ASUS 7970 Matrix Platinum
Introduction and Technical Specifications
Published: 22nd October 2012 | Source: ASUS | Price: £400 |
Introduction
It was back at the turn of the New Year that we first reviewed the HD7970 and we found it to be a stunning comeback from AMD after the rather poor showing of the 6 series cards. Indeed it still stands up well against the GTX680 and is a good choice for anyone who is looking for premium performance.
In fact one of the most impressive aspects of the reference cards we looked at all those months ago was how well they handled an overclock, remaining cool and quiet under the most demanding of tests.
Since then the bods at ASUS have been beavering away throwing every available bell and whistle at the Tahiti XT GPU core and have finally released their take on the top-end single GPU Radeon, the ASUS HD7970 Matrix Platinum.
A triple-slot monster this has everything but the kitchen sink. Has the lengthy gestation and multiple features proven worth the wait?
Technical Specifications
As is always the case with GPUs the main specifications don't tell the full story. The HD7970 Matrix Platinum (hereafter the Matrix) has a decent factory overclock of 175MHz on the core and an effective 1.1GHz GDDR5 when compared to a stock reference card. Otherwise the main point of note is the inclusion of 4 native DisplayPort connections. Even the most hardcore gamer probably only has three displays for Eyefinity, so to say this is a niche feature is understating things.
The final big improvement is in the power phase. Rather than the 12 phase the reference card has the Matrix comes with 20 Phase VRM as well as VRM overclocking and Loadline calibration options.
Most Recent Comments
(Except for NZXT, that was pretty funny!)ASUS could have at least sent a cherry picked review sample, so they wouldn't look as bad.
By the way, Tom, is it planned for the future to get the graphs in HTML5 instead of Flash (or some sort of compromise). I went on this on a mobile device and none of the numbers would show.
tom was swearing and that doesnt happen often
I really get the sense that they are using the Republic of Gamers branding on products that aren't really that premium. If they continue to dilute the brand it will become worthless. I also don't think the lights on the side of the card are a good idea, makes it look like a cheap afterthought to distract from the cards main fault: Performance.
the platinums ARE cherry picked...hence the "Platinum"
different version becasue they are all upside-down giddy with the results.
comparo to GTX and gains over the reference cards, you'd thought the 2nd
coming was in this card. dribble... just dribble.. cost to performance ratio is
so lope-sided.
"....11% performance improvement over the regular HD 7970 and a 3% boost
over the HD 7970 GHz and MSI HD 7970 Lightning." for 35-40% more cost to
the Lightning?
but nobody else is barking about the low frequency clocking ability. edged by the
PowerColor at more cost?
should have been stomped a mud-hole in the competitions butt on this purchase.
but instead "edged-out" by its competitor..
ASUS good for you, but i think this is not a great card from the stables of ROG
performance line..
another spot-on point was the RBG lighting and the control. Corsair Link was
getting similar flack on the "effect" and gave "ownership" to the end-user instead
of locking them out. same aurguement, "oohh it changes under load.." obvious
reply, "MEH".
just my opinion...
airdeano
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Originally Posted by 233Kosta
I always hate to see good manufacturers righteously get their bollocks handed to them
(Except for NZXT, that was pretty funny!): |
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Originally Posted by Lollipop
Contradiction.
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if my money tree didnt die, id buy another and send it to tom to see if the results be similar
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Originally Posted by badtaylorx
thats why i think this one was a dud....it happens.....
if my money tree didnt die, id buy another and send it to tom to see if the results be similar |
I hope they send him one that performs to rectify the situation, otherwise they will suffer imho.
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Originally Posted by 233Kosta
I agree. I seriously doubt ASUS are stupid enough to brand a card for overclocking and then not cherry pick the chip that goes on it, especially when they'd be sending samples to reviewers such as TTL.
I hope they send him one that performs to rectify the situation, otherwise they will suffer imho. |
puzzled looks. but reading other reviews, it sounds pretty on par with
what Tom's already said as far as performance. they just "gussied" the print
up for specatular effects. not saying speaks as loud..
airdeano
My trust in Tom's reviews surpasses anything else on youtube. They're just the most detailed and honest videos I've seen on youtube. (to me if Tom says it's bad - it's bad, end of)
Off to google now to see what people write about this card.
Obviously this card isn't all they say it is
Regards.
C.
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Originally Posted by DB006
tl;dr, Tom, have you re tested using 12.11beta 4's?
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Originally Posted by tinytomlogan
Theres only 24 hours in a single day so sadly not. If I retest this why shouldnt I retest all the other 7970's or even 680's because they have new drivers out too!
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Originally Posted by tinytomlogan
Theres only 24 hours in a single day so sadly not. If I retest this why shouldnt I retest all the other 7970's or even 680's because they have new drivers out too!
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Or
Mars, as one Marian day = 58 days and 15 hrs Sol days
Or do what said
Regards.
C.
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We finally get our hands on the top-line HD7970 from ASUS, the Matrix Platinum. Has it been worth the lengthy wait?
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