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Looking to buy a 670. Suggestions?

Rusty0611 said:
You can quite easily reach over 2GB in BF3 if you don't turn Windows Aero off. However, if you only have 2 GPU's the settings which you'd run out of VRAM with are unobtainable anyway due to low FPS.

That's why you'll hear people who use 2GB cards in surround saying to benefit from the extra 2GB you need 3 GPU's (so you have more GPU power).

Any questions let me know.

Skyrim can exceed 2GB at 1080p but the mods aren't optimised that well so it's down to each individual user really to weigh up how much they want to play modded Skyrim. A 7970 3GB is a better option if the answer is "a lot" because it matches a 680, is cheaper and has the extra VRAM.
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Thanks for the reply. I remember reading that BF3 can use more than 2GB VRAM on 1080p and this was one of the reasons I mentioned the 4GB cards and also with mods on Skyrim but yes, for what it's worth it's not worth the extra on top of the 2GB cards so am just going to stick to the 2GB's. The extra 1GB you get with the 7970 was another thing that tempted me to go AMD but after reading that some games don't perform nearly as well and that there are lots of driver issues with the cards, I think I will stick with Nvidia. That and I like my PhysX. :p
 
It doesn't get close to 2GB on 1080p. 3GB cards get higher readings as when more VRAM is available the application caches more data. It's not a bad thing to have more it's just up to people to weigh up the benefit like you have done :).

I run a few mods texture and environment mods on Skyrim in Surround and usage is around 1700MB. You do have to use a lot to get over 2GB.
 
Rusty0611 said:
It doesn't get close to 2GB on 1080p. 3GB cards get higher readings as when more VRAM is available the application caches more data. It's not a bad thing to have more it's just up to people to weigh up the benefit like you have done :).

I run a few mods texture and environment mods on Skyrim in Surround and usage is around 1700MB. You do have to use a lot to get over 2GB.
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Fair enough. Thanks for letting me know. I remember going over my VRAM limit with my current cards but of course I only had 1GB to play with and with this new card I will have 2GB so yeah, I think I will be fine, knowing that and also what you have said.
 
Rusty0611 said:
Gigabyte Windforce :).

I have the 680 version and it's very nice.
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Are you running two of them in SLI? It's just I see in your signature you have them down as an SLI setup. Out of curiosity, what temperatures are you seeing when idle and under full load?

Also, earlier in the thread [TW]Sponge recommended this card but I have noticed on various forums and reviewer websites that the cards can get incredibly hot in an SLI setup and that not all of the cards are that great. I've noticed it's increasingly evident with Gigabyte and Asus that not all of their cards are running as they should. Unless I have picked up wrongly on this?
 
You need very good case cooling to have two of them in SLI. The heat gets dumped inside the case and card 1 will recycle card 2's hot air if you're not drawing it away.

I have my Windforce in slot one and in slot 2 I have my release day (my first) 680. It's a bog standard reference model. If works quite well actually temps wise.

I don't get over 65c in BF3 (good example as they're always 95+% utilised). The reference 680 is anything from 5-10c hotter most of the time.

They both idle around 28c.

My case is pretty decent though.
 
Rusty0611 said:
You need very good case cooling to have two of them in SLI. The heat gets dumped inside the case and card 1 will recycle card 2's hot air if you're not drawing it away.

I have my Windforce in slot one and in slot 2 I have my release day (my first) 680. It's a bog standard reference model. If works quite well actually temps wise.

I don't get over 65c in BF3 (good example as they're always 95+% utilised). The reference 680 is anything from 5-10c hotter most of the time.

They both idle around 28c.

My case is pretty decent though.
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Thanks for letting me know. I have the HAF 932, the case down from yours, so yeah I guess that would be enough to keep the cards cool? I upgraded from a Thermaltake Shark and what a difference it has made! That was about 1.5 years ago though, haha.


I'm still open to suggestions guys! Has anybody got one of the EVGA FTW cards? I have heard good things about them and apparently they are good in an SLI setup. If you do, would you recommend the card and what are your reasons for doing so? What temperatures do the cards get to at idle and under full load?
 
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If your going to go Sli the FTW is a good choice as they vent the hot air straight out the case and perform well.

However if you have good air flow in your case the Windforce is also a good choice and seem to perform better
as most ppl on here would vouch for.

I run TriSli FTW and my top card doesn't go over 70,
also not had any issues with any games I play.
but if i was to go Sli my choice would be the Windforces.

I don't think you'll have any regets whichever you choose :)
 
I would recommend either a reference and non reference set up like myself or two venting type coolers. It's hard even for a good case to get the hot air away from card one in time before it uses it for 'cooling'.

Not impossible by any means but difficult. I use my VGA air duct which came with my HAF X (with a 120mm fan fitted and this blows right over both the cards).

Lowered temps by between 5 and 10c.
 
Its just a shame nvidia didnt release the 680 with 3GB and a 384-bit memory bus like the 79xx series. They would have taken the vram argument out of the equation, negating one of the 79xx series' advantage, and would have comprehensively won the performance crown, judging on how the 680's and 670's respond to increased bandwidth.
 
whyscotty said:
If your going to go Sli the FTW is a good choice as they vent the hot air straight out the case and perform well.

However if you have good air flow in your case the Windforce is also a good choice and seem to perform better
as most ppl on here would vouch for.

I run TriSli FTW and my top card doesn't go over 70,
also not had any issues with any games I play.
but if i was to go Sli my choice would be the Windforces.

I don't think you'll have any regets whichever you choose :)
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Thanks for the information. I do like the fact they card vents the air out the back although I don't see myself having an issue with the custom coolers with my case. Just out of interest, how noisy are the FTW cards at load? This is one of the things I was worried about if I chose that card.

I've noticed Overclockers is now selling the MSI Power Edition and it's £10 cheaper than the FTW card. Would you say the FTW card is worth it over the MSI?


Rusty0611 said:
I would recommend either a reference and non reference set up like myself or two venting type coolers. It's hard even for a good case to get the hot air away from card one in time before it uses it for 'cooling'.

Not impossible by any means but difficult. I use my VGA air duct which came with my HAF X (with a 120mm fan fitted and this blows right over both the cards).

Lowered temps by between 5 and 10c.
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Thanks for your input. I'd rather go for an overclocked card such as the FTW over the reference cards as it means if I want to overclock the card, I am not pushing it too hard. I'm still undecided if I want a vented type over the custom cooler ones though. Decisions, decisions!


whyscotty said:
OP has said 4GB is no longer a option.
Also 4GB is pointless unless going TriSli or Surround.
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Yeah, I just feel that paying another £100 or so on top of what I will be already paying isn't worth it.

psychodil said:
Its just a shame nvidia didnt release the 680 with 3GB and a 384-bit memory bus like the 79xx series. They would have taken the vram argument out of the equation, negating one of the 79xx series' advantage, and would have comprehensively won the performance crown, judging on how the 680's and 670's respond to increased bandwidth.
Click to expand...

Yes, I reckon if the 680's came with 3GB VRAM as standard, I would be much more inclined to go with one instead of a 670 as at least you get the extra 1GB wiggle room that you don't get with a 670. But as it stands, because they have the same, the 670 seems like a much better buy as the benchmarks show it's just behind the 680 and I feel the 680 isn't worth the extra £.
 
I wouldn't say the 7970 having 3GB is an advantage. You still realistically need 3 of them to push > 2GB of VRAM. Unless you're talking about Skyrim in which case Crossfire 7970's becomes a large overhead anyway...

It does take the debate out of the question but it's not really that debateable to be fair. The people who dispute it are often people who haven't read or tested it.
 
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