Looking for a Nvidia card that beats 2x 6950 2gb in CF

[erocker]

I went from two 6950's to a 7970 and have been very pleased with the switch. Sure maximum frames aren't as high but I got all of the benefits of what others have stated (btarnr, Anusha).

[NC37]

Originally Posted by Anusha

but remember this. if you go multiGPU route, it ain't any greener on the other side.
i'd settle for a factory overclocked "single" GTX670 or GTX680 if i were you.

Dunno what you are talking about. Most issues I've had with SLI have involved titles not patched for it which have been very few. Last major one was SWTOR and that got fixed rather quickly. There is also more than one SLI mode you can select from the NV control panel so if auto has issues you can change it to one that doesn't.

I suspect most rage involving SLI is due to people not understanding they have that flexibility. Drivers are pretty solid from my experience.

[eidairaman1]

Originally Posted by solofly

You're starting to sound like a broken record. It's not your business what people do with their money, sonny...

actually to save it yes, so if you excuse me.

[jonathan1107]

Yeah, I too, know for a fact that a single GPU config is better... and If I was CRAZY ritch I would get myself a Beast single card config...

But considering my budget, and my obession for 60 fps, settings maxed and all eye candy on... I might have to consider CF or SLI...

even if that means I'll have to deal with some driver release delays... or stutter... I've had my share of stuttering problems due to CF and I've found a way to get rid of those problems everytime, even if I had to tweak a lot or search the web...

Maybe in 6 months, I'll have the money to afford a big Upgrade on my GPU, but for now, I just want to get myself another 6950 again, to attain my objective, or consider a better upgrade, if I can find a deal that will fit my budget...

On a side note: I've been trying to reach Cadaveca, is he still on this forum ???

[swchoi89]

It's not completely relevant but some info:

I came from a single 6950 to a GTX 670, I wouldn't say my performance has doubled but it did make a significant change (say 40% enhanced).

I play a game called Aion, and everything maxed out, my FPS drops to 20s even with FTW version of the GTX 670 when action becomes intense. So depending on what game you're wanting to play (say Borderlands 2 and Diablo 3, these are 60FPS constant for me).

[LordJummy]

Let us know what you go with. I've contemplated replacing my 6970's, but it's just a hassle and I really haven't experienced any cfx issues people claim. Maybe I'm just really lucky, but I also don't game very often.

[jonathan1107]

Question: What's the best gtx 680 model out there. Could you guys shoot me a few links?

I'm lookin for one that Overclocks well and isn't as loud as my 6950s usually are...

[dude12564]

Originally Posted by jonathan1107

Question: What's the best gtx 680 model out there. Could you guys shoot me a few links?

I'm lookin for one that Overclocks well and isn't as loud as my 6950s usually are...

Overclocking depends on each individual chip. ASUS Direct CU II is good, Palit's GTX 680 Jetstream was really quiet in TPU's review. They're both tri-slot solutions though.

[jonathan1107]

I'm not very familiar with the 3x slot thingy... If you look @ my specs, do u think my mobo could host 2x gtx 680 that take up 3x slots... ?

[dude12564]

Originally Posted by jonathan1107

I'm not very familiar with the 3x slot thingy... If you look @ my specs, do u think my mobo could host 2x gtx 680 that take up 3x slots... ?

Looking at this picture it appears that you can use 2 tri-slot cards.

EDIT: However, if you do, the only expansion slot left is one pci-e x1.

[johnspack]

About sli, I ran sli gtx285s for a long time, and never noticed microstutter or any of that junk. Almost every game out since 2005, except some bad ones, support sli. Fermi, and Kepler have improved sli support even more. I'll be running sli again shortly, because it works!

[jonathan1107]

When will the GTX 690 and 680 prices drop ??

[afw]

Originally Posted by jonathan1107

When will the GTX 690 and 680 prices drop ??

