PowerColor HD7950 Pro Reviews

PowerColor’s HD 7950 Boost State is a great success on a number of fronts; it performs well at all resolutions, features a forward looking technology that’s bound to mature and most importantly, it should bring some attention back to AMD’s products amidst an ongoing litany of NVIDIA releases. But, while it may be a perfect example of an adaptable graphics card for today’s evolving gaming scene, we still have some concerns about its rollout, subsequent long-term viability within the market and some aspects of PowerColor’s chosen design. From the moment the Boost State edition was introduced, it felt highly reactionary rather than a strategic move which was planned out well in advance. However, due to its presence, AMD has deftly avoiding direct competition since none of their cards are currently going up against NVIDIA’s GTX 660 Ti in the $299 price bracket. The HD 7950 Boost now sits at $349 and it looks increasingly like the standard HD 7950 will receive a $30 price cut to clear out remaining inventory. Meanwhile, the HD 7870 lays low at the $249 mark which leaves NVIDIA’s newest card in sole possession of a given –albeit narrow- market segment. In essence, AMD opened a gap in their product stack by pushing one part into End of Life status while unveiling an evolved SKU and let the GTX 660 Ti slide right in, neutralizing what could have been a huge threat. This was a brilliant move which used a strategy of avoidance rather than confrontation to help promote the Radeon lineup.