660ti, 7870 or 7950 and why?

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
Status
Not open for further replies.
sharki9876

sharki9876

Distinguished
May 20, 2010
91
0
18,630
http://pc.ncix.com/ncixpc/ncixpc_print.cfm?uuid=70A1A534-62C7-4B31-912F88DDEB8601C3-4409999&skulist=72278|1-33130|1-69230|1-58955|2-60883|1-52176|1-58746|1-49597|1-33602|1-33601|1-6024|1-7842|1

This is my new future build so far. I'll be getting all these parts but not graphics card I'll be using an older EVGA GTX 285 for now until I can save enough money for a new GPU.
Also, feel free to give input on my other specs like advice or recommendations..

So my question is which graphics card? Also, why is the 660ti so much cheaper than the 7870 and 7950 if it gets significantly better FPS in most benchmarks? I hear the 660 ti has a crappy memory interface or something so antialiasing wouldn't do too well on it but hey what do I know?


So, thoughts?
 
Solution
dudewitbow


900 mhz is the official standard of reference model 7950s post bios change now. the gcn architecture is very easy to overclock and can overclock pretty heavily without changing voltages.

here was an interesting video posted by a user earlier which compares a 7950, a reference 670, a normal 660ti and a msi 660ti power edition all overclocked which sheds some light on a more practical realtime post overclock performance...
Sort by date Sort by votes
sharki9876

sharki9876

Distinguished
May 20, 2010
91
0
18,630
so howcome in all benchmarks i see the 660ti beats the 7870 and in others its about equal to the 7950, and yet its like 40 dollars cheaper?

I'm fairly sold on the 7950 as an allround powerhouse card but I'm just confused on that one price issue.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
DeusAres

DeusAres

Distinguished
Jun 4, 2012
1,603
0
20,160
Because, in most (if not all of those benchmarks) there's alot of bias that appears. There's also the fact that everyone of those benchmarks ran the HD 7950 at stock clocks. If you overclock the HD 7950, you're looking at speeds similar to that of a gtx 670 and possibly even a hd 7970.

In reality, the gtx 660 ti is around the level of a hd 7870...especially with it's limited 192 bit memory bus.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
sharki9876

sharki9876

Distinguished
May 20, 2010
91
0
18,630
okay, I'm not too keen on depending on an overclocked video card.. but do you think my PSU could handle an OC 7950? I'd probably be getting the gigabyte one with 3 fans to be able to cool it properly.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
dudewitbow

dudewitbow

Dignified
Apr 11, 2012
4,868
1
15,460


900 mhz is the official standard of reference model 7950s post bios change now. the gcn architecture is very easy to overclock and can overclock pretty heavily without changing voltages.

here was an interesting video posted by a user earlier which compares a 7950, a reference 670, a normal 660ti and a msi 660ti power edition all overclocked which sheds some light on a more practical realtime post overclock performance

tl;dr if you dont feel like watching the video:

if you want a 660ti, the msi power edition is the only one you want, as it has unlocked voltages which helps dearly with performance gain(at the cost of heat). Its great in general games that dont use heavy Anti Aliasing(the video used skyrim as an example, Bf3 will also run nicely on a 660ti). though it shows its colors a bit with games like Crysis and Metro 2033, where the performance is neutered compared to higher bus width cards.


Essentially what the video is going at:

the MSI 660ti PE can be as good as a reference OC 670, except in games where the bus size really matters. the 7950 can be the same, except a bit more efficient in minimum fps through a larger number of titles as the only thing that can really hold it back is a game that was optimized for nvidia or uses more shaders(majority of the games) rather than tessellation.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Solution
bigcyco1

bigcyco1

Champion
Feb 11, 2012
15,867
2
54,960
It's because to many on this forum sip red or green kool aid a bit to much the truth is here i finally found this out myself the other day and it's about as close to the truth you'll get imo Quote:
"As it stands, AMD’s position correctly reflects their performance; the GTX 660 Ti is a solid and relatively consistent 10-15% faster than the 7870, while the 7950 is anywhere between a bit faster to a bit slower depending on what benchmarks you favor. Of course when talking about the 7950 the “anything but equal” maxim still applies here, if not more so than with the GTX 670. The GTX 660 Ti is anywhere 50% ahead of the 7950 and 25% behind it, and everywhere in between. Coupled with the tight pricing between all of these cards, this makes it very hard to make any kind of meaningful recommendation here for potential buyers. Compared to the 7870 the GTX 660 Ti is a solid buy if you can spare the extra $20, though it’s not going to be a massive difference. The performance difference is going to be just enough that AMD is going to need to trim prices a bit more to secure the 7870’s position.On the other hand due to the constant flip-flopping of the GTX 660 Ti and 7950 on our benchmarks there is no sure-fire recommendation to hand down there. If we had to pick something, on a pure performance-per-dollar basis the 7950 looks good both now and in the future; in particular we suspect it’s going to weather newer games better than the GTX 660 Ti and its relatively narrow memory bus. But the moment efficiency and power consumption start being important the GTX 660 Ti is unrivaled, and this is a position that is only going to improve in the future when 7950B cards start replacing 7950 cards. For reasons like that there are a couple of niches one card or another serves particularly well, such as overclocking with the 7950, but ultimately unless you have a specific need either card will serve you well enough." Source: http://www.anandtech.com/show/6159/the-geforce-gtx-660-ti-review/21
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
sharki9876

