Gtx 680 2gb or 4gb ?!

[orancanoren]

Hey guys! i am upgrading my system:

CPU: intel core i5 3570k

RAM: Kingston HyperX 8gb 1600 Plug n Play XMP ready

GPU: MSI N680GTX TwinFrozr

MOBO:Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H

so the 2 gb gtx 680 is $549 and 4gb is $600 would it woth the $60 cuz i am going to play games with this machine for a long while

 

[bystander]

I find it amazing that almost no one (not just you) tells us the resolution of the monitor(s) they are using. That is by far the most needed information for this type of topic.

 

[orancanoren]

I find it amazing that almost no one (not just you) tells us the resolution of the monitor(s) they are using. That is by far the most needed information for this type of topic.

wow i just realised that i thought i have written it! :lol: okay so am going to play MOSTLY on 1680x1050 sometimes on my 3D TV 1080p (so yes i am going to play bf3 on 3d) but im going to use it for a long time and i want my card to handle 3 monitors of bf3 too

 

[bystander]

If you want to handle 3 monitors on that card, then go for the 4Gb version, but if you plan to stick with your 1680x1050 and 1080p setups, then 2GB is plenty.

 

[d3shawN]

If you're already buying the GTX 680, buy 4 GB..

 

[orancanoren]

so you guys are saying $60 would worth the extra 2gb memory... allright then i will buy it

 

[orancanoren]

maybe gtx 670 4gb can be an option too?? what do u think

 

[17seconds]

Do Graphics Cards Need 4 GB of Memory? - EVGA GeForce GTX 670 4 GB Superclocked+ Review
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/graphics/display/evga-geforce-gtx-670-4gb.html

 

[photonboy]

so you guys are saying $60 would worth the extra 2gb memory... allright then i will buy it

No.
You simply do not require this amount of memory. The exception is for TRIPLE MONITOR support, in which case you'd need SLI (two or three gtx6xx cards) to get the frame rate high enough.

You'd be far, far better putting that extra bit of money into a card that is both QUIETER and OVERCLOCKED.

If you can handle a 3-slot card, the best one is this (I own it):
http://usa.asus.com/Graphics_Cards/NVIDIA_Series/GTX680DC2T2GD5/

If you prefer 2-slot cards, there are a couple options like this:
http://us.msi.com/product/vga/N680GTX-Twin-Frozr-2GD5-OC-.html

(the ASUS GTX670 TOP version is a 2-slot solution which performs basically identical to a reference GTX680 for less money. Just FYI. Not sure on current price or availability. Don't confuse with the non-TOP version which looks the same:
http://usa.asus.com/Graphics_Cards/NVIDIA_Series/GTX670DC2T2GD5/ )

SUMMARY:
- 4GB is overkill except for triple-monitor (which really needs SLI as well)
- you can find 2GB cards that perform BETTER and are QUIETER for the same price, or less than 4GB cards.
- ignore 4GB, and look at: a) performance (benchmarks), and b) NOISE

 

[photonboy]

Update:
I didn't quite read your post well enough. You appear to be comparing ONLY the two MSI cards.

What I expect you'd discover is this:
1) The 2GB card will perform IDENTICAL and possibly SLIGHTLY BETTER because the extra HEAT from the increased RAM on the 4GB model in same cases will prevent the GPU from boosting as high as on the 2GB model.

2) NOISE level should be slightly higher on the 4GB model due to the extra heat.

We're talking a few percent at most for performance and not much extra noise, so feel free to get the 4GB model if that seems cool to you.

I suspect you'll NEVER play a game that needs more than 2GB (without mods that drop the FPS below 60FPS) but again, WTF. I'd love to see a head-to-head comparison between these cards.

Sorry for posting so much.

 

[bigcyco1]

I agree with the others i would stick with the non-reference cards which ever one you get though

 

[bigcyco1]

Do Graphics Cards Need 4 GB of Memory? - EVGA GeForce GTX 670 4 GB Superclocked+ Review
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/graphics/display/evga-geforce-gtx-670-4gb.html

very interesting review i must of missed that one

 

[orancanoren]

Guys thank you for everything i think i will go with Sapphire Vapor-X 7970 GHz edition 3gb if i can confirm it will properly work on 3d with LG LW5500