[Semiaccurate] GK104/Kepler/GTX680 Next Week?

[wlee15]

Given that this is pretty much the first time AMD has a top tier GPU that has a significant amount of headroom in it I would be surprised if AMD doesn't release a 7800 GTX 512MB like spoiler card assuming that the GK104 card is actually faster than the 7970. Something like 1200 mhz core clock with 1500 mhz memory would do nicely.

 

[ronnn]

Yes should be very exciting.

My prediction is the gtx680 will be approximately 11% faster, but likely will be major wars about optimized drivers and image quality.

 

[lavaheadache]

lol...

You're basically the same thing as an Apple zealot. You'd probably buy Nvidia even if it were noticeably worse in every regard.

Also, this:

It's nice being neutral though, as I don't really care either way since I have no affinity to a graphics card division. Nvidia fanboys just seem to blow the most hot air and make the most irritating posts. It's hard to believe most of these people are grown men.

I like to think that I'm neutral when it comes to buying video cards but I'm not at all. I only buy the best.


**edit**

After thinking about it, I did buy an hd 4870 on day one because the 280 was nearly double the price for a rather insignificant performance difference

 

[BallaTheFeared]

I only buy the hand me downs from the people who buy the best or next best thing!

Oh and Black Friday fire sales

 

[Gloomy]

I only buy the hand me downs from the people who buy the best or next best thing!

Oh and Black Friday fire sales

:thumbsup:

 

[Awkward]

I only buy Nvidia hand me downs from the people who buy the best or next best thing!

Oh and Black Friday fire sales

Fixed for accuracy

 

[Grooveriding]

Yes should be very exciting.

My prediction is the gtx680 will be approximately 11% faster, but likely will be major wars about optimized drivers and image quality.

It's going to be a messy one. There will be games that I think each will hold sway over and overclocking potential will be used to differentiate the penultimate performance of either card. My guesstimate is nvidia has pushed their clocks closer to their max potential to better compete against AMD stock cards in benchmarks/reviews.

 

[BallaTheFeared]

Fixed for accuracy

I would have bought AMD last time but their performance per dollar wasn't very competitive in my price bracket at the time.

Initially I was looking at either a 460 or 6850, however two 470s (one from ASUS and one from MSI) where discounted from like $260 on Black Friday for $185 so at the time of purchase they made the most sense to me.

Had I known I'd eventually go triple screen I probably would have made some changes, but you can't plan for everything.

 

[maddie]

I would have bought AMD last time but their performance per dollar wasn't very competitive in my price bracket at the time.

Initially I was looking at either a 460 or 6850, however two 470s (one from ASUS and one from MSI) where discounted from like $260 on Black Friday for $185 so at the time of purchase they made the most sense to me.

Had I known I'd eventually go triple screen I probably would have made some changes, but you can't plan for everything.

Meaning?

 

[Gloomy]

Meaning?

He would have sprung for overpriced 2.5GB 470s

 

[BallaTheFeared]

^They never made 2.5GB 470's, GF100 didn't last very long, AMD beat Nvidia by 6 months, but Nvidia refreshed so dang fast they actually beat AMD's refresh.

Meaning I'd have gone with a WS revolution for my board instead of a pro. I'm a fps whore so I would want a GPU for each screen. I could do TRI with 470s, but my vram is going to prevent some settings regardless of how much gpu power is there. I'm also an OC junky which means I'd have needed a bigger PSU.

480's were still $400+ I believe when I got my 470, that wouldn't really be an option, 6950's weren't even out then, and 5xxx series with 2GB wasn't really an option. Even still at $300 for the 6950 2GB.. any other way I went but the way I did I would have had to pay considerably more money.

I think 2GB 6950's would have been a better option, but it's hard to say since they weren't even out at the time. The 6950 2GB cost 70% more than the 470, marginalized later of course by the water block, but at the time it really didn't fit into where I was trying to go. It was still pulling 200+ watts, which would have ended up directly in my room without water, and they don't get the boost Fermi did from water so the gains wouldn't have been as nice.

Now that you've mentioned it I'm not really sure what I would have done differently. I'm by no means suffering atm with my res/setup. I do have to turn some additional settings down in a few games if I want to maintain at least 60 fps. I do know AMD's cards would perform better at this resolution because the side screens pretty much just add 200% more textures and AMD's design is simply better at handling textures. But the cost difference is hard to negotiate, and I still would have wanted to go water because when you look at the 6950/70 overclocked/volted it starts to really pump out heat.

Meh, I dunno anymore. I do know this time around I'm going to pay close attention to more than just 1080p performance, overclocking, tessellation performance, while of course watching for really good deals and f/s sections of forums.

 

[Silverforce11]

So apparently tomorrow we should get some real leaks then?

