GTX 780 vs. GTX 690

socialdarwinist1

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Mar 31, 2013
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I'm looking for a video card setup to power a 5760x1080 triple monitor setup. I have a single 2560x1440 monitor that I will use solo for maybe 1/3 of the games I play.

Which would be a better choice - an EVGA GTX 780 w/ ACX cooler (1020 MHz boost clock) for $660 <OR> an EVGA GTX 690 (1019 boost clock) for $790?

It seems like the GTX 690 definitely gets better performance but quad-SLI appears to have diminishing returns. I'm also concerned about the longevity of the 690 with the effective 2gb memory, particularly at the 5760x1080 resolution - if the memory proves to be a cap, I can only sell the 690 and start anew whereas insufficient performance from the 780 could be remedied by simply purchasing another card somewhere down the line.

Any help/information would be greatly appreciated!
 
I would wait a week or so and see how the GTX 770 takes shape, it could be a similar situation to the 670-680 where they are basically identical but at a significant price difference.

But in answer to your question, would go for the 780 over a 690. Far better price/performance, more VRAM and you avoid framerating issues. Crossfire 7970's is also a possibility, but Crossfire's FrameRating performance right now is pretty horrible compared to Nvidia's SLI.
 

socialdarwinist1

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Mar 31, 2013
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The Titan is a solid card but the added performance vs. the 780 is minimal, particularly for the price gap. The 690 outperforms the Titan in almost all situations I've seen thus far (assuming frame rate as metric, but Titan has no issues with runt frames as a single gpu which is a plus). Runt frames are the key reason I can't consider going with Crossfire 7970s - a buddy of mine showed me his setup and I found the stuttering off-putting. I know the prototype driver is supposed to fix a significant portion of the issues but the 7990 (w/ the prototype) still appeared to have more runt frames than a 690 and word is we're still another month or two away from the driver being released as a beta. I'm certainly not opposed to AMD as a general matter but this summer is my best opportunity for long gaming sessions before I begin a new job in the fall so I'd rather not risk the solution being several months away.
 

socialdarwinist1

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Mar 31, 2013
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I'm definitely concerned about the Crossfire frame rating issues which is why I'm tempted to stay away - I wouldn't make the leap until the driver was released and it seems like we're still a month or two out from that point. I am definitely thinking about waiting to see what the 770 brings but all sources indicate that there will only be a 2gb version at release and that it's running on the GK104. If nothing else, the 2gb memory is worrisome, particularly given the predicted launch price of $450-$550.