GTX 780 worth the money?

[edifice]

Hey Guys,

I currently use a reference HD 7970 bought approx 2 weeks after the reference model 7970 appeared in 2012. I have recently upgraded from Nehalem (i7 930 OC'd to 3.8GHZ) to Ivy Bridge (i7 3770K OC'd to 4.5GHZ)

Is this card in people's opinions going to offer a noticeable upgrade from my current GPU? I also have the 7970 overclocked to 1375mzh (core clock) and (memory clock) to 1575mhz) at stock voltages.

My display is a single monitor at 1920 x 1080. I really am tempted by this card as it has been shown to be almost as good as a Titan when OC'd?!

I just want to know if this offers enough "Bang For Buck" in your opinion to warrant buying just over a year after the 7970 was released?!

Thanks!!

 

[ksham]

IMO no; it is not worth it. It has a lower price/performance ratio than your Radeon HD 7970. Only being around 20% faster than your HD 7970 and being $250 more.

 

[edifice]

IMO no; it is not worth it. It has a lower price/performance ratio than your Radeon HD 7970. Only being around 20% faster than your HD 7970 and being $250 more.

I have just read the review here on Tom's Hardware of the 780, and although the price seemingly does hold them back for giving unanimous praise, it's clearly a quicker card than the 7970. They test it against the GHZ edition, I only have the reference model and if you compare the results to the 680 the card nearest mine, there is quite a large difference overall. I am going to wait and see for the moment though, for more comparisons. Every site I look at though, for comparisons between the reference 7970 and the 780, brings up the GHZ edition LOL!!

 

[ksham]

I don't see why your HD 7970 can't handle a single 1080p. Don't waste money now. You have a powerful card and unless it's dying, I wouldn't waste money replacing it.

 

[edifice]

I don't see why your HD 7970 can't handle a single 1080p. Don't waste money now. You have a powerful card and unless it's dying, I wouldn't waste money replacing it.

I do appreciate your viewpoint, and no my card is not dying LOL!! But overall I reckon the 780 would benefit me for a longer period than that of the 7970. I was gutted that the 7970 ended up being inferior to the 680 upon it's release despite being more powerful on paper in several key area's!! I know AMD have closed the gap with better drivers, hell I have read somewhere that the 7970 is better than the 680 but I was playing Batman Arkham City last night, with full DX11 features enabled and whilst Afterburner informed me for the most part that I was getting the magic 60fps, every time I swung from above in the steel mill, the rate dropped as low as 30fps?! This is like a 2009 game!! I realise that nVidia had more to do with the development of this games visuals than AMD and therefore the difference is noticeable. But Crysis 3 is linked to AMD, and yet the 680 generally gets better scores than the 7970!?

I reckon most people would say I am stupid for laying out all that money £549.00 (I am in the UK) and I admit, there is part of me trying to justify this card LOL!!! I don't know, GPU upgrades ALWAYS have me in a fix!? But I do think despite being very impressed with my current GPU, that nVidia "generally" make better products and for the most part, better software too.

Let me know what you really think, I do appreciate your feedback!!

 

[ksham]

My point of view is: if my card is good and it works, don't waste money replacing it. If it can even last one more year, great! I'll buy the new cards coming out that year which may be better than the GTX 700-series.

No doubt the GTX 780 is more powerful than you HD 7970. But do you really need it? I don't think so, but if you do think so, then feel free to buy it.

 

[edifice]

My point of view is: if my card is good and it works, don't waste money replacing it. If it can even last one more year, great! I'll buy the new cards coming out that year which may be better than the GTX 700-series.

No doubt the GTX 780 is more powerful than you HD 7970. But do you really need it? I don't think so, but if you do think so, then feel free to buy it.

I do as I said appreciate what you are saying, and it may be that I don't bother with this card? It will be at least another week or so before I decide either way whether I am going to get one. I intend to research as much as I can in the meantime and try and get as many viewpoints as possible as well as read as many comparisons as I can.

It is arguably the fastest single card available that doesn't cost the earth (Titan) and when OC'd, can be almost as fast. I reckon in some ways the price is justified, if I were to jump ship I may even get a couple hundred £'s for my 7970!?

 

[ksham]

Point taken. If you can sell it for a reasonable price, then sure. But if you were planning to pay it in full while keeping the HD 7970, then you're paying for the price of a GTX Titan right there. HD 7970 + GTX 780 = GTX Titan in terms of price.

