AMD Radeon Price drops

[Frakk]

AMD cuts prices on high-end cards to tackle nVidia

* 1GB 7950 down $40 to $190
* 2GB 7850 also drops $40 to $210
* 2GB 7870 down $50 to $250
* 3GB 7950 down $30 to $320

AMD's prices are already lower than Nvidia, i don't think they actually need to do this.

This looks very aggressive from AMD, Nvidia have to respond.

 

[freakdiablo]

Real nice AMD. And I was having a hard enough time trying to keep myself from upgrading. Any word if the 7970s dropping in price? Article doesn't seem to mention.

 

[doz]

Considering a GTX670 can be had for $380, its necessary for a price-drop. $60 premium but you also get a card that at 1080p is faster (what the MAJORITY of people would be running).

I just feel horrible for being an early adopter on the 7970. God that hurt the pocket book and it was the worst AMD card Ive owned EVER!

 

[Frakk]

Considering a GTX670 can be had for $380, its necessary for a price-drop. $60 premium but you also get a card that at 1080p is faster (what the MAJORITY of people would be running).

I just feel horrible for being an early adopter on the 7970. God that hurt the pocket book and it was the worst AMD card Ive owned EVER!

The 7950 had a base clock 20% under what was right for it, (800Mhz) that's now being put right with the new BIOS.

And besides that people are running those earlier 7950's at 50% overclocks no problem, they are more than happy with the card its self, its performance, which is right up there and they have a cheeky 50% overclock boast.
No need to feel sorry for them, they don't feel sorry.
Every card from the AMD line is just as capable as the Nvidia equivalent, including 7950 vs GTX 670 and 7870 vs GTX 660ti, overclocked or not.

 

[doz]

Not doubting what you are saying but overclocked vs. overclocked, the GTX670 still wins @1080p and below. Amd needed a price drop as $350 vs. $380, Id take the better drivers and faster speeds all day with GTX670. With AMD dropping their prices $30, its more competitive now atleast.

 

[Frakk]

Not doubting what you are saying but overclocked vs. overclocked, the GTX670 still wins @1080p and below. Amd needed a price drop as $350 vs. $380, Id take the better drivers and faster speeds all day with GTX670. With AMD dropping their prices $30, its more competitive now atleast.

Sure, because its not a close to the 7970 as the GTX 670 is to the GTX 680.

 

[doz]

Dude... Maybe you arent getting it but the 7950 is a decent amount slower than the gtx670. Enough so that $30 price difference shouldnt even be a squabble (plus better drivers). $30 price drop WAS needed to stay competitive. Also, GTX680 is far and above better than the 7970 but the pricing reflects it there. Ive owned both and can attest that a 7970 with a big overclock is slower than a gtx680 with a small overclock (in everything except 3dmark11 if you cheat with the 7970).

 

[Bobnova]

Very necessary, I was hoping for this as I said in my 660Ti review

I think Nvidia is either severely overcharging for the 670 or is taking a loss on the 660Ti to starve AMD for funds. Either way, it means cheaper ATI cards for us!

 

[Supertrucker]

What do you consider big and small overclocks, what do you consider cheating in 3d11, and what % about do you consider far and away better when you say that the 680 beats the 7970. Because my experience with my 7950 as compared to reviews of 670s doesnt stack up to what you say your experience was. But I must be cheating 3d11 without realizing it if what you say is true, because my 7950 lines up with a mildly overclocked 680 from what I've seen.

 

[doz]

Go with your 3dmark11 then. Ill go with the games I play and take NVidias offering this time around any day of the week. Im no fan-boy as Ive had AMD since my AMD 9500 but the 7970 doesnt have **** on a GTX680.

I cannot remember the setting, but there was something you could change to boost your AMD score. I only called it cheating as even though my 7970 score was higher than my GTX680, the 7970 could never touch the 680 in gaming.

Also big overclocks? 1250//1700 on my 7970. My GTX680 stock was doing slightly better in BF3 (main taxing game I play) than my overclocked 7970. Overclock the 680 and it only gets better. Not only that, gameplay overall was MUCH smoother. Every other game I played as well, gameplay was smooth.

I really think part of it was due to **** drivers but the 680 is also stronger than the 7970 and anyone who says different is in denial. Id like to see what others say who have OWNED both.

