Graphics Card (680 vs. 670)

[obsama1]

The 680 performs better, but by 5%.
See for yourself.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/555?vs=598

 

[Isotope5667]

I know this has been asked before but i didn't completely understand and wasn't able to interject because the thread was closed. I am deciding between the gtx 670 and the 680. I know 670 is cheaper and almost as good but the 680 performs better? Any info would help!

 

[Isotope5667]

The 680 performs better, but by 5%.
See for yourself.

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/555?vs=598

I know you said in my other thread about 670 comes with borderlands 2 so that sounds cool. But the important thing is if that 5% is worth the extra money, Do you think it'll make that much of a difference.

 

[obsama1]

No, it won't. If you really want the performance, the 670 overclocks great, and you can exceed the 680's performance. It's not worth the money. I've seen some builders who say thy wish thy waited for the 670 instead of getting the 680.

 

[nekulturny]

I know you said in my other thread about 670 comes with borderlands 2 so that sounds cool. But the important thing is if that 5% is worth the extra money, Do you think it'll make that much of a difference.

No its not worth the price. While its true the higher you go in performance the more it costs for lower increments in performance, the GTX 680 is just so badly out of whack that even that theory goes out the window. Especially when you throw in the fact that a 7970 GHZ edition costs halfway in between the 670 and 680 and outperforms both of them.

 

[kcsmacker]

Get the 670. I have it and love it. I would get one that has an after market cooler like the Asus DC 2 top or the Gigabyte windforce. both are great. If your case had bad airflow you may consider the GTX 670 FTW as it blows most of the heat out the back. It will however run a bit hotter.

 

[nekulturny]

Get the 670. I have it and love it. I would get one that has an after market cooler like the Asus DC 2 top or the Gigabyte windforce. both are great. If your case had bad airflow you may consider the GTX 670 FTW as it blows most of the heat out the back. It will however run a bit hotter.

Most "gaming" video cards are designed to at least attempt to push the air out of the backplate. although from what I've heard in the rumor mill the Asus DC2 top does GTX 670 very well.

 

[manofchalk]

A GTX670 costs ~$400 depending on the model.
A GTX680 costs ~$500 depending on the model.
A GTX670 will perform within 5% of a GTX680, for 20% cheaper. This isn't even accounting for overclocking, which can send a 670 above stock 680 performance.

So unless you are willing to pay for the tiny extra performance, the 670 is a better option.

 

[DzGds]

I'm currently trying to decide between these 2 cards. My Initial thoughts are to get the EVGA 680 FTW 4GB. The money side is not important to me, i just want to future proof as much as possible and figure 2 680's would be better than 2 670's. Can anyone clarify this for me please?

Also, @OP, sorry for hijacking your thread.

 

[nekulturny]

The money side is not important to me, i just want to future proof as much as possible and figure 2 680's would be better than 2 670's. Can anyone clarify this for me please?

Your first mistake is believing that anything is "future proof". In 4 years, the GTX 680 will be old trash compared to whats new on the market just the same as the GTX 280 is old trash today... If you want high end today, buy high end, but don't buy a ton more performance than you actually need and expect it to last you for years and years.

I would recommend watching this video, its worth 10 minutes of your life, and unlike cheesy commercials, the advice contained therein could save you hundreds or thousands of dollars:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FK4ip08auGg

You don't need more than one GTX 670 or 680 to game in 1080p....

 

[DzGds]

The money side is not important to me, i just want to future proof as much as possible and figure 2 680's would be better than 2 670's. Can anyone clarify this for me please?

Your first mistake is believing that anything is "future proof". In 4 years, the GTX 680 will be old trash compared to whats new on the market just the same as the GTX 280 is old trash today... If you want high end today, buy high end, but don't buy a ton more performance than you actually need and expect it to last you for years and years.

I would recommend watching this video, its worth 10 minutes of your life, and unlike cheesy commercials, the advice contained therein could save you hundreds or thousands of dollars:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FK4ip08auGg

You don't need more than one GTX 670 or 680 to game in 1080p....

