ordering from them as I had bad experiences before.
I need to ask, did Sapphire sell the HD7970 6GB Toxic at all in the UK? I never even saw it listed and I watched amazon, OCUK, DABS and ARIA for a week.
This looks like a good second choice, but I want the turbo version. any ideas on stock?
7950 is better value, although its nice to see some competition to Sapphire as XFX has disappeared this year.
Shame you cant buy this one yet however
HIS are as far as I know, ONLY stocked in OCUK, not sure why. I have read that warranty is a concern with HIS, but OCUK replaced a dead card for me last year from HIS without a problem.
I love the look of this card, and I also think its great to see Sapphire getting competition this year, they are alone up here at the top spot.
One thing I dont understand is why HIS include that weight lifter thing, does it actually work, and do we need it? surely the screw on a case can hold the card in place better?
I would love to try something like this, im an nvidia purist, but im getting bored and want to try the ‘other team’ for a change. only thing is I had a terrible time with catalyst drivers in the past.
are they any better now, or still as crap?
Great card, I have always been fan of HIS, because they never disappoint !
And could you guys also use OpenGL in Unigine Heaven? I would be interested of the performence difference between Direct3D and OpenGL, since Valve has said that OpenGL is faster + NVIDIA also.
Great card. It’s unbelieveable quiet and mining bitcoins it does steady 600Mhash/s.
I can recommend this for everyone how has the money needed for the card.