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Pull trigger on GTX 670 SLI?

R

rdqlus

Limp Gawd
Joined
Mar 24, 2010
Messages
368
I've been running an XFX 7970 BEDD since launch. It's pushing 3 120Hz projectors (Optoma GT720) at 3840x800. Everything has been pretty good, so of course I want to upend this situation by moving to an nVidia based SLI system.

The main reason for the change is to try out 3D Vision Surround with a few single player titles like Skyrim, Dishonored, Witcher 2, etc. I also expect there will be a framerate increase for my competitive(ish) FPS play (BF3/BC2). And maybe drivers will be better (I was on a hacked version of 12.2 from Guru3D forever because official AMD releases would crash BC2), the latest 12.11 Beta has been great though.

Looking for advice regarding the proposed switch and what I can expect. First hand accounts of 3D Vision would be appreciated too.

The MSI GTx 670 OC PE cards and nVidia shutter glasses are sitting in my shopping cart ...
 
I tend to stick with an all AMD setup. CPU an GPU, most times, so I'm curious as to how it works out if you do make the switch. I wanted to reply to this thread, as I've been playing around with getting the XFX 7970 card when the funds allow. Just wanted to know, how has the card been performing for you? What would you say is the % increase in FPS with that an, say, the 6900 series cards on BF3? I am running a single 6950 bio-changed to unlock shaders like the 6970 an until recently when the Twin Frozr III fans gummed up an stopped spinning, it has been a great card, getting very good framerates on BF3 on all Ultra settings.

Keep us updated when/if you make the switch an let us know!
 
I have MSI GTX 670 SLI with the stock coolers. It's a lovely experience. NV's drivers are just superior to AMD. I had an HD 7970 and it sucked in my modded version Skyrim. Stuttering all over the place, shadow flickers. My guess is...too many driver cheats with ATi. (In BF3, it was beautiful tho.)... but this GTX 670 SLI is really nice. I have the new Dell 29 inch coming in next week. With a little more real estate than I'm using now, i'll have superwidescreen and I'll still be able to max out every game without having to go with triple monitor and turn my settings down.

That's the theory anyway. We'll see come Monday. And at your res., my suspicion is you'll love SLI, unless you get 3D...
 
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Spacing, what driver version were you using on your 7970? I agree with you that, right now, nVidia drivers ARE better than AMDs, but for my 6950, I've had not one single problem with the drivers, even after I bios-clocked it to unlock the extra shaders.
 
Muttbone said:
Spacing, what driver version were you using on your 7970? I agree with you that, right now, nVidia drivers ARE better than AMDs, but for my 6950, I've had not one single problem with the drivers, even after I bios-clocked it to unlock the extra shaders.
Click to expand...

I tried the Never Settle beta drivers.... like I said: BF3 was beautiful. And I did have HD 6950 Crossfire and that was good also...esp. in BF3. I didn't start playing Skyrim until after I went back to NV.

I tried to roll back to 12.8 with the HD 7970. Still had issues with Skyrim. I was also having issues getting AMD digital audio going. In and out audio stuttering here and there also. No driver change fixed it or the weird glitches and stuttering I was seeing in Skyrim. NV GTX 670 is just so much better, in the single and SLI variants. Audio is fine... no glitches and smooth as butter. But then again I run 1920 x 1080. I want none of my games to drop below 58-60 fps. It's wonderfully smooth.

That's why I am taking a chance with 2560 x 1080 on the new Dell. (to the malign of many gamers) I'll get Surround 1.5 instead of 3.0 (monitors) and still be able to max out my games. Again, we'll see how this monitor looks. :p
 
For MGPU I would definitely go nVidia. GTX 670 SLi should be very nice. I've tried nVidia's 3d gaming before, I liked it, and unfortunately after any extended period of play, I'd get headaches so I abandoned it.

As far as Skyrim goes, I squashed all occasional skipping in that title by limiting my FPS to one below my refresh rate with Afterburner. It is smooth on an overclocked HD 7950. I run around with a 200 speedmult or that is twice default movement speed and I've very sensitive to pauses. The game runs very well for me.

I hope you enjoy your cards. Best wishes. :)
 
I just sold my 580's for 2 670 FTW's. Definitely a worthy upgrade for 2560x1600.
 
I was going to go sli but then i saw this link on overclcokers and decided to look into it a bit more. he had gtx680`s before switching to hd7950

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18455827

The latest amd drivers have just turned everything on its head, i will wait to see if nvidia has an answer to amd 12.11 beta 8 drivers, otherwise am going red team for first time. I cant believe amd have better drivers and faster than nvidia for the 1st time
 
HardMon said:
I was going to go sli but then i saw this link on overclcokers and decided to look into it a bit more. he had gtx680`s before switching to hd7950

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18455827

The latest amd drivers have just turned everything on its head, i will wait to see if nvidia has an answer to amd 12.11 beta 8 drivers, otherwise am going red team for first time. I cant believe amd have better drivers and faster than nvidia for the 1st time
Click to expand...

Even as they turn out faster 'average' FPS numbers, AMD is still at a disadvantage. They haven't invested nearly as much in keeping frame-times consistent, which means that Crossfire setups have to hit higher framerates to 'feel' as smooth as an Nvidia setup. They also haven't put forth competent efforts for blower-style coolers for the 7000-series, making Crossfire setups more complicated from a cooling and noise control perspective.

