MSI 670 OC vs MSI 660 ti PE

[foxh0und]

I can get the MSI 670 for £20 more than I am paying for the 660 ti, is it worth the extra? I plan on playing Battlefield 3.

 

[gamerkila57]

yes its worth the extra or you can get an HD 7950

 

[Youngmind]

If the GTX 670 were £100 apart, then no, but at only an additional £20, then it is definitely worth it. The GTX 660ti is so bottlenecked by its memory bus that you'd have to OC its memory to over 7.71 GHz to match the memory bandwidth of the GTX 670, which will be hard for you to do. Normally, you'd pay a lot more money for a couple of fps, but since it is only 20 you're paying, this is worth it. I'm basing my conclusions on 2560x1600 resolution, since you did not specify the resolution you're playing at. The GTX 670 will help you approach 60 fps average you want for playing BF3.

http://hardocp.com/article/2012/08/23/galaxy_gtx_660_ti_gc_oc_vs_670_hd_7950/2

 

[foxh0und]

7950 is worse for BF3 than 660 ti according to benchmarks I've seen.

 

[foxh0und]

If the GTX 670 were £100 apart, then no, but at only an additional £20, then it is definitely worth it. The GTX 660ti is so bottlenecked by its memory bus that you'd have to OC its memory to over 7.71 GHz to match the memory bandwidth of the GTX 670, which will be hard for you to do. Normally, you'd pay a lot more money for a couple of fps, but since it is only 20 you're paying, this is worth it. I'm basing my conclusions on 2560x1600 resolution, since you did not specify the resolution you're playing at. The GTX 670 will help you approach 60 fps average you want for playing BF3.

http://hardocp.com/article/2012/08/23/galaxy_gtx_660_ti_gc_oc_vs_670_hd_7950/2

I'll be playing on 1080p

 

[sherlockwing]

I'll be playing on 1080p

1080p at 60hz you will do just fine with the 660Ti since it can get to 60 FPS on most games when overclocked, get 670 in SLI when you need 120hz.

 

[killerhurtalot]

Nvidia is the only way to go with battlefield 3...

and it's ALWAYS worth it to go with the best GPU you can afford.

If you get a factory overclocked GTX 670, you're basically guaranteed to get over 1150 mhz core clock boost and a easy 400-500 mhz memory boost if you overvolt it to 1.175V (which will destroy a OCed GTX 660 ti)

 

[nacos]

Nvidia is the only way to go with battlefield 3...

and it's ALWAYS worth it to go with the best GPU you can afford.

If you get a factory overclocked GTX 670, you're basically guaranteed to get over 1150 mhz core clock boost and a easy 400-500 mhz memory boost if you overvolt it to 1.175V (which will destroy a OCed GTX 660 ti)

NVidia is not the only way to go for bf3. A 7950 with a simple overclock to 1100/1300 +20% powertune will keep you at 60 fps always at 1080p in bf3 with 4xMSAA. At a 1440p or 1600p resolution, an overclocked 7950 beats an overclocked 670 and an overclocked 7970 beats an overclocked 680. The Kepler 192/256 bit memory bottlenecks prevent them from handling the 4xMSAA well which is required to fully "max" out bf3.

 

[gamerkila57]

7950 is worse for BF3 than 660 ti according to benchmarks I've seen.

http://www.hardocp.com/article/2012/08/23/galaxy_gtx_660_ti_gc_oc_vs_670_hd_7950

 

[sherlockwing]

NVidia is not the only way to go for bf3. A 7950 with a simple overclock to 1100/1300 +20% powertune will keep you at 60 fps always at 1080p in bf3 with 4xMSAA. At a 1440p or 1600p resolution, an overclocked 7950 beats an overclocked 670 and an overclocked 7970 beats an overclocked 680. The Kepler 192/256 bit memory bottlenecks prevent them from handling the 4xMSAA well which is required to fully "max" out bf3.

