2 HD7970 vs 2 GTX670 vs 2 HD7950 vs 2GTX660Ti vs GTX680

balteran

February 26, 2013 6:00:21 PM

Hi guys,

I'm building a new gamming pc, my 2009 one gave what he could. I need some helping deciding on the GPU. I'm going for the best cost/performance option, with some room to spare, after all I want this gig to last 3+ years.

======================= General Info and Specs ========================

PPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: march 29

BUDGET RANGE: USD $1000-1400 (not interested in rebates since I live abroad - can go a little over budget)

USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming and watching movies

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: Amazon

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Brazil (going to Orlando-FL on vacation on march 29)

OVERCLOCKING: Maybe (probably no OC on cpu, to avoid the need of a big cooler on the baggage)

SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Indifferent

MONITOR RESOLUTION: standard 1920x1080 (Dell uh2312hm)

----------------- SYSTEM SPECS (can be changed if needed, not bought yet) ---------------------

-MB (125): AS Rock LGA1155 DDR3 SATA3 USB3.0 Quad CrossFireX and Quad SLI A GbE ATX Motherboard Z77 EXTREME4
http://www.amazon.com/LGA1155-CrossFireX-Motherboard-Z7...

-CPU (180): Intel Core-i5 3350P Quad-Core Processor 3.1 Ghz 6 MB Cache LGA 1155 - BX80637i53350P
http://www.amazon.com/Intel-Core-i5-3350P-Quad-Core-Pro...

-RAM > 2 options at the same price (100):
-- Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 1866 MHz (PC3 15000) Desktop Memory (CMZ16GX3M2A1866C9)
<>Frequency: 1866MHz
<>Timing: 9-10-9-27
http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Vengeance-Desktop-Memory-...
-- Patriot Memory Intel Extreme Masters 16 GB (4 x 4GB) PC3-12800 CL9 Memory Kit - PVI316G160C9QK
<>Frequency: 1600MHz
<>Timings: 9-9-9-24
http://www.amazon.com/Patriot-Memory-Extreme-Masters-PC...

-HD (138): Seagate Barracuda 7200 3 TB 7200RPM SATA 6 Gb/s NCQ 64MB Cache 3.5-Inch Internal Bare Drive ST3000DM001
http://www.amazon.com/Seagate-Barracuda-3-5-Inch-Intern...

-Power supply (160): Corsair Professional Series HX 850 Watt ATX/EPS Modular 80 PLUS Gold (HX850)
http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Professional-Series-Modul...

Subtotal: 543,00

================== NOW, TO THE GPUs!!! ==================

Arragend by price

Option 1) 2 x HD 7970 = USD 820
Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 OC with Boost 3GB
http://www.amazon.com/Sapphire-DL-DVI-I-SL-DVI-D-PCI-Ex...

Option 2) 2 x GTX 670 = USD 740
EVGA GeForce GTX670 FTW 2048MB
http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-Dual-Link-DisplayPort-Graphi...

Option 3) 2 x HD 7950 = US 640,00
- 2 x Sapphire Radeon HD 7950 3GB
http://www.amazon.com/Sapphire-Radeon-PCI-Express-Graph...

Option 4) 2 x GTX 660Ti = USD 593,76
-2 x EVGA GeForce GTX 660Ti SUPERCLOCKED 2048MB
http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-GeForce-SUPERCLOCKED-Graphic...

Option 5) GTX 680 = USD 465,29
EVGA GeForce GTX680 SC SIGNATURE 2048 MB
http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-SIGNATURE-DisplayPort-Graphi...

Other options, are they viable?
3 x GTX 660 = 680
3 x GTX 660Ti = 890
2 x GTX 680 = 930
3 x HD 7950 = 960

Thanks a lot in advance! These doubts are kililng me =P

More about : hd7970 gtx670 hd7950 2gtx660ti gtx680

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Reply to balteran

Anonymous

Graphics card Master

February 26, 2013 6:43:26 PM

You dont know what to do with money?

