Geforce GTX 670 for 2560 x 1440 gaming

Page 2 - Seeking answers? Join the AnandTech community: where nearly half-a-million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.

thilanliyan

Lifer
Jun 21, 2005
11,848
2,051
126
I said in the other thread that it's what people have to go by. No review site makes new graphs every time a new driver is released. What we have to go by is the results from their review which might be a couple months old.

Yeah but wouldn't a newer review (even of another card) most likely contain results of the same card, while using newer drivers?

Look at these:
http://www.anandtech.com/show/5818/nvidia-geforce-gtx-670-review-feat-evga/4

now this:
http://www.anandtech.com/show/6025/radeon-hd-7970-ghz-edition-review-catching-up-to-gtx-680/3

The drivers are newer, and include 7970, 680, 670....so why not link to a newer review again?
 
Last edited:

cmdrdredd

Lifer
Dec 12, 2001
27,052
357
126
Yeah but wouldn't a newer review (even of another card) most likely contain results of the same card, while using newer drivers?

Look at these:
http://www.anandtech.com/show/5818/nvidia-geforce-gtx-670-review-feat-evga/4

now this:
http://www.anandtech.com/show/6025/radeon-hd-7970-ghz-edition-review-catching-up-to-gtx-680/3

The drivers are newer, and include 7970, 680, 670....so why not link to a newer review again?

As I said, he never asked about AMD cards. Never wanted a comparison. He wanted one thing to know if a 670 could play at that resolution. The answer was given by linking to a review graph at a similar resolution that showed playable framerates.
 

slayernine

Senior member
Jul 23, 2007
895
0
71
slayernine.com
When I was making the decision the reason I did not buy the 7970 is that it was too loud and sucks too much power in comparison to the more efficient GTX 670. The performance difference isn't huge so I started looking at other factors.
 

cmdrdredd

Lifer
Dec 12, 2001
27,052
357
126
When I was making the decision the reason I did not buy the 7970 is that it was too loud and sucks too much power in comparison to the more efficient GTX 670. The performance difference isn't huge so I started looking at other factors.

Well, if you are comparing reference cooled cards yes but you can get some nice coolers from MSI and Asus.
 

RussianSensation

Elite Member
Sep 5, 2003
19,458
765
126
1) no mention of overclocking
2) don't assume every single card overclocks the same

I didn't say anything about overclocking as being required to beat a GTX670 though.

Gigabyte Windforce 3x - quiet - 1000mhz - would beat any out of the box 670 at 2560x1440

PowerColor Vortex II 1100mhz - would beat any out of the box 670 at 2560x1440

Both sell for $40 more than a 670. Since all the graphs I linked had a stock HD7970 GE at 1050mhz, the information is all there with no overclocking lottery required.

As I said, he never asked about AMD cards. Never wanted a comparison. He wanted one thing to know if a 670 could play at that resolution. The answer was given by linking to a review graph at a similar resolution that showed playable framerates.

OP may not be up-to-date on GPUs and heard from others that GTX670 is a good card for $400. It is a good card, but for his intended resolution, there is a better option. I don't think by providing that information, it can hurt the OP in any way. If he wants to get an NV card, then of course GTX670 is still a good option.
 
Last edited:

cmdrdredd

Lifer
Dec 12, 2001
27,052
357
126
I wonder where the OP is from. Maybe prices are not the same and those cards are not available?
 

Grooveriding

Diamond Member
Dec 25, 2008
9,107
1,260
126
Nice thread.

Look at who is proving the 7970 is better for this high resolution and who is just saying it is ():)
 

SolMiester

Diamond Member
Dec 19, 2004
5,331
17
76
OP didn't even mention AMD. Maybe he doesn't want to deal with shitty AMD drivers?

He asked if a GTX 670 was enougb for 1440p. Answer is yes. Why start the fire?

This^^...and between the 670 and stock 7970 there isn't much in it.....
 

RussianSensation

Elite Member
Sep 5, 2003
19,458
765
126
This^^...and between the 670 and stock 7970 there isn't much in it.....

At 1080P, you'd be correct, but not at 2560x1440/1600. Also, aftermarket HD7970 with 1000-1100mhz are going for $420-440. So that small difference at 1080P grows to 20-25% at higher resolutions. In fact, at 2560x1440/1600, HD7970 at just 1050mhz is already faster than a GTX680.