Readon 3G models are the way to go for 1440p/1600p resolution gaming(with minimum of 8ms GTG and infinite ghosting mind you). However BF3 is best played on 1080p 2ms 120hz monitors and 670 SLI is can saturate that easily without the +$140, +130 W and 10+ db in noise from Crossfire 7970 GE, not to mention the ASUS and BenQ 120hz monitors works best with Nvidia.

 

[nacos]

Readon 3G models are the way to go for 1440p/1600p resolution gaming(with minimum of 8ms GTG and infinite ghosting mind you). However BF3 is best played on 1080p 2ms 120hz monitors and 670 SLI is can saturate that easily without the +$140, +130 W and 10+ db in noise from Crossfire 7970 GE, not to mention the ASUS and BenQ 120hz monitors works best with Nvidia.

No doubt a Kepler card is the better choice at 1080p for a pure gaming setup, I was just trying to say that it's not "the only way to go".

 

[davech1]

Readon 3G models are the way to go for 1440p/1600p resolution gaming(with minimum of 8ms GTG and infinite ghosting mind you). However BF3 is best played on 1080p 2ms 120hz monitors and 670 SLI is can saturate that easily without the +$140, +130 W and 10+ db in noise from Crossfire 7970 GE, not to mention the ASUS and BenQ 120hz monitors works best with Nvidia.

Care to elaborate? I've got a BenQ 120hz and I'm about to get a Gigabyte 7970 GE OC instead of a MSI 670 PE OC, but that message of yours is making me reconsider...

 

[sherlockwing]

Care to elaborate? I've got a BenQ 120hz and I'm about to get a Gigabyte 7970 GE OC instead of a MSI 670 PE OC, but that message of yours is making me reconsider...

BenQ and ASUS 120hz montiors are designed to work with Nvidia 3DVision2 Technology, you have to get the Samsung 120Hz monitor for it to work with 7970GE's 3DHD.

You aren't getting 120 FPSfrom a single 670 or 7970 GE for 1080p BF3 in ultra either way, and if you are going SLI/CLX a 7970 GE set you back $140 in cash, 130 W Power Cosumption, and +10 db in noise(these are all from comparing reference models, a Gigabyte 7970GE will still be behind a Gigabyte 670 by the same amount since the technology used by Gigabyte is the same).

I recommend you get a Gigabyte 670 OC/GD2(Windforce 3X) at 399.99 over Gigabyte 7970 GE(469.99) since this(Tom's latest $2000 rig with SLI of 2 EVGA not FTW 670->Alternative):

As you can see 670 SLI already overshoots the required 120FPS without OC at 1920X1080 so unless you are looking at a triple monitor setup there is no need to spend the extra in dollars/power & take the extra noise for 7970GE.

 

[killerhurtalot]

http://www.hardocp.com/article/2012/08/23/galaxy_gtx_660_ti_gc_oc_vs_670_hd_7950

cherry picked cards much?

that GTX 670's memory overclock is pitiful. you can easily do 100-200+ memory overclock (pushing it to 1700 easy) on a GTX 670 in addition to hitting around 1200 mhz core especially the direct CU II model. (I wonder why they didn't go with the 7950 DirectCU II model...)

They did this even though the knew that the memory bandwidth is lower in the GTX 670 and 660 ti and that's going to be a issue when pushing games to that speed...

 

[davech1]

BenQ and ASUS 120hz montiors are designed to work with Nvidia 3DVision2 Technology, you have to get the Samsung 120Hz monitor for it to work with 7970GE's 3DHD.

You aren't getting 120 hz from a single 670 or 7970 GE for 1080p BF3, and if you are going SLI/CLX a 7970 GE set you back $140 in cash, 130 W Power Cosumption, and +10 db in noise(these are all from comparing reference models, a Gigabyte 7970GE will still be behind a Gigabyte 670 by the same amount since the technology used by Gigabyte is the same).

