GTX560 Upgrade [Yay Template!]

[ConsPark]

System Specs
Intel Core i5 2500k @ 3.3GHz

Current GPU
eVGA GTX560 1GB

Display Res
2x 1920x1200 on two monitors, playing all games at 1920x1200.

Power Supply
Antec EarthWatts 550W, ~3 years old
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817371055

I'll need to pop the case later today after work to double-check this one. Also, power supplies are probably the weakest area of my hardware knowledge - there are so many numbers I get confused as to what matters in regard to what. Any help / advice / links to general power supply primers would be appreciated.

Case
Cooler Master HAF932 (in short, space really isn't a concern)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811119160

Purchase Details

Budget: $500 hard-cap, preferably under $400

Preferences: I've used nothing but nVidia cards, but I am open to options from ATI's lines. I prefer eVGA, but this isn't a necessity.

My mobo is not SLI capable.

Possible Cards:
GTX670
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814500242

Radeon HD7950
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814150588

^ Again I have no experience with ATI, but a quick glance seems to put this in the same ring as the 670.

Needs:
Gaming. I do no 3d artwork anything of that sort. Currently the games I play are Minecraft, Planetside 2, WoW, TF2, Black Ops II, and BF3. I'm also likely going to be very into Star Citizen, but that's two-plus years down the road.

No intention to overclock unless someone can convince this paranoid man that it's worth it.

This rig was built from scratch about a year and a half ago. Right now I plan to throw a new GPU in it, give it about another year, then build a new system and use the GPU I buy now til a later upgrade.

Any input is appreciated. I'll double-check that power supply later today.

 

[toyota]

"Intel Core i5 2500k @ 2.8GHz"

either card is fine and people can go back and forth all day long about which one is better. if you have enjoyed your experience with Nvidia then I say go for a gtx670.

why on earth would you choose the pitiful reference 670 when a much better non reference model can be had for way cheaper though?

 

[ConsPark]

Whoa, been way too long since I really looked at my hardware. Editing that GHz number.

How do you tell that a specific board is a reference board or not? Also, looking at just the core clock, I didn't see any 670s with a matching or higher core clock at a lower price.

 

[toyota]

Whoa, been way too long since I really looked at my hardware. Editing that GHz number.

How do you tell that a specific board is a reference board or not? Also, looking at just the core clock, I didn't see any 670s with a matching or higher core clock at a lower price.

you can just tell by looking at the pics especially on the bottom of the card. the reference card has a short pcb with an extended cooler that overhangs. its a pos compared to the non reference coolers.

and I am not sure what you mean as that card is about the most expensive 670 on there yet as reference clocks.

 

[lehtv]

There was a Gigabyte 670 Windforce for $330 AR on newegg but it's sold out. The next best option is MSI 670 Power Edition for $375 AR.

But 7950 is even better. Usually overclocks past 670 speeds quite easily, has more VRAM, costs much less, and comes with three free games. You just can't say no to that. Sapphire 7950 Boost $280 AR. EDIT: I just bought this card myself and overclocked it from 850MHz to 1140MHz on stock voltage. It's as fast or faster than a stock GTX 680, and it stays pretty cool and quiet.

 

[ConsPark]

I'm struggling to tell the difference between the cards NewEgg has on offer in terms of reference vs. non-reference, but maybe that's just my inexperienced eyes.

Could I ask you which of the 670s on that site you'd choose? Edit: Lehtv kinda beat you to it, but I'm always open to more opinions.

Edit again: I'm willing to try overclocking but I'm always worried I'm going to fry something. I suppose that's a valid concern but just how idiot-proof is overclocking a GPU, if at all? And how much bearing does the power supply have on your headroom?

 

[lehtv]

You can tell a non-reference card from a reference card by the cooler. If it has a blower style cooler like the Zotac one - a closed cover with a fan in the end blowing air through the back - it's almost certainly a reference card. If it's a difference design, it's not a reference card. Typically, custom coolers use heatsinks with heatpipes and an open design with two or three fans attached. This results on much more efficient (cooler and quieter) cooling.

There are exceptions though - EVGA GTX 670 FTW is basically a 670 chip on a reference 680 PCB and cooler. But IMO it's still not as good as an MSI Twin Frozr cooler or similar.

 

[toyota]

I'm struggling to tell the difference between the cards NewEgg has on offer in terms of reference vs. non-reference, but maybe that's just my inexperienced eyes.

Could I ask you which of the 670s on that site you'd choose? Edit: Lehtv kinda beat you to it, but I'm always open to more opinions.

the reference cooler is pretty obvious looking. again just look at the pics of the bottom of the card if you still have trouble. http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/NVIDIA/GeForce_GTX_670/3.html

the gtx670 evga ftw card is decent card for $359. it uses the gtx680 reference cooler and pcb which is not too bad and WAY better than the reference 670 cooler and pcb. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130787

 

[ConsPark]

Regarding the "reference" boards: That makes sense now. Thanks.

That 3-game deal and lower price point of the 7950 is very tempting. But damn! That performance difference in Battlefield 3:

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/550?vs=598

I will say I generally don't run AA. It's almost never been worth the performance cost to me. I don't know what effect that's having on the performance for comparison purposes.

 

[toyota]

since you dont want to fool with real overclocking and have been happy using Nvidia card then go for one of those non reference gtx670 cards. you can simply move a slider and raise the power target and that will let the card automatically turbo a bit higher. its risk free and will add more performance to the 670 which is already a pretty fast card. it also comes with games you can play or turn around and sell.

I may jump on a 670 if there is a sale this Monday where it drops well below 350. the Galaxy 670 with the 680 cooler/pcb was just 329 the other day and i really should have jumped on that.

 

[Meghan54]

Regarding the "reference" boards: That makes sense now. Thanks.

That 3-game deal and lower price point of the 7950 is very tempting. But damn! That performance difference in Battlefield 3:

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/550?vs=598

I will say I generally don't run AA. It's almost never been worth the performance cost to me. I don't know what effect that's having on the performance for comparison purposes.

That performance comparison was done prior to AMD's latest driver release, which vastly improved BF3 performance. AT just hasn't updated their bench charts.

From Anandtech's analysis of the 12.11 drivers:

With the 12.11 drivers AMD has completely eradicated their performance defecit in BF3

And simple OC'ing a 7950 is as easy as anything, just slide the gpu and memory clock sliders over to OC each, and slide the power control to its +20 setting.

The 7950 is an OC'ing beast, esp. if you get a card like the MSI Twin Frozer version (7950 on a 7970 pcb.) And as for the worry about frying it, don't sweat it. The 7950, esp. the non-reference versions from decent manufacturers---MSI, Sapphire, Asus, etc.---are way over engineered and built, so mild overclocking is quite easy and safe.

 

[raghu78]

as suggested above get the sapphire hd 7950 boost. clock for clock HD 7950 is 3 - 5% slower than HD 7970.

http://hexus.net/tech/reviews/graphics/34761-amd-hd-7950-vs-hd-7970-clocks/?page=3

this card overclocks easily to 1.1 Ghz matching the HD 7970 Ghz. in fact depending on the card you could go even higher.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814202006

With the latest 12.11 drivers HD 7950(1.15 Ghz) is faster than a GTX 670(1.3 Ghz). but costs lesser. and you get 3 new games. :thumbsup:

also your PSU can easily handle a HD 7950 overclocked.