GTX 660 or GTX 670 or GTX 680?

ohitsham · Apr 29, 2013

So this is my first time building my computer and i wanted something that will last many years. The only problem im having is picking which graphic card i should use on my build.
I was either thinking GTX 660TI or GTX 670 (4GB) or GTX 680 either 2GB or 4GB

http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/TXqZ Those are the rest of my parts

ksham · Apr 29, 2013

GTX 670. It's much cheaper than the GTX 680 while only being marginally weaker. The GTX 670 is enough to play any current games.

Your build is a very expensive. So in the value per dollar department, it's really low. You can definitely cut the cost and save up the excess money for future upgrades.

Ahmad Rady · Apr 29, 2013

Sure the GTX680 will be the best to complete your rig but I think it would be better to have a little better PSU too
You can take the 2GB version if you do not play on ultra resolution. If you do so the 4GB version would be better.

DarkSable · Apr 29, 2013

You can cut a LOT of cost and get equal or better performance, if you're interested:

1) i5-3570k, which performs exactly the same as an i7 when gaming.
2) Upgrade the motherboard to an AsRock z77 Extreme 6, which is a much better overclocker.
3) 8GB of ram, which is enough to simultaneously run battlefield 3, photoshop, and 30 tabs in chrome.
4) Grab a better hard drive - I suggest a 2TB western digital blue, which will be considerably faster, and a SSD to put windows on.
5) Go with a 2GB 670 - the 680 is only 5% faster, but 25% more expensive, and getting more vram gives no improvement unless wanting to max AA and AF on a triple monitor setup, or playing skyrim with more than a couple handfuls of mods.
6) You can get a case that's just as good as that for $100-$120, but if you like that one, that's fine.
7) Go with a 550w power supply, but get a modular one; it'll be better quality and will make your life much easier when building.
8) Spending $35 on a dvd read/write is silly, when it's going to be the exact same thing as a $20 one.

17seconds · Apr 29, 2013

I would get the 670 and I would consider the 4GB version just in case for future proofing.

Now with your system:

You absolutely NEED the 64-bit version of Windows.

Your hard drive is a slower "eco-friendly" one. It will slow you down if used as the primary drive. The WD Green drives are made to be used as secondary storage. Hopefully, you have a faster 7200 RPM drive or SSD to use as the primary boot and program drive.

ohitsham · Apr 29, 2013

I don't know if im going double monitor or single. Most likely single monitor.

DarkSable · Apr 29, 2013

In that case a 2GB 670 is more than enough.

A second monitor, since you won't be gaming on it, isn't going to tax anything.

ohitsham · Apr 29, 2013

What does it mean by 2GB and 4GB? If i have a 4GB instead of the 2GB do i get like double the fps?

17seconds · Apr 29, 2013

I see a some criticism of your PSU, but I like it. A 600 watt Corsair for $65 is a good deal for a quality power supply. The thing I don't like is that it leaves you unable to add another video card for SLI. Guru3d recommends 550 watts minimum for one card and 750 watts for SLI.
http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/asus_geforce_gtx_670_directcu_ii_top_review,8.html

ohitsham · Apr 29, 2013

which SSD should i get?

ohitsham · Apr 29, 2013

17seconds :

Well i don't think i'll be adding another video card for like another 2-3 years

17seconds · Apr 29, 2013

ohitsham :

No, it means the GPU has double the memory available to handle memory intensive textures, antialiasing, and higher monitor resolutions. If you run out of memory, it will hurt your FPS.

Usually, you won't run into a problem with 2GB of memory on a normal 1920x1080 or 1920x1200 monitor with the current batch of games. The two exceptions are if you play Skyrim with user made texture mods and Crysis 3 with the settings turned up to maximum. Both of these will exceed 2GB on a normal monitor.

Over time, games have been gradually getting more memory intensive, so a card with 4GB, while not currently necessary, will likely help with future game releases.

17seconds · Apr 29, 2013

ohitsham :

Here's Tom's Hardware's "Best SSDs for the Money" review:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/ssd-recommendation-benchmark,3269.html

DarkSable · May 2, 2013

ksham :

Why did this get selected as the best answer by someone other than the OP? I've been seeing this a lot recently - best answers getting chosen randomly. (I don't mean the technical reason; I can select them as well, but we aren't supposed to unless the thread is dead without one chosen or there's clearly a best answer selected which is misinformation.)

ksham · May 2, 2013

@DarkSable: could be a mistake with a button. I'd ask Jonathan Cyr though.

DarkSable · May 2, 2013

Will do. It's just odd, because it's been happening a lot.

17seconds · May 2, 2013

There, is that better? Now, we just need ohitsham to pick the Best Answer that he prefers.

According to the "Guide to Badges":
"... Best Answers can be selected by the Original Poster, Moderators, Administrators and users who have received a set number of Best Answers themselves already and are considered trusted members."
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-1633109/guide-badges.html

Apparently, Jonathan Cyr shouldn't qualify.

Apanzee · May 2, 2013

^That. We're seeing it a lot lately too, if you feel the feature is being abused, please report the post(s). Also, the OP can deselect BAs if they don't feel it was correctly applied, with the exception of a BA set by a mod or admin.

Anyway, on topic - the GTX 670 is your best bet. If you have money to burn, go with a 680, but bang for your buck will be the 670 all day long. As was said above the performance is only ever so marginally worse than a 680 and can be made up for with overclocking. A 670 can perform better than a stock 680 after tweaks.

Also, for 2gb vs 4gb, think of it as RAM, cause that's exactly what it is. RAM solely for your graphics card. The more it has to load/work with, the more memory is used. So for a one monitor gaming rig, 2gb is more than enough. If you plan to expand in the future though to a two or three monitor setup, you should look into the 4gb model.

xl2aNd0m · May 3, 2013

You could get a 660 now (runs all games on ultra for me even crysis 3 with low AA settings) and then sell and pick up the 770 when it comes out.

GTX 660 or GTX 670 or GTX 680?

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