Which 7950?

[denrok]

I'm looking to upgrade to a gpu mining rig and on a budget, i've seen that the 7950's come recommended but unsure which brand to go with, people seem to prefer the saphire, msi ones?

I was specifically looking at this one

http://cdn.videocardz.com/1/2013/02/Sapphire-HD-7950-Boost-3GB-1.jpg

would it be suitable or can someone recommend something else.

[Genoil]

No. Spend a bit more on a used R9 380, 390 or new RX480. 7950 are cheap but old, power hungry and not good at ETH any longer.

[Arnoldent]

It is better to buy a used R9 390 to mine the Ethereum or the RX 480. The 7950 is too old and not efficient.

[denrok]

Many thanks i will look out for some R9 380/390

[adaseb]

The 7950 uses the EXACT same amount of powers per mhs as a 380/390. All these GPUs are old 28nm technology.

 If you pay alot for power you need to either get the rx 480 or nvidia 1070.

[Biodom]

7950 can be had at GREAT prices right now=$100 or even below, shipped.
7950 TDP is 140W
I sold all mine, so i have no interest, but it could be great on a budget.
You can get two, hashing at 34mh at less than $200, using maybe 280w (for GPU only).
I say that it is good to try, but if you want long term, then RX 480.
RX 480 (without undervolting, etc) is 22-24 mh using 140-150W for $240-250 PLUS tax=$260-270.

TL;DR 7950 low price, RX480 higher price, but more mh/watt.

[Q_R_V]

You didn't told us how much you pay for KWh, if your electricity is cheap and don't want to spend much, 7950 might be not bad idea.

[QuintLeo]

7950 with at least 2 GB isn't a bad choice for Ethereum mining, especially since they can commonly be had quite cheaply.
The only real diff between the HD79xx/HD78xx series cards and their "R9 2xx" and "R9 3xx" replacements were BIOS updates, the actual GPU chips were often the same (or at most relabled).

 Down side - older, used, dunno how hard of usage cards are a bit higher risk.