 

[MyNewRig]

You are in Europe like me and you have to pay the silly 550-600 pounds price because of our VAT and high retailer/distributor margins, i also had your 7970 for a while, but the Ghz edition of it, i ran it on a 3 monitors 4K resolution for a while and was very happy with the results i was getting for what i paid, which was around 350 Pounds.

I returned the card because it had only one DP which means that it could support only up to three monitors and not four while i really needed the fourth, so i returned it to get the same card but with 2 DP this time to run the 4th monitor on.

Then i heard that this GTX 780 is coming out, so i said ok lets wait and maybe get this one instead. My plan was to use that extra 20% performance to run 2X MSAA in NextGen games like Crysis 3 as the 7970Ghz was not cutting it on that resolution with MSAA enabled and i had to either disable AA all together or run lighter versions like FXAA.

Now when i found out that i have to pay that silly extra 250 pounds over the 7970Ghz's price to get that marginal benefit of up to 20% boost in performance i thought that i was really stupid to wait for the 780 card and should have got the 7970Ghz that supports the 4 monitors.

Now your case is much more optimal than mine, you have had your 7970 for quite a while and have enjoyed it a lot it seems, now if i was you i would not even bother or waste one second of my time doing any research especially when you are gaming on a single 1080P monitor and have your card overclocked above 1200Ghz ... that is PLENTY for you.


Now in a few months from now we will start to see the 20nm generation graphics cards, XO and PS4 out with all the NextGen AAA titles that will follow, a lot of changes and price wars for the cards. All of that will change the market picture a lot and you are in the perfect situation to deal with all that mess, if i were you, i will just ignore the market for 10 more months or one year, and enjoy the card i have to the fullest, after that time you will be able to buy a 20nm card for that 500 pounds you are willing to spend now that will have at least double the performance of that silly GTX 780 that is not even a new generation.

Personally i will do the same, will buy the 7970Ghz and game on it for a year and then reevaluate where the market has gone by then and act accordingly. that would be one year of cheap gaming at 350 pounds and a massive upgrade thereafter, the GTX 780 is a card only good for few more months before it takes a 20nm hit

 

[karlsanada13]

I'm still waiting for AMD to release their faster card. Then I'll let them stabilize the price just the same as the prices of GTX 680 and 7970. I think it's a good upgrade from my 6950.

 

[renz496]

AFAIK cards like 780 is not meant for 'bang for buck' stuff. even 500 is expensive to most people for one gpu alone.

 

[edifice]

Well after speaking to a friend who system builds for Scan Computers here in the UK who has handled 5 since their launch on Thursday, I am going to order one next week when I get paid as he said they totally out perform both my 7970 and his 680 achieving 13000 3D Marks when Overclocked! Nvidia I am back!

 

[MyNewRig]

Well after speaking to a friend who system builds for Scan Computers here in the UK who has handled 5 since their launch on Thursday, I am going to order one next week when I get paid as he said they totally out perform both my 7970 and his 680 achieving 13000 3D Marks when Overclocked! Nvidia I am back!

What price are you getting it at in the UK? 550 Pounds? or more? and what version/manufacturer will you be getting? stock cooler vs. custom better performing but uglier cooler?

Also let us know what happens after you buy it and if you are still happy with your purchase or felt sorry that you had to spend so much extra to get something that is not at least 50% better than what you currently have

 

[karlsanada13]

Well after speaking to a friend who system builds for Scan Computers here in the UK who has handled 5 since their launch on Thursday, I am going to order one next week when I get paid as he said they totally out perform both my 7970 and his 680 achieving 13000 3D Marks when Overclocked! Nvidia I am back!

If I were you, I'd wait for the prize to stabilize...it may look tempting but it's not really that worth it.

 

[Quaddro]

if you buy GTX780 rightnow, then you also buy the exclusivity of being first owner of this card..

Wait for HD9970..

If high end 9 series of AMD can offers same performance (+-) with gtx780 , there's (almost) no doubt that nvidia will cut the price..

However, 7970 non GE still very good card and very overclock able..
Just push it to the limit and wait for the right time to upgrade..

 

[edifice]

if you buy GTX780 rightnow, then you also buy the exclusivity of being first owner of this card..

Wait for HD9970..

