I'm doing a build as a gift for a friend who's about to start her graduate studies; I'm currently deciding between the 2GB VRAM version and the 4GB version of Galaxy's GTX 680 GC model but I'm not sure if the 2GB difference is worthwhile for the $80 or so difference I'd be paying. Is the 680 even worthwhile? I've had a few friends suggest that a 670 might be sufficient but they weren't exactly sure either; the 670 also comes in 2GB or 4GB versions. (Using that Galaxy design as it matches our planned colour scheme for the build, FYI)
As for what the card's being used for, I know for certain that my friend will be doing a lot of 3D modelling, simulations, using OpenGL apps, working with CUDA programming (hence Nvidia), etc. She'd also be doing some side-tasks like livestreaming/recording conferences/meetings for uploading and archiving immediately afterwards. Just to clarify, her academic uses are the most important factors in deciding what card to get.
As for multi-monitor setups, she's quite content with her dual-monitor config she's using at the moment; I don't know what resolution she's running but I believe that her 2 monitors only natively support 1920x1080 each.
Aside, she's also a avid gamer and often records and edits gameplay footage but, as I mentioned before, the academic purposes are the most important factors.
Being futureproof is a slightly moderate factor; I suppose that she might SLI in the future if she ever wanted a more fancy setup which is why I'm currently planning on getting her a Corsair AX860/860i PSU which should suffice dual SLI if she ever chooses to do so. I've currently chosen the i7-3770k, the ASUS P8Z77-V Pro, and 16GB of Intel Extreme Masters RAM of to accompany whichever card I end up picking.
Any advice would be very helpful; thanks!
P.S. Everything is being overclocked if it wasn't inherent. Also, not changing on CPU choice; it's actually a gift from my other friend and I and they got the 3770k for basically $100 from the Intel Retail Edge Program so we're sticking to LGA1155 as opposed to LGA2011 - we would've gone that route if we had the money but unfortunately not at the moment. With that noted, the motherboard and RAM are also chosen for matching colour schemes (blue/grey/white) so they're unlikely to change unless someone comes up with a much better suggestion; the PSU is being modded to a blue scheme.
As for what the card's being used for, I know for certain that my friend will be doing a lot of 3D modelling, simulations, using OpenGL apps, working with CUDA programming (hence Nvidia), etc. She'd also be doing some side-tasks like livestreaming/recording conferences/meetings for uploading and archiving immediately afterwards. Just to clarify, her academic uses are the most important factors in deciding what card to get.
As for multi-monitor setups, she's quite content with her dual-monitor config she's using at the moment; I don't know what resolution she's running but I believe that her 2 monitors only natively support 1920x1080 each.
Aside, she's also a avid gamer and often records and edits gameplay footage but, as I mentioned before, the academic purposes are the most important factors.
Being futureproof is a slightly moderate factor; I suppose that she might SLI in the future if she ever wanted a more fancy setup which is why I'm currently planning on getting her a Corsair AX860/860i PSU which should suffice dual SLI if she ever chooses to do so. I've currently chosen the i7-3770k, the ASUS P8Z77-V Pro, and 16GB of Intel Extreme Masters RAM of to accompany whichever card I end up picking.
Any advice would be very helpful; thanks!
P.S. Everything is being overclocked if it wasn't inherent. Also, not changing on CPU choice; it's actually a gift from my other friend and I and they got the 3770k for basically $100 from the Intel Retail Edge Program so we're sticking to LGA1155 as opposed to LGA2011 - we would've gone that route if we had the money but unfortunately not at the moment. With that noted, the motherboard and RAM are also chosen for matching colour schemes (blue/grey/white) so they're unlikely to change unless someone comes up with a much better suggestion; the PSU is being modded to a blue scheme.