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Just ordered PC parts: How long will SLI EVGA OC GTX 680's last me


oenigmaa

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As the title says, I just ordered parts for a new rig.

 

Some of the main components:

- 16GB Corsair Vengeance RAM

- 128 GB SSD

- SLI EVGA OverClocked GTX 680's

- i7 3770k probably oc'd to 4.6

 

I will be playing Starcraft, as well as GPU intensive games such as BF3, DayZ, FarCry 3, Crysis 3, and many more.

 

I am only running @ 1920x1080, and would like to Max out games and get very good frames (anywhere from 50-100)

 

So how many years will they last?

Thanks in advance!

~ Dan :)

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It could actually last you a good 5-6 years, actually. The games industry isn't exactly driving newer graphics engines that will even pull a single GTX 680 at 1920 x 1080 resolution to its knees for a good long while. They end up driving away potential customers if they need a super gaming computer in order to play it.

 

Unless there's something really incredible with the next iteration of DirectX 12, most games will usually use OpenGL or stick with DirectX11 for the next 3-4 years.

 

In my opinion, Nvidia isn't going to make graphics cards that will go crazy on power and drive FPS that much higher than what a GTX 680 gives out now. They're focusing on less power consumption (thus more voltage locking), and thus less heat.

 

AMD, however, is still going to keep upping the ante in FPS, increasing GPGPU compute, allowing voltage unlocking, and to hell with heat (though at stock voltages, will be quite efficient).

 

I'm saying it now. AMD will be the cards for the enthusiast market. That you can find HD 7970's for ~$300 when overclocked beat out overclocked GTX 680's that are around at least $100 more expensive is a sure sign of that happening now.

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I mostly agree with El_Capitan. You've got an easy 5-6 years out of SLI 680s, especially if you don't mind not playing at max settings after a few years. Even then it may only be a setting or two that would have to be dropped to keep the framerates high, but that will depend on the game.

What I disagree with El_Capitan about is that the game developers are going to start using more advanced and power hungry engines in the foreseeable future. I believe that once there is a new generation of consoles out there developers will start taking advantage of that new hardware and it will spill over into taking more advantage of PC hardware too. However, they will likely remember what they have learned of late and that is the value of maintaining compatibility with older hardware. That is to say I suspect my old GTS 250 and HD5770 will probably be able to drive games at decent framerates with decent graphics for another two years or so, if I choose to use them like that. A pair of GTX 680s will stand up a LOT better.

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i was simply referring to moore's law is all, which (in a nutshell / layman's terms) says that new technical advances come in approximately 2 year cycles...not always exactly that, but for the most part our stuff get superceded about every 2 years...doesn't mean it's gone bad, just outdated...

 

I mostly agree with El_Capitan. You've got an easy 5-6 years out of SLI 680s, especially if you don't mind not playing at max settings after a few years. Even then it may only be a setting or two that would have to be dropped to keep the framerates high, but that will depend on the game.

What I disagree with El_Capitan about is that the game developers are going to start using more advanced and power hungry engines in the foreseeable future. I believe that once there is a new generation of consoles out there developers will start taking advantage of that new hardware and it will spill over into taking more advantage of PC hardware too. However, they will likely remember what they have learned of late and that is the value of maintaining compatibility with older hardware. That is to say I suspect my old GTS 250 and HD5770 will probably be able to drive games at decent framerates with decent graphics for another two years or so, if I choose to use them like that. A pair of GTX 680s will stand up a LOT better.

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I would bet that the 'super high res" push will be in full press with upcoming 4K monitors, cheaper monitors , and pre-packaged triple screen with stands that make it more accessible to more of the population.

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I would bet that the 'super high res" push will be in full press with upcoming 4K monitors, cheaper monitors , and pre-packaged triple screen with stands that make it more accessible to more of the population.

 

I wish 4K monitors came, but prob not for another 3 years... then another 3 years for the masses at the least.

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