660 Ti 3GB SLi or 7970 3GB Crossfire for 30" Gaming

[Grooveriding]

The 660 article from Guru3D actually has some good comparisons of multi-GPU benchmarks: http://www.guru3d.com/article/gigabyte-geforce-gtx-660-ti-windforce-oc-review/24

Only the BF3 benchmark is of any use there. FC2 and BFBC2 are old games and all the high end results are CPU limited. He's also recycling results from older cards other than the 660ti from benches he's done in the past with older drivers.

OP's best bet is to get recent benchmarks with current drivers from both camps. More importantly to take the games he plans to play most and that he knows to be the most demanding and focus on those results. A single high end card from this generation can already play most games maxed out at 1600P already. The second card takes care of the outliers such as BF3, Skyrim, Metro 2033, Crysis 2, Batman Arkham City etc.

Look at benches OP. Advice here is a good starting point to get you situated with a good sense of the mark, but do your own research afterwards, rather than just buy what someone tells you to buy

 

[Attic]

High quality problem you're onto. Either 670SLI or 7950 Crossfire is going to be awsome for 2560x1600. It's just good you are no longer considering the 660Ti SLI for the task.

I'd say wait a couple days and do you reading research (a lot of fun for most of us is this part anyways). The drivers for Crossfire have been improved, i'd put the driver comparason behind price, performance at this point.

Bitcoin mining is worth looking into IMO.

 

[Attic]

The 3GB advantage of the 7950 vs 2GB on the GTX670 is also worth taking note of.

I'm just getting into Sleeping Dogs and with the game maxed at 1920x1080 i'm showing max mem usage of 2342mb via MSI afterbuner.

Game looks very good.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Why aren't you looking at the 670 instead? It's more of a comparison to the 7970...

 

[moonbogg]

GTX 670's are available in 4gb. Look at benchmarks and just decide between 7970's or gtx670's (4gb versions) and see which is faster in games you like. I wouldn't get slower cards than these at that res though. 680 is just a waste, period.

Don't get anything in 2gb versions. You will kick yourself right away as its just not enough vram at that res.

 

[cmdrdredd]

GTX 670's are available in 4gb. Look at benchmarks and just decide between 7970's or gtx670's (4gb versions) and see which is faster in games you like. I wouldn't get slower cards than these at that res though. 680 is just a waste, period.

Don't get anything in 2gb versions. You will kick yourself right away as its just not enough vram at that res.

2GB is fine for 2560x1440 in every game I've tried. I do not believe for a minute that 2560x1600 is suddenly going to throw you over the 2GB mark all the time.

 

[chimaxi83]

GTX 670's are available in 4gb. Look at benchmarks and just decide between 7970's or gtx670's (4gb versions) and see which is faster in games you like. I wouldn't get slower cards than these at that res though. 680 is just a waste, period.

Don't get anything in 2gb versions. You will kick yourself right away as its just not enough vram at that res.

Yea, maybe for modded Skyrim, and that's about it.

 

[mundosold]

The 3GB 660Ti is a sham. I'd be surprised if it can truly even use anything past 1.5GB (goes for the original 2GB too). Hell, look at the performance difference between 2GB and 3GB at the settings in the graph earlier!

 

[thm1223]

Why aren't you looking at the 670 instead? It's more of a comparison to the 7970...

Yep that is what this thread has turned into now that I realize the 660 Ti is way below.

The cards I have narrowed it down to are the following:


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130787

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130785

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814202001

 

[AnandThenMan]

I don't think you can go wrong with any of those choices.

 

[Rvenger]

AMD did fix driver issues with the 12.8 Catalyst. Just throwing that out there,

 

[n0x1ous]

Not sure if op is serious. For 25 x 16 you gotta go 79xx crossfire for sure. 660 and 25 x 16 = fail. Suppose 670 sli if the price is right would be an option as well

 

[thm1223]

AMD did fix driver issues with the 12.8 Catalyst. Just throwing that out there,

Yes I've been reading that they are a big improvement. However that still doesn't make them great considering how awful some of the problems AMD GPU users were having.

