EVGA GTX680 4GB CLASSFIED vs SAPPHIRE TOXIC 6GB 7970

[i2iDGE]

OK so as you can tell from the title, i wanna go overboard with my GPU but i don't know which is better. I've heard that the NVIDIA GPUs are better, but the AMD software trumps all. Can someone give me the rundown on these and tell me which s better before and after OCing, and which is better for the future and which is better with SLI or CrossFire.

Specs: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/DLIm

 

[TheBigTroll]

actually, nvidia software trumps amd big time, but amd has better performance

and also, for the build, i most likely will throw everything out the window. just want to make sure what things that i can change.

questions

-what are you using this for
-are you going to be playing in 3d?
-are you going to be playing in multi-monitor?
-are you rendering graphics?


because i can put out something that is about half the price and perform the same

 

[The Q6660 Inside]

Run Down:
The 680 has on-paper specs superior to those of the 7970 with bandwidth being handed to the 7970 because of it's 384-bit bus.
In benchmarks it appears even the 670 bests the 7970. Which in turn is practically on par with the +100 USD GTX 680

Bottom line: Neither, a 670 4GB (particularly the EVGA FTW and ASUS Direct CUII) , is the best bang for the buck with the 680s price also being outrageous.

The extra 2GB in the 7970 will make 0 difference and only adds $$$$$$$$$$. .AMD has been on a good driver spree recently so you might want to consider a 3GB 7970.
PS: If you are going for such jaw dropping specs you might want to invest in a Liquid CPU cooler like the pre-filled H100

On-Paper benchmarks: http://www.hwcompare.com/12351/geforce-gtx-680-vs-radeon-hd-7970/

Game Benchmarks: http://media.bestofmicro.com/U/3/336747/original/gtx%20670%20vs%207970%201920.png
http://media.bestofmicro.com/U/1/336745/original/gtx%20670%20vs%20680%201920.png

 

[babernet_1]

Horrible build if for gaming. Here is something much cheaper that would stomp it in any game:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-C14 CPU Cooler ($79.72 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte G1.Sniper 3 EATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($260.01 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($132.57 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($172.99 @ Adorama)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition 3GB Video Card (2-Way CrossFire) ($429.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition 3GB Video Card (2-Way CrossFire) ($429.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 932 Advanced ATX Full Tower Case ($161.10 @ TigerDirect)
Power Supply: Corsair 1200W 80 PLUS Platinum Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($319.99 @ Microcenter)
Optical Drive: LG WH14NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Asus VG248QE 144Hz 24.0" Monitor ($264.99 @ Amazon)
Mouse: Razer Mamba 2012 Elite Wireless Laser Mouse ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $2661.31
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-02-15 21:34 EST-0500)

Some Notes on my reasoning:
3570K is just as fast for gaming as the huge Sandy Bridges, just a fraction of the price.

NH-C14 Awesome Cooler!

Motherboard. Chose Gigabyte Sniper for the PLEX PCI-E interface chip. Will give you better CF speed with nice expandibility to tri or even quad.

Memory, Dropped to 16G though It will give you little over 8G, but if you wanted 32G. . . Note I got only two sticks and they have no heat spreaders. This way they can fit under the mighty NH-C14 cooler. With Ivy Bridge processors, you don't need fast ram, the difference is almost immeasurable in gaming.

Went Dual 7970's to double your gaming experience and with a 1920X1080 display, 3GB is more than enough memory, more than enough, the extra ram will only slow down the card and make it draw more power. Two of these babies are needed to see some frame rates above 60 that your monitor can display.

Went with a Platinum rated power supply of top quality. It will run cooler and quieter.

 

[TheBigTroll]

Run Down:
The 680 has on-paper specs superior to those of the 7970 with bandwidth being handed to the 7970 because of it's 384-bit bus.
In benchmarks it appears even the 670 bests the 7970. Which in turn is practically on par with the +100 USD GTX 680

Bottom line: Neither, a 670 4GB (particularly the EVGA FTW and ASUS Direct CUII) , is the best bang for the buck with the 680s price also being outrageous.

