670 vs 7970 (same price)

[exTerrestrial]

i have decided on my computer build except for the graphics card

My build:
AsRock Z77 Extreme 4
i5 3570k
Corsair H80
8gb RAM 1600mhz
DVD Optical drive
Samsung 830 SSD 128gb
WD Caviar Black 1tb
Corsair 550d
Seasonic M12II 650w

So basically the two gpu I've narrowed it down to the 670 and 7970
There are available at the same price of $700NZD = £350

I will be gaming mostly, mainly bf3 and moh:w

 

[Inferno1217]

Some 670's can be overclocked to match or surpass a GTX 680. The GTX 670 EVGA FTW is one of the most popular.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130787

 

[dudewitbow]

if its mainly BF3, I would have to push towards the Gtx 670. a 7970 is only a good 7970 when the user knows how to overclock well(im assuming your playing stock or near stock) because AMD designed most of the HD 7xxx with a lot of headroom for overclocking so that manufactuers can issue out faster versions as well(OC, and GHZ level models). regardless, both are fine choices and excel in different sections.

 

[within360]

If you are interested in playing with OC, then the 7970. Just make sure you get a make/model (non-reference) that is designed with that in mind. Otherwise I would get a GTX670.

I had a 7970 for a short while and switched to a 680. I switched brands and build levels, so it isn't and apples to apples comparison, but I am happier with the performance of my 680.

Now with all the excellent 670s to choose from I probably would get one of those instead of a 680 and save a litttle cash.

 

[rwayne]

GTX 670 no doubt. The technology is much better.

That is a totally unbiased opinion since I am a sole owner of an AMD card.

 

[nacos]

The 7970 is far superior. Don't let these nvidia fanboys sway your opinion. I easily hold 80 fps average all ultra bf3 with an i5-3570k @ 4.5ghz and an hd 7970. the hd 7970 overclocks like a monster. At stock clocks the 670 competes with the 7970 but when overclocked the 7970 leaves the 670 in the dust and even overpoweres an overclocked 680.

 

[Swolern]

^Fan boy saying dont let other fan boys persuade you, lol.

single screen = GTX 670

Multi-screen and planning Crossfire/SLI setup (& dont care about PhysX or 3d) = 7970

 

[kitsunestarwind]

7970 all the way, if you can cool it even the reference designs will overclock like a bitch

 

[17seconds]

BF3 is well-known to favor the 670 over the 7970 very significantly. As added bonuses, the 670 uses less power, is quieter, overclocks like crazy, and comes with extras to enhance your gaming like PhysX, Adaptive VSync, FXAA, and good driver support. Any performance advantage for either card is going to depend on the game. Overall, though, the 670 just gives you more when you look at the bigger picture.

 

[nacos]

Why does bf3 performance even matter? The cards are the same price and both will max out bf3 while staying above your refresh rate @ 1080p. At higher resolutions the 7970 will beat the 670 regardless of the nvidia favoring engine. The 7970 overclocks better anywho. You can't even change the voltage on the 670.

 

[nacos]

To be honest whatever, but it is your money, and if you can get both cards for the same price than you might as well get the better one.

 

[SirCJ]

Why does bf3 performance even matter? The cards are the same price and both will max out bf3 while staying above your refresh rate @ 1080p. At higher resolutions the 7970 will beat the 670 regardless of the nvidia favoring engine. The 7970 overclocks better anywho. You can't even change the voltage on the 670.

MSI PE and a few Evga 670's have unlocked voltage. As to the OP if you only plan on running one monitor at around 1080p the 670 gives you more eye candy PhysX, v sync, and better 3d as others have said but will have hard time with really high resolutions which is where the HD 7970 becomes the superior in just about every way, AMD eyefinity is also a lot better then Nvidia surround for multi-monitor setups. The 3gb of vram on 7970 will probably outlast the 2gb on the 670 if you looking to be "future proof" if such a thing exist.

 

[oomjcv]

Here you can see a performance comparison in BF3 and some other games.

