Radeon 7970 vs. GTX 670... not overclocking

[Another Castle]

I currently have a GTX 580 in my system, and while I know neither of these cards will be a vast improvement, I'd like to see if I can get similar performance from these cards without having to overclock them as I do with my 580. Plus, to be honest, the prices on these will leave me only having spent $100 (well, $180 with the 7970 or 4GB 670) on them after I can sell my 580. (it's the Republic of Gamers Asus MATRIX edition)

So, anyhow, considering I'm not planning on OC'ing the cards, which would you choose? Popular opinion seems to be the 670. As yet, I can't see any reason to disagree, but the 7970 has been so heavily endorsed in the past I'm curious what the difference is.

 

[Chainzsaw]

Hello,

Hmm you already have the GTX 580? That's actually still a very good card IMO. Why would you want to upgrade to a 670/ or 7970?

AFAIK the 7970 and 670 trade blows depending on the game - although the 7970 does slightly better in certain games (Civ 5 comes to mind). I would still go with the 670 though - pretty much has the most bang for the buck of this current generation of GPU's.

My vote is for the 670!

 

[Chainzsaw]

Take a look here for benchmarks:

http://www.hardocp.com/article/2012/05/14/geforce_680_670_vs_radeon_7970_7950_gaming_perf/2

 

[dansgas1000]

I'd get GTX 670 but 580 will be good enough for now. Wait for the 700 series and maybe get a GTX 770.

 

[doogansquest]

I'd get GTX 670 but 580 will be good enough for now. Wait for the 700 series and maybe get a GTX 770.

Why does everyone always say this? If you wait for what's around the corner, you will always be waiting. Gaming computers are a fickle, and short-lived enterprise. You have to move fast, or else you're always waiting for the next version.

 

[nacos]

670 for no OC.
7970 for OC.

 

[17seconds]

Why does everyone always say this? If you wait for what's around the corner, you will always be waiting. Gaming computers are a fickle, and short-lived enterprise. You have to move fast, or else you're always waiting for the next version.

I think that's exactly why he should wait, because the graphics industry is fickle and constantly changing. It makes a lot of sense to skip generations rather than buy into every generation. Be happy with GTX 580 dominance and look forward to the GTX 780 in December... or so.

You just have to ask, do I need more performance, or am I just compulsively wanting to upgrade?

Oh, and my vote would be for the GTX 670 so that you can stay within the Nvidia ecosystem: PhysX, Adaptive VSync, Transparency Supersampling, good driver support, better game compatibility, lower power consumption, quieter cards, 3D Vision, forced Ambient Occlusion, FXAA, and coming soon TXAA. Did I miss anything?