The extra 2GB in the 7970 will make 0 difference and only adds $$$$$$$$$$. .AMD has been on a good driver spree recently so you might want to consider a 3GB 7970.
PS: If you are going for such jaw dropping specs you might want to invest in a Liquid CPU cooler like the pre-filled H100

On-Paper benchmarks: http://www.hwcompare.com/12351/geforce-gtx-680-vs-radeon-hd-7970/

Game Benchmarks: http://media.bestofmicro.com/U/3/336747/original/gtx%20670%20vs%207970%201920.png
http://media.bestofmicro.com/U/1/336745/original/gtx%20670%20vs%20680%201920.png

i dont think you have been super up to date. because a 670 now gets smacked by the 7970 easily. only thing is that it draws more power

 

[i2iDGE]

actually, nvidia software trumps amd big time, but amd has better performance

and also, for the build, i most likely will throw everything out the window. just want to make sure what things that i can change.

questions

-what are you using this for
-are you going to be playing in 3d?
-are you going to be playing in multi-monitor?
-are you rendering graphics?


because i can put out something that is about half the price and perform the same

-what are you using this for Video editing, gaming, CAD
-are you going to be playing in 3d? I've never tried but I want to
-are you going to be playing in multi-monitor? Maybe in the future but not now
-are you rendering graphics? Yes

 

[i2iDGE]

Horrible build if for gaming. Here is something much cheaper that would stomp it in any game:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-C14 CPU Cooler ($79.72 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte G1.Sniper 3 EATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($260.01 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($132.57 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($172.99 @ Adorama)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition 3GB Video Card (2-Way CrossFire) ($429.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition 3GB Video Card (2-Way CrossFire) ($429.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 932 Advanced ATX Full Tower Case ($161.10 @ TigerDirect)
Power Supply: Corsair 1200W 80 PLUS Platinum Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($319.99 @ Microcenter)
Optical Drive: LG WH14NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Asus VG248QE 144Hz 24.0" Monitor ($264.99 @ Amazon)
Mouse: Razer Mamba 2012 Elite Wireless Laser Mouse ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $2661.31
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-02-15 21:34 EST-0500)

Some Notes on my reasoning:
3570K is just as fast for gaming as the huge Sandy Bridges, just a fraction of the price.

NH-C14 Awesome Cooler!

Motherboard. Chose Gigabyte Sniper for the PLEX PCI-E interface chip. Will give you better CF speed with nice expandibility to tri or even quad.

Memory, Dropped to 16G though It will give you little over 8G, but if you wanted 32G. . . Note I got only two sticks and they have no heat spreaders. This way they can fit under the mighty NH-C14 cooler. With Ivy Bridge processors, you don't need fast ram, the difference is almost immeasurable in gaming.

Went Dual 7970's to double your gaming experience and with a 1920X1080 display, 3GB is more than enough memory, more than enough, the extra ram will only slow down the card and make it draw more power. Two of these babies are needed to see some frame rates above 60 that your monitor can display.

Went with a Platinum rated power supply of top quality. It will run cooler and quieter.

I thought the i7-3970x would be better cuz of the threading and cores and i need to edit and render videos

 

[2wenty]

I thought the i7-3970x would be better cuz of the threading and cores and i need to edit and render videos

It really depends on the extent of your video editing and rendering. Even if you did feel you needed 6 cores/12 threads, the 3930k is a much better choice (since it can be overclocked to the 4.5Ghz easily and is half the price). But even so, the i7 3770k on Z77 is more than enough for most video editing purposes, and hyper-threading is not (yet) required for games. Save some money and go with LGA1155.

 

[TheBigTroll]

z77 should be more than enough for video editing and rendering as long as you dont do it past the 4 hr mark. if you are going to do more than 4 hrs a day of rendering, then id get a i7 3930k

get this
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/DSfS

hard drive
http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=66009&promoid=1139

case. pick one of them
http://us.ncix.com/search/?categoryid=0&q=fractal+define+r4

noctua fans arent needed. the stock ones are very quiet already.

windows 7 ultimate is also not needed. unless you speak some other language than english, its not necessary

i chose to use a 670 as they perform about the same as a 680 and CUDA can help with some 3d software better than AMD cards. if you are looking for raw performance get a AMD card. but if you are going to play borderlands 2, nvidia is the only way to go. also, the video card is avaliable without a MIR at the same price of 369.99 at us.ncix

the stryker is not necessary. the space is wasted with this build

i chose a IPS panel instead of a 120/144hz TN panel. you lose speed, but you gain a lot of image quality