Which GPU should I get?

[Shatto]

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: About a month

BUDGET RANGE: For the whole build around $2k I can afford to pay about $650ish for a GPU though

USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming - BF3/4, Metro 2033, Crysis, etc 3D rendering and video editing

CURRENT GPU AND POWER SUPPLY: No GPU yet, this is my first build and I'm trying to decide but the PSU I have picked is the Corsair Professional 850W 80 PLUS Silver Certified ATX12V / EPS12V

OTHER RELEVANT SYSTEM SPECS: Here is my build for reference

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ Outlet PC)
Thermal Compound: Arctic Cooling MX-2 4g Thermal Paste ($4.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: MSI Z77 MPOWER ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($189.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($115.06 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($124.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: OCZ Vector Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($229.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Storm Enforcer ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Case Fan: Cooler Master SickleFlow 69.7 CFM 120mm Fan ($6.07 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair Professional 850W 80 PLUS Silver Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($176.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On IHBS312-98 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($89.97 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 Professional Full (64-bit) ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Asus VH238H 23.0" Monitor ($157.58 @ Newegg)
Mouse: Cooler Master CM Storm Sentinel Advance II Wired Laser Mouse ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $2160.54
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-03-30 16:20 EDT-0400)

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: Newegg, NCIX and Amazon but it really doesn't matter, if some place is cheaper that would be fine

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: USA, Arizona

PARTS PREFERENCES: I don't have a preference however I'd prefer to have parts that allow or support overclocking and not voltage locked for the GPU

OVERCLOCKING: Yes

SLI OR CROSSFIRE: Yes

MONITOR RESOLUTION: Possibly 1920 x 1080 or better, haven't truly decided what monitor I want

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: I will be adding a second card for SLI or CF in the future, I will also be adding another monitor but not right away. I already have my case, mobo, and CPU so don't tell me to get a different case or that I should get an i5

Okay so now that that is out of the way here is my question should I get a Sapphire vapor-x 6GB 7970GHz or a Evga 4GB GTX 680 FTW

I have seen several benchmarks but some say the 7970 is above the 680 whilst others say the 680 is above the 7970, the only difference I've seen is that the 7970 plays crysis and metro a little better but the 680 plays almost everything else better so any help?

 

[lt_dan_zsu]

I would say go for a standard 7970 ghz edtion. The 6gb is a little excessive.

 

[Shatto]

I would say go for a standard 7970 ghz edtion. The 6gb is a little excessive.

Isn't the 6GB better for multiple monitors?

 

[lloydloo]

5% increase in performance which you probably won't notice

 

[huilun02]

If you are going to have your game displayed across multiple monitors then get the 7970Ghz. AMD cards have better support for multi monitor gaming. Also most cards are voltage locked nowadays, for both AMD and Nvidia, but the AMD Tahiti chips still seem to have plenty of overclocking headroom (I'm using a Sapphire 7950 passively overclocked to 7970 GHz speeds, easily for vast majority of 7950 users I've seen)

 

[Shatto]

If you are going to have your game displayed across multiple monitors then get the 7970Ghz. AMD cards have better support for multi monitor gaming. Also most cards are voltage locked nowadays, for both AMD and Nvidia, but the AMD Tahiti chips still seem to have plenty of overclocking headroom (I'm using a Sapphire 7950 passively overclocked to 7970 GHz speeds, easily for vast majority of 7950 users I've seen)

So I heard the 7970 gigabyte cards are voltage locked even though they're the tahiti chip, is that true?

 

[huilun02]

Yes most cases of voltage locked 7970s I've seen were from Gigabyte and XFX. Being a Tahiti chip or whatever chip has nothing to do with being voltage locked. To voltage lock a card is the decision of the manufacturer. AMD does not require all manufacturers to voltage lock their cards but they can choose to do so. Don't know about Nvidia, haven't been using Geforce for ages.

Edit: I'm using a Sapphire 7950 its overclocked and does not appear to be voltage locked. I wouldn't mess with voltages anyway.

 

[Shatto]

Yes most cases of voltage locked 7970s I've seen were from Gigabyte and XFX. Being a Tahiti chip or whatever chip has nothing to do with being voltage locked. To voltage lock a card is the decision of the manufacturer. AMD does not require all manufacturers to voltage lock their cards but they can choose to do so. Don't know about Nvidia, haven't been using Geforce for ages.

Edit: I'm using a Sapphire 7950 its overclocked and does not appear to be voltage locked. I wouldn't mess with voltages anyway.

Alright thank you