I think you should ask that from nVidia

btw ... I think you should go with one gtx670 now. And when the next gen cards are released you can sell the 670 and get a 7xx series card or buy another 670 (hopefully the prices will be lower by then)

[jonathan1107]

Alright, I've done all my research, and I've come to a decision. I wanna go for gtx 670 4gb sli.

I've looked at the gtx 690, and even though it's a great card, and it has a nice power consumption rating... it doesn't have enough "kick at your face" hardware in it to be priced at 1000$... that's way too much for what it's worth. It does have 4gb tho...

Then I've thought about gtx 680 sli... and the only thing that bugs me is the 2gb memory on them cards... It's not bad obviously, for all the games out there now... But when more games like skyrim (properly optimized this time) come out with lots of texture packs added... I bet the extra vram will pay off. It's true tho I could go for gtx 680 4gb sli... but the gtx 670 sli has a VERY similar performance to them... so ...

Basically I wanna get an upgrade that's gonna last me a while...

And so here I am with my wanting to get 2x gtx 670 4gb in SLI. But I need your help guys. These babies are quite expensive, and I'm trying to find the cheapest and best deal I can find HERE in Canada.

If you chance upon a nice deal, Please let me know

Also VERY important: I need to make Absolutly sure I can fit 2x 670 4gb on my MOBO, especially if they're goin to be triple slot cards. I know 1 guys in this thread thinks I can, but I'd like to make 100% sure I can.

[dude12564]

Originally Posted by jonathan1107

Alright, I've done all my research, and I've come to a decision. I wanna go for gtx 670 4gb sli.

I've looked at the gtx 690, and even though it's a great card, and it has a nice power consumption rating... it doesn't have enough "kick at your face" hardware in it to be priced at 1000$... that's way too much for what it's worth. It does have 4gb tho...

Then I've thought about gtx 680 sli... and the only thing that bugs me is the 2gb memory on them cards... It's not bad obviously, for all the games out there now... But when more games like skyrim (properly optimized this time) come out with lots of texture packs added... I bet the extra vram will pay off. It's true tho I could go for gtx 680 4gb sli... but the gtx 670 sli has a VERY similar performance to them... so ...

Basically I wanna get an upgrade that's gonna last me a while...

And so here I am with my wanting to get 2x gtx 670 4gb in SLI. But I need your help guys. These babies are quite expensive, and I'm trying to find the cheapest and best deal I can find HERE in Canada.

If you chance upon a nice deal, Please let me know

Also VERY important: I need to make Absolutly sure I can fit 2x 670 4gb on my MOBO, especially if they're goin to be triple slot cards. I know 1 guys in this thread thinks I can, but I'd like to make 100% sure I can.

I'm pretty sure GTX 670s are Dual-slot, like the ASUS GTX 670 Direct CU II TOP, which got a perfect 10 here on TPU.

EDIT: It's on sale at NCIX!
http://ncix.com/products/index.php?s...S&promoid=1258

[eidairaman1]

Originally Posted by LordJummy

Let us know what you go with. I've contemplated replacing my 6970's, but it's just a hassle and I really haven't experienced any cfx issues people claim. Maybe I'm just really lucky, but I also don't game very often.

its fan boys of the other company

[20mmrain]

Originally Posted by jonathan1107

My question's in the title, please let me know what u think

a gtx 680 alone should beat hd6950's in xfire for most situations. A single GTX 670 should to the trick too. But 2 GTX 670's will for sure do it.

As far as the 2gb of memory with GTX 680 SLI is concerned....it all depends on what resolution you will be playing at. If you are playing with multiple monitors then no.... it won't be enough for very long. But if you are playing @ 1920x1080 or even 1440 it will be fine for awhile. You will probably upgrade before... you have to worry about many games releasing that challenge that much memory.

[Aquinus]

Originally Posted by jonathan1107

It so happens, that I got very frustrated by the AMD driver situation...

Anyhow, I'm gonna search the web for used gtx 670s (to do SLI) or anything that beats my current setup and is from Nvidia...

I never wanna buy an AMD product ever again.

Originally Posted by solofly

I don't blame ya man, laughable at best...

