PowerColor Pops the Top on Radeon HD 7950, Tweaks the Engine and Adds Custom Heatsink

Posted 01/31/2012 at 6:42am | by Paul Lilly

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Picture this: You're driving along in a remote area clear of people, animals, and other cars. There's a posted speed limit with a couple of bullet holes in it.  Do you tap the break and adjust your speed accordingly, or take a potshot of your own at the sign and slam the gas pedal in defiance? No matter which way you answer it, PowerColor has a Radeon HD 7950 SKU tailored just for you.

For those that tap the break and dutifully obey the speed limit, PowerColor's stock clocked 7950 is aimed at you. The engine clockspeed races along the pixel highway at 800MHz, and 3GB of GDDR5 memory hitched a ride on a 384-bit bus with the cruise control set to 1,250MHz, just like the reference blueprint calls for.

If you're the type that sets your own speed limit, PowerColor's PCS+ model is more up your alley. Everything's the same as the reference model except the engine clockspeed, which roars along at 880MHz. That won't have you flying through games by the seat of your pants, but it's an overclock nonetheless, and for some, it's also just a starting point. The PCS+ model sports a custom heatsink with dual 92mm fans, three 8mm heatpipes, and a pure copper base that covers the GPU and whisks heat away. PowerColor claims its custom heatsink provides 15 percent lower temperatures and is 20 percent quieter, providing the cooling headroom you need to overclock on your own without the accompanying noise pollution.

Price and availability? Good questions, and like you, we wish PowerColor would reveal the answer to both.

Image Credit: PowerColor