Look at who is proving the 7970 is better for this high resolution and who is just saying it is ():)

I don't think I went out of line by providing a reasonable alternative ;). You were there when I was ripping the 7970 for its $550 reference price and when HD7950 aftermarket versions were going for $500! With price drops, things change.

Newegg now has the Gigabyte Windforce 3x 1000mhz for just $420. Sorry, but this card trades blows with the GTX680, not GTX670, for $20 more. More memory bandwidth helps at 2560x1440/1600 too, and 7970 has great overclocking potential. Imo, at $420 for Giga 7970, the GTX670 is no longer the best card in the $400 space.
 
Last edited:

SolMiester

Diamond Member
Dec 19, 2004
5,331
17
76
Who cares, he didn't ask shall I get the 670 or 7970!....he may not want or like AMD?!...he asked if the 670 would be ok for his resolution, and apparently it is!
 

RussianSensation

Elite Member
Sep 5, 2003
19,458
765
126
Who cares, he didn't ask shall I get the 670 or 7970!....he may not want or like AMD?!...he asked if the 670 would be ok for his resolution, and apparently it is!

So if someone started a CPU thread asking if FX8150 is OK to buy for gaming? You'd say yes but not recommend that the OP should consider Core i5 instead? Ok, my bad then for providing useful advice in an unbiased manner that can actually improve performance by 20% for the OP for $20 more. I didn't know doing so would put me on the biased/derailing a thread list. :)
 
Last edited:

blackened23

Diamond Member
Jul 26, 2011
8,548
2
0
IMHO, a 670 can do 2560x1440 but you will have to make compromises. Unless you run SLI you will absolutely have to lower settings in some games.
 

guskline

Diamond Member
Apr 17, 2006
5,338
476
126
Will a Geforce GTX 670 be powerful enough for modern games at 2560x1440 resolution? I have no interest in SLI and the Geforce GTX 680 is a bit out of range for me. I'm currently running an i7 3770k, 16GB Corsair Vengeance and a GTX 460 768MB.
Short answer. SURE!
 

tviceman

Diamond Member
Mar 25, 2008
6,734
514
126
www.facebook.com
GTX670 is great at 1080P/1200P, but it is not the best option for higher resolutions.

Russian he didn't ask about comparisons to the hd7970. He specifically asked about the gtx670. And when you're linking games that are scoring ~45fps with 4xAA enabled no matter what card you're talking about, 4xAA should be disabled.

But anyways, back to the OP's question, I have the gtx670 and yes it's good for 2560x1440.
 

Smoblikat

Diamond Member
Nov 19, 2011
5,184
107
106
Who cares, he didn't ask shall I get the 670 or 7970!....he may not want or like AMD?!...he asked if the 670 would be ok for his resolution, and apparently it is!

I wasnt aware it was wrong to recommend an alternative that OP might not have considered?
 

rgallant

Golden Member
Apr 14, 2007
1,361
11
81
It's funny I always learn so much from these pissing wars. :)

and what have we learned today

-if nv is leading in the benches , then it's the best gpu for your money .
-if amd is leading , you won't see the difference in the game play and buy nv anyways.
 

RussianSensation

Elite Member
Sep 5, 2003
19,458
765
126
I wasnt aware it was wrong to recommend an alternative that OP might not have considered?

I can't believe how I am the bad guy for recommending the OP consider spending $20-40 more for a 20-25% faster card. I guess when NV is "nearly as fast" there is no point considering the alternative.

But anyways, back to the OP's question, I have the gtx670 and yes it's good for 2560x1440.

Using the "good enough" logic, a $310 HD7950 is "good enough" for $90 less. Why spend $90 more for the 670 then?

ht4up.jpg

Source
 
Last edited:

tviceman

Diamond Member
Mar 25, 2008
6,734
514
126
www.facebook.com
It's not that you're the bad guy, but you approached this situation by pretty much totally side stepping his question. He didn't say if he is getting a special deal on a 670, is partial to Nvidia, is anti-AMD, or specifically ask if there was a better alternative to what he was asking about. So instead of answering his question and then suggesting he consider something else (and if he were to ask why then you explain), you went straight toward what you would do. While I personally would not take offense to it, some may (and it seems have) looked at it as unneeded or rude.
 

tviceman

Diamond Member
Mar 25, 2008
6,734
514
126
www.facebook.com
And (also) again, you keep posting benchmarks with anti-aliasing. But some of the benchmarks are showing less-than-stellar frame rates at 2560x1440 with 4x AA enabled, no matter what card is being benchmarked with. IMO, it makes the benchmark pointless.
 

RussianSensation

Elite Member
Sep 5, 2003
19,458
765
126
So instead of answering his question and then suggesting he consider something else (and if he were to ask why then you explain), you went straight toward what you would do. While I personally would not take offense to it, some may (and it seems have) looked at it as unneeded or rude.

I didn't disregard the 670. In Post #5 I said:

"GTX670 is a good card, but in this case HD7970 series is superior to GTX670 at 2560x1440/1600."

Also, what's the point of getting a $400+ card and not using Anti-aliasing? In that case why not get an HD7870 for $250? At this resolution, 880mhz HD7950 is cheaper and just as fast for $90 less or HD7970 1000-1100mhz is faster for $20-40 more. If the OP only wants the 670, no problem. I don't see how this thread is any different than if a person asked if FX8120/8150 is good enough for gaming. Yes, it is, but is it as good as the alternative?

This post is good in other ways. It provides more up-to-date performance information for people who haven't revisited reviews of stated cards with recent drivers. Potential buyers of HD7950/HD7970/670/680 cards may ask the same question and be impartial to the brand and they may find the info I posted to be useful. There are plenty of folks who may use the search function for what is the best GPU at 2560x1440/1600. This thread will again serve its function in that respect.

My intention in this thread is not to get someone to buy a GTX670/7970/680 due to some vested interest, but it is to provide information that best allows for a buyer to make an informed decision, which I feel I did.
 
Last edited:

blackened23

Diamond Member
Jul 26, 2011
8,548
2
0
Short answer. SURE!

Uh, Have you guys actually tried to play on a single card at 2560 resolution? I have and...

There are plenty of games that will be less than 60 fps. You WILL HAVE to make compromises - some games will require a setting here or there lowered. Its not a big deal though, you can easily make 1 card doable, just be aware that you cant max everything out... Maybe that ties into RS' argument, because the 7970 does better at high resolution / surround and has unlocked overclocking....
 
Last edited:

Grooveriding

Diamond Member
Dec 25, 2008
9,107
1,260
126
Uh, Have you guys actually tried to play on a single card at 2560 resolution? I have and...

There are plenty of games that will be less than 60 fps. You WILL HAVE to make compromises - some games will require a setting here or there lowered. Its not a big deal though, you can easily make 1 card doable, just be aware that you cant max everything out... Maybe that ties into RS' argument, because the 7970 does better at high resolution / surround and has unlocked overclocking....

This is really accurate. You have to compromise in any modern game to get playable framerates on a single card at this resolution.

Good luck playing BF3 multiplayer on ultra with a single card at that resolution. The only contender would be a 690. If you're set on getting just one card for such a high resolution, best to get the most powerful card within your budget you can afford for that resolution.
 

RussianSensation

Elite Member
Sep 5, 2003
19,458
765
126
Maybe that ties into RS' argument, because the 7970 does better at high resolution / surround and has unlocked overclocking....

Yup. As you and Grooveriding have pointed out, a single GPU won't even cut it with max settings, which means compromises. In that case, getting the fastest single GPU around the price of a GTX670 for another $20-40 may be preferable. The extra overclocking headroom of the 7970 may allow it to squeeze those extra 4-5 fps which could be huge when the card is struggling.

Having said that, I see Newegg has a GTX670 for $370 after a $30 gift card. If the OP can't afford to spend > $400, this could be another option.
 
Last edited:

guskline

Diamond Member
Apr 17, 2006
5,338
476
126
"Will a Geforce GTX 670 be powerful enough for modern games at 2560x1440 resolution? I have no interest in SLI and the Geforce GTX 680 is a bit out of range for me. I'm currently running an i7 3770k, 16GB Corsair Vengeance and a GTX 460 768MB."

Alright, I quoted the questioned verbatim. 1. He's coming from a GTX 460-768. 2. Powerful enough doesn't mean running every modern game at max settings. So a short answer of sure is not incorrect to the question posed. I didn't say every setting could be run at max settings. I opted for 2 GTX 670 FTWs in SLI for my 5760 x 1080 3 monitor setup to run games smoothly at Ultra settings. My understanding of the question was whether or not a GTX 670 was powerful enough. RussianSensation argues for a 7970 option and I can't disagree although I still opt for 2 670s in SLI. I Ilike Surround much more than I likes Eyefinity in CF but that's me. The OP says he can't afford a GTX 680. I also own a GTX 680 and the GTX 670 is not far behind.
 
Last edited: