Conclusion

With their Radeon HD 7970 PowerColor offer probably the best bundle we have seen on a reference design card so far. We get all the cables and connectors which would be required by a consumer, even those looking for a multi-screen setup. Additionally PowerColor are the only manufacturer to include a free game (from the cards we have seen today).

Looking at the build quality which matches the AMD model we have a card which improves on the 6970 right from the cooler down to the more technical aspects such as the overall core design which is better suited to future performance. Quality components are used throughout and the card feels solid. In terms of performance we have a card which, as with many releases, is designed to perform well now and into the future. As such features like PCIe 3.0 and DirectX 11.1 won't be fully taken advantage of until other software and components are available.

In today's games the PowerColor 7970 beats the GTX 580 convincingly in the majority of titles but really excels in CrossFire mode where AMD often have scaling working very well. Particular highlights were Shogun 2 and the recently released Star Wars: The Old Republic.

In terms of value, the prices listed for 7970 cards today are fluctuating by the minute very much to extremes. Cards can be found for as little as £420 on pre-order though which beats the £560 we have seen elsewhere by some way. Keep your eyes peeled for good deals now and in the coming days.

Summary
Even at this early stage CrossFire works well on PowerColors 7970 but even in single card mode it offers performance which is above any of the competition.

RRP: TBC