GTX 660 vs 660ti/HD7870 (requires PSU replacement)

[Xander314]

I know there are a lot of threads asking for comparisons of these graphics cards, but my question is slightly different.

I'm trying to choose a graphics card for my new gaming system on a budget. From what I've read, it seems the GTX660 is better value than the 660Ti, but that the 7870 is probably even better value.

However, my existing power supply has only one PCI-E power cable, so if I get the 660Ti or 7870 I'd have to buy a new PSU as well. Should I stick with the 660 so I can avoid buying a new PSU, or are any of the more powerful cards worth it even given the extra cost of a new power supply.

I know I can get molex to PCI-E power connector adapters, but I don't know if that's a good idea. My PSU is an HEC 550W unit and I'm not sure if it's up to the task of running the more powerful graphics cards.

 

[swilczak]

You should be okay running the 660ti or 7870 with that PSU using a molex to pcie adapter, but it really depends on your PC's specs. What kind of processor do you have? What type of disk drives? How much Ram? If you have a power hungry CPU then it might not be a good idea.

 

[iam2thecrowe]

well the gtx660 is obviously the lowest power consumption of the said cards if your worried about that. and its barely any slower than the 7870, like around 2% slower overall. If you ever plan to go dual cards stick with NVidia as AMD has problems with their dual card setup.

 

[huilun02]

You getting an AMD or Intel CPU? Monitor resolution and number of monitors? What games will you be playing? Getting a second card later?

 

[mastrom101]

I would recommend a 7870 XT if possible. You can probably get away with a 600-700 watt name-brand PSU for $50-60 which will perform a lot better than your HEC unit.

The 660 is a decent choice though. You can play almost every game at 1080P with one, just without a ton of AA, etc

 

[Xander314]

One thing I forgot the mention is that it's a GTX 660 OC, which I suppose will use a little extra power. For that card it's between the MSI TwinFrozr and the Gigabyte Wind force, since they're the cheapest at my computer store.

Also, I read that the AMD cards overclock better. I know I won't be overclocking anything with my current PSU, but in the future it would be a cheap way of squeezing some extra life out of the system.

What kind of processor do you have? What type of disk drives? How much Ram? If you have a power hungry CPU then it might not be a good idea.

The specs are:

• 
  ■ Intel core i5 3570k
  ■ Asus P8Z77-V LK motherboard
  ■ 8Gb corsair vengeance ram
  ■ 2tb WD Caviar green 2tb (variable rpm, sata)
  ■ 750gb WD 750gb (7400rpm, sata)
  ■ BDR/DVDRW drive

I'm not 100% sure about the hard drive specs - I've had the 750gb a while now, but I can't afford to replace it just yet.

You getting an AMD or Intel CPU? Monitor resolution and number of monitors? What games will you be playing? Getting a second card later?

• 
  ■ Intel CPU core i5 3570k
  ■ Probably three mismatched monitors, but for gaming just one @ 1080p. I might be tempted by a three screen 5760x1080p in the future though. I am guessing none of the cards listed would be great for that. What about dual GTX 660s?
  ■ I'll be playing Farcry 3, Metro 2033, whatever free game comes with the card (metro last light out BioShock Infinite)
  ■ I was thinking about getting a second card after the prices fall a bit more for a cheap speed boost. At that point I would replace the PSU if I hadn't already.

I would recommend a 7870 XT if possible. You can probably get away with a 600-700 watt name-brand PSU for $50-60 which will perform a lot better than your HEC unit.

That's a card I was considering actually. The problem is it ends up costing £100 (~$155) more than the GTX 660 once the cost of the PSU is added. I wasn't sure if this extra cost was worth it.

 

[david cassar]

The gtx 660 is a good cards it is about a few frames(2 fps) slower than the hd 7870. If you are thinking of adding multiple cards crossfire is suffering from latencys so better go with nvidia.
gtx 660<hd 7870< gtx 660 ti< hd 7870(xt)

 

[huilun02]

Best solution (in my opinion) for following scenarios:

Single card 1080p > HD 7870 XT
Dual card for one monitor 1080p > GTX 650 Ti Boost x2
Single card for triple monitor 5670x1080 > HD 7970 Ghz
Dual card for triple monitor 5670x1080 > HD 7870 XT/7950/7970 x2
Single card for one monitor bigger than 1080p > GTX Titan or HD 7970 Ghz
Dual card for one monitor bigger than 1080p > GTX 660/660Ti/670 x2

 

[swilczak]

You can run the 660ti with your current power supply, but I would look into upgrading the PSU sometime in the future just to be safe. If you plan to upgrade the PSU first I would go with the 7950 because I've been seeing them for sale lately for $270-$280 with two free games and if you overclock it you will get performance comparable to the gtx 680 and the 7970.

