GTX 680 Versus 7970 GHZ Edition

[Gordon Freemen]

^This is the actual difference in power consumption while gaming. We are talking 3 watts, one way or the other. Now, when you overvolt the 7970 and can't overvolt the 680, then we start seeing those 100W differences that favor the 680 everyone seems to latch onto.

As you say power consumption is important and to "AMD as well previously". All of this "previous" talk started when comparing the 5870 to the 480. Look at the charts above. We're talking differences in excess of 100W, not 3W. Even then though it didn't seem to matter as people bought the 480 anyway.

So, nVidia has managed to design a stripped down gaming chip that is competitive with AMD's full compute capable chip in gaming efficiency comparisons. Good for them. They have definitely made huge improvements since the 480. I think it's really interesting though when people want to continuously drive home the efficiency advantage of GK104 compared to Tahiti. Because, in actuality, it's really not enough of a difference to matter.



^This is the rig from your sig. An O/C'd X79 (socket 2011) 6c rig with 32gig of RAM is not going to turn into an efficient gaming rig by using a 670 instead of a 7970.

You, of course, are allowed to have any type of rig you want to. You might even do more than game and need 6c/12t and all that RAM. I'm just saying that, for it's intended use, the 670/680 is not going to effect anything, including heat/noise, enough to matter. A 22nm Ivy Bridge set up, or 16gig instead of 32gig of RAM will matter far more.

I would say that there are a many that would like to claim that the 3watts savings between the 7970 and 680 would be xxx amount of savings over a year ect and it would end up paying for itself etc etc I am sure we have all heard the line before I say it's complete and utter BOLLOCKS ! Also I did not know that the 680 cant be overvolted and that this is where the gap in power consumption number come from interesting. Seems as time goes on more truth and less BS Marketing and fanboyism hold water as far as the actual real world capabilities of the 680 I mean I think is a marvelous card just not worlds better in fact just on par with the 7970.