 

[trekky]

BF3 is MADE for Nvidia cards OF course it will run better!
it would me says that 680 was a crap because it mines bitcoin ALOT slower then a 7970 (or any amd card)
the Reason? bitcoin are MADE for AMD cards not nvidia
the 7970 will beat the 680 in games made for amd and the 680 will beat the 7970 in games made for nvidia
PERIOD

 

[raident30]

BF3 is MADE for Nvidia cards OF course it will run better!
it would me says that 680 was a crap because it mines bitcoin ALOT slower then a 7970 (or any amd card)
the Reason? bitcoin are MADE for AMD cards not nvidia
the 7970 will beat the 680 in games made for amd and the 680 will beat the 7970 in games made for nvidia
PERIOD

i agree with this...

never bought an amd card before but with the price drop im gonna think twice about upgrading to a 670...

 

[gammerx]

i agree with this...

never bought an amd card before but with the price drop im gonna think twice about upgrading to a 670...

I mean with borderlands 2 included its hard not to :x I just bit on the 660ti

 

[I.M.O.G.]

I cannot remember the setting, but there was something you could change to boost your AMD score. I only called it cheating as even though my 7970 score was higher than my GTX680, the 7970 could never touch the 680 in gaming.

AMD drivers allow disabling tesselation, and I believe thats what makes the big difference you are referencing. In competitive benchmarking, driver configuration is encouraged/permitted... Often times the manufacturers cater to that.

While your experience may be true for gaming (I don't know much about gaming, so I'd imagine you are right)... On the benchmarking side the 7970 is cleaning house, holding most of the 3D world records.

Benchmarks are just benchmarks, but there are a couple reasons for that, one is driver optimiations, but the other is that the 7970's are just easier to overclock. The design of the GTX 680 is more complicated, you have to mess with boost clocks, and modifying it is a lot harder.

Just posting to clarify where things stand on benchmarking. The GTX 680 has been better with overclocking in a couple 3d benchmarks, but only in the hands of the best professional overclockers (employed by manufacturers). The 7970 is an easier to overclock card.

 

[Supertrucker]

FWIW I don't disable tessilation, I think the default is amd optimized, though I haven't ever played with it. I was asking what you consider big and small overclocks because in most reviews I have read, the ghz 7970 is on par with the 680 in games. It wins some and it loses some. If yours was clocked at 1250 and losing to a stock 680 in all of your games either drivers were really, really bad when it launched, you happen to own every game that.favors nvidia, or something was wrong.

Given the performance boost that rolled out the last few drivers, I'm inclined to think it was that. But I didn't move to a 7 series till after the 670 launch, and I have been enjoying my card and its performance with the current optimized drivers.

 

[raident30]

I mean with borderlands 2 included its hard not to :x I just bit on the 660ti

lol i see, its hard not to but there's a 40k difference on the bandwidth between 660ti and 670... 148k(not so sure) vs 190k on the 670

 

[gammerx]

lol i see, its hard not to but there's a 40k difference on the bandwidth between 660ti and 670... 148k(not so sure) vs 190k on the 670

$240 vs. $400... to me it was a no brainer, plus I'm still running on a friggin 1280x1024 monitor! xD

 

[Woomack]

7870 for ~$250 looks reasonable. Maybe not cheap but still much better than anything from nvidia.
I was actually thinking to get 1-2 monitors more just have no space for them in my room

 

[raident30]

$240 vs. $400... to me it was a no brainer, plus I'm still running on a friggin 1280x1024 monitor! xD

well yes but here in our country the 660ti is still at 400 and the 670 is at 500 very expensive... i wish nvidia would have a price drop as AMD has a price drop here too...

 

[Frakk]

Dude... Maybe you arent getting it but the 7950 is a decent amount slower than the gtx670. Enough so that $30 price difference shouldnt even be a squabble (plus better drivers). $30 price drop WAS needed to stay competitive. Also, GTX680 is far and above better than the 7970 but the pricing reflects it there. Ive owned both and can attest that a 7970 with a big overclock is slower than a gtx680 with a small overclock (in everything except 3dmark11 if you cheat with the 7970).

Clock for clock there is no difference GTX 680 vs 7970, have a look for yourself http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-7970-ghz-edition-review-benchmark,3232.html

Don't try and turn this into an Nvidia is better than AMD, that's utter nonsense.

Very necessary, I was hoping for this as I said in my 660Ti review

I think Nvidia is either severely overcharging for the 670 or is taking a loss on the 660Ti to starve AMD for funds. Either way, it means cheaper ATI cards for us!

Or the other way round.

Apart from the GTX 670 none of the Nvidia cards make any sense at there price levels, they are expensive compared with AMD cards now, if Nvidia don't drop there prices they will end up starved of founds, AMD have already had good founds, especially from the 78## series cards and early on when the 7970 was way over priced being the monster card for a while on release.

They have plenty of room to maneuver, thats what there doing.