I'm aware that nothing is "Future Proof" I Simply want my components to last as long as possible and i figure that a 680 will be competitive longer than a 670. I would then add another 680 to get a bit more time before having to upgrade again.

 

[nekulturny]

No it won't be.

5% is not a noticeable difference between the two cards. There is a difference between "benchmarkable" performance differences and real world performance differences.
When you hit 10%, one can still argue its not really noticeable. When you hit 15-20 then you might be talking. The bottom line is, when the GTX 670 is "obsolete" the GTX 680 will be as well.

I mean its your money, buy what you want....

 

[nekulturny]

I can tell you didn't watch the video, because what you just said about adding another 680 later was covered in the video. If I seem like I'm coming across as short with you, its because I tend to annoyed when people ask for my advice and then not even at least take a moment to absorb the material I put my time in effort into compiling. I mean, in the end its your money, not mine, I don't care *that* much.

 

[MJoob]

Just go with the gtx 670 and oc it and u will get better performance thats it. other choice AMD radeon 7950?

 

[nekulturny]

Benchmarks:
http://www.anandtech.com/show/6025/radeon-hd-7970-ghz-edition-review-catching-up-to-gtx-680/4

Best choices to worst choices of the Titans (in that order based on performance and price, by Nekulturny)
Sapphire 7970 GHZ Edition $470
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202001

Sapphire 7970 reference card $430
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102961

Sapphire 7950 $300 with rebate
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102989

Asus GTX 670 $420
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121637&Tpk=gtx%20670

EVGA GTX 670 FTW $408
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130787


Gigabyte GTX 680 OC $525
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125422

 

[DzGds]

I couldn't watch the video as YouTube is blocked on my work's server. I will however watch it when i can. Thanks for your input.

 

[kcsmacker]

If you really want get the 690 so you can throw another 690 in later and have 4 way sli with only needing two slots. That will "future proof" the motherboard etc for a longer time since money its not an issue. just make sure you have the juice to power them now so you dont have to buy another PSU down the road

 

[obsama1]

nekulturny is 100% right. If you're gaming at 1080p, a 670 or 7970 will play any game at Ultra. At 1080p, Crossfire and SLI are unnecessary, and if you're running over 60FPS, it's superfluous. 2x 690's at 1080p...I don't know what to say. SLI and Crossfire is a thing you do on day 1. Even though you might have plans to add in a second card in SLI/CFX, it never comes to fruition, because the model you want is discontinued, at a higher price, or a last-gen product, and now you want the newer product. If you two are playing at 1080p, then I'd recommend the 670 or 7970.

 

[Isotope5667]

Thanks for all the help guys! I will now be getting the gx 670 thanks to you guys and everyone was very helpful. A little off topic though i couldn't find a place to ask this question so i thought i'd ask it here since the real question has been answered. How do you view your old threads and old posts? i know there is the button that says "My Threads" but after you click on the thread once it disappears, i'm guessing because there are no new messages on it. Is there a place i can go or button i can click to view these old posts besides bookmarking them (which i'm doing now). Thanks
EDIT: I found the things you had to click and figured it out. once again thanks for the help!

 

[Isotope5667]

No its not worth the price. While its true the higher you go in performance the more it costs for lower increments in performance, the GTX 680 is just so badly out of whack that even that theory goes out the window. Especially when you throw in the fact that a 7970 GHZ edition costs halfway in between the 670 and 680 and outperforms both of them.

So should i get the ghz 7970 instead of either or stick with 670

 

[obsama1]

The 7970 is about $450, and when OC'ed, beats both.

 

[nekulturny]

So should i get the ghz 7970 instead of either or stick with 670

I honestly don't think you can go wrong either way. The 670 and the 7970 are both great video cards, it depends on the performance you want, theres no wrong answer between the two of them in my opinion.

 

[Isotope5667]

Best answer selected by Isotope5667.