 

[BallaTheFeared]

I thought it was Monday the 12th.

 

[3DVagabond]

Because they have demonstrated more price elasticity (with respect to die sizes) in the past? Nvidia is projecting lower gross margins for this quarter. That wouldn't make sense if they're selling a smaller-than-GF114 part for twice as much as GF114, unless there is a huge, huge inventory of GF110's that they need to knock at least $100 off to get rid of.

Or, it's actually costing a lot more to make these than people are realizing. Face it, we haven't a clue what 28nm is costing nVidia. We've seen rumors of 20% more than 40nm. Then there's the question of yields, that we've only heard, "aren't good".

Apple is the 800lb gorilla. I seem to recall reading they are now as big as M$+Intel+Google combined. Probably not a lot of capacity left for everyone else, and demand could way outstrip TSMC's ability to supply.

 

[3DVagabond]

When an editor who has preferred AMD based GPU's (for personal use) over the last few generations starts dropping statements like this http://hardforum.com/showpost.php?p=1038477983&postcount=143 (which heavily implies GK104 is more efficient) and this http://hardforum.com/showpost.php?p=1038472599&postcount=89 (which heavily implies that GK104 is faster) then it's really only a matter of by how much. Coupled with the Asian forum guy PHK, who has notoriety for getting hardware early and releasing accurate benchmarks (http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1678809), there is no need to play coy to what every single indication is now pointing towards.

I seem to recall Kyle using nVida GTX-580's. Are you sure about his preference? I'm not 100% on what he uses, but I believe it's nVidia.

 

[boxleitnerb]

Who of you guys still believes in a GTX560Ti-ish TDP if it is a tad faster than the 7970? I'm beginning to think they beefed it up a bit. Wasn't there a 195W figure floating around?
HT4U measured around 210W for the 7970 (and 246 for the 580) while TPU came to 189/229 (peak) and 163/219 (avg) respectively.

 

[blackened23]

I seem to recall Kyle using nVida GTX-580's. Are you sure about his preference? I'm not 100% on what he uses, but I believe it's nVidia.

He switched to 7970s at release

 

[BallaTheFeared]

Sounds like he just uses the top end gpu whatever it is.

 

[3DVagabond]

He switched to 7970s at release

Sorry, I guess my point was that this statement, "When an editor who has preferred AMD based GPU's (for personal use) over the last few generations starts dropping statements like this", isn't accurate and I wonder what would possess someone to say such a thing?

 

[tviceman]

I seem to recall Kyle using nVida GTX-580's. Are you sure about his preference? I'm not 100% on what he uses, but I believe it's nVidia.

Sorry, I guess my point was that this statement, "When an editor who has preferred AMD based GPU's (for personal use) over the last few generations starts dropping statements like this", isn't accurate and I wonder what would possess someone to say such a thing?

If that is the case, I stand entirely corrected. I was under the full impression that he prefered AMD ever since Fermi 1.0.

 

[tviceman]

Or, it's actually costing a lot more to make these than people are realizing. Face it, we haven't a clue what 28nm is costing nVidia. We've seen rumors of 20% more than 40nm. Then there's the question of yields, that we've only heard, "aren't good".

JJH did not say "not good." He specifically said "the yield is much better than 40-nanometer when it first came up, but it's not as good as we had expected in our previous projections." But you are right, we don't know much else.

Apple is the 800lb gorilla. I seem to recall reading they are now as big as M$+Intel+Google combined. Probably not a lot of capacity left for everyone else, and demand could way outstrip TSMC's ability to supply.

Apple was using Samsung fabs for A5. Did they switch to TSMC for A5X? Also, has much money as Apple makes (their profits are incredibly high per product), I do believe Nvidia pushes nearly as much, if not more, discrete GPU products into the market as Apple does ipads and iphones. Last year, 62+ million discrete GPU's were sold, while Nvidia had around 60% market share.

 

[Will Robinson]

Given that this is pretty much the first time AMD has a top tier GPU that has a significant amount of headroom in it I would be surprised if AMD doesn't release a 7800 GTX 512MB like spoiler card assuming that the GK104 card is actually faster than the 7970. Something like 1200 mhz core clock with 1500 mhz memory would do nicely.

Actually I think the HD7990 will do nicely...it's going to flatten Kepler like a steamroller hitting a small puppy

 

[X98]

then the GTX 690 will swallow up the 7990 like a black hole eating a yellow dwarf

 

[Elfear]

then the GTX 690 will swallow up the 7990 like a black hole eating a yellow dwarf

At which point Via will enter the market with the Mega-Uber Emperor Penguin edition card that will make the 690 and 7990 look like watch calculators.

 

[Keysplayr]

LOL. Patience. Patience.