Can't decide which 670 to get.

I have decided to buy a GTX670 based on reading many reviews showing that the performance difference between the 670 and 680 is really not that big, and the 680 has a big price premium on it. What do you guys think is the best option considering my uses:

1080p resolution gaming, mostly BF3, Skyrim, D3, etc.

I previously had a Sapphire HD7950 OC edition but had to RMA it due to random black screen crashes at any clock speed under load. I am a bit worried about losing the 1GB of VRAM, but do you think I will notice a difference at 1080p? Also, what can I expect in terms of performance difference between my old card and a new 670.

Here are a few I'm eyeballing:

- Reference EVGA GeForce GTX670 @ $399
- Reference Galaxy GeForce GTX 670 @ $419
- ASUS GeForce GTX 670 Direct CU II @ $419

Also, am I right in assuming that all of these overclocked cards I'm seeing such as the Galaxy 670 GR are just reference cards with a factory overclock?

at those resolutions, any 670 will do. thats all i can help you with.

I'm using an asus dc2 gtx670 the top oc edition. If you get that, you should know theres an updated bios that you might have to update to. Some come too highly overclocked and can be unstable.

Now if your trying to save money I think the pny reference had a rebate on amazon. The gigabyte winforce is good too. Its $399 and comes with an oc. I had one that ran 1150 max boost at stock.

Of those three cards, I'd get the Asus.

In my opinion, the best 670 to get for the price is the EVGA GTX 670 FTW Edition.


You'll see absolutely no difference in 2GB or 3GB of VRAM at 1080p unless you're using very high quality texture mods like in Skyrim. Even then, at only 1080p, its next to nothing.

The EVGA FTW has a quieter fan versus the reference cards but still blows air out the back of the case, making it a good choice if your thinking of potential SLI in the future. The other non-reference cards run cooler than the FTW but dissipate inside the case which may not be as good for SLI depending on your case setup.

For a single card, the $399 Gigabyte is probably your best performance/$ pick in terms of being able to overclock.

Im gonna throw my vote in for the EVGA FTW card as well. Not lifetime warranty anymore, but 3 years transferable now. Plus mine clocks like a mother effer. The MSI power edition looks to be a good card as well!

Alright thanks for all the advice. I went ahead and got the EVGA GTX670 FTW. Hopefully with some moderate OCing I can get this thing to beat my old Sapphire HD7950 OC @ 1Ghz.

If you intend to go for SLI in future go for EVGA GTX 670 FTW. otherwise get a GIGABYTE GTX 670 WINDFORCE.

EVGA FTW for the quiet blower(Got my FTW today) at 80% it does get loud, but during gaming its whisper quiet and exhausts all the hot air out the back of the case

Gigabyte Windforce or MSI Twin if your not worried about heat / airflow

Ruffy said:

EVGA FTW for the quiet blower(Got my FTW today) at 80% it does get loud, but during gaming its whisper quiet and exhausts all the hot air out the back of the case

Gigabyte Windforce or MSI Twin if your not worried about heat / airflow

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if you want to keep demanding games/benchmarks below 70 C then it will be quite loud as it will have to run over 70%. to me anything above 65% is too loud on this fan without headphones that block out the noise.

Have an ASUS 670 TOP. Kick ass card, zero complaints. Overclocks like a beast.

cannondale06 said:

if you want to keep demanding games/benchmarks below 70 C then it will be quite loud as it will have to run over 70%. to me anything above 65% is too loud on this fan without headphones that block out the noise.

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I gamed today Deus EX HR maxed out, on auto it never got above 60% for fan. Only when I set it manually to 80% Later did I actually here how loud it can get.

Corsair 550D with two side 140mm fans blowing in. Keep in mind too im in Vegas so we don't keep the house freezing cold due to energy cost.

Ruffy said:

I gamed today Deus EX HR maxed out, on auto it never got above 60% for fan. Only when I set it manually to 80% Later did I actually here how loud it can get.

Corsair 550D with two side 140mm fans blowing in. Keep in mind too im in Vegas so we don't keep the house freezing cold due to energy cost.

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well Deus Ex is not a very demanding game at all for gtx670 plus you probably had vsync on. go play Crysis, Warhead, Crysis 2, Metro 2033, Clear Sky, DIRT Showdown on all max settings and then the fan will have to be at least 70% to stay below 70 C.

Either the EVGA FTW or any of the ASUS DCII

both have full 680 pcbs

I can vouch for the 70% at 70 C, but thats max it ever hits. I put the framerate target a 60 and in BF3 the fan jumps between 67-70%. But you are in the middle of playing a game with gunfire and explosions going off everywhere a little fan noise doesnt bother me!