Unboxing The New ASUS Radeon HD 7970 And HD 7950 DirectCU II Graphics Cards

Hello all - here come the final editions of two new 28nm beasts from the ASUS production line, delivering the goodness of AMD "Tahiti" GPUs in all their 4.3 billion transistor glory. These are not ROG cards, so I can't officially tell you they're the choice of champions, but they're certainly awesome. Each one of these cards is enough to blast through the highest of game video settings like it was nothing, and they're also the harbingers of DirectX 11.1 enhancement, and of course PCI Express 3.0.

And since the ASUS mainstream line has these, you can start making plans for ROG versions, which may or may not transpire...I really don't know anything at this point in time, but if history teaches us anything, it's that ROG versions are a definite possibility.

In addition to the virtues of AMD Graphics Core Next technology, a 384-bit memory interface, 3GB of GDDR5, and 2048/1792 stream processors, respectively, the 7970 and 7950 ship with a slew of ASUS exclusive add-ons. These make them ever so better at overclocking and tuning. Both are DirectCU II versions, with copper heatpipes, bigger heatsinks, and dual fans that push more air. On average they're 20% cooler than reference, while the 7970 even runs 14dB quieter than stock.

GPU Tweak and VGA Hotwire are familiar to many ROG regulars, as they offer both software and hardware tuning and overvolting for different scenarios. And ASUS engineers have been able to fit the 7970 with both Super Alloy Power components for sturdier delivery, AND DIGI+ VRM, the digital voltage regulation design previously seen on select ASUS motherboards.

All of these factors culminate in truly bad boy graphics cards with some major muscle to their name. No worrying over slow down with these fellas. And they never even heard of screen tearing or texture pop.

Anyway, here are some select pics from an unboxing we did. You can check out the full story on our sister site, you know, the mainstream one...

 

The knight and warhorse characters come back to vanquish sad graphics yet again! 

 

Packaging is the usual high-grade ASUS stuff, secure and ready for shipping

 

The 7950 needs two 6-pin connectors to work, and takes up three slots, so keep that in mind

 

Four-screen AMD Eyefinity is achieved with ease here 

 

While the 7950 has the same shroud as previous DirectCU II cards, the 7970 comes with its own unit. It's also three slots, but needs two 8-pin connectors

 

It enables adapter-free six-screen AMD Eyefinity, quite a feat 

 

On the back, the 7970 gets a tough plate to help with card durability and heat mitigation

 

You can actually stand the 7970 on its end thanks to the squarish-looking cooler - a style I personally prefer

 

Viewed from above, the 7950 is surprisingly longer than the 7970

 

The same size difference is also apparent when looking at the two cards from the back - 7950 is taller

 

So there you have it. Will you be getting one of these, or bide your time until ROG sends a potential surprise our way? Maybe both? Let us know...

 

Plus, the knight and horse send their regards!