sharki9876

Distinguished
May 20, 2010
91
0
18,630



So, given that info, should I save ~$30 and go for a 660ti or get a 7950 which, according to your quote there, isnt even better most of the time?
I wanna play games like battlefield 3 on max settings in multiplayer so this is all quite important to me.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
dudewitbow

dudewitbow

Dignified
Apr 11, 2012
4,868
1
15,460



essentially, if you want to focus on battlefield 3, have good performance past a 7950 like 30% of some of them(margins vary) the 660ti(preferably MSI PE) is enough. the only time where the 7950 loves to shine its colors is when a game is intensive tesselation wise(hence i mentioned Metro 2033(and its sequel later) as well as crysis to some extent, because the bus limits the speed heavily


toms memory interface test today shows the levels when the 660ti starts to fall off, Batman wise, its 4-8x MSAA(where in 8x msaa at 1920x1080, apparently they had a crossfire 7750 beat the 660ti).


So all in all, its judgment on the % of heavy anti aliasing games you play that will guide your decision. do you want the card that does extremely well at most games, and slightly underaverage at others, or would you pick one which is more rounded in linear performance(sometimes better, sometimes worse, but doesnt drop down to 660ti's low point level) at the same settings through all resolutions.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
bigcyco1

bigcyco1

Champion
Feb 11, 2012
15,867
2
54,960
read ths thread had all kinds of points as to which to get http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/369131-33-660ti-7950#
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
sharki9876

sharki9876

Distinguished
May 20, 2010
91
0
18,630
clearly one card is better than the other. right?

which card is better at stock clocks (atleast 90% of the time?)
and
which card is better when you overclock it a fair amount (atleast 90% of the time)

also maybe which has better bang for buck value
i can also get borderlands 2 free with a 660ti so should that sway my decision?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
dudewitbow

dudewitbow

Dignified
Apr 11, 2012
4,868
1
15,460



neither is overall better.

thats the point where were getting at. the 660ti wins in games that are nvidia sponsored(usually, except ones with alot of Anti Aliasing going on). which is a good majority of the game, but does pretty terribly for its price on the games that stress the memory bus. the 7950 is overall more consistent(min fps), but doesnt push past the max fps of the 660ti on shading based games rather than tesselation. At stock, the 660ti is better in my opinion, the GCN(amds 7k series design) is worthless if you do not overclock it at all. they all are heavily underclocked for reasons of OEMS trying to make an extra buck by selling OC varients.





As the question of "better for the buck," that question can only be answered by listing EVERY game you plan to play. any ratio for bang to buck is biased on the fact of game choice. For instance, if you wanted to play Skyrim and Bf3, the 660ti will win(except for maybe modded skyrim, then it would probably lose). If you add Metro 2033(its sequel and most likely crysis' sequel as well) to the question, then the curve starts to shift in favor of the 7950.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
bigcyco1

bigcyco1

Champion
Feb 11, 2012
15,867
2
54,960
Don't rush things the best way to help you is for you to tell us more info it's not a matter of which card is faster it's a matter of your needs There are a few issues: 1) People make claims without backing it up with proof, 2) People make blanket statements, when the reality is that certain games favor certain hardware, 3) People make a few FPS advantage seem like a "win", when it usually falls within the margin of error and makes no difference in terms of performance.Let's not sip on the red or green kool aid to hard mate and pick what best for you.;) P.S. Video cards are so much more than just FPS. It is a larger construct of value proposition based upon your desired level of gaming.


1. What is the best playable experience I can get with current games with THIS card?
2. What is the power draw for THIS card?
3. How is the driver support for THIS card?
4. How loud is THIS card?
5. How much does THIS card cost?
6. How is the vendor support/warranty for THIS card?
those are some of the basic things you should ask when looking to buy a card.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
sharki9876

sharki9876

Distinguished
May 20, 2010
91
0
18,630
7950? 7950?

7950!

7950.
besides, i can't see myself in a world without antialiasing. thats the whole point of me getting this upgrade.
also, i still can't help but see the 660 as a bit of a baby card, probably cuz of the size

 
Upvote 0 Downvote
sharki9876

sharki9876

Distinguished
May 20, 2010
91
0
18,630
also, my friend switched over to nvidia from his old 5670. he said he chose not to go with ATi anymore because they had crappy drivers and the catalyst control center is hard to use or something.
is this true?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
bigcyco1

bigcyco1

Champion
Feb 11, 2012
15,867
2
54,960
Prove it first then we will worry about it otherwise blanket statements :whistle:
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Status
Not open for further replies.

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom