Yes, it is the XFX 7950 core edition. That could explain it...I may have to consider getting a different card in that case. I liked the idea of the lifetime warranty on the XFX, but if I'm getting 20-30% higher temps (which in my mediocre cooling situation means 20-30% lower hashrate), then this is a pretty bad deal.

The hot XFX 7950 is indeed in the first slot. I guess swapping the two cards would be one thing I could try in the meantime.

What 7950 should I be looking at getting instead? The Sapphire? I see there are several different models of the Sapphire 7950, is there a specific one that's better than the others for litecoin mining?

Thanks for the replies guys