GTX 690 overkill for my needs?

[mdr80]

Hi there,

I was hoping to get some advice on whether I should be forking out this much for a system (or more to the point the graphics card). I'm buying a new PC which will be mainly used for software development and games at high settings. I don't mind getting a top of the range PC as I always want my PCs to last me about 5 years without the need to constantly upgrade.

Anyway, the card in this system is the GTX690. I'll mainly be playing the likes of Skyrim at Ultra settings and any new games of that kind of genre that will come along such as Far Cry 3 for instance.

Do I really need to be forking out this much and do I really need this Video Card or is it massive overkill? I can just about afford it but at the same time I'm not one for paying over the odds just because I can. And has anyone on here purchase from this company?

http://www.chillblast.com/pconf.php?productid=17761

Thanks in advance.

 

[mdr80]

I should have also mentioned that I will have dual monitors but don't necessarily need to play games over the two of them. I'm more likely to game on one and work or browse the internet on the other.

 

[Granseth]

It's hard to futureproof a computer and especially the GPU. But my recommendation is to accept that you need to upgrade the GPU halfway through and get the 680/7970 instead.
They will be more than enough for now, and they won't have half the lifetime of the 690

Edit: and get a 240GB SSD instead of a 120GB, it will make the computer much easier to live with over a long time.

 

[Termie]

What resolution are the monitors?

 

[mdr80]

What resolution are the monitors?

I was thinking of two 24" monitors so probably 1920*480 or the next up but I haven't bought them yet.

 

[Eureka]

You mean 1920x1080? If you're not gaming on both, I'd imagine a single GPU should be enough. The 680/7970 can handle any single screen well.

 

[Termie]

I was thinking of two 24" monitors so probably 1920*480 or the next up but I haven't bought them yet.

You mean 1920x1080? If you're not gaming on both, I'd imagine a single GPU should be enough. The 680/7970 can handle any single screen well.

Yes, at 1080p a 670/680/7970 would be all you need for now. Much more cost-effective to get one and SLI/Crossfire later, or alternatively upgrade to a newer card down the line.

 

[aaksheytalwar]

There is nothing known as future proof. The 690 won't be anywhere close to what it is now, 12 months down. Just look at 6990 and 590. A single 7970 ghz oc provides a better experience.

Just buy whatever you can afford to upgrade in 6-18 months based on the cycle. Just get a 7970 ghz and be done with it.

 

[lehtv]

I agree with aaksheytalwar on this. Don't buy GPUs to future proof especially when it comes to dual GPU setups. It's a much better idea to tighten your upgrade interval and settle for a single GPU each time.

 

[jacktesterson]

To be honest a 1200 Core 7850 can handle most 1080p games on high/max with some AA, so yes it's a little overboard.

I'd look at a 7950 or 660 Ti/670 probably.

 

[moonbogg]

You want it to last 5 years? Nothing will last that long. The reason to get a card like that is if you want more power right now. Games like BF3 benefit from it and games like Far Cry 3 will NEED it right now if you want high settings even at 1080p. The power is needed right now, not later. When later comes, you will need new stuff.

 

[thilanliyan]

Unless you already have the card, don't go with a 690. Get either 680 SLI or 7970 CF. No matter what you buy it is unlikely to last reasonably well for 5 years.

 

[SickBeast]

The GTX 690 is a rip off. If you want that level of performane, get a pair of 7950s and overclock them in crossfire.

 

[FalseChristian]

The only reason to buy a GTX 690 is that if your mobo only has 1 PCIe slot. Otherwise 2 GTX 670 SLI will be better for y'all.

 

[OVerLoRDI]

Snag a 7970 ghz edition. Upgrade in 2ish years. The 690 is a rip off and overall not a great card for anything besides bragging rights.

If you are hell bent on getting 690 power for 1080p, do so in the form of two 7970s (faster and cheaper than a 690) or two 670s (about on par with the 690 and cheaper still)

 

[mdr80]

Thanks for the replies, I've been busy so only now managed to read this properly. I've decided now that I'm not going to go for 690 and am thinking of the 670 or even 670 in SLI. I'm a bit concerned though about something called micro-stutter? Would the 670 in SLI mode be of risk there? If so I'll consider dropping to one 670 card or even the 680 or an AMD 7970.

I've also noticed a lot of replies on this forum point to AMD mostly over NVidia. Are AMD cards generally recommended over NVidia these days?

 

[NTMBK]

Any multi-GPU setup suffers from microstutter. NVidia tends to suffer from it less than AMD, at the moment. This is the current state of play.

Between microstutter and compatibility issues (basically they have to get multi-GPU working on a per game basis through driver hacks), I would never recommend a multi-GPU setup. Go with a 680 or HD7970 instead. Don't worry too much about future proofing; graphics cards are easy to upgrade. Instead of buying a dual-GPU setup now to last 5 years, buy the fastest single GPU now and then do it again in 2 and a half years' time.

 

[Eureka]

Thanks for the replies, I've been busy so only now managed to read this properly. I've decided now that I'm not going to go for 690 and am thinking of the 670 or even 670 in SLI. I'm a bit concerned though about something called micro-stutter? Would the 670 in SLI mode be of risk there? If so I'll consider dropping to one 670 card or even the 680 or an AMD 7970.

I've also noticed a lot of replies on this forum point to AMD mostly over NVidia. Are AMD cards generally recommended over NVidia these days?

With the newest revision of drivers, AMD has better performance overall on their cards, and price too. However, SLI is still known to have a better multi-GPU experience. That being said, there are many reports of Radeon Pro alieviating the crossfire stutter problems.

 

[jacktesterson]

Just get a good 7950 and overclock the hell out of it.

 

[mdr80]

Any multi-GPU setup suffers from microstutter. NVidia tends to suffer from it less than AMD, at the moment. This is the current state of play.

Between microstutter and compatibility issues (basically they have to get multi-GPU working on a per game basis through driver hacks), I would never recommend a multi-GPU setup. Go with a 680 or HD7970 instead. Don't worry too much about future proofing; graphics cards are easy to upgrade. Instead of buying a dual-GPU setup now to last 5 years, buy the fastest single GPU now and then do it again in 2 and a half years' time.

Yeah I'm gonna go with the single card solution now so its the GTX 670/680 or the 7970 HD.

I'm leaning towards the 680 right now but unsure of whether to go with the 2GB or 4GB version. I will most likely be dual monitoring but only gaming on one monitor up to possibly 1920 x 1080 and other stuff like work or browsing on the other monitor. Do I need 4GB there or not? I know some mods for skyrim need more than 2GB apparently and I play that a lot.

Thanks.

 

[lavaheadache]

I will say however that it is one sexy looking card. Brushed aluminum is hawt

 

[Spaceme1117]

I got the 690 and I don't regret it at all. You never have to worry if this card will be able to play the most advanced games at the highest settings. It does cost but you get what you pay for.

 

[DPOverLord]

I went with the 690, and it works out well from the GTX 460 I had. Almost 3/4x faster in games and in 3dmark x5 the frame rates. Then again you could see a similar issue if you had 2 680's

 

[JAG87]

The only reason to buy a GTX 690 is that if your mobo only has 1 PCIe slot. Otherwise 2 GTX 670 SLI will be better for y'all.

+1

And add that you should only be considering it if you're running 2560x1440/1600 or 1080p @ 120Hz, and that answers all the "should I get a 690" questions.