Is the EVGA GTX 670 FTW the best buy?

[DigitalD]

I'm thinking of pulling the trigger on one of these. I did my research and this seems to be the one to get. I hear the Gigabyte 670 Windforce can get get hot in an SLI config and I plan to add another later down the road. So is this the one? It's $410 on NewEgg right now and in stock. Should I grab it now or is there something better I'm missing or coming out real soon?

 

[DigitalD]

Which card would you recommend then?

 

[DigitalD]

But this guy named footman who seems to know what he's talking about says the 670 FTW is better in an SLI config.

Thread: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/354974-33-asus-directcu-evga-gigabyte-windforce

 

[tiptonsr]

Well if your still shopping I have two evga gtx 670 FTW setup in sli and it runs pretty tame....they stay around 65 C under load planning on doing a slight overclock to test out the cooling capabilities but I got these cards for 385 each at a compusa with 15 dollar mail in and I am very impressed with them so far.....

 

[17seconds]

The FTW is a 670 GPU on a 680 board, which means that it comes with a larger fan and heatsink than the reference 670 so it runs cooler and quieter. It also means that it has an upgraded PCB and more power phases for better overclocking. It might be a little better for an SLI setup as it will exhaust heat outside the case, but with any moderately good case with decent ventilation, any type of cooler will be fine. The Gigabyte Windforce is inexpensive and quiet.

 

[tiptonsr]

It is also factory OC to 1,006 MHz Core and 6,208 MHz Memory. With lots of head room for additional OC ing if needed. But my hat goes off to the ASUS gtx 670 DirectCU II Top which comes with the custom asus dual fan. In benchmarks both of these cards using only the factory OC are on par with stock 680's and even beat it in some games. However the ASUS comes with a slightly higher Core Clock so beats out the EVGA slightly and has the lowest power usage out there. Source:
http://hexus.net/tech/reviews/graphics/40613-evga-geforce-gtx-670-ftw/ However not sure about the ASUS QC issues being posted around the net......

So I would go with the ASUS then EVGA then Gigabyte just my opinion as I like having factory OC boards that perform and save me the trouble of OC myself as long as the price to performance is there. Even though the other two cards could be slightly faster I have had good experiences with EVGA plus found a great deal on my two cards so I went with them and so far loving them....

 

[fastreaction]

It is also factory OC to 1,006 MHz Core and 6,208 MHz Memory. With lots of head room for additional OC ing if needed. But my hat goes off to the ASUS gtx 670 DirectCU II Top which comes with the custom asus dual fan. In benchmarks both of these cards using only the factory OC are on par with stock 680's and even beat it in some games. However the ASUS comes with a slightly higher Core Clock so beats out the EVGA slightly and has the lowest power usage out there. Source:
http://hexus.net/tech/reviews/graphics/40613-evga-geforce-gtx-670-ftw/ However not sure about the ASUS QC issues being posted around the net......

So I would go with the ASUS then EVGA then Gigabyte just my opinion as I like having factory OC boards that perform and save me the trouble of OC myself as long as the price to performance is there. Even though the other two cards could be slightly faster I have had good experiences with EVGA plus found a great deal on my two cards so I went with them and so far loving them....

No.. just no. I would not recommend the thread starter to get a DC-2 top. Factory overclocked gpu's are not always stable and why spend more money if you could overclock it yourself.

- Fastreaction

 

[tiptonsr]

No.. just no. I would not recommend the thread starter to get a DC-2 top. Factory overclocked gpu's are not always stable and why spend more money if you could overclock it yourself.

- Fastreaction

My recommendation stands with the evga ftw. The asus has multiple reviews online saying it runs cooler and quiter then the gigabyte windforce and its faster then the evga with less power consumption then both evga and gigabyte. It also has multiple awards like editors choice award from techpowerup. So lots of people mark it as stable. With upgraded cooling and minimal power draw it begs to oc further. So based on performance alone choice asus.

However I personally believe asus has qc issues so even though the evga ftw is a little slower and draws more power. I chose evga because it is 30 dollars cheaper. And a solid company imho.

Why pay more for a factory oc card? It's not just the factory oc. It's the way the card is built. Online at compusa the evga ftw is 399.00 the same price as the gigabyte. And you get a card that is built with the gtx 680 PCB and cooling and it comes stock more then 20 MHz core clock and 200 MHz memory clock over the gigabyte. Keep the windforce fan I will take the evga. And for 30 dollars more you could get the asus which is a little faster. with an even higher stock memory clock. You can get the gigabyte and you might be able to oc it to meet the other two cards stock performance while keeping it stable. But you would be voiding any warranty and there is always risk oc ing anything. Why would anyone pay for something they have to oc to meet the performance of another?

 

[ohyouknow]

I personally have the ASUS TOP and the best part about it is that it is literally whisper quiet all the way up to 100% fan speed. My only issue with it is that it dumps hot air back into the case which raises the temps on my overclock for my cpu. My airflow in my case is pretty good as well.

If I did it all over again I would have bought the FTW for the blower style cooling and customer service from EVGA.

 

[tiptonsr]

for some reason half my sentence got deleted when I posted about cooling.....

Since the 670 FTW has the 680 pcb a copper hydro 2 waterblock for a 680 can be added to make it liquid cooled for extra overclocking....