Worth upgrading GTX 580 to 7970?

[DRxEVOx]

Is this upgrade worth it? What is the performance difference between the 2 cards?

[hostage67]

you'll get somewhere around a 40% improvement in performance.

[DrGuns4Hands]

I don't know where the 40% improvement He's talking about would come from it's literally 1 tier difference on the graphics hierarchy chart on toms hardware. Maybe if it was a 560 that might be closer to accurate but I can't say you'll see a noticeable difference.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/...ew,3107-7.html

[hostage67]

Because one tier equals what performance difference exactly? Ya, that's kind of my point. You're using a ranking system, not a performance system.

I listed roughly 40% because that is what the reviews determined when the 7970 was first released, however I believe that 40% was actually based off of the 6970, not the 580. So lets say somewhere around a 30% improvement from a 580. This also obviously depends on the resolutions, settings, and game you are comparing it to as well. If you are running a single monitor with only 1920x1080, then even maxed out you will probably only see a minor performance increase as you really aren't even stressing the 580 at those resolutions. But running an eyefinity setup with max settings should show you some decent performance gains.

[DrGuns4Hands]

Okay now I understand your reference point, yes in a tripple monitor set up the 7970 could be a worthwhile upgrade. I made the assumption he had a more common system set-up though perhaps I should have asked. Not sure the exact performance per tier they recommend not upgrading unless your moving up 3 tiers cause performance gains would be minimal but that is assuming the more common resolutions with a single monitor, mileage will definetely be different on multi-monitor setups.

[DRxEVOx]

Well i have a 27inch 1080p monitor and plan on playing Guild Wars 2 and Diablo 3. So maybe its better i just leave me system as is? here are my specs

Intel Core i7 920 at 2.66Ghz
ASRock X58 Extreme Motherboard
Corsair XMS3 6GB Triple Channel RAM @ 1600Mhz
EVGA GTX 580 1536MB
2 x WD Caviar Black in Raid 0
1 OCZ Agility 3 SSD HD

[DarkTower87]

Originally Posted by DRxEVOx

Well i have a 27inch 1080p monitor and plan on playing Guild Wars 2 and Diablo 3. So maybe its better i just leave me system as is? here are my specs

Intel Core i7 920 at 2.66Ghz
ASRock X58 Extreme Motherboard
Corsair XMS3 6GB Triple Channel RAM @ 1600Mhz
EVGA GTX 580 1536MB
2 x WD Caviar Black in Raid 0
1 OCZ Agility 3 SSD HD

Your system is more than enough. Maybe ovrrclock the cpu a bit.

[maxgull]

Originally Posted by DarkTower87

Your system is more than enough. Maybe ovrrclock the cpu a bit.

+1 and +1 on the overclock.

[DRxEVOx]

Also i forgot to mention i have a Coolermaster V8 Cooler on the CPU and i have a profile saved for it to OC to 3.2Ghz

[hostage67]

Originally Posted by DRxEVOx

Well i have a 27inch 1080p monitor and plan on playing Guild Wars 2 and Diablo 3. So maybe its better i just leave me system as is? here are my specs

Intel Core i7 920 at 2.66Ghz
ASRock X58 Extreme Motherboard
Corsair XMS3 6GB Triple Channel RAM @ 1600Mhz
EVGA GTX 580 1536MB
2 x WD Caviar Black in Raid 0
1 OCZ Agility 3 SSD HD

Ya, that is likely already more than enough to max out everything on those games. Those are the same games I am planning to play but I'm going for a surround video setup @120hz.

[DRxEVOx]

Originally Posted by hostage67

Ya, that is likely already more than enough to max out everything on those games. Those are the same games I am planning to play but I'm going for a surround video setup @120hz.

120Hz works on video games? I thought they cap out at 60Hz?

[DarkTower87]

Originally Posted by DRxEVOx

120Hz works on video games? I thought they cap out at 60Hz?

Most monitors cap at 60hz. If your monitor is capable then you can run 120hz.

[DRxEVOx]

Originally Posted by DarkTower87

Most monitors cap at 60hz. If your monitor is capable then you can run 120hz.

But doesn't the game have to be designed to 120Hz?

[hostage67]

Originally Posted by DRxEVOx

But doesn't the game have to be designed to 120Hz?

No, not really. Unless the game sets a hard limit (which some do), then 120hz should be viable. Most games these days will allow 120hz. The companies are getting better at not setting artificial caps for gamers these days.

This will be my first venture into 120hz territory, but I did tons of research prior to making the investment in equipment to make sure it was something I was interested in. It was extremely difficult to find good comparisons online since 120hz doesn't really translate well across internet media due to limited sizes. Most video's are well below 120hz which means any video comparison is mostly useless since it won't actually capture the true difference. The main advantage is smoother action and less jaggies due to the faster refresh rate. The disadvantage is that currently in order to get 120hz you have to use a TN panel instead of an IPS panel which has a better picture. You also need the horsepower to push 120hz to your monitor, which frankly is no small feat in the case of surround video.