If high end 9 series of AMD can offers same performance (+-) with gtx780 , there's (almost) no doubt that nvidia will cut the price..


However, 7970 non GE still very good card and very overclock able..
Just push it to the limit and wait for the right time to upgrade..

Hey Quaddro,

When exactly is the right time to upgrade your GPU? As in my opinion it has to be the single most difficult, game effecting decision any one of us PC enthusiasts has to make, don't you agree. As I said earlier, I have the reference HD 7970 which I bought approx 2 weeks after it was available here in the UK at a cost of £450 GBP. I upgraded from an AMD 5870 Eyefinity which at the time was still able to play most games up to and including DX10 comfortably. I do take your point as well as all the other guy's who have said I should wait and see what the actual next gen nVidia card's have to offer as well as what AMD intend to bring to the table with the next size in GPU technology.

The thing is, we don't have it as easy as our console loving friends in as much as which ever machine sells the most this Christmas between the PS4 and the Xbox One, it doesn't make as much difference as choosing the wrong GPU does to a PC gamer, not only due to a potential drop in frame rates, but also the huge hole you now have in your pocket LOL!!! They are guaranteed a minimum of 30FPS no matter waht as well as every game they buy running to it's maximum whether on a 23" screen or a 50" screen.

The point I am trying to make I suppose is that the GTX 780 WILL be an improvement in the experience I am having now, how much in actual terms is anyone's guess really as we are all different. If I can have Afterburner tell me that I am averaging between 55 and 60FPS whilst playing Crysis 3 on ultra settings at 1920 x 1080, or Batman Arkham City without the FPS dropping dramatically as they do now even with an OC'd 7970 I will be a happy bunny. Yes, I admit there will be people whom think I have wasted my money, but I also hope to try and get approx £200 for my 7970 as I still have the box and although I have overclocked it, I have NEVER touched the voltage settings and it's as solid as a rock!!

Even if I was going for a Titan or a GTX 690, there would be people urging me to wait and see what the next gen of cards will bring to the table. Truth is, I don't think there is ever a good time to upgrade your GPU unless the one you have is 3 gen's back or dying on it's feet, and unfortunately, if you want the best, you have to pay for it!!! I will be overclocking my new card and if it is, as reports suggest, only 10% slower than a Titan, you have to admit, it will be a good investment!?

Cheer's,

Edifice.

 

[cookybiscuit]

Got mine today. Pretty pleased with it so far. Massively impressed with the cooler for it being a blower.

Running it at at 1215/6520, getting 71FPS in Unigine Valley. My 670 at 1254/7000 was getting 48FPS. Stock 780 gets 60, Titan 63. It's not as good as your 7970 in terms of value for money, but its pretty damn fast.

 

[edifice]

Got mine today. Pretty pleased with it so far. Massively impressed with the cooler for it being a blower.

Running it at at 1215/6520, getting 71FPS in Unigine Valley. My 670 at 1254/7000 was getting 48FPS. Stock 780 gets 60, Titan 63. It's not as good as your 7970 in terms of value for money, but its pretty damn fast.

Hey Cookybuscuit,

That's great, congratulations I hope it's as good as they say and I am glad you are impressed with it!! You have just completely sold me LOL!! Roll on payday and I will be ordering mine too!! Which manufacturer/version did you go for as I have been reading about the EVGA Superclocked version which when required boosts to over 1000mhz. It has twin fans, but does not look as good as the stock Titan looking versions!!

Can you run 3D mark and post the result's please, I am VERY keen to know what you get!! The last time I ran it I got 11,449 but that was AFTER I upgraded to an i7 3770K OC'd to 4.5 and slammed in 16gb 1600mhz RAM. I can't WAIT to get my mitts on one of these, think I will book a week off work just to ensure I get the maximum play time and I don't screw up at work because my mind is elsewhere LOL!!!

All the best!!

 

[edifice]

Well after speaking to a friend who system builds for Scan Computers here in the UK who has handled 5 since their launch on Thursday, I am going to order one next week when I get paid as he said they totally out perform both my 7970 and his 680 achieving 13000 3D Marks when Overclocked! Nvidia I am back!

What price are you getting it at in the UK? 550 Pounds? or more? and what version/manufacturer will you be getting? stock cooler vs. custom better performing but uglier cooler?

Hey Mynewrig,

I am going to get an ASUS stock version for £550 and I most certainly will let you know my findings, whether they be great or not!!

