GTX 680 or AMD 7970?

[DRxEVOx]

I can't decide on what card. Can anyone help?

[hostage67]

The 7970 does well if you overclock it, if you don't wanna bother with overclocking then pick up the 680 which does better stock and can still also be overclocked if desired. Plus you then get to deal with Nvidia instead of AMD which means slightly better drivers.

[Orthello77]

If you are going to overclock and its a single card setup you are looking at then i'd go with the 7970. Its not locked in any fashion, will most likely clock higher and the new driver updates have it edging out the 680 (overclocked 680s also) with any 1200mhz + overclock , especially at higher res's than 1920x1200.

[Dil-tech]

Fastest card stock or overclocked is the KFA GTX 680 HOF edition from galaxy. At stock it's 1200mhz, clocks to around 1300mhz. Beats a 7970 cleanly whether it's stock or overclocked, it doesn't matter.

[Orthello77]

Its going to come down on a game by game basis , also the resolution you run your monitor at. I doubt any Ocd 680 will win in say AvP where as i doubt any Ocd 7970 will win in Batman Arkum city. The two sides have never been closer in performance really. Most reviews with overclocked cards show wins either side of the field.

If you want to have fun overclocking the reality is the 680 is more tuned out of the factory so it will overclock a smaller % compared the the 7970 , thats almost a certain. Thanks to more voltage flexibility also. The 7970 is less power efficient if thats important to you - that can mean more noise and heat depending on the model you get.

I'm not a fan of the dynamic turbo clocking but then i don't own a 680 so i can't say for sure its not a good idea.

[ShrimpBrime]

I say get two of em'

[marsy11]

The 7970 would be a better choice, many people use it...

[ORL]

Both are fantastic cards. You will not be displeased with either for a single card, two or less monitors solution. I do not really feel there is a clear winner here unless your talking stock settings. Stock wise I would choose the 680 simply because its going to have a few less driver issues (Lately I have backed AMD on this but I feel they slipped a bit on the last release or two) For overclocking I have to say flip a coin and be merry as long as its not DOA!

[MattSharkey]

Both are great cards, I'm sure you would enjoy either one. I love nvidia, so my vote goes to them.

Further, if you plan on folding (WHICH YOU SHOULD), then all votes should go to nvidia. period.

[Witchdoctor]

Benching =

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814127693

Gaming =

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130799

AMD has a nice card but lack of support upon release left a bad taste in my mouth

[maxgull]

Originally Posted by Witchdoctor

AMD has a nice card but lack of support upon release left a bad taste in my mouth

That is the way AMD has always been it seems.

You buy cutting edge, wait 3 to 6 months for the drivers to mature enough to work with everything (in other words, wait til the new cards come out, buy the last generation!). I love it.

[Witchdoctor]

This time around was even worse than usual, No XP support for 3 months is unforgivable IMO .......

I Still will bench their cards but they need to do better

[hostage67]

Originally Posted by Witchdoctor

This time around was even worse than usual, No XP support for 3 months is unforgivable IMO .......

I Still will bench their cards but they need to do better

What are you smoking. While I understand that some people still use XP lets be realistic. You are using an OS that is over 11 years old at this point with hardware that is brand new. I'm sorry but XP is NEVER going to be a priority for any manufacturer on current products. In fact most manufacturers are going to stop support for XP all together very soon if they haven't already.

You really need to be somewhere in the realm of the generation each product is designed for and just to clarify products 10 years old are not in the realm of current products. There are multiple generations of products on both ends over those 11 years.

[DRxEVOx]

Well i bit the bullet and went with this 680 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130797

Let me know what you think.

Additional Comment:

Originally Posted by MattSharkey

Both are great cards, I'm sure you would enjoy either one. I love nvidia, so my vote goes to them.

Further, if you plan on folding (WHICH YOU SHOULD), then all votes should go to nvidia. period.

What is folding? Sorry im a noob with the lingo lol

[WordMasterRice]

Originally Posted by marsy11

The 7970 would be a better choice, many people use it...

lol yep, nobody uses 680's

[Dil-tech]

Originally Posted by WordMasterRice

lol yep, nobody uses 680's

There's more 680's and 670s sold than there is 7950 and 7970. That's a fact.

[hostage67]

Originally Posted by DRxEVOx

Well i bit the bullet and went with this 680 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130797

Let me know what you think.

Additional Comment:



What is folding? Sorry im a noob with the lingo lol

Looks good, I would have opted for the 4gb card, but if you are only running a single monitor that may not be much of an issue.

[Witchdoctor]

Originally Posted by hostage67

What are you smoking. While I understand that some people still use XP lets be realistic. You are using an OS that is over 11 years old at this point with hardware that is brand new. I'm sorry but XP is NEVER going to be a priority for any manufacturer on current products. In fact most manufacturers are going to stop support for XP all together very soon if they haven't already.

You really need to be somewhere in the realm of the generation each product is designed for and just to clarify products 10 years old are not in the realm of current products. There are multiple generations of products on both ends over those 11 years.

LOL ....... you obviously are not a bencher, XP support is paramount for earlier 3DMark bench's

I had to use hacked up half a s s ed drivers to even compete

[hostage67]

Originally Posted by Witchdoctor

LOL ....... you obviously are not a bencher, XP support is paramount for earlier 3DMark bench's

I had to use hacked up half a s s ed drivers to even compete

Nope, not much of a bencher, but for me I wouldn't consider those valid results anyways. I would think of using XP with current tech and old benches akin to cheating. Also any numbers it provided wouldn't be very relevant to the actual hardware in question.

[Witchdoctor]

Originally Posted by hostage67

Nope, not much of a bencher, but for me I wouldn't consider those valid results anyways. I would think of using XP with current tech and old benches akin to cheating. Also any numbers it provided wouldn't be very relevant to the actual hardware in question.

I would have to disagree along with the entire benching community I am sure.
XP is not cheating and a basic requirement to competitive in many benchmarks 3D and 2D alike.

If AMD could claim ignorance it would be one thing, but they know well enough a top flight card will be competing for world records with the best in the world pushing them to the breaking point, what blows the mind is that knowing this you would think they would be up on the wheel as world records translate into sales. Basically they are saying to me they do not value this market segment and while small does carry a big stick ................