Bottom line is the 7970s seem to have more power and OC potential, at the expense of software issues that seem to be abating with continual driver updates.

Still though, I don't want to have nightmare Xfire performance issues due to software limitations. Especially not for $1,000.

 

[thm1223]

Not sure if op is serious. For 25 x 16 you gotta go 79xx crossfire for sure. 660 and 25 x 16 = fail. Suppose 670 sli if the price is right would be an option as well

Yes that has been well established at this point. Take a look at my posts both 3 above and directly below yours for the cards I'm debating between.

 

[RussianSensation]

snip [/URL]

Well the Vapor-X is faster than any 670 at 2560x1600, but of course it commands a price premium. Not even a GTX680 AMP! can beat it at 2560x1600.

Not even a 4GB GTX680 with a factory pre-overclock can beat that:

BTW, as I linked you earlier in this thread, you can get the Vapor-X for $443 after coupon code TECH101.

I'd get a blower card if you have a small case with poor airflow. Otherwise, I think quieter cards are much better. Gigabyte Windforce 3x 670 or MSI 670 Power Edition are awesome overclockers.

I still think HD7950 CF is the more sensible choice for games, especially those MSI TF3 cards, which are very good overclockers. Guys on our forum are hitting 1100-1200mhz.

2 of those will cost you $317 + $340 = $657 vs. $400x 2 = $800 for 670 SLI and $886 for 2x Vapor-X 7970s.

Don't underestimate how fast a 7950 can be. At just 1025mhz it's already at 680's level:

7950 has 32 ROPs, 3GB VRAM, 384-bit memory bus exactly like the 7970. It's just heavily underclocked from the factory and has 112 texture units vs. 128 for the 7970 and 1792 shaders vs. 2048. In the real world at same clocks they are just 5% apart.

Honestly if you go with Gigabyte Windforce 3x SLI, EVGA FTW 670s, Asus DCUII or MSI Power Edition cards, you won't be disappointed. Just have to decide if you want the heat exhausted out or have quieter cards with more overclocking headroom. The absolute quietest 670s are Asus. Here are some videos of various 670s under load:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-670-test-review,3217-14.html

Once you experience quiet powerful cards, it's hard to go back. Asus DCUII has that in spades.

 

[thm1223]

Well the Vapor-X is faster than any 670 at 2560x1600, but of course it commands a price premium. Not even a GTX680 AMP! can beat it at 2560x1600.

Not even a 4GB GTX680 with a factory pre-overclock can beat that:

BTW, as I linked you earlier in this thread, you can get the Vapor-X for $443 after coupon code TECH101.

I'd get a blower card if you have a small case with poor airflow. Otherwise, I think quieter cards are much better. Gigabyte Windforce 3x 670 or MSI 670 Power Edition are awesome overclockers.

I still think HD7950 CF is the more sensible choice for games, especially those MSI TF3 cards, which are very good overclockers. Guys on our forum are hitting 1100-1200mhz.

2 of those will cost you $317 + $340 = $657 vs. $400x 2 = $800 for 670 SLI and $886 for 2x Vapor-X 7970s.

Don't underestimate how fast a 7950 can be. At just 1025mhz it's already at 680's level:

7950 has 32 ROPs, 3GB VRAM, 384-bit memory bus exactly like the 7970. It's just heavily underclocked from the factory and has 112 texture units vs. 128 for the 7970 and 1792 shaders vs. 2048. In the real world at same clocks they are just 5% apart.

Honestly if you go with Gigabyte Windforce 3x SLI, EVGA FTW 670s, Asus DCUII or MSI Power Edition cards, you won't be disappointed. Just have to decide if you want the heat exhausted out or have quieter cards with more overclocking headroom. The absolute quietest 670s are Asus. Here are some videos of various 670s under load:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-670-test-review,3217-14.html

Once you experience quiet powerful cards, it's hard to go back. Asus DCUII has that in spades.

Interesting. A pair of 7950s is tempting, although two 7970s fits right into the top of my budget. Plus I could always overclock the Vapor X cards even higher than a 7950 could go!

My main concern right now is driver stability. No reason to get them over the 670s if they can't work well in many games.

