How much better is the GTX 680 vs the 7970?

[aaksheytalwar]

AT maximum overclocks they are roughly equal to each other, IMO. At least at 2560 resolution, they're about the same depending on the game. 7970 wins some 680 wins some, the difference is negligible most of the time if they are both oc'ed to their respective maximums.

680 will win bf3 and skyrim, bc2, sr3, dirt 3. 7970 wins witcher 2, all crysis games, metro 2033, alan wake, de: HR. 1300 might be doable on an accelero cooler, but you'd have to up volts and you'd dump a ton of heat in your case. 1200ish is a more realistic expectation if you're using aftermarket cooling....maybe more if you want to up the volts

The hardocp review has a good max OC comparison, also legitreviews / hardwarecanucks has a MSI lightning 7970 review, although the oc is a modest 1070.

This

 

[SickBeast]

I think overall the GTX 680 is better, but it's up to you all to decide if it's worth the $70 extra. I think I would go for the 7970 considering the price drop, personally.

 

[Subyman]

7950 has less shaders than a 7970. An OCed 7950 can get up to a stock 7970, but can't touch an OCed 7970. I was able to secure an EVGA 680 GTX on launch day and have been very happy with it. I'd say wait for what you really want and don't settle because you will never end up being happy with what you settled for.

 

[blastingcap]

7950 has less shaders than a 7970. An OCed 7950 can get up to a stock 7970, but can't touch an OCed 7970. I was able to secure an EVGA 680 GTX on launch day and have been very happy with it. I'd say wait for what you really want and don't settle because you will never end up being happy with what you settled for.

Actually an oc'd 7950 can get awfully close to an oc'd 7970. Clock for clock the difference is something like 5% on average. I ordered the 7970 because I needed a active miniDP->DVI adapter anyway and wanted more of a chance of getting a good chip. Overclocks are never guaranteed. The key words here are "clock for clock" and the 7950s are statistically less likely to achieve as high clocks, though most of them appear to clock as well as 7970s.

http://www.hardwareheaven.com/revie...tx-580-oc-vs-6970-oc-review-introduction.html

http://hexus.net/tech/reviews/graphics/34761-amd-hd-7950-vs-hd-7970-clocks/

 

[lyang238]

Right now. I'd go with the HD 7970. I started out HD 7970 -> GTX 480 SLI -> GTX 680 -> Ended back at HD7970 bc I traded my 480 SLI for one. Personally, I could not tell the difference between the 7970 and 680 when playing games. I'm not going to stare at a screen while I"m playing BF3 and say "Holy crap 90 FPS on MAX EVERYTHING!". If you do, then you probably are the guy at the bottom of the score board. In the end, both cards perform about the same. AMD drivers actually gave me less headaches than the NVidia ones.

As for fan speed, both are pretty quiet (I'm on a HAF-X) if you have the correct fan profiles. Hope that helps.

 

[mooch91]

I just went to the EVGA website and signed up for their auto notify on various models. Got a hit within a day clicked the link and was out the door with my 680. Seems like their stock gets replenished better than the egg and such. Been very happy with the card, replaced 470's in SLI. Much cooler and quieter.

 

[Zanovar]

My choice this round was a sapphire OC 7950/7970 or a gtx 680.after the probs with the 7970,im gonna grab the 680.

 

[Axon]

I have no problems with my reference Galaxy 680. Fits nicely in my SG05.

As to OP's question, the two cards are about the same. I would have went with a 7950 if I thought it would fit in my case; you don't have that issue. I love the look of the XFX Double D cooler. But I'm not a super hard core, must squeeze every drop hard core clocker guy. I'm good just cranking it up a bit.

 

[ShintaiDK]

I have no problems with my reference Galaxy 680. Fits nicely in my SG05.

Damn really? I got a SG05 for HTPC. And I thought about that with the 450W PSU for the new build. But then I read it supports maximum 9inch or so. And the GTX 680 was listed as 10inch. So I went with the SG08. D:

 

[Axon]

Damn really? I got a SG05 for HTPC. And I thought about that with the 450W PSU for the new build. But then I read it supports maximum 9inch or so. And the GTX 680 was listed as 10inch. So I went with the SG08. D:

Nah, it's big, but I got it in there (that's what she said trollolololol)



Please excuse my lil' cousin's ridiculous (but also awesome) car wallpaper.

 

[Atomic Playboy]

At 1080P, it's basically a wash. Sure, BF3 will run slightly better on a 680, but if both cards are giving you over 60 FPS, it doesn't really matter. If both cards were the same price, I'd say go for the 680. But if you can get a 7970 cheaper and sooner (not having to wait for stock to replenish), then that's a better option.

I was one of the lucky ones that got my order in on launch-day with the 680 and it still took two weeks to get stocked and ship. It shreds everything at 1080P, which is pretty sweet, but if I'd ended up with a 7970, I doubt I'd be seeing much of a difference. But when I bought, the 7970 was around $50-80 more expensive, and now it's slightly cheaper, so that has to be a consideration.

 

[Hauk]

Nah, it's big, but I got it in there (that's what she said trollolololol)



Please excuse my lil' cousin's ridiculous (but also awesome) car wallpaper.

LOL yea you lose mancard points for the background.