Water-cooled and overclocked to hell and back? You can make an AMD setup faster, sure. But best experience for you money? It hasn't left Nvidia's camp, if you need more than one card.
 
I keep hearing this smooth as butter from both camps but the charts tell a different story (Mins and average).

Some of the min`s the cards are getting, there is no way in hell its going to be smooth, no matter what fairy dust you sprinkle on it.:confused: i think its all in the head (marketing), this so called smooth with lower frames on all fronts.

Radeon pro software is anther plus for Xfire that makes nvidia sli look bad (Tomshardware has it in 7990 vs 690) The same goes for dual or triple cards.

AMD http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-7990-devil13-7970-x2,3329-11.html vs NVIDIA http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-7990-devil13-7970-x2,3329-10.html
 
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HardMon said:
I keep hearing this smooth as butter from both camps but the charts tell a different story (Mins and average).

Some of the min`s the cards are getting, there is no way in hell its going to be smooth, no matter what fairy dust you sprinkle on it.:confused: i think its all in the head (marketing), this so called smooth with lower frames on all fronts.

Radeon pro software is anther plus for Xfire that makes nvidia sli look bad (Tomshardware has it in 7990 vs 690) The same goes for dual or triple cards.

AMD http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-7990-devil13-7970-x2,3329-11.html vs NVIDIA http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-7990-devil13-7970-x2,3329-10.html
Click to expand...

The thing is, it's neither mins nor averages- it's frame times (best way to put it). Mins are a good way to see if there might be issues with frame times, but a minimum framerate is usually CPU-bound, and many times isn't very representative. Coming from Crossfire HD6950's, I'll be staying away from using more than one AMD card at once until sites like this one declare them as smooth as what Nvidia's already accomplished.
 
HardMon said:
I keep hearing this smooth as butter from both camps but the charts tell a different story (Mins and average).
Click to expand...

My theory on SLI is to augment framerates, not double them. If you're averaging 30 fps. on triple monitors and it looks like a slide show, SLI or Crossfire will have some microstutter.

If you're already getting 45-50 fps. and you want some AA and frames locked at a steady 58-60 fps., then games run very smooth. That's how I view SLI anyway.
 
I have 2 x GTX670's and run 3 x 27" @ 4320 x 2560. Not 3D though.

If I had my time again, I would just go for a 690 or 680 as the 2 670's dont get overly high frame rates with lots of eye candy. eg, 30-50fps in Wow with everything turned up.
 
Picked up 2 GTX 680's in a Black Friday deal. $390+tax each after rebate. 3D Vision2 kit was also on sale for $120. Woot Woot.
 
rdqlus said:
Picked up 2 GTX 680's in a Black Friday deal. $390+tax each after rebate. 3D Vision2 kit was also on sale for $120. Woot Woot.
Click to expand...

Well that is one way to handle it.

Congrats on the find, and I'm sure you wont be disappointed with sli 680's.
 
I'm not sure what you would gain GTX 670 vs Crossfired HD 7970s, but if I read you correctly you are now going SLi GTX 680s for your projectors, right?

I have two comps sitting side by side, one is SLi GTX 670s and the other is CF HD 7970.
They essentially trade blows depending on the game.
I like the 670s in Borderlands due to the Physx effects, but frame-rates are essentially identical, and both boxes can run 5760 x 1200 flawlessly.

Ive never had 3D, but I've been using three monitor gaming since AMD released it back with the 5000 series, I think your SLi will be awesome.

I do think nvidia drivers are a bit better when it comes to multi-GPU setups.:D
 
magoo said:
I'm not sure what you would gain GTX 670 vs Crossfired HD 7970s, but if I read you correctly you are now going SLi GTX 680s for your projectors, right?

I have two comps sitting side by side, one is SLi GTX 670s and the other is CF HD 7970.
They essentially trade blows depending on the game.
I like the 670s in Borderlands due to the Physx effects, but frame-rates are essentially identical, and both boxes can run 5760 x 1200 flawlessly.

Ive never had 3D, but I've been using three monitor gaming since AMD released it back with the 5000 series, I think your SLi will be awesome.

I do think nvidia drivers are a bit better when it comes to multi-GPU setups.:D
Click to expand...

Yeah the 2 setups are pretty equal in terms of framerate but nVidia brings 3D Surround (and Physx I suppose) to the table.

Anyways, picked up 1 card so far but the second 680 and the 3D vision glasses will have to wait 'til Tuesday.
 
Uninstalled all the previous AMD drivers/software. Pulled out the old card and installed the new 680s. System BSODed on the windows login screen 3 times. After that I was able to get into Windows and install the latest nVidia drivers. Not sure what the problem was but it's been smooth sailing ever since then.

Drivers seem good. Most of my frustrations result from my lack of familiarity with the green camp. I haven't run one since my 8800GTX.

System is up and running at 3840x800@120Hz again with a mild overclock in MSI Afterburner. Pretty happy with the whole thing so far. Hopefully the 3D glasses come in tomorrow and I can pick them up.

BFBC2 was ungodly smooth. Framerate varies between 130-200 with visual settings that would drop the old 7970 into the 90's in heavy action. Admins are going to (mistakenly) ban me for hacking even more now - I went 17-2 off the start of a map.

So yeah :)
 
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