Also, a big problem I'm having is finding comparisons between 7970 Xfire and 670 SLi. I've searched all night on the web to no avail. :/

 

[DarkKnightDude]

I'd go with a pair of 7950s, cheaper and fast. Two 7970s are overkill for most things anything unless you're gaming at absurd graphic options like 16AA

 

[SheHateMe]

I'd go for the 7950s in CF...but you seem to be influenced by the Nvidia people so do as you wish.

 

[RussianSensation]

Also, a big problem I'm having is finding comparisons between 7970 Xfire and 670 SLi. I've searched all night on the web to no avail. :/

Didn't I link you GTX690 vs. 7970 GE CF? GTX690 is just 2 slightly underclocked 680s. That's a very good proxy for 670 SLI
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/graphics/display/geforce-gtx-690-sli.html

For 2560x1600, 690 SLI ~ GTX680 SLI ~ GTX670 factory pre-overclocked SLI ~ 925mhz 7970 CF:
http://www.computerbase.de/artikel/grafikkarten/2012/test-nvidia-geforce-gtx-690/4/

Here is a review just done this week with latest drivers with 660Ti SLI, 7950 CF, 670 SLI, 7970 CF, GTX680 SLI

Full review right here at Sweclockers.

 

[thm1223]

I'd go for the 7950s in CF...but you seem to be influenced by the Nvidia people so do as you wish.

You know the fact of the matter isn't that I'm convinced by Nvidia fans, as much as I'm apprehensive towards the problems I've heard from AMD owners w/ Xfire rigs.

Either way, I will decide between the 670, 7950, and 7970s tomorrow when I make my purchase.

 

[RussianSensation]

Just go with GTX670 SLI. You also get Borderlands 2 for free with both 670 cards. You can sell one of those games. Since it's very knew, probably can sell it for $40. The only thing is to decide which 670 to get. MSI Power Edition can overclock very well. There are going to be games where NV is faster (Guild Wars 2, Medal of Honor Warfighter, BF3) and there are going to be games where AMD is faster (Alan Wake, Metro 2033, SKYRIM, etc.). You can't really get the fastest setup in all games unless you get MSI 680 Lightning SLI + volt mod.

Don't forget that 670 SLI will consume less power than either overclocked 7950/7970s. So that's also a + for going with NV. Also, those Asus 670 DCUII cards are extremely quiet. There is nothing that quiet on the AMD side.

OR order this Gigabyte Windforce 3x 670 for $388.99 - $15 off with code TECH101 = $374. Then get the 2nd one for $389. These windforce 3x cards are literally as fast as a stock 680.

OR Asus Direct CUII 670 for $404 after the same $15 off coupon. Works for 2 cards if you order them separately. So that's $808 for the quietest high-end cards this generation.

 

[Skurge]

not to derail, but has anyone noticed that the 680/7970 are now as fast as 6990/590? This gen isn't looking all that bad actually.

 

[PCboy]

Going Crossfire? GHz editions? Free electricity? No question about it, 7970s. Don't listen to anyone here and their measly 1080p gaming. There's a reason why the 7970 holds the records in practically all contemporary benchmarks except 1x GPU.

http://hwbot.org/benchmarks/videocard

 

[bunnyfubbles]

Only area one should consider SLI 660Ti's is if one wants to do 3D over 1080p (for 120Hz 2D I'd still recommend fastest possible single card as the goal is speed and responsiveness, and SLI can add input delay). Without the ROPs and bandwidth the 660Ti's are basically SOL when it comes to driving resolutions higher than 1080p; extra memory buffer is not going to be the only/primary bottleneck unless we're looking at pushing massive textures which makes the usage scenario even more niche (ie you'd have to be a pretty diehard Skyrim fan and want to only play it in 3D yet not want to spend more than $600)

 

[thm1223]

Ok guys after much thought this morning, I've decided to go with 2 7970s Vapor-X Editions. Not only do they smoke the 670 at higher resolutions, but can OC incredibly well.

If driver issues are truly a problem, I can always return both cards in 30 days to Newegg and get a pair of 670s.