Thank you.
I forgot to update this thread, but I already solved this problem. It is a 7970 thing I believe. I just had to do /xcl in the properties of the shortcut and reboot my system. Currently doing 1135MHz on stock clocks, won't be downclocking memory because this is mostly a gaming rig

I have a pair of 7970s not crossfired so I only use one to game on. I've underclocked the memory to 850 MHz which lets me undervolt the cards quite a bit and I haven't really noticed any decrease in performance while gaming. I play pretty new games that should push the card too, so you could give underclocking the memory a try to give you more headroom to push the core clock or to undervolt your card and save a bit on electricity. Just a thought.