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Derza10

Graphics card Authority

February 26, 2013 6:59:53 PM

Personally I would get a single GTX 670 for 1080p resolution. Then in 2 years you can get a second GTX 670 or sell off the GTX 670 for a GTX 870 or something(Selling and buying the newer gen card is imo the best way to go about it).

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balteran

February 26, 2013 9:16:36 PM

Derza10 said:

Personally I would get a single GTX 670 for 1080p resolution. Then in 2 years you can get a second GTX 670 or sell off the GTX 670 for a GTX 870 or something(Selling and buying the newer gen card is imo the best way to go about it).

Yeah, I'll get one gpu then.

After further research the 7950 is out, the GTX 680 too (is too expensive).

I'm also shaving of $20 from the power supply. 750w is more than enough.

That leaves me with HD 7970 vs GTX 670. The best one available on Amazon is a 670 FTW (overclocked and inside a 680 case + fan) for 370,00.

The winner: EVGA GTX 670 FTW! :bounce:

Thanks

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Reply to balteran

whyso

February 26, 2013 9:45:46 PM

Why 670? 7970 is significantly more powerful when overclocked at a similar price.

If you are going to eventually crossfire or SLI the processor may be a bottleneck unless you overclock it which is impossible with that model. And its a lower clocked i5

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balteran

February 26, 2013 10:00:35 PM

whyso said:

Why 670? 7970 is significantly more powerful when overclocked at a similar price.

If you are going to eventually crossfire or SLI the processor may be a bottleneck unless you overclock it which is impossible with that model. And its a lower clocked i5

On Amazon the best (value) 7970 available is the XFX black edition for 400,00 (30+). Better choice than the 670 (ftw)?

http://www.amazon.com/XFX-FX797ATDBC-Double-Edition-Gra...

http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-Dual-Link-DisplayPort-Graphi...

About the CPU, what about a i5-3570K (USD 224)? Or should i go with a i7-3770K (USD 325) already?

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ikes9711

Graphics card Expert

February 26, 2013 10:16:31 PM

Unless you changed your mind about overclocking a 3570K is not going to be practical for you... Also a 3770K is not going to perform as well in gaming because hyper-threading slows it down.

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balteran

February 26, 2013 10:38:45 PM

ikes9711 said:

Unless you changed your mind about overclocking a 3570K is not going to be practical for you... Also a 3770K is not going to perform as well in gaming because hyper-threading slows it down.

I did =) Gonna OC both GPU and CPU. What CPU would you recommend? Is that mobo good of oc?

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Reply to balteran

ikes9711

Graphics card Expert

February 26, 2013 10:44:50 PM

balteran said:

I did =) Gonna OC both GPU and CPU. What CPU would you recommend? Is that mobo good of oc?

The 3570K is going to be your best bet. For a mobo go for an ASRock Extreme4

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balteran

February 27, 2013 12:42:36 AM

ikes9711 said:

The 3570K is going to be your best bet. For a mobo go for an ASRock Extreme4

Great, thanks! Also, I found the Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 OC with Boost 3GB a good choice. It's at 410 but reviews point to good OC potential plus I'll get "Crysis 3" and "Bioshock Infinite" with It =)

So, that's the build:

MB (125): AS Rock Z77 EXTREME4
CPU (224): Intel Core i5-3570K
GPU (410): Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 OC with Boost 3GB DDR5
RAM: (90): G.Skill Ares Low Profile F3-1600C9D-16GAR DDR3-1600 16GB (2 x 8GB) Desktop Memory
Power (160): Corsair Professional Series HX 850 Watt ATX/EPS Modular 80 PLUS Gold (HX850)
Cooler (33): Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO - CPU Cooler with 120mm PWM Fan (RR-212E-20PK-R2)
HD (138): Seagate Barracuda 7200 3 TB 7200RPM SATA 6 Gb/s NCQ 64MB Cache 3.5-Inch Internal Bare Drive ST3000DM001
BD (70): ASUS BW-12B1ST/BLK/G/AS 12X Blu-ray Internal Burner Drive with Disc Encryption - Black - Retail Box

*Gonna use olde case (HAF 922)

Total: 1250,00

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