Cheer's.

Also let us know what happens after you buy it and if you are still happy with your purchase or felt sorry that you had to spend so much extra to get something that is not at least 50% better than what you currently have

 

[cookybiscuit]

Not that high actually, got P12480. Thats with a 3570k at 4.5, and some crappy random 1333Mhz RAM.

Wen't for the Zotac one since it was the cheapest one in stock at the time. Agree with BigMack, it is overpriced, though not by too much. I paid 66% more over my old card (670), and am getting 48% more performance.

Given how good it looks, the glowing logo (can't get over it), the fact its a reference blower with ridiculous cooling. It's pretty fair. Cards are always going to decline in value the more you pay.

 

[Quaddro]

When exactly is the right time to upgrade your GPU?

You never know when is the right time to upgrade..
i've still running my old cf 5850 sapphire in my system..and it's still serve me very well..
This old dinosaurs give same performance compare to HD7950..even slightly faster..

I have the reference HD 7970 which I bought approx 2 weeks after it was available here in the UK at a cost of £450 GBP. I upgraded from an AMD 5870 Eyefinity which at the time was still able to play most games up to and including DX10 comfortably

Upgrading from 5870 to 7970 is a real upgrade..
A 100% difference of performance, that's means your 7970 is twice faster 5870..

GTX 780 WILL be an improvement in the experience I am having now

and if you compare 7970 to GTX780' (with 10%-20% difference), it's more like a side grade, not a real upgrade

Yes, I admit there will be people whom think I have wasted my money,

Truth is, I don't think there is ever a good time to upgrade your GPU unless the one you have is 3 gen's back or dying on it's feet, and unfortunately, if you want the best, you have to pay for it!!!

Mmm...
The People here just trying to help you to save your money..trying give you a wisest decision about price/performance..

But If you have money trees grown in your backyard, then get it..

I will be overclocking my new card and if it is, as reports suggest, only 10% slower than a Titan, you have to admit, it will be a good investment!?

Yes, it will..

 

[maxalge]

Not that high actually, got P12480. Thats with a 3570k at 4.5, and some crappy random 1333Mhz RAM.

Wen't for the Zotac one since it was the cheapest one in stock at the time. Agree with BigMack, it is overpriced, though not by too much. I paid 66% more over my old card (670), and am getting 48% more performance.

Given how good it looks, the glowing logo (can't get over it), the fact its a reference blower with ridiculous cooling. It's pretty fair. Cards are always going to decline in value the more you pay.

Overclocked Gtx 780's seem to hit about 15000 graphics score on 3dmark 11.


By comparison my 7950 @ 1200 core, 1600 memory gets a score of 10,620.


Currently the gtx 780 can be had for about $650, I got my 7950 for $265.

Roughly 41% more performance for ~$385 more.

 

[MyNewRig]

It also seems that there are BETTER times to upgrade and DESPERATE times to upgrade.

Better is when both companies have just released a new generation based on a shrinked process and a price wars have been going for a month or two, also when there are new consoles just out and the market is supposed to settle for a year or so, then you know you are buying an acceptable value that will last you for a while. I think this situation will be created by the end of 2013 or beginning of 2014, which will be a much better time to buy. than buying an overpriced card because it does not have competition YET.

And desperate is when you are two or three generations behind and your card just can't fulfill your needs or run the latest games somewhat fluently on your setup.

I don't see you in any of these two situations as we are on the verge of huge changes within 6 months and your card is still cutting it for you rather excellently on your 1080P monitor.

You seem to throw all your money at Graphics cards, but there is more to enjoyable gaming than just graphics cards, why not get more monitors for example and do Eyefinity or get a higher resolution monitor, or a 120Mhz monitor, invest in some controllers, driving wheels, head trackers... etc etc .. the list goes on..

I mean the moral of the story is even if you have the extra cash to spend on your gaming entertainment, you have better ways to spend it other than burning it on overpriced hardware that will only stay on top for a few months when you very well still have very relevant hardware of the same category ...

But of course if it will make you happy to have the best there is for few months for a premium then that is a good enough reason for you and you already seem to be taking this way regardless...

For a person like me, even though i have the funds for the GTX 780 and is as tempted as you are to buy it and is even still considering it, i know myself that i will really be disappointed when i see the HD 9970 out in a few months from now, on a 20nm process, with double the performance of the GTX 780 and a lower price, because i am not willing to spend another 500+ pounds again in 6 month to have the best, i could do that every one year but not every 6 months...

