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Undecided 680/7970

masscrazy

masscrazy

masscrazy

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26 Dec 2009
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Common question i know, but im on 1440p res, want to play everything on max and not too concerned with budget though cheaper the better obviously.

Up till few days ago i was 100% on the 680 but an overclocked 7970 seems to be as good. Also the reference 7970 is £350 about a 100 less than a 680 and probably over 150 less than a 4gb 680.

Do i got for the 7970 at £350 or 4gb 680 at £450-500. Im looking at best value as 49% of the matter and 51% performance/noise.
 
If cost is a concern to you, then i suggest you pick the 7970, it offers a similar performance to that of the gtx 680 but quite a bit cheaper.

Although if you have the patience you could wait until end of apri to see what happens regarding prices and the release of more custom cards.
 
At my monitor resolution of 2560x1440 according to most reviews I have read the HD7970 and GTX680 trade punches in most games and minimum frames are very similar although maybe the 680 is 4%-5% faster in some games.

However as you state the 7970 is now a much cheaper (£70 or more) at the new prices and at the moment comes with the Three for Free games and they are decent games. I'm not sure sites would be calling a win for the GTX680 at these revised selling prices/games offer. Other considerations are 7970 problem re coil noise vs 680 possible problem re RSOD and AMD vs. nVidia drivers.

Still weighing up the pros and cons.... the 7970 is looking a good bet at the moment with 3Gb vs 2GB memory.
 
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For me it's a toss up at equal prices but at £60 less with 3 free games the 7970 is a no brainer unless you need a particular feature of the 680.
 
Im on 2560x1440 myself, a Dell U2711 to be exact.

Got my hands on a GTX 680 yesterday (thanks for the free Haribo OcUK! :D)

I have experienced the RSOD issue, and I've pinpointed the cause (on my system anyway) to AIDA, it only happens when I launch it.

The 680 is also quieter than a reference 7970, but runs slightly warmer. I personally would prefer to sacrifice some degrees temperature to have a quieter system, but it depends on your preference.

Then theres the driver comparison, nvidia win that battle, but then the 7970 strikes back, having 1GB more VRAM. 2GB has been plenty for me so far, but for how much longer it will be remains to be seen.

Its a tough decision. Whichever one you choose though, you'll get a hell of a card!

The way the prices are at the moment...I'd say the 7970 will do you fine.
 
I'm in the same boat, doing a total rebuild with Ivy Bridge and i'm unsure what to go for - GTX680, HD7970 or HD7950.

From taking the benchies on TPU, overall the GTX680 is 6% faster than the HD7970, which is then 10% faster than the HD7950.

Thing is, it's £425 for a GTX680, £370 for an HD7970, and £300 for an HD7950. And I just can't see the GTX680 justifying it's price anymore.
 
7970, need to order my nephew one but dunno what one to go for?

any recommendations?

hes got £400 to spend!
 
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 RSoD (Red Screen of Death) Issue

http://videocardz.com/31917/nvidia-geforce-gtx-680-rsod-red-screen-of-death-issue



Both cards are great, pick the one you like really, there is hardly any real world difference in speed at your resolution. So pick the company you get on with better AMD or Nvidia. It is more about drivers and games supported and optimised that you play really. Also if you use cuda or not.
 
Firstly there isn't a single GPU card that will run everything on max, I can run Batman AC on max with an overclocked CPU and GPU at 1080p just, at 1440p I don't think it would cut it. I suspect there will be other games also that can't be run on 'max' at the moment or in the near future.

Performance wise there is nothing to choose between the cards as long as you overclock, and a very small lead for the 680 even if you don't.

Unless you are just about to play one of the Batman games, where Physx does add a good deal to the game, it is a no brainer and you go for the 7970 as it is quite a bit cheaper.

If you are sensitive to noise then get a 680 or custom 7970 as they are a lot quieter than reference 7970.
 
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Get the custom 7970 for £359.99, install the 12.4 driver, open CCC, slide all the sliders to the right and enjoy 680 rivalling performance for a fraction of the price :)
 
With the drop in prices for the 7900's, I would go for the 7970. As mentioned, to help you decide you might factor in what games you play, though either way I'd still find it hard to refuse the lower priced 7970. Enjoy. :)
 
The VTX with the custom cooler for £360 is a great deal, you would have to be mad to go for a 680 over that at the moment unless the cash isnt an issue.
 
As much as I hate to say it, the 7970 is better value with current pricing.

Although I am very happy with my 680 and won't be changing it for atleast several months.
 
The GTX680 needs to come down now, 4GB version should be priced at what the 2GB is now and the 2GB closer to 7970.

I won't even entertain GTX680 at the current prices, surprised that Gibbo says they are still selling so well.
 
masscrazy said:
Common question i know, but im on 1440p res, want to play everything on max and not too concerned with budget though cheaper the better obviously.

Up till few days ago i was 100% on the 680 but an overclocked 7970 seems to be as good. Also the reference 7970 is £350 about a 100 less than a 680 and probably over 150 less than a 4gb 680.

Do i got for the 7970 at £350 or 4gb 680 at £450-500. Im looking at best value as 49% of the matter and 51% performance/noise.
Click to expand...

If your worried about cost, go for the cheaper option, nothing worse than getting buyers remorse.

A £350 HD 7970 is stonking value VS £440 GTX 680 imho.

The 680's are gonna need to come down to compete, they look silly at £440 in comparison, this is probably the closest performance wise AMD/Nvidia have been with their high end cards, also the 7970 has an extra GB of ram. An extra £100+ for the Nvidia card isn't worth it...
 
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