I recommend you get a Gigabyte 670 OC/GD2(Windforce 3X) at 399.99 over Gigabyte 7970 GE(469.99) since this(Tom's latest $2000 rig with SLI of 2 EVGA not FTW 670->Alternative):

http://media.bestofmicro.com/P/U/349554/original/image010.png

As you can see 670 SLI already overshoots the required 120FPS without OC at 1920X1080 so unless you are looking at a triple monitor setup there is no need to spend the extra in dollars/power & take the extra noise for 7970GE.

Oh I see, but I don't really plan on using the 3D, neither going for SLI/CFX.
I mainly plan on gaming @ 1080p (single monitor) and here where I live the difference between the MSI 670 PE OC and a Gigabyte 7970 GE OC is around 50~55 bucks.

 

[sherlockwing]

Oh I see, but I don't really plan on using the 3D, neither going for SLI/CFX.
I mainly plan on gaming @ 1080p (single monitor) and here where I live the difference between the MSI 670 PE OC and a Gigabyte 7970 GE OC is around 50~55 bucks.

Whatever that price difference is, it will double when you SLI/ClX->$100-110.
Plus there is no sizeable OC difference between Gigabyte 670 OC and MSI PE/OC(which is at the same price as reference 670) except the Gigabyte 670 OC should be at least $60-70 cheaper than you 7970 GEOC

and this

So you are willing to pick the loudest, the third worst temperature & worst power consumption for FPS Overkill (670 SLI already overshoot 120hz monitor needs) in SLI/CLX? Keep in mind all those differences are magnified in SLI/CLX which is the only realistic way for you to maximize your 120 hz monitor.

However if you are contempt with only getting 90 FPS out of your 120hz monitor or going for a 3 montior setup then you could justify the extra spending/noise/power consumption and a hotter card.

 

[skrepas]

Nvidia is the only way to go with battlefield 3...

Completely agreed.

 

[davech1]

Whatever that price difference is, it will double when you SLI/ClX->$100-110.
Plus there is no sizeable OC difference between Gigabyte 670 OC and MSI PE/OC(which is at the same price as reference 670) except the Gigabyte 670 OC should be at least $60-70 cheaper than you 7970 GEOC

and this

http://media.bestofmicro.com/A/O/342528/original/load noise.png
http://media.bestofmicro.com/A/P/342529/original/load temperature.png
http://media.bestofmicro.com/9/Z/342503/original/average system load power.png

So you are willing to pick the loudest, the third worst temperature & worst power consumption for FPS Overkill (670 SLI already overshoot 120hz monitor needs) in SLI/CLX? Keep in mind all those differences are magnified in SLI/CLX which is the only realistic way for you to maximize your 120 hz monitor.

However if you are contempt with only getting 90 FPS out of your 120hz monitor or going for a 3 montior setup then you could justify the extra spending/noise/power consumption and a hotter card.

As of now SLI/CFX is out of question for me, and yes I know I won't be able to benefit the 120hz with a single card.

About the charts, these are the reference models, the Gigabyte 7970 GE OC and the MSI 670 PE OC I'm referring are pretty good in terms of noise/temps/watts. The 7970GE has the higher values, but it's not a big difference.

Thanks!

 

[sherlockwing]

As of now SLI/CFX is out of question for me, and yes I know I won't be able to benefit the 120hz with a single card.

About the charts, these are the reference models, the Gigabyte 7970 GE OC and the MSI 670 PE OC I'm referring are pretty good in terms of noise/temps/watts. The 7970GE has the higher values, but it's not a big difference.

Thanks!

Actually that's not true, since the technology used for Gigabyte 7970 GE OC and Gigabyte 670 OC/GD2 is the same, and the 7970 GE reference model is worse than 670 reference model to begin with, in the end the Gigabyte 670 OC/GD2 is still better than Gigabyte 7970 GE OC in power consumption, noise & temperature because it have a better starting point in Power consumption/Noise & Temperature.

If you chose to to stay with one card and don't mind the spend the at least 15% extra money for at most 8.5% extra performance, and more noise, higher temperature & power consumption to boot, go with 7970GE as it will help you accomplish all these.