I am starting with 2x 680 4gb cards when they become available in order to power my displays, but I expect I will still need to add at least one more card to that in order to get the desired results. On a single monitor this could probably be done with just a single video card. There are other complications I had to resolve as well in order to go this route, so it's not for the faint of heart as the price alone would give you a heart attack . Since all 3 of my monitors are DVI and the 680 only includes two DVI ports, I need to run a DisplayPort adapater (only the DVI and DisplayPort can support the 120hz). But now I needed an adapter that would also support the 120hz. So I picked up the best one I could, which should theoretically work at my resolution at 120hz. I currently have it running at 60hz with zero problems, but we'll have to wait and see what happens when I get my new system built and can push it at 120hz.

[DRxEVOx]

Originally Posted by hostage67

No, not really. Unless the game sets a hard limit (which some do), then 120hz should be viable. Most games these days will allow 120hz. The companies are getting better at not setting artificial caps for gamers these days.

This will be my first venture into 120hz territory, but I did tons of research prior to making the investment in equipment to make sure it was something I was interested in. It was extremely difficult to find good comparisons online since 120hz doesn't really translate well across internet media due to limited sizes. Most video's are well below 120hz which means any video comparison is mostly useless since it won't actually capture the true difference. The main advantage is smoother action and less jaggies due to the faster refresh rate. The disadvantage is that currently in order to get 120hz you have to use a TN panel instead of an IPS panel which has a better picture. You also need the horsepower to push 120hz to your monitor, which frankly is no small feat in the case of surround video.

I am starting with 2x 680 4gb cards when they become available in order to power my displays, but I expect I will still need to add at least one more card to that in order to get the desired results. On a single monitor this could probably be done with just a single video card. There are other complications I had to resolve as well in order to go this route, so it's not for the faint of heart as the price alone would give you a heart attack . Since all 3 of my monitors are DVI and the 680 only includes two DVI ports, I need to run a DisplayPort adapater (only the DVI and DisplayPort can support the 120hz). But now I needed an adapter that would also support the 120hz. So I picked up the best one I could, which should theoretically work at my resolution at 120hz. I currently have it running at 60hz with zero problems, but we'll have to wait and see what happens when I get my new system built and can push it at 120hz.

Your putting some serious video power together. I wish you the best of luck in attaining your goals. As for myself, i don't know what to do with my GTX 580. Maybe get an aftermarket cooler and OC is a bit? Any ideas?

[hostage67]

Originally Posted by DRxEVOx

Your putting some serious video power together. I wish you the best of luck in attaining your goals. As for myself, i don't know what to do with my GTX 580. Maybe get an aftermarket cooler and OC is a bit? Any ideas?

If you are looking to increase performance you might want to look at buying a used 580 and setting up SLI. I imagine there are quite a few used 580's floating around these days at relatively cheap costs so people can upgrade to the 680.

[DRxEVOx]

Originally Posted by hostage67

If you are looking to increase performance you might want to look at buying a used 580 and setting up SLI. I imagine there are quite a few used 580's floating around these days at relatively cheap costs so people can upgrade to the 680.

This would require an investment in a 1000W+ PSU and i really dont want to fork out another $350 or more so i can use another 580. You wouldn't recommend getting aftermarket cooling for the 580 and OC it a bit?

[hostage67]

Originally Posted by DRxEVOx

This would require an investment in a 1000W+ PSU and i really dont want to fork out another $350 or more so i can use another 580. You wouldn't recommend getting aftermarket cooling for the 580 and OC it a bit?

You can certainly do that, personally I have never been a big fan of GPU overclocking but there are many that do.

Granted my GPU overclocking experience is limited, but I have generally found it's a lot of work, you put your most expensive components in your PC at risk, and ultimately the gain is very limited and typically not noticed in anything but benchmarks.

[Dil-tech]

Originally Posted by DRxEVOx

This would require an investment in a 1000W+ PSU and i really dont want to fork out another $350 or more so i can use another 580. You wouldn't recommend getting aftermarket cooling for the 580 and OC it a bit?

You really don't need an after market cooler for the 580, they clock GREAT on the stock heatsink.

Also, just to follow up what everyone said, don't bother going 7970 from 580, it's around 20% or less of a difference between the two cards and you're only at 1080p anyway. We can't be too sure of what GW2 takes to max, but D3 will max out at that resolution even on a GTX 460.

In all honesty, even the GTX 680 wouldn't be a worth while upgrade either.

[kow_ciller]

Originally Posted by DRxEVOx

This would require an investment in a 1000W+ PSU and i really dont want to fork out another $350 or more so i can use another 580. You wouldn't recommend getting aftermarket cooling for the 580 and OC it a bit?

Two 580s are perfectly fine on a 650w-750w PSU if it is of a solid build quality.

No need to buy a unnecessary power supply if you want a quick/easy upgrade.