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Which 680?

Almostmini

Almostmini

Almostmini

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Joined
4 Mar 2010
Posts
134
So the slowest part on my current PC is the graphics card, its a GTX 460 and whilst my system runs most current games to an adequate level there is room for improvement and with games like Arma 3 on the way I want to be ready.

So I have been looking at GTX 680's and the choice is mind boggling for somebody who isn't massively GPU literate.
First there are all of the different manufactures, fan types and so on...

Some are cheaper than others and some more expensive, what is the reason for this? Some have 4GB and some 2GB is there a massive difference, i seem to remember 4GB cards only being used when in SLI?

Are there any of the series that are highly recommended? I see that the MSI Lightning is posted about a fair bit.

Hope you guys can help!

Cheers

Almostmini
 
Hi Mate,

The difference is basically coolers and warranty. I personally went for a EVGA because of the warranty (extended it to 5 years).

You mention the MSI Lightning and basically this card allows for voltage controls (upto 1.21v as opposed to 1.175v). This means there is a potential for higher overclocks than the standard 680's without voltage adjustments.

If I was buying now, I would look at the thread about warranties and decide from there :)

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18231329
 
Ah right, cheers man, I have no interest in Overclocking, not until I understand it a bit better!

Any ideas about the different amount of memory on the cards?

Almostmini
 
I would look at the Gigabyte windforce. It has a great custom cooler, comes overclocked out of the box and is backed by Gigabytes UK based RMA center and great service. Best of all it is on offer this week. 2GB memory is plenty for single screen 1080P gaming, I would only go for 4GB if you game at a much higher resolutions or have a large multiple monitor setup.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-093-GI
 
The 4GB cards will help for future proofing and realy come into their own when you start to SLI or even 3 way SLI. Generally if you was to have a multi monitor set up, this requires a fair amount of VRAM and also requires a fair amount of GPU grunt. One 680 would struggle badly with BF3 on 3 monitors with everything maxed out, not just in VRAM but also in GPU grunt.

If you intend on staying one monitor, then the 680 2GB is plenty :)

hope this helps.
 
Thanks Firefly!

Wierdly that is one of the cards that I was looking at, with it being on offer an' all!

Cheers

Almostmini

edit: yes gregster that does help!
 
I can also recommend the gigabyte 680, got it when it went on offer.

Since its pretty much the same as the 670 (only a 680), and the windforce 670 is one of, if not the, best 670 at the moment it was a pretty easy decision for me. - I only say this because its a lot easier to find information about 670s than it is 680s, or was for me at least, any 680 review concluded with 670 is better value for money, which is true but if you dont mind spending the extra £ then why not >.<
 
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tbf I can't beat your heaven score with 1.212 volts so I wouldn't be too jealous LOL.

Actually I came close at 1.175 but more volts = less score or w/e because I cba to test different ocs properly.
 
OptimaLnrg said:
tbf I can't beat your heaven score with 1.212 volts so I wouldn't be too jealous LOL.

Actually I came close at 1.175 but more volts = less score or w/e because I cba to test different ocs properly.
Click to expand...

I am sure when you put it under water you will smash my score up. My OC for that score was 171 and 620 I think (can't remember without looking)...what is your power target max?
 
can't remember max power target on stock bios, but LN2 bios is 200%. I've yet to see them reach anywhere near 100% power though tbh.

As for my oc, max on core on stock volts for the good card was +65, not sure how that compares because the default base clock is 1110mhz. Memory i stayed at 595 because after that I got artifacts.
 
OptimaLnrg said:
can't remember max power target on stock bios, but LN2 bios is 200%. I've yet to see them reach anywhere near 100% power though tbh.

As for my oc, max on core on stock volts for the good card was +65, not sure how that compares because the default base clock is 1110mhz. Memory i stayed at 595 because after that I got artifacts.
Click to expand...

My successful test had artifacts when the memory was pushed up to 620 but only bad on 21of26. My GPU clock was 1230mhz.
 
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