AMD HD7770 Review
Conclusion
Published: 15th February 2012 | Source: AMD | Price: £119.99 |
Conclusion
Cards positioned at the £100-150 price-bracket have a very tough time indeed, such is the wealth of options available and the compromises that have to be made to get your GPU down to that price-point. This is especially true as time marches on because the previous generation of cards get ever cheaper, whilst the performance that they offer doesn't change. So, for example, the HD6790 which was a reasonable performing card at the time is still that now, but a bunch-load cheaper than it was at launch. The GTX560 (in both stock and Ti variants) are exceptional performers and now available right in the middle of that price-bracket.
According to the AMD literature the HD7770 is marketed at the GTX550Ti. According to the pricing it's actually up against the GTX560Ti and therein lies the big problem. Its performance is akin to the GTX550, or the HD6790, so why would you spend the extra money to get something that performs in a manner similar to the cards in the price-bracket below, and is stomped by cards available for similar money with nearly identical features such as the GTX560Ti or HD6870? The HD6870 is a particularly thorny issue for AMD, as it's about the same money, is still a DirectX11 card with all the Eyefinity support and the like, but with better performance and is from the same company. It is one thing to be beaten by a rival, but beaten by something you've already produced?
It's not all doom and gloom though. The HD7770 just has a very niche audience.
If you want a card that would be perfect in an HTPC setting, this is definitely a great choice. It's really low-power and as near to silent as makes no difference. Plus you have all the outputs necessary to plug it in to whatever display you desire. If you don't care two hoots about gaming and just want a card that can pump a display out to six screens for your design work or whatever, then once again it's a great choice. If you don't mind casual gaming and will play on a 19" screen at medium settings, it will suit you perfectly well. Although of course so will many other cards that cost much less.
So if you're a hardcore gamer, it's probably best to look at the GTX560 or HD6870 for a start, depending upon your loyalties. If you just want something that is quiet and fits in your HTPC setup with no gaming required, there are plenty of cards that will do that, at less money (the HD7950 for one).
But if you want to game a bit, and yet still have many screens running, and want silence, and want something new that is low-power, then it's worth taking a look at the HD7770, and for that it just about scrapes our Bronze award.
Thanks to AMD for supplying the HD7770 for review. Discuss in our forums.
Most Recent Comments
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Originally Posted by Lollipop
Just woke up, can't wait... |
If you look at the 6 series launch prices, the 7xxx equivalent should come in at the same and replace the lower model, maybe priced £10 or £20 higher than last gen but not £100+ more like we are seeing now.
6770 - £100 this is where the 7770 should be at around £100 new - actual price is ~£130
6850 - £150 this is where the 7850 should be at around £150 new - actual price will be ~£250+ (rumored)
6870 - £170 this is where the 7870 should be at £170 new - actual price will be ~£280+ (rumored)
6950 - £250 this is where the 7950 should be at around £250 new - actual price is £350+
6970 - £300 this is where the 7970 should be at around £350 new - actual price is £450+
If it wasn't for these cards being priced as high as they are, they would be much better because price to performance would be good, but at the moment it's not. I just hope when Nvidia launches Kepler the prices even out, for now i'll stick with my 6850.*
but beyond that i do think the first 1GHz card is a milestone for sure....
congrats AMD
The 2gb version can be got for under £200.
So what I am trying to say is , for £50 quid more you can get alot more card if you are prepared to look around.
Thanks TTL for another honest review, I was suprised you gave it a Bronze award though
, You are in a generous mood as for recommending the 6850 that's oki rite now but that choice wont always be around unless you want to go down the 2nd hand route,
Personally I like the card but more interested in the 7800 cards
Why? Well. It's a £110-odd card, and for that you get a very quiet and cool chip which performs QUITE well in Black OPS - I mean, it probably averaged about 30-40FPS and it was around the 90FPS mark for a considerable amount of time.
Admittedly you'd be better with a 6850 or a similar card, perhaps even an nVidia rival of the 6770. BUT really, this card would be perfect for a tight budget media/gaming build - medium settings with a decent frame rate in new-ish games will suffice for many on a low budget. I mean. You could probably build a decent system with one of these for about the £400-£500 range.
This card is definitely good for those looking for a card for a HTPC or Entertainment system - it's very quiet and cool; it's not over-priced TOO MUCH; it's small (therefore good for a Mini-ITX or MATX board) and it's very low on the power consumption front. Another bonus is the ability to CrossFire with another one, as there are one or two reviews floating around showing the performance in CrossFire to be quite good.
Pros
- Average value (a tad overpriced);
- Very quiet
- Cool;
- Small & Compact;
- 30-40FPS on quite a few games on MAX settings (sufficient for some)
Cons
- Slightly overpriced;
- Not adequate for Eyefinity gaming at high res and settings;
- Not as good performance as some 6770s (which are cheaper);
- HIS isn't very "pretty" or stylish.
Thanks for the review. Enjoyed it.
or wait till GTX 6xx ?
I play Call of Duty 1, UO, 2, 4, 5. BattleField 2, 3 and BC2. Axis and Allies (not much anymore). and Company of Heroes
my GTS 250 rums the game fine but i think i need something New(er) soon ...
MSI Z68A-GD65 (G3)
Intel Core i5 2500 3.8GHz Turbo 4 CORES
COOLER MASTER Hyper N 520
8GB (2x4G
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AZZA Hurrican 2000
TT Black mouse (would love a new mouse Corsair m60? )
Logitech wave (would love a new Keyboard Corsair K60? )
W7 Pro 64-Bit
ASUS LED BackLight 19"1440x900
Western Digital CB 500GB 7200 RPM SATA III
Patriot Pyro 60GB SSD
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The x770 cards from AMD have always been their most popular models, so does the HD7770 keep up this value and performance balance?
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