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Today we are checking out the Gigabyte Radeon HD 7770 OC Edition, which has been designed from the ground up featuring a custom PCB, upgraded cooling setup, and factory overclocking. Despite the numerous improvements that Gigabyte has been able to make, they have also managed to hit the MSRP right on target...
AMD recently expanded their Radeon HD 7000 series with some affordable options which included the HD 7770 and HD 7750. With an MSRP of just $159 US the Radeon HD 7770 is slightly cheaper than the GeForce GTX 560, yet more expensive than the HD 6770 which it is ultimately replacing.
Codenamed Cape Verde XT, this new budget orientated GPU features roughly 1500 million transistors in a die size of just 123mm2. Although the core configuration has been cut down when compared to the old Radeon HD 6770, AMD has adopted the new GCN (Graphics Core Next) architecture which is more efficient. The Radeon HD 6870, which was previously the highest clocked Radeon graphics card to date, operates its core at 900MHz. The Radeon HD 7770 on the other hand comes standard at a much more aggressive 1000MHz. However for those of you who think a 1GHz core frequency isn’t enough, it seems Gigabyte agrees as their OC version comes clocked at 1.1GHz. The AMD AIC (Add-In Card) partners have been quick to jump on the Radeon HD 7700 series and already just 2 weeks after launch there are well over a dozen different examples. However if you are looking for a Radeon HD 7770 graphics card that sticks to the MSRP while still offering factory overclocking and an upgraded cooler, then we have just the product - the Gigabyte GV-R777OC-1GD, which is arguably the best value HD 7770 graphics card available at $159 US. |
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rumblejack |
Posted on: 02/29/2012 10:42 AM
I have a pair of the GTX 550 Ti cards which use the same cooler. They are great  Thanks for the review. |
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ProX |
Posted on: 02/29/2012 10:54 AM
Very nice 7770. Now we just need them to be about 30% cheaper! :S |
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radioactive |
Posted on: 02/29/2012 09:29 PM
I so wanted to upgrade my 5770 CF cards to a pair of these but I think I will wait. |
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RS Posts: 3 Joined: 2011-08-17 |
Posted on: 03/01/2012 02:04 PM
HD7770 is insanely overpriced. Loses to HD6870 in almost all scenarios, can't even beat a stock HD6850, despite being overclocked. Costs more than either of these cards. Also, the fact that HD6850 and HD6870 have been around for more than a year makes the lackluster performance of HD7750 and HD7770 even worse. We should be getting HD6850 level of performance for $109 at this point and HD6870 level of performance for $129 or so. Under no circumstances does it make any sense for HD7770 to cost more than an HD6870 which can be found for $145-160, easily. All those added features of GCN architecture and added benefits of lower power consumption due to 28nm are what a customer should get for "free" anyway as technology improves. The price/performance curve should continue and just like with GTX550TI and HD7770, the price/performance curve is worse. This card makes no sense at all, not unless it has a $30-40 price cut. Is HD7850 and HD7870 going to be just as disappointing? 15 months later after the launch of HD6950 with similar performance to an unlocked HD6950? $249-299? Yawn. HD7950 for $450 15 months later than GTX580 and also barely faster. It would be too easy to point the finger at AMD. Instead I think I'll rather point the finger to consumers who are buying this new Tech -- You chaps have really have low standards for what's expected out of next generation products. For the rest us, we await a 40-50% performance increase, which is what's expected at a similar price level across new generations. |
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Offordef |
Posted on: 03/02/2012 08:56 PM
Looks like we will not get the performance increases we had with the 8800 series or 4870 and 5870. On the other hand, until we will see a new breed of consoles the current GPU generation (well.... nV where are you?) is insanely powerful. DX11 (with stuff like Tesselation) does not bring that much of a visual difference at this moment to justify the cost and need of multiple cards unless you run above 1900. Will skip this round of upgrading......for now. |
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Alpha |
Posted on: 12/22/2012 06:34 PM
8-Month outcome: December 2012, Black friday - 2012: had the MSI-7770 for $79, after savings. At the price, it was a great deal; definitely worth every penny. Upgraded from a 250 GTS, which I had originally purchased for over $200. - When the HD-8xxx series hit the market, I have a feeling, the remnants of the 7770 will sell naturally at $60-$70. Conclusion: If the card is priced at 70'ish it will become the new low best low priced cards: considering price/performance. - Also, unless new games become exponentially enhanced, I feel that newer cards aren't going to make a significant difference; without the games being intentionally poorly programmed. However, for video editors and those who somehow compute using the GPU, future cards will always be welcomed; every second counts. - All in all, don't expect performance increases above 15% every following year - reason being that, with insanely powerful releases, the following year would have great difficulty improving over the previous year. And hopefully the GPU company's aren't milking us for the performance - ensuring their sales by releasing products in small incremental improvements. |