670 vs 7970

[miniruss3]

So I'm looking at putting together a new build.

My shopping cart as of now is:

Intel i5 3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4Ghz
ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen 3 LGA1155
G.Skill Ripjaw 8GB
750W PSU

For the graphics card I can't decide between:
EVGA GTX 670 2GB - $409.99 W/ Rebate - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130787
The new Radeon HD7970 Ghz Edition - $499.99

The 670 is what I was originally going for but then saw the Ghz edition of the 7970 coming out soon. Will the Ghz edition offer a decent performance upgrade over the 670? I guess I just want to know, will the 7970 have any noticable performance differences compared to the 670. And is the 7970 any better for future proofing than the 670?

Thanks in advance guys!

 

[2fast4thetown_down]

I would personally go with the 7970 it is more expensive but also very high end.

 

[Pinhedd]

Preliminary reports show that the Gigahertz edition of the 7970 does not offer any advantage over the regular 7970 aside from a higher stock frequency. They both overclock the same and have more or less the same power dissipation (the Ghz edition was actually higher when at the same clock speed).

At the same time, the Catalyst 12.7 drivers are supposedly amazing and propel the 7970 above the 680 in a large number of benchmarks

 

[vmem]

If you just want the very best performance and is happy to overclock, I'd go with the old 7970 with a nice manufacturer cooler, sappher's dual-x, MSI's lightning, or HIS's iceQ are all amazing coolers for overclocking, especially the lightning.

if you want best bang for your buck and don't like to tweak your hardware a lot, I'd go with the 670

 

[bigcyco1]

Personally, they are both so neck and neck I wouldn't bother spending the extra $ 90-100 on a 7970

 

[Ironslice]

One thing I noticed, don't get the ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 because it doesn't support your processor by default, you need an older processor to update the bios first.

Get the ASRock Z77 Extreme4

 

[Pinhedd]

One thing I noticed, don't get the ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 because it doesn't support your processor by default, you need an older processor to update the bios first.

Get the ASRock Z77 Extreme4

It should support it well enough to do a firmware update I would think

 

[bctande1]

Go with the 670

1) The 7970 Non-GHz version is a bit lower in performance than the 680, which is a bit higher in performance than the 670.

Go with the GTX 670 simply because the HD 7970 will not yield any improvements to justify the 80$ price addition. Unless you are just that adamant about having the best single GPU setup, and do not care that your basically paying more money for no reasonable improvements, then get the 7970. But if you want the best high-end performer for a reasonable price, get the GTX 670.

The only real advantage you will see is in the added VRAM, which will only improve gameplay at resolutions higher than 1080p (Multi-monitor setups)


Cheers !
____________

THE Ghz version of the 7970 performed virtually the same as the 680 -- they are basically at a tie.

 

[Ironslice]

It should support it well enough to do a firmware update I would think

I wouldn't risk it.

 

[renz496]

what is your resolution? if you only play for 1080p and no plan to go for higher resolution or multi monitor setup GTX670 should have plenty of raw performance. if you don't mind to overclock your card you can push the card a bit to make it as fast as 7970 Ghz Edition

 

[bctande1]

By the way, if you are going hard on Battlefield 3, the 670 crushes the 7970 in that respect, NVIDIA cards generally perform better on Battlefield 3.

 

[Pinhedd]

By the way, if you are going hard on Battlefield 3, the 670 crushes the 7970 in that respect, NVIDIA cards generally perform better on Battlefield 3.

not anymore

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-7970-ghz-edition-review-benchmark,3232-8.html

 

[bctande1]

not anymore

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-7970-ghz-edition-review-benchmark,3232-8.html

Well taken haha. Ive learned something today thank you ahha.

 

[bigcyco1]

Bottom line...there is just no justifying the GTX 680 or the R7970 cost IMO both are over priced

 

[Pinhedd]

Bottom line...there is just no justifying the GTX 680 or the R7970 cost IMO both are over priced

Both are overpriced on a performance/dollar basis when compared to the 670. I'd say that the 7970 is perfectly priced compared to the rest of the Radeon lineup. There's always a high price premium for the best cards no matter what.

 

[miniruss3]

One thing I noticed, don't get the ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 because it doesn't support your processor by default, you need an older processor to update the bios first.

Get the ASRock Z77 Extreme4

Thank you VERY much. I was having trouble picking which northbridge I should have. Wasn't too sure of which one.

 

[miniruss3]

Best answer selected by miniruss3.

 

[miniruss3]

Go with the 670

1) The 7970 Non-GHz version is a bit lower in performance than the 680, which is a bit higher in performance than the 670.

Go with the GTX 670 simply because the HD 7970 will not yield any improvements to justify the 80$ price addition. Unless you are just that adamant about having the best single GPU setup, and do not care that your basically paying more money for no reasonable improvements, then get the 7970. But if you want the best high-end performer for a reasonable price, get the GTX 670.

The only real advantage you will see is in the added VRAM, which will only improve gameplay at resolutions higher than 1080p (Multi-monitor setups)


Cheers !
____________

THE Ghz version of the 7970 performed virtually the same as the 680 -- they are basically at a tie.

This is exactly what I was looking for. Thank you very much. You're answer was extremely helpful.

 

[bctande1]

This is exactly what I was looking for. Thank you very much. You're answer was extremely helpful.

Your very welcome !

Good Luck !