GTX 690 GPU - viable option?

[dmoney1980]

Hello all!

I have a rare opportunity to score a GTX 690 for a decent price. Thing is, I'm not really desperate for a new GPU (have a 7950 3GB GPU) but have considered upgrading if the right opportunity came along.

My only concern is that I'm gaming at 2560x1440, and seeing that the GTX 690 has 2GB vRAM per GPU makes me question this cards sustainability. I'm not questioning the GPU performance itself by today's standards (I've done a lot of research and the 690 still trumps the 780 and Titan at 1440p) but i'm worried about being vRAM starved in games later this year or next year.

Thoughts? Is the 690 still a viable option in the market given the vRAM limitation? Will sheer GPU horsepower make up for it?

 

[bystander36]

From most benchmarks I've seen, the only time 2Gb becomes a limitation is at 5760x1080p in 2 or 3-way SLI, because otherwise the GPU's aren't powerful enough to maintain the settings needed to push the limits of 2gb of vram. In those cases, dropping down AA settings usually relieves the problem as well.

I prefer high FPS to high AA, so I'd take it if the deal is good.

 

[nanaki333]

i gave my gtx 690 to my buddy when i upgraded and he plays some 3dsurround games with no noticeable slowdown. dunno if he plays anything like crysis though. if you're getting a 690 for about the price of a new 780, i would be all over that!

 

[BrightCandle]

By the time 2 GB of VRAM is insufficient in anything but a very rare circumstance the GPU will already be too slow anyway to really show any useful difference from its VRAM.

2GB can be a limitation in a few games at high resolutions with high anti aliasing or when modding very high resolution texture packs. But for the most part its not an issue, most likely because so many high end cards don't have 3GB, the game developers have to cater to both manufacturers.

 

[Will Robinson]

The 690 is a very powerful card,if you can grab one at a decent price then I would say get it for sure...VRAM be buggered.:thumbsup:

 

[Eureka]

I would not do it. Unless you're going SFF, the price doesn't justify getting a 690. You can find 2x 670 4GBs for less than a 690 goes for, if you look hard enough.

 

[RaistlinZ]

I would not do it. Unless you're going SFF, the price doesn't justify getting a 690. You can find 2x 670 4GBs for less than a 690 goes for, if you look hard enough.

Two of those will run him $900.00. He said he's getting a good deal on the 690 (but oddly didn't tell us the price).

If it were me, I'd sell the 690, sell the 7950, pick up 2x 770 4GB and pocket the difference.

 

[Eureka]

Two of those will run him $900.00. He said he's getting a good deal on the 690 (but oddly didn't tell us the price).

If it were me, I'd sell the 690, sell the 7950, pick up 2x 770 4GB and pocket the difference.

Gotta look harder. I've seen 670 4GB pairs go for less than $700 used. The lowest I've seen a 690 is $750 used.

690s aren't that easy to resell now. They average around $800 on the market ever since the new cards dropped. Unless OP is getting a deal better than that, I don't think it's worth it.

 

[dmoney1980]

$750 is the price. I can't do dual cards because I'm on a mATX form factor, and my case /mobo won't allow it.

 

[Eureka]

In that case, jump on it. There's nothing better you can get for SFF right now (and probably not for a while). For a single monitor, even at 1440p, you should be fine with 2GB VRAM unless you're going to play texture modded games.

 

[blackened23]

$750 is the price. I can't do dual cards because I'm on a mATX form factor, and my case /mobo won't allow it.

750$? Hell yeah it's viable. I was going to suggest 770s in SLI since they would be faster, but you're using a small form factor case which could potentially make 2 cards a PITA.