GTX 660 Vs. HD7850

[RussianSensation]

Guys, why are you comparing HD7850 to GTX660? I still do not understand this.

HD7870 = $220 + $8 shipping on Newegg OR $215 at SuperBiiz with $15 Off

vs.

GTX660 = $230 for the cheapest on Newegg

vs.

HD7850 2GB = $178 on Newegg.

GTX660 competes with the 7870, not a 7850. The competitor to the 7850 is GTX650Ti.

Overall the 660 is slower than the 7870 by about 5-7%
http://www.computerbase.de/artikel/grafikkarten/2012/test-nvidia-geforce-gtx-660/5/
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Powercolor/HD_7870_PCS_Plus_Vortex_II/27.html
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2012/09/13/nvidia-geforce-gtx-660-2gb-review/11

Look at the Sleeping Dogs vs. BL2 game bundle and start looking at specific games you play. If you play games that run faster on the 660 vs. 7870 (BF3, BL2), get the 660. Otherwise, 7870 is the slightly faster GPU here. At 1.15ghz, the 7870 actually = GTX660Ti.

An after-market 660 is 7% slower than the 660Ti
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/ASUS/GeForce_GTX_660_Direct_Cu_II/27.html

So again, on average the 660 is 5-7% slower than the HD7870 and this continues with HD7870 OC vs. 660 OC.

 

[p_monks33]

7870 is too long of a card, and I will not deal with rebates. So the list price is what I go by. So its between 7850 and GTX 660. Down to the Sapphire 7850, MSI TF 7850, MSI TF GTX 660
and maybe the EVGA GTX 660.

 

[nsavop]

Here is a review showing both stock vs stock and OC vs OC with over 20 games.

http://alienbabeltech.com/main/?p=31852&page=5

 

[Termie]

Here is a review showing both stock vs stock and OC vs OC with over 20 games.

http://alienbabeltech.com/main/?p=31852&page=5

Interesting data. Only catch is that the OCs are very tame, especially for the 7850 (@1000). The 660 probably has at least another 50MHz, and the 7850 probably has another 200MHz, at which point it would be a pretty close match. At stock or with mild OCs, it is not.

7870 is too long of a card, and I will not deal with rebates. So the list price is what I go by. So its between 7850 and GTX 660. Down to the Sapphire 7850, MSI TF 7850, MSI TF GTX 660
and maybe the EVGA GTX 660.

Just FYI, the best price right now on a 660 is $215 shipped for the EVGA at SuperBiiz: http://www.superbiiz.com/detail.php?name=EV-660SC2G.

That's with code CRUNCH15. I know from experience with my first 670 that the nVidia reference cooler on that 7" PCB is not that quiet, but it will push the heat out of your case.

Your cheapest price on a 7850 that will actually fit in your case (i.e., not the $178AR Asus linked above) will be the Sapphire HD7850 for $195 shipped with the code above, pre-rebate: http://www.superbiiz.com/detail.php?name=AT-7850_2G

The cooler on the Sapphire is just over 8" long: http://www.anandtech.com/show/5705/amd-radeon-hd-7850-launch-recap

Unfortunately, the best price on the MSI GTX660 is $230 plus $7 shipping: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127702

 

[p_monks33]

Thanks NSAVOP looks like the 660 is faster in every test at those clocks, Im sure that the 7850 can clock higher, but I would only be comfortable with a stock voltage overclock to be running in the small case. Looks like im gonna grab a 660

 

[Termie]

Thanks NSAVOP looks like the 660 is faster in every test at those clocks, Im sure that the 7850 can clock higher, but I would only be comfortable with a stock voltage overclock to be running in the small case. Looks like im gonna grab a 660

You might also consider the pre-overclocked EVGA GTX660 SC at Newegg for $230 shipped: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130826

That's if you prefer Newegg over SuperBiiz or want a no-hassle overclock.

 

[TheSisko]

Anyone else find it strange that Anandtech so confidently concludes that GK106 is more efficient than Pitcairn, while only backing it up with one single example (Metro 2033) and dismisses the OCCT results? Why even include it if the results aren't useful? Why not raise the PowerTune limit if throttling is an issue?

"Moving on to load power consumption, given NVIDIA’s focus on efficiency with the Kepler family it comes as no great surprise that NVIDIA continues to hold the lead when it comes to load power consumption"

...ok, but almost every other review I've found has the GTX 660 drawing more power than the HD7870 in a variety of tests while Anandtech shows me one single example of the opposite and dismisses the results of the test favoring the HD7870.

Maybe Ryan Smith doesn't find the power consumption benchmarks interesting, but then he shouldn't be drawing such grand conclusions from one datapoint.

 

[RussianSensation]

$215 for a GTX660 at Superbiiz sounds like a fair deal if you don't look at rebates.

 

[Termie]

Anyone else find it strange that Anandtech so confidently concludes that GK106 is more efficient than Pitcairn, while only backing it up with one single example (Metro 2033) and dismisses the OCCT results? Why even include it if the results aren't useful? Why not raise the PowerTune limit if throttling is an issue?

...ok, but almost every other review I've found has the GTX 660 drawing more power than the HD7870 in a variety of tests while Anandtech shows me one single example of the opposite and dismisses the results of the test favoring the HD7870.

Maybe Ryan Smith doesn't find the power consumption benchmarks interesting, but then he shouldn't be drawing such grand conclusions from one datapoint.

I agree that Anandtech may be a bit off of on those power measurements. I have it on good authority that Ryan Smith will be providing a more in-depth look at the 660 in a follow-up review. Perhaps he will address your concerns then.

 

[OCNewbie]

2 months later: a 7850 went for $140 today at Newegg (HIS, 2GB) and a GTX 660 went for $155 (Galaxy, 2GB).

 

[nextJin]

dead thread but the evga GTX 660 SC is extremely quite and in tight cases you want air getting out of the case. With the SG05 (which I have owned) the holes on the side allow air to come in to the videocard to breath. I had a 6970 Lightning in there and know what I am talking about, it was way hotter than larger ATX cases with the same card.

I have the GTX 660 now in my HTPC and while I am not partial to any company (my main tower is crossfired 7970s 1125/1600) nvidia is the only company that I know of that has external blower designs in this price range.

 

[jacktesterson]

dead thread but the evga GTX 660 SC is extremely quite and in tight cases you want air getting out of the case. With the SG05 (which I have owned) the holes on the side allow air to come in to the videocard to breath. I had a 6970 Lightning in there and know what I am talking about, it was way hotter than larger ATX cases with the same card.

I have the GTX 660 now in my HTPC and while I am not partial to any company (my main tower is crossfired 7970s 1125/1600) nvidia is the only company that I know of that has external blower designs in this price range.

http://ncix.com/products/index.php?...2GBD5-2DH&manufacture=PowerColor&promoid=1209

 

[p_monks33]

I ended up with a 7770 and was really happy with it, then this week upgraded too a 7850, Im glad I got the 7850 over the 660 due to the length of the cards, I run an H60 in the SG05 and had about 8.5 inches of space, the 660's are all too long, the MSI 7850 TF3 I got is advertised as 7.7 inches, but since the power connector is on the end it takes up alot more space that way. The 6 pin touches the radiator, but fits snugly. I am happy with my choice, the card is great, runs cool and it is very fast.