 

[nacos]

Whatever that price difference is, it will double when you SLI/ClX->$100-110.
Plus there is no sizeable OC difference between Gigabyte 670 OC and MSI PE/OC(which is at the same price as reference 670) except the Gigabyte 670 OC should be at least $60-70 cheaper than you 7970 GEOC

and this

http://media.bestofmicro.com/A/O/342528/original/load noise.png
http://media.bestofmicro.com/A/P/342529/original/load temperature.png
http://media.bestofmicro.com/9/Z/342503/original/average system load power.png

So you are willing to pick the loudest, the third worst temperature & worst power consumption for FPS Overkill (670 SLI already overshoot 120hz monitor needs) in SLI/CLX? Keep in mind all those differences are magnified in SLI/CLX which is the only realistic way for you to maximize your 120 hz monitor.

However if you are contempt with only getting 90 FPS out of your 120hz monitor or going for a 3 montior setup then you could justify the extra spending/noise/power consumption and a hotter card.

Worst persuasion I have ever seen. First off, nobody cares about power consumption. Second off, heat is determined by the model. My gigabyte wind force x3 7970 maxes out at 74c when overclocked to 1200/1650 at 1.266v up from 1.174. Not to mention it keep these temps at 60% fan speed which is silent.

 

[Tavo_Nova]

msi gtx670 PE is a nice card ^_^

 

[sherlockwing]

Worst persuasion I have ever seen. First off, nobody cares about power consumption. Second off, heat is determined by the model. My gigabyte wind force x3 7970 maxes out at 74c when overclocked to 1200/1650 at 1.266v up from 1.174. Not to mention it keep these temps at 60% fan speed which is silent.

Heat differences don't just wiped off by your Gigabyte Windforce, it only get dispersed inside your case by the custom cooler(i.e making your other card in Crossfire a lot hotter and heating up other components)I. Regardless of the custom cooler used(unless it is a pure blower) your 7970 Ghz still generate a lot more heat than my 670.

As proof: My Gigabyte windforce 3x 670 is running 1150 Mhz with a 55% fan speed, but my temp is 51 instead of your 74 LMAO.

This article showing a Gigabyte Windforce OCed to 1243 Mhz, staying at 52 C ,using the same custom cooler as your 7970 Heat Machine.

Also Power consumption makes a huge difference in picking the PSU, 2 7970 Ghz forces you to get a PSU that produces 150 extra W minimum since they consume 130W+ more than a pair for 670.

Facts are facts, the 7970/Ghzs run hotter, consume more power and only offer marginally better performance for significantly more in price. Unless you really want to game on a IPS panel(not recommended for FPS), they don't offer you anything a 670 can't do just as well for less.

 

[nacos]

Heat differences don't just wiped off by your Gigabyte Windforce, it only get dispersed inside your case by the custom cooler(i.e making your other card in Crossfire a lot hotter and heating up other components)I. Regardless of the custom cooler used(unless it is a pure blower) your 7970 Ghz still generate a lot more heat than my 670.

As proof: My Gigabyte windforce 3x 670 is running 1150 Mhz with a 55% fan speed, but my temp is 51 instead of your 74 LMAO.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/build-a-pc-overclock-benchmark,3276-12.html

This article showing a Gigabyte Windforce OCed to 1243 Mhz, staying at 52 C ,using the same custom cooler as your 7970 Heat Machine.
http://media.bestofmicro.com/W/O/348504/original/GPU OC 2.jpg

Also Power consumption makes a huge difference in picking the PSU, 2 7970 Ghz forces you to get a PSU that produces 150 extra W minimum since they consume 130W+ more than a pair for 670.

Facts are facts, the 7970/Ghzs run hotter, consume more power and only offer marginally better performance for significantly more in price. Unless you really want to game on a IPS panel(not recommended for FPS), they don't offer you anything a 670 can't do just as well for less.

7970 @ 1200 = 670 @ 1500