 

[edifice]

It also seems that there are BETTER times to upgrade and DESPERATE times to upgrade.

Better is when both companies have just released a new generation based on a shrinked process and a price wars have been going for a month or two, also when there are new consoles just out and the market is supposed to settle for a year or so, then you know you are buying an acceptable value that will last you for a while. I think this situation will be created by the end of 2013 or beginning of 2014, which will be a much better time to buy. than buying an overpriced card because it does not have competition YET.

And desperate is when you are two or three generations behind and your card just can't fulfill your needs or run the latest games somewhat fluently on your setup.

I don't see you in any of these two situations as we are on the verge of huge changes within 6 months and your card is still cutting it for you rather excellently on your 1080P monitor.

You seem to throw all your money at Graphics cards, but there is more to enjoyable gaming than just graphics cards, why not get more monitors for example and do Eyefinity or get a higher resolution monitor, or a 120Mhz monitor, invest in some controllers, driving wheels, head trackers... etc etc .. the list goes on..

I mean the moral of the story is even if you have the extra cash to spend on your gaming entertainment, you have better ways to spend it other than burning it on overpriced hardware that will only stay on top for a few months when you very well still have very relevant hardware of the same category ...

But of course if it will make you happy to have the best there is for few months for a premium then that is a good enough reason for you and you already seem to be taking this way regardless...

For a person like me, even though i have the funds for the GTX 780 and is as tempted as you are to buy it and is even still considering it, i know myself that i will really be disappointed when i see the HD 9970 out in a few months from now, on a 20nm process, with double the performance of the GTX 780 and a lower price, because i am not willing to spend another 500+ pounds again in 6 month to have the best, i could do that every one year but not every 6 months...

Hey,

I was just asking for advice regarding nVidia's latest card in their current line up, and what people thought? I don't want to come across as a "spoilt child" Yes I have a HD 7970, and yes it does for the most part complement my monitor perfectly. As I have already stated in a previous post, I may not yet buy this OR any other GPU for the foreseeable future? I have only just upgraded from Nehalem (i7 930) to Ivy Bridge 3770K. I have also bought 2 x SSD drives 1 x 128gb for Window's 7 and 1 x 256gb to be used as a games drive, so I am seeing improvements in terms of both access and loading times too.

My friend who system builds for a living has already told me that he may replace his 680 with one, if someone he knows is as he put's it willing to buy his current card from him? And this guy does NOT throw his money away and the latest hardware on a whim. He has already handled and installed 5 since their inception last Thursday and most of them I am told were OC'd before they were shipped. He say's they are faster than both the reference 7970 and the GTX 680 by quite a way, and considering the performance when OC'd being just 10% slower than Titan, it's a very good card!!

I am now going to wait and see what the 9XXX series that AMD bring out later this year can do before I make a decision on any new GPU?

 

[MyNewRig]

Look you have a point and i myself am extremely tempted to get this card, for 5 days now i am going crazy over this issue, thinking to myself to get it and then not to get it and then get it and not get it, get it not get it ... lol

Part of me knows for sure that i will be sad when AMD releases their 20nm Volcanic Islands GPU and the other part of me is drooling over this GTX 780 card, i keep dreaming of my computer with a Haswell 4770K CPU and this GTX 780 card and thinking how much i will enjoy them on my 3 monitor setup.

The other part of me is telling me, that i would be very stupid if i spend this amount of money on that, and that i better invest in a large 3D TV ..

I am so torn just like you are, and this card being extremely expensive here in Europe is not helping, i have calculated what it will cost me to get it in US dollars terms and it turned out to be $910 and this price is not really making me very encouraged to get it, to tell you the truth if it was selling at $650 here without that stupid VAT and the 20% extra margin the distributor and retailer are taking i would have picked it up in a snap without a second thought..

I am just as tempted and as torn as you are my friend and i will have to finally make up my mind next week when the GTX 770 and Haswell are out on what i will do with the 1000+ Pounds i have budgeted for this upgrade

I know that this is your thread and all but maybe you can help me ease that damn temptation or just be crazy for a moment and just place an order for that sexy card! lol

EDIT: I think by trying so hard to convince you to wait, i am just convincing myself to not get temped and buy this card, but still i just can't resist fully