Amd can't cheat in 3dmark, so they lose, even with their latest core overclock.
The reason they gain in games is the same - they can cheat IQ and get away with it, unlike in the authenticated bench.
It was supposed to be available from the 17th July- it is also limited to 200 units, has a price of $US 680, and most importantly, isn't available for sale.Personally, I think the best HD7970 card will be the upcoming the Sapphire TOXIC 6GB edition. It still remains very quiet at load and has overclocking headroom no worse than this Gigabyte card. I also prefer 2 large fans over 5 small buzzing fans.