480GTX vs 670/680 GTX

[derekmd]

My current card a 480GTX has served me well since launch day. However I am leaning towards an upgrade of a 670 or 680, Looking at benchmarks it seems the 670 is only about 5% slower then the 680 @ 1920x1080p. That is the resolution I plan on sticking with for the long term. The 670 seems to be the better buy, but would a 670 be worth upgrading over my current 480gtx. I have searched for benchmarks comparing a 480 to new gen but they just do not seem to exist. I would like to know a rough estimate or percentage 480 vs 670 / 5% 10%. Also the wife is currently using a 280GTX and i would be passing the 480 on to her machine.

Any advice would be greatful, Also not at all interested in ATI/AMD.

 

[Sunius]

Check this review out, it includes both GTX 670 and GTX 480:
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/NVIDIA/GeForce_GTX_670/6.html

At 1920x1200 (which is close to 1080p) they estimate that GTX 670 offers around 39% better performance than GTX 480. GTX 680 offers around 50% better performance than GTX 480.

If your wife needs more performance, or if you need more performance, it's a high time to upgrade. However, if you are running all the games you want at satisfactory settings, I would not consider an upgrade just yet. New card will go cheaper, and you might even wait out until GTX 780. It all comes down whether you feel you need an upgrade or not.

 

[irfan88]

Don't think about upgrading your GTX 480 dude. it still packs a puch. and most of all don't look at reviews that show games with over 60FPS. Look at games like Metro 2033, Crysis 2 or Battlefield 3. The difference between a GTX 480 and a 670 is hardly 3 to 4 FPS (metro 2033). You can just purchase a cheap aftermarket cooler like a Gelid icy vision and overclock it which will match with a GTX 580. If you want to upgrade, wait for the 7800 series

 

[ilysaml]

@ Ifran88
What you're saying is Flat Wrong, my charts say that GTX 670 is about 30% faster than GTX 480, consumes almost half the power, runs very cooler than GTX 480.

If GTX 480 scored close to GTX 670 in a particular games that doesn't mean its' performance matches it in general, there are several benches out there where the GTX 670 surpasses GTX 480 by 45-50 FPS!

 

[irfan88]

@ Ifran88
What you're saying is Flat Wrong, my charts say that GTX 670 is about 30% faster than GTX 480, consumes almost half the power, runs very cooler than GTX 480.

If GTX 480 scored close to GTX 670 in a particular games that doesn't mean its' performance matches it in general, there are several benches out there where the GTX 670 surpasses GTX 480 by 45-50 FPS!

I am not saying that the GTX 480 matches a 670 or a 680 when overclocked. I am saying that if he overclocks the 480 with a decent cooler. he will get a better performance. He does not even need a 670 now as the 480 is sufficient at 1080p. @recon-uk has his 480's overclocked to 850Mhz. Even a single 480 OC can play Battlefield 3 at decent settings.

My point is if the 480 can do it now, why bother spending $400 on a 670. Instead, why not save up all that money and purchase a 690 or a 7800 card.

 

[bavman]

My point is if the 480 can do it now, why bother spending $400 on a 670. Instead, why not save up all that money and purchase a 690 or a 7800 card.

Errr because a 690 is $600 more than a what a 670 is now. But I agree with you, an oc'd 480 can get respectable framerates at 1080p. Around ~50 with battlefield 3

 

[derekmd]

Thanks for the replies guys and the advice, I went ahead and purchased an EVGA FTW Edition 670 for $449.00 Can. Not only did i decide it was worth it for upgrade but the 480 will be a nice upgrade for the wife playing D3.BF3 & Max Payne 3. If overall the 670 is only 20% upgrade for me the 480 will be a big upgrade over the wife's current 280.

Thanks Again.

 

[Sunius]

Good luck playing games with your new card!

 

[derekmd]

Best answer selected by derekmd.

 

[rymns]

I am not saying that the GTX 480 matches a 670 or a 680 when overclocked. I am saying that if he overclocks the 480 with a decent cooler. he will get a better performance. He does not even need a 670 now as the 480 is sufficient at 1080p. @recon-uk has his 480's overclocked to 850Mhz. Even a single 480 OC can play Battlefield 3 at decent settings.

My point is if the 480 can do it now, why bother spending $400 on a 670. Instead, why not save up all that money and purchase a 690 or a 7800 card.

If you keep thinking like that you'll never bought a new hardware man ... cos they'll always release a new piece in the future ... gtx 670 has almos 1400 cudas and the 480 has like what? 400 cudas?. Period. The 670 has a better (far better) performance than the 480, rather you like it or not. And about those games, it is a matter of driver / game update. They'll release new updates that will change the performance of the new VGAs, like happned to any of the other series.

The question is: do you want a top VGA? Pay for it. If you don't want it, stay with the 480.

 

[rymns]

Thanks for the replies guys and the advice, I went ahead and purchased an EVGA FTW Edition 670 for $449.00 Can. Not only did i decide it was worth it for upgrade but the 480 will be a nice upgrade for the wife playing D3.BF3 & Max Payne 3. If overall the 670 is only 20% upgrade for me the 480 will be a big upgrade over the wife's current 280.

Thanks Again.

It was a nice call man, gratz =)
I have 2 gtx 670 in sli ... and I love it. 2 gtx 680 in sli has almost the same performance of the 670', and like the same performance aswell compared to the gtx 690 (you can find a review here in the Toms hardware). That hardware will survive for a long long time, that I can tell.
My only tip would be - buy the 4gb ram 670 ...
So, again, gratz!