[http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2012/06/22/amd-radeon-7970-3gb-ghz-edition-review/4][/url]

...not sure how to get the link working, sorry

 

[crisan_tiberiu]

@ this lvl, REALLY, it DOESNT mather ^-. Personally i would go with the 7970, but avoid the reference card (cooler to loud imo)

 

[azraa]

Crisan is right. Reference design 7970's are waay too loud and hot.
Go always for a dual fan, IMO. Turbine and most 1-fan cooled cards are loud as hell.

And sure, once you get a well cooled 7970, you can do a bit of overclock with some utilities. My preference is sapphire btw,

670s are great though, and at 1080p you wont see any difference. And its 3D technology is far better as well. But if you ask me, go 7970 with higher vram so in higher res it does shine.

 

[techx]

7950 = 670
7970 = 680

so I think 7970 would be better
get it OC (non-reference) is better

but both are fine
you'll not feel any different

 

[Swolern]

7950 = 670
7970 = 680

so I think 7970 would be better
get it OC (non-reference) is better

but both are fine
you'll not feel any different

Dont know where you get your #s from there buddy, but @1920x1080 670 still beats the 7970
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-670-review,3200-5.html

 

[nacos]

Dont know where you get your #s from there buddy, but @1920x1080 670 still beats the 7970
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-670-review,3200-5.html

Couldn't be more wrong. Please get some updated benchmarks. The 12.7 beta drivers brings the 7970 well past the 670.

 

[17seconds]

In terms of overall performance, they are equal. A few FPS makes no difference. Note in the chart below we are looking at vanilla 7970 vs. vanilla 670. (The Ghz edition is not available for sale anywhere and would be more expensive.) If we are talking about the reference 7970, the noise level is very significantly louder, particularly with all of these suggestions to overclock and pump up the voltage. The GTX 670 also overclocks by a lot, easily into the 1200 mhz range and it comes with Turbo Boost to get even higher overclocks. The gains for either card will depend again on the game being played.

Exterrestrial, I encourage you to learn about PhysX and some of the other extras that have been listed. AMD simply does not have anything comparable. Then once you have all the facts, make your decision, which is going to come down to:
"If I overclock a 7970, is the minimal performance advantage enough to justify it over a GTX 670 that also overclocks, runs better on BF3, is quieter, uses less power, and comes with PhysX, Adaptive VSync, FXAA, forced Ambient Occlusion, Transparency Supersampling, and better driver support. A few FPS either way with these cards simply makes no difference, but the bigger picture does.

Adaptive VSync review
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2012/04/16/nvidia_adaptive_vsync_technology_review/

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/AMD/HD_7970_GHz_Edition/28.html


For fan noise, 6 Db is significant. You can see by looking at the Ghz numbers what a little overclocking does to the noise levels.

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/AMD/HD_7970_GHz_Edition/27.html

 

[gamerkila57]

Couldn't be more wrong. Please get some updated benchmarks. The 12.7 beta drivers brings the 7970 well past the 670.

this is true with the new 12.7 drivers a stock HD 7970 is on par with an GTX 680 and HD 7950 on par with an GTX 670

 

[17seconds]

this is true with the new 12.7 drivers a stock HD 7970 is on par with an GTX 680 and HD 7950 on par with an GTX 670

Unfortunately, there is a chart in the post immediately preceeding yours which contradicts these statements.

 

[oomjcv]

Unfortunately, there is a chart in the post immediately preceeding yours which contradicts these statements.

In those charts the 7970 GHZ is benchmarked using the 12.7 Beta driver. Was the vanilla 7970 also tested with the same driver or an earlier one?

 

[techx]

Dont know where you get your #s from there buddy, but @1920x1080 670 still beats the 7970
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-670-review,3200-5.html

u need to get more updates dude
beside 7970 is better than 670 overall

 

[17seconds]

u need to get more updates dude
beside 7970 is better than 670 overall

Again, unfortunately there is a chart on this very page contradicting that statement.

 

[gamerkila57]

the chart is outdated with old drivers ?