Radeon HD 7970 or GTX 680?

[DrBoss]

Oh, and to answer your question. Yes, EVGA makes good cards. MSI's coolers are better though.

 

[Jacky60]

I'm in a similar situation as OP. I want to upgrade my GTX280, and am keen to play BF3 and Dirt 3. However my locality (NZ) means that pricing is vastly different (and overpriced). The prices are:

7970 - NZ$779
GTX680 - NZ$969
GTX670 - NZ$750

My question: Is it worth getting the 680 over the 7970 at for alomost $200 (US$160) extra? What about the 670...? Rig specs in sig. I'm playing at 1440p (probably can't max out on single GPU but thats as far as my budget would allow me to spend).

Any help would be appreciated.

I'd get the 7970, if you were at 1080/1200 the 670 but you're in vram ltd memory territory and 1gb more means more future proofing.

 

[Jacky60]

And what do you mean by lower profile? Smaller? Should I get something like 2x8GB?

He means RAM without extra passive cooling which generally means it stands half as far out from mobo (ram modules are then 20-30mm wide rather than 40-50mm wide). Higher profile RAM can and does prevent you using a number of popular air coolers.

 

[ThatMinja]

Alright so I've decided on the 670. But now I need to choose between te MSI FTW (2 fan) 670 and a Gigabyte version. The MSI one is more expensive than the Gigabyte (3 fan) 670. I do plan on overclocking, so which should I get?

 

[3DVagabond]

Alright so I've decided on the 670. But now I need to choose between te MSI FTW (2 fan) 670 and a Gigabyte version. The MSI one is more expensive than the Gigabyte (3 fan) 670. I do plan on overclocking, so which should I get?

Either one is a good card. If the Gigabyte is cheaper, that's the one I'd get. I'm assuming both have the full sized 680 circuit board?

 

[ThatMinja]

Either one is a good card. If the Gigabyte is cheaper, that's the one I'd get. I'm assuming both have the full sized 680 circuit board?

I'm not sure. I could check though. Does it even matter?

 

[3DVagabond]

I'm not sure. I could check though. Does it even matter?

The full size PCB is the same as the one used on the 680. It has better voltage regulation with more stages. All else being equal it should be more stable and last longer.

 

[DrBoss]

Alright so I've decided on the 670. But now I need to choose between te MSI FTW (2 fan) 670 and a Gigabyte version. The MSI one is more expensive than the Gigabyte (3 fan) 670. I do plan on overclocking, so which should I get?

It think you mean EVGA FTW, or are you talking about the MSI Power Edition?

 

[ThatMinja]

Sorry, MSI Power Edition. I got them mixed up fore some reason. So it's between the MSI PE (2 fans, $430) or the Gigabyte (3 fans, $400). If the Evga FTW is better than either of these then I'll get that.

 

[AdamK47]

680 is better at Skyrim and BF 3 so that should make the decision to get the 680 a lot easier. most of the 7970 cards have coil whine too which would drive me nuts.

btw I would increase your system ram from 8g to 16gb since you are doing complete build from scratch. ram is cheap right now and that extra ram will not go to waste as Windows can cache what is not being used. and I would get lower profile ram too so as not to get in the way of any cpu cooler.

My three 7970s exhibit no coil whine. It's most likely the PSU used with the 7970s that causes it in some cases.

 

[RobertR1]

Get a SSD. Why do you have a dedicated NIC on the build? You don't need a PSU that powerful by any means.

 

[ThatMinja]

Get a SSD. Why do you have a dedicated NIC on the build? You don't need a PSU that powerful by any means.

I already plan on getting a 128GB SSD. And as for the PSU, I'm only going to get a 650W.

 

[3DVagabond]

My three 7970s exhibit no coil whine. It's most likely the PSU used with the 7970s that causes it in some cases.

+1 This is often not thought of, but poor shielding can cause it. It's why some PSU's come with capacitors on the pci-e leads.

 

[nextJin]

A few things,

- Coil whine associated with the 79XX series (or strictly videocards in general) are a fallacy, I've built a lot of PC's around the 79XX line and none have experienced coil whine. I used either Corsair AX series or Seasonic gold rated PSU's for all of them. It obviously happens but it is not gpu family specific as some in this thread might have alluded too.

- If you are playing BF3 or Skyrim at 1200p or less I recommend the EVGA 670 FTW if it is availible. I just built a PC a week ago with the same requirements you are looking for and that is what I recommended he purchase.

 

[lopri]

What do you mean coil whine is a "fallacy?" It is a fact/non-fact, not a story.

Now, coil whine isn't inherent to a GPU -> if that's what you mean, then yes I agree.

 

[nextJin]

What do you mean coil whine is a "fallacy?" It is a fact/non-fact, not a story.

Now, coil whine isn't inherent to a GPU -> if that's what you mean, then yes I agree.

Edited ty, usually people say their videocards have coil whine so obviously the entire range has them when the majority of reviews never mention it and the vast community of users never mention it. Coil whine can be linked to a lot of things, not just a videocard.

 

[Will Robinson]

My recommendation would be to get the NVDA GTX670.
The HD7970 is a bit faster sometimes but there's no doubt that the GTX is slick.
If it's just for gaming I'd go with the more efficient and a bit better GTX670.

 

[Zanovar]

My recommendation would be to get the NVDA GTX670.
The HD7970 is a bit faster sometimes but there's no doubt that the GTX is slick.
If it's just for gaming I'd go with the more efficient and a bit better GTX670.

.

 

[3DVagabond]

My recommendation would be to get the NVDA GTX670.
The HD7970 is a bit faster sometimes but there's no doubt that the GTX is slick.
If it's just for gaming I'd go with the more efficient and a bit better GTX670.

Who are you and what have you done with Will Robinson? D:

 

[Silverforce11]

My recommendation would be to get the NVDA GTX670.
The HD7970 is a bit faster sometimes but there's no doubt that the GTX is slick.
If it's just for gaming I'd go with the more efficient and a bit better GTX670.

I concur, don't waste $$ for a tiny bit of performance you won't even notice.

Grab a gtx670 OR a decent custom cooled 7950 and go to town with its huge OC capabilities.

 

[Dark Shroud]

The custom 7950s make the most sense when you OC them to 1100mhz. They use a bit more power but thats the only downside.

 

[Will Robinson]

Grrr...not if they are noisy.That's an annoying downside too.
I laughed my head off the first time I put my 5850 on manual fan at about 80% speed.
We are talking LOUD.
Quiet and cool running is what we want.