I'm sorry to hear that. My 6870s have worked plenty well for me.

[jonathan1107]

Originally Posted by dude12564

I'm pretty sure GTX 670s are Dual-slot, like the ASUS GTX 670 Direct CU II TOP, which got a perfect 10 here on TPU.

EDIT: It's on sale at NCIX!
http://ncix.com/products/index.php?s...S&promoid=1258

Nah, the cards are good, don't get me wrong... but I NEED 4gb on these cards. I know it's overkill at my Res and setup, but I want Perfect 60 fps with all eye candy on for quite a while...
and down the road, I don't wanna get messed up because I went 2gb instead of 4gb...

Worst case scenario: You guys are right, and before I need the 4gb I'll have to upgrade... but my 4gb will just be a better incentive for potential buyers to buy my cards... so they'll get bought faster when I need em to if I need to upgrade...

so this: http://www.pcper.com/reviews/Graphic...cs-Card-Review
or this: http://ca.asus.com/Graphics_Cards/NV...TX670DC2T2GD5/

??

In any case, keep linking me gtx 670s with interesting prices for Canada if you find em pls

[Durvelle27]

a GTX 680 will perform better in some games and worse in other games but i think you should wait till GTX 7xx Series or HD 8xxx Series

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/555?vs=515

[jonathan1107]

Originally Posted by dude12564

I'm pretty sure GTX 670s are Dual-slot, like the ASUS GTX 670 Direct CU II TOP, which got a perfect 10 here on TPU.

EDIT: It's on sale at NCIX!
http://ncix.com/products/index.php?s...S&promoid=1258

So it's done, I followed his advice and got myself 2x asus gtx directcu ii 670 2gb.
I was lucky enough to get an open box deal @ 365$ and a thanksgiving deal on the 2nd card for 398$. It's still quite expensive, but that's how Nvidia has always been.

And for me, paying for good quality and good driver support is priceless... Especially after experiencing AMD's crappy driver support.

[jonathan1107]

Quick question for you guys:

I went for 2x Asus gtx 670 directCU II (non-top version) in SLI. I'm waiting for them to be delivered to me, and I've done some reading to get ready for OC and Cooling methods...

My problem is this: Most of my hardware is pretty good, except my mobo is not the greatest on the market, so my 2x cards will end up VERY close to each other (in order to have em in the PCI-E slots)

and they're non-reference coolers... so I'm expecting the heat to be spread out in the case instead of "blown" out the back like the reference models usually do...

Do you guys have any suggestions as to how to manage the airflow to make sure the heat gets out?

I have an NZXT phantom case with plenty of fans... I just need some pointers as to which ones to put in exhaust and which ones to put in "intake" position...

[dude12564]

It's better (IMO) to have negative airflow (more fans exhausting), so that there isn't a buildup of hot air inside the case.

[Aquinus]

Originally Posted by jonathan1107

Quick question for you guys:

I went for 2x Asus gtx 670 directCU II (non-top version) in SLI. I'm waiting for them to be delivered to me, and I've done some reading to get ready for OC and Cooling methods...

My problem is this: Most of my hardware is pretty good, except my mobo is not the greatest on the market, so my 2x cards will end up VERY close to each other (in order to have em in the PCI-E slots)

and they're non-reference coolers... so I'm expecting the heat to be spread out in the case instead of "blown" out the back like the reference models usually do...

Do you guys have any suggestions as to how to manage the airflow to make sure the heat gets out?

I have an NZXT phantom case with plenty of fans... I just need some pointers as to which ones to put in exhaust and which ones to put in "intake" position...

I have two 6870s, both are branded MSI and one is reference and one is a TwinFrozr II. The TwinFrozr II is quieter and results in better idle temperatures, however at 1.3v on the GPU, even at full fan speed, the reference card is about 12 degrees Celsius cooler. The cards are also not next to eachother, there are a pair of PCI-E slots in-between them. So even if reference coolers are louder, in my case it cools better too.