ASUS 7970 Matrix Platinum
Conclusion
Published: 22nd October 2012 | Source: ASUS | Price: £400 |
Conclusion
There is always a finite amount of joy to be had from finding our offices filled with the latest all-singing, all-dancing piece of hardware. We adore getting to play with new toys (and we all do otherwise you wouldn't be reading this, we wouldn't be writing this, and the local publican would have run out of beer) but there comes a time when you have to take a step backwards and see if what you have in your hands really is the finest garment ever woven or if you're standing like a slightly embarrassed Emperor looking for a top hat to hide his family jewels. With the ASUS HD7970 Matrix Platinum it's fair to say that you'll never trust a tailor again.
The sheer amount of time between the initial release of the Tahiti XT powered cards and the release of the Matrix is partly to blame. When the HD7970 first appeared it was deep into the business end of four hundred notes, and to get the amount of features available on the Matrix for less than a reference model would have been reason to let loose the balloons and take the weekend off. Unfortunately two things are against us doing that today.
Firstly it's not January any more and the Radeon cards have had a severe price cut, leaving the £400 Matrix considerably more expensive than the competition. Secondly, for unfathomable reasons, the card just isn't that fast. We don't mean we don't understand why this card isn't so fast. After all we're all well aware of how much of an effect the silicon lottery can have and not all chips are created equal. It's perfectly possible that the GPU at the heart of this particular Matrix is just not very good. We know that. What we fail to understand is how a card designed for people on the leading edge of overclocking, people who demand the absolute very best and have a cylinder of LN2 to prove their point, that ASUS haven't taken the decision to cherry pick the GPUs.
What is the point of having amazing voltage tweaking options if the GPU tops out at a meagre 1200MHz? It's not even as if the performance of the card is helped by the greatly increased power phases or enormous cooler. The reference PowerColor card we tested had a lower clock and generally matched the Matrix in performance terms, and the Gigabyte Windforce was cooler, overclocked further, and performed better. It's like the logo on the side which changes colour according to the GPU loading. Why produce something capable of the main colours people build systems in, and then use it to demonstrate something people don't care about? If the card is capable of changing them, why not give us control of that colour to match our system. For £400 we want it to blend in to our colour choice, not stand out against it.
Thankfully for ASUS the news isn't all bad, although all of the positives are due to the wonderful underlying Tahiti XT core, rather than anything in particular that the Matrix has to offer. The HD7970 is still a brilliant card, and still a fantastic option for anyone who wants to game at high detail settings and high resolution. But the Matrix itself is disappointing. The cooler is a triple-slot but doesn't give any obvious benefits when compared to any dual-slot solutions. The voltage options and power phases are best in class, but they don't help us reach new heights. It's had all the bells and whistles thrown at it without any consideration placed on ensuring that the GPU at the heart of the card is carefully selected to make the best use of those bells and whistles.
Because the underlying GPU is still excellent, it has to win our Bronze award. Just get a standard model though, as all these frippery is meaningless until ASUS cherry pick the GPUs.
Thanks to ASUS for providing the HD7970 Matrix Platinum for review. Discuss our findings in the OC3D Forums.
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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