AMD Radeon HD 7770 GHz Edition & HD 7750 Review - Conclusions

Submitted by skipclarke on 4 March, 2012 - 05:11

Article Type: 
Article
Teaser Icon: 
None

The Radeon HD 7700 family rounds out the bottom end of what I consider AMD's "gaming cards". The lower x400/x500/x600 family has historically be an under performer from a gaming perspective, and in my first series of reviews, I felt that the Radeon HD 5770 was the real "entry point" into gaming. Last generation, there really wasn't a replacement for this SKU. The Radeon HD 6770 was simply a re-branded HD 5770, the Radeon HD 6790 was the closest we had, and there was no retail Radeon HD 6750).


Radeon HD 7770 GHz Edition

The Radeon HD 7770 GHz Edition (GE) is a great marketing coup for AMD, as it gives them an "industry first" in having cards leaving the factory clocked at a reference speed of 1GHz. AMD could have tuned the speed slightly, and come in under the 75W threshold for not needing additional power. While in one sense, I would have loved to see the performance of the HD 7770 come without the need for external power, having this supplemental power will allow users to overclock well past this 1GHz baseline.

The HD 7770 GE is a decent performer in widescreen. It hits 30fps in majority of our tests (and a full 60fps in HAWX 2), though often only at 1600x900. With the industry pushing towards ever increasing tessellation and other graphical features, we are starting to see a point where 1GB of VRAM can be a limiting factor. While the Radeon HD 7770 GE will prove sufficient for many casual or mainstream gamers, more dedicated or hardcore gamers should start looking toward 2GB cards (or AIBs should come up with custom SKUs with RAM between 1-2GB).

The HD 7770 GE struggles in Eyefinity, and modern titles are certainly limited by the 1GB frame buffer. Whether you should pick up a Radeon HD 7770 GE will largely be determined on the feature set and price point of the impending Radeon HD 7800 series (and it's expected 2GB frame buffer).


Radeon HD 7750

Given the price point and performance, the Radeon HD 7750 would be my recommendation for users wanting to keep a cool, quiet rig in their media cabinet... In this generation, I don't see the WSGF making any possible recommendation of anything lower than the Radeon HD 7750 - there is simply no need to sacrifice any more performance for these [HTPC] applications.

The Radeon HD 7750 is certainly less of a performer than the HD 7700 GE, but it pulls its numbers in a much smaller, quieter and cooler package. Like the HD 7700 GE, it hits 30fps in a majority of our widescreen tests and could hit 60fps with a few tweaks here and there. The one great advantage of the HD 7750 is that it doesn't require external power and can be used in far more applications. The diminutive physical size and heat/thermal profile make it excellent for an HTPC or HDTV-based gaming rig. The reference design is extremely quiet, and AMD's partners are also launching fan-less "silent" versions.

Considering that your average HDTV is viewed at a distance of 10' or more, the graphical trade-offs needed to hit 60fps will be less noticeable to this user. Given the price point and performance, the Radeon HD 7750 would be my recommendation for users wanting to keep a cool, quiet rig in their media cabinet. In the past, I've relegated the sub-x700 families to the HTPC application, as they weren't up to the standards of even casual desktop gamers.

This go round, I find that a card in the low end of the mainstream line offers decent gaming performance, but also fits the requirements of the HTPC user. In this generation, I don't see the WSGF making any possible recommendation of anything lower than the Radeon HD 7750 - there is simply no need to sacrifice any more performance for these special applications. Considering the low power requirements, I wonder if we could possibly get 7750-class performance in future APU releases from AMD. Now THAT would be interesting...