New GPU Time!

[Black64]

• 
   
  
• Are you going to watercool whatever card you buy and push the OC until your card cries for dear mercy as you try to find its breaking point? Typically only people with a ton of video cards do this, not people with only 1-2 cards.
  
• Are you going to spend more time playing benchmark programs then playing video games?
  

 

If yes to those questions then go with the 7970, otherwise the GTX 670 is a better all around card through and through.

 

No

No

GTX 670 then right?

[IVIYTH0S]

No

No

GTX 670 then right?

If you only see that card as an option yes

 

Also I wanted to ask how an 8800GTS entered the equation

Edited August 3, 2012 by IVIYTH0S

[Fogel]

No

No

GTX 670 then right?

Yup

 

If you only see that card as an option yes

 

Also I wanted to ask how an 8800GTS entered the equation

Well at the price point he is at $400, the GTX 670 blows away the competition for performance to price ratio without needing insane cooling methods to reach a max OC. The 7970 does really well in synthetic benchmark programs but who cares? Its a gaming card and its meant to be gamed on. And even when you compare a max OC 670 to a max OC 7970 the difference is too small to care ...especially when he can buy the GTX 670 cheaper right now. Since he isn't going to be pushing a max OC then the GTX 670 will out perform the 7970 ...oh AND its cheaper. I also prefer Nvidia drivers. So in this comparison I fail to see the 7970 as a worthy competitor.

 

Now in the $200-$300 range I think AMD wins hands down.

 

He wants to run 5 monitors, that's why the 8800GTS. He needs a second card for the extra monitor and keeping it all one team (red or green) is easier than managing two sets of drivers on one machine. Doable but kind of uneccessary.

[Black64]

Yup

 

 

Well at the price point he is at $400, the GTX 670 blows away the competition for performance to price ratio without needing insane cooling methods to reach a max OC. The 7970 does really well in synthetic benchmark programs but who cares? Its a gaming card and its meant to be gamed on. And even when you compare a max OC 670 to a max OC 7970 the difference is too small to care ...especially when he can buy the GTX 670 cheaper right now. Since he isn't going to be pushing a max OC then the GTX 670 will out perform the 7970 ...oh AND its cheaper. I also prefer Nvidia drivers. So in this comparison I fail to see the 7970 as a worthy competitor.

 

Now in the $200-$300 range I think AMD wins hands down.

 

He wants to run 5 monitors, that's why the 8800GTS. He needs a second card for the extra monitor and keeping it all one team (red or green) is easier than managing two sets of drivers on one machine. Doable but kind of uneccessary.

 

Exactly

[IVIYTH0S]

Yup

 

 

Well at the price point he is at $400, the GTX 670 blows away the competition for performance to price ratio without needing insane cooling methods to reach a max OC. The 7970 does really well in synthetic benchmark programs but who cares? Its a gaming card and its meant to be gamed on. And even when you compare a max OC 670 to a max OC 7970 the difference is too small to care ...especially when he can buy the GTX 670 cheaper right now. Since he isn't going to be pushing a max OC then the GTX 670 will out perform the 7970 ...oh AND its cheaper. I also prefer Nvidia drivers. So in this comparison I fail to see the 7970 as a worthy competitor.

 

Now in the $200-$300 range I think AMD wins hands down.

 

He wants to run 5 monitors, that's why the 8800GTS. He needs a second card for the extra monitor and keeping it all one team (red or green) is easier than managing two sets of drivers on one machine. Doable but kind of uneccessary.

The 7950 and 670 perform so close (especially overclocked) as well but the 7950 is much cheaper, so I don't see how the 670 is the best price/performance in that budget. (Here's a 7950 with a better then stock cooler, for $330 which would overclock fantastic and REALLY blur the performance difference)

 

If you MUST get a GTX670, get this one, (to be fair, a 7950 WindForce is $350) I just don't see it being $70 at all. Especially if you mod games or run higher resolutions (which btw what is your main resolution)

 

I see why the 8800GTS now but it seems excessive for just a monitor card if he has to buy a whole other card. I'd attempt the 6570 first if the 670 route is taken.

Edited August 3, 2012 by IVIYTH0S

[Fogel]

Exactly

No problem

 

The 7950 and 670 perform so close (especially overclocked) as well but the 7950 is much cheaper, so I don't see how the 670 is the best price/performance in that budget. (Here's a 7950 with a better then stock cooler, for $330 which would overclock fantastic and REALLY blur the performance difference)

 

If you MUST get a GTX670, get this one, (to be fair, a 7950 WindForce is $350) I just don't see it being $70 at all. Especially if you mod games or run higher resolutions (which btw what is your main resolution)

 

I see why the 8800GTS now but it seems excessive for just a monitor card if he has to buy a whole other card. I'd attempt the 6570 first if the 670 route is taken.

What benchmarks are you looking at? The only game I have seen the 7950 even come close on to the GTX 670 is Metro 2033 which is a heavily AMD favored game ...oh and Anno (same thing, but now its a AMD game no one but reviewers care about). Every other game the 670 beats the 7950 by an average of 15-20 FPS ...average, some games I saw up to 30 FPS difference.

 

Tom's

Guru 3D

 

I'm guessing he already has the 8800GTS as it came out way before his 6570.

[MandoPatriot]

I don't see why people are against 6** series watercooling, mine works great and better than stock performance. I would go for the 670. Also, top voltage for these cards is 1.175 and if 7970s can get up to 1.3 volts, that's a huge difference.

[IVIYTH0S]

What benchmarks are you looking at? The only game I have seen the 7950 even come close on to the GTX 670 is Metro 2033 which is a heavily AMD favored game ...oh and Anno (same thing, but now its a AMD game no one but reviewers care about). Every other game the 670 beats the 7950 by an average of 15-20 FPS ...average, some games I saw up to 30 FPS difference.

 

Tom's

Guru 3D

 

I'm guessing he already has the 8800GTS as it came out way before his 6570.

Overclocked they're about the same, those reviews are older too lol

Not many reviews show them both overclocked

Edited August 4, 2012 by IVIYTH0S

[Fogel]

I don't see why people are against 6** series watercooling, mine works great and better than stock performance. I would go for the 670. Also, top voltage for these cards is 1.175 and if 7970s can get up to 1.3 volts, that's a huge difference.

It's not that the 6** series is bad for WCing, it's just that the AMD 7*** series is better to force more volts ...thus the need for WCing.

 

Overclocked they're about the same, those reviews are older too lol

Not many reviews show them both overclocked

Yah I have an issue with the games chosen for that review. The few that are there, who actually plays those game? BF3 for sure. Mafia II possibly, I think Bosco plays that. Batman, ok people batman. Outside of those 3, no one cares. I pick my video card based on the games I play. Why would I care if a video card absolutely completely demolishes the competition in the games I don't play ...especially if it loses out on the games I do play?

 

There is a reason you don't see too many sites fully explore OC results in card reviews. It's not a fair comparison. Some brands are better OCing then others and not all cards even from the same brand are created equal. So you could be comparing the worst of the bunch to the competition's best. Don't get me wrong, I love the OC section of every card review but it should never be taken as results you will always see.

 

Here is a more current review with relevant games people actually play: Hardware Canucks

 

It doesn't show the 7950 though, it has the 670 going up against the 7970.

[Black64]

Just so were all clear. I won't be WCing and/or changing the voltage of my GPU. So that doesn't really matter. I prefer to just do a software OC and the better stock cooler I can get the better.