7970 long term impression ****edit... I now have a GTX 680!

[blastingcap]

I'm enjoying mine too. Only thing is 11.12 drivers are stable for me. 12.4's make my system crash like a mother.

make sure it's not afterburner. that program is unusually buggy right now. For me, AB 2.2 crashes when paired with 12.4 on a 7850 but seems to get along better with 12.3.

 

[blastingcap]

I think you mean at stock, and it is... OC vs OC the performance gap is much smaller.

The major difference there is both are from Nv and designed/clocked so there is a difference between a top end refresh card and a mid-high end card.

3% overall while consuming more power, running louder, and putting out more heat isn't selling me for $50 cheaper. (Opinion)

Even a stock 6970 was fairly close to a stock 580, $370 vs $500 - AMD still wasn't able to keep market share.

But then we're seeing cards like the 680 at $500, the 7970 at $550 and now a halo card at $1000. I guess the days of reasonable prices are gone, and the move is backed up by the end users it seems.

I just don't see the point of buying a inferior card for $50 less when you're already spending $450, the savings is pretty much pointless by that time isn't it?

gtx670 at $399 may be the best compromise.

 

[BallaTheFeared]

Inferior? lol. Take a first hand look at both cards and tell me which one is inferior. I think in a year 7970 vs. 680 will be a different discussion. People are putting too much weight in BF3 performance.

Isn't it?

 

[3DVagabond]

make sure it's not afterburner. that program is unusually buggy right now. For me, AB 2.2 crashes when paired with 12.4 on a 7850 but seems to get along better with 12.3.

If I had a dollar for every time I've read about AB causing crashes I could buy a 7970 (OK, maybe $10 for every time. )

 

[lavaheadache]

Isn't it?

I mean the physical card

Seriously though, the build quality that went into the 7970 is top notch verse the components on the 680. I really fell like it screams profit margins.

 

[blastingcap]

I mean the physical card

Seriously though, the build quality that went into the 7970 is top notch verse the components on the 680. I really fell like it screams profit margins.

gtx 680 wasn't supposed to be the top card so it's not an exact analog if you look at it that way. Of course they gave it the top name and pricing but: http://www.techpowerup.com/162901/Did-NVIDIA-Originally-Intend-to-Call-GTX-680-as-GTX-670-Ti-.html

 

[BallaTheFeared]

I mean the physical card

Seriously though, the build quality that went into the 7970 is top notch verse the components on the 680. I really fell like it screams profit margins.

It's a mid-ranged design, of course it's not going to scream quality. Especially with the locked down voltage control and lack OC headroom/scaling of core speed relative to a 256bit mainstream bus.

7970 is going to have to be built considerably better considering it's pushing a lot more power through it than the 680 has to.

 

[Zebo]

Hmm Interesting prospective from an onwer of both. Can you explain better what you mean by "bouncing all over" I only game @ 19x12 and seems silky smooth definite no lag or micro stutter like w/ 295. I don't use vsync nor adapative though.

 

[BallaTheFeared]

Pretty sure he means the turbo core boost levels are changing all the time.

Power savings

 

[Zebo]

Dude, your opinion matches mine to a tee. I put 680 sli in a box expecting the other setup to be trounced. What I found was a few games about the same, some that red won, others that green won. And all other things being equal the 7970 scales better with oc's IMO - and it really smashes all games with a heavy OC. Anyway, not to slight the 680 at all because no doubt the 680 is an awesome card, but what you posted matches how I feel exactly.

Without exception I always go for the hype though. Bought ivy bridge day 1, 680 day 1, 7970 day 1.....ugh.

It's actually a pretty good way to buy video cards. Only lose like $100 every year hell with 680 right now you'd make $50-$75

 

[lavaheadache]

Pretty sure he means the turbo core boost levels are changing all the time.

Power savings

This

 

[railven]

I remember when MrK6 put the youtube video of his card's fan ramping up, I was a tad nervous on the stock cooler.

Now that I have a Sapphire HD 7970, I can vouch for lavahead at 30% fan profile, the card is barely audible and no where near noisy. This card runs so much quieter than my HD 5870 every did. I also run 1125/1575 which is about ~20% on the core and ~15% on the VRAM. Card never seems to break 65c, with the exception of Trine 2. My card gets into the 80s with that, and so does the GTX 680. Trine 2's engine does some shit - makes cards run hot.

I get to play with the GTX 680 here and there. So far I like both cards. I don't have any complaints for either.

Glad to own both

 

[lavaheadache]

Can anybody clarify something for me regarding Batman AC ? I never noticed this before regarding the 7970 or atleast to the same extent I see it with my 680. Everytime I enter a new area there is a rather obnoxious 3-5 seconds worth of loading and stuttery gameplay.

Can somebody confirm or deny this hapening on their setup whether it being with a 680 or 7970. I don' recall it hapening or if it did it was far less intrusive on the 7970.

 

[blackened23]

I get that with physx turned on sometimes, during transitions.

 

[lavaheadache]

I get that with physx turned on sometimes, during transitions.

hmm, thats a thought. Although I have had a dedicated GTX 285 for both cards.