Why are some cards so much more expensive than others?

[jhli]

Hello there!

I originally wanted to buy the Asus GTX670-DC2T-2GD5 but discovered it's out of stock everywhere in the Netherlands.
An alternative would be the Radeon 7970 but reviews are saying it's worse than the GTX670 even though it's more expensive.

Since I'm a newbie at building computers, I'm stuck on this.

So my question is:

What's the difference between all the GTX670's out there?
There are so many ranging from 400 to 450 dollars, is there a difference in performance between them?
Or should I just go with the 7970?

Thanks you very much in advance!

Regards,
Harry.

 

[mace200200]

Mostly it's just different ways to keep it cool and keep it running as it should, you'll pay more for a gpu that has two fans than one that only has one. Also some are factory overclocked which people say is a waste of money because you can just do it yourself, but when you do it yourself you void the warranty and I think that a warranty is worth the extra $5-$15 if I would want to overclock. And of course you pay for quality from different companies.

 

[jhli]

Mostly it's just different ways to keep it cool and keep it running as it should, you'll pay more for a gpu that has two fans than one that only has one. Also some are factory overclocked which people say is a waste of money because you can just do it yourself, but when you do it yourself you void the warranty and I think that a warranty is worth the extra $5-$15 if I would want to overclock. And of course you pay for quality from different companies.

I forgot to mention that I'm indeed planning to overclock it.

Since the one I wanted it sold out, I think I'll pick one of these:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-670-test-review,3217-16.html

 

[mace200200]

For such an expensive card I would buy an OC edition and leave it at that. So I would get the Zotac, I have never owned a single thing by them, but people like them enough. Make sure your case is tall enough though (or wide enough), those heatpipes stick out quite a bit.