 

[Xander314]

You can run the 660ti with your current power supply, but I would look into upgrading the PSU sometime in the future just to be safe. If you plan to upgrade the PSU first I would go with the 7950 because I've been seeing them for sale lately for $270-$280 with two free games and if you overclock it you will get performance comparable to the gtx 680 and the 7970.

Unfortunately the 7950 doesn't seem to be so cheap here in the UK. Haven't found prices lower than £237 (~$370).

I am currently tending towards the GTX660 - not convinced the £100 extra for the 660Ti is worthwhile.

 

[swilczak]

The 660 is no doubt a better value, especially after the recent price drop. The extra 100 gets you more shaders but that's about it. The memory bus and everything else is the same or similar.

 

[david cassar]

The 660 is no doubt a better value, especially after the recent price drop. The extra 100 gets you more shaders but that's about it. The memory bus and everything else is the same or similar.

+1 fps wise the gtx 660 ti isn't that much better than the gtx 660 non-ti. Its like 10-15 fps faster but costs 100 dollars more. Also the gtx 660 is a very low power card.

 

[Xander314]

I haven't decided what to do yet, but I am considering getting a new PSU along with the 7870XT/7950. I may eventually end up with an OC 3570k, plus two OC 7870XT/7950s in CrossFire. Would this PSU be good enough for that
http://www.amazon.co.uk/OCZ-OCZ-ZS750W-UK-Series-Bronze-single/dp/B005DJJPV8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1367254536&sr=8-1&keywords=ocz+750w#productDetails
If not, what would you recommend. I want something reliable for overclocking with the kind of setup described above, but not too expensive as my budget is limited and anything spent on the PSU can't be spent on the graphics card or case.

Edit: I also found this XFX one, which is more expensive, but I read that they are a good brand (units made by Seasonic?)
There's also this slightly more expensive XFX one
http://www.amazon.co.uk/XFX-P1-750S-NLB9-PRO750W-Edition-Supply/dp/B0045L4BJ6/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

One other note - my current case takes a top PSU mount. I want to avoid buying a new case for now if possible as it's yet more budget increases. However, I have read that a modern PSU in such a case will end up pulling hot air pretty much right out of the CPU heatsink, thus reducing it's performance and lifespan. Is this enough of an issue to justify a new case? The current one is quite large, but I have no idea of a manufacturer or model number...

 

[david cassar]

I haven't decided what to do yet, but I am considering getting a new PSU along with the 7870XT/7950. I may eventually end up with an OC 3570k, plus two OC 7870XT/7950s in CrossFire. Would this PSU be good enough for that
http://www.amazon.co.uk/OCZ-OCZ-ZS750W-UK-Series-Bronze-single/dp/B005DJJPV8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1367254536&sr=8-1&keywords=ocz+750w#productDetails
If not, what would you recommend. I want something reliable for overclocking with the kind of setup described above, but not too expensive as my budget is limited and anything spent on the PSU can't be spent on the graphics card or case.

Edit: I also found this XFX one, which is more expensive, but I read that they are a good brand (units made by Seasonic?)
There's also this slightly more expensive XFX one
http://www.amazon.co.uk/XFX-P1-750S-NLB9-PRO750W-Edition-Supply/dp/B0045L4BJ6/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

One other note - my current case takes a top PSU mount. I want to avoid buying a new case for now if possible as it's yet more budget increases. However, I have read that a modern PSU in such a case will end up pulling hot air pretty much right out of the CPU heatsink, thus reducing it's performance and lifespan. Is this enough of an issue to justify a new case? The current one is quite large, but I have no idea of a manufacturer or model number...

Both of them will be sufficient for two of those cards. I wouldn't go with crossfire because amd cards and crossfire are suffering from high latencies. If you are going to use multiple cards i would decide to get two gtx 660s.

 

[Xander314]

Sorry to resurrect this thread after a month...

My situation has changed a little now: it turned out my PSU was faulty, and not my motherboard. Therefore I now just want to replace the PSU and nothing else at minimal cost.

I'm looking for an XFX unit, since they are made by Seasonic and seem to be good. It's between the 550W,
http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/components/powersupplies/p1-550s-xxb9.html
and the 750W,
http://www.amazon.co.uk/XFX-P1-750S-NLB9-PRO750W-Edition-Supply/dp/B0045L4BJ6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1370877780&sr=8-1&keywords=xfx+750w

I was just wondering: what's the most I could run off the 550W? Could it run a single 7950? Would there be any room for overclocking the CPU or GPU? Or is it safer just to go with the 750W?

EDIT: I am also considering the 550W/650W OCZ ZS PSU.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/OCZ-OCZ-ZS550W-UK-Series-Bronze-single/dp/B005DJJTFA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1370878324&sr=8-1&keywords=ocz+zs+550w
http://www.amazon.co.uk/OCZ-OCZ-ZS650W-UK-Series-Bronze-Supply/dp/B005DJJRVQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1370878342&sr=8-1&keywords=ocz+zs+650w