Running Furmark stress tests with no issues. Memory clock doesn't seem to matter but the game won't even load with an otherwise stable extra 100 mhz on my core clocks. I'm sure there's even more headroom on the card based on my temps in Furmark but Crysis doesn't seem to like it. With a lesser OC of like 20 mhz it'll load but it's unstable. Game is fine at stock core clocks.

use msi afterburner man

For me, I could never unlock my GPU with afterburner alone.

I had to use the Asus GPU tweak program to unlock, then I restarted my computer, uninstalled GPU Tweak and installed Afterburner.

BTW, on a reference card, the highest I got was 1200 Core and 1500 Memory Stable (1.2v Core)

I'm at 1260 Core and 1850 memory on a Closed Loop Water System (1.3v Core and 1.675v Mem)

Good luck!

BTW - What were your core and memory clocks when you tested and what model 7970 do you have? (I'm using the 1.175v model) Later reference cards got their voltage lowered as the GPU's got "batched" a lot better but kept their stock clocks, essentially lowering power output for stock clocks.

I'm using the Gigabyte HD 7970 OC. 1000/1375 stock. Max stable OC within comfortable temps are 1110-1515 with no voltage adjustments as it's locked, not that it would matter with my temps. The memory clock is fine for Crysis. It's just the core OC that it doesn't agree with. Other games like Skyrim all modded to hell and even the punishing Furmark are fine. It's just Crysis. Doesn't matter that much as the game runs great with a custom setting mixture of High and Very High with Hi res texture and 4X MSAA at 1080p. I'm just being OC OCD. Zing!!

Beta 13,2 driver better than 13,1 ?

Beta 13,2 driver better than 13,1 ?

Yes, essential performance boosts in Crysis 3.

I'm on 13.2 Beta 7 and have my 7970 overclocked to 1125/1575 MHz, all sliders maxed in MSI Afterburner, on stock voltage.

There's a way to unlock afterburner to overclock further but I haven't tried it yet.

You're having no crashing on your OCed 7970?

No crashing whatsoever. You either have an unstable driver or an unstable overclock. Or both.

Using Sapphire Trixx have gotten a pair of XFX 797A-TDBCs to 1175 / 1575MHz w/ 50% fans everything maxxed on VTOL map battle 58deg C and smooth and stable...so far. 50-60FPS on a 2560 x 1440 monitor using 3.7GHz stock Phenom II 980...