What to do What to do?

Whach

Whach

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Dec 22, 2011
Messages
1,244
This vid card decision is doing my head in . Speculation and/or lack of any info from Nvidia is causing me to hesitate. My goal is to play BF3 (and any other game at max) @ 1920x1200 (with scope for bigger screen in the future) and to choose a pair of 2GB VRAM+ cards to match that aim. I've already built my system, GPU's are the last piece of the puzzle. Must buy from Newegg (no choice in the matter for me...they already have my money from my previous RMA of reference GTX 570's ). What to do?

(1) Buy these EVGA GTX 570 2.5GB cards in a dual setup, not knowing whether or when Nvidia will make their move. Cost for two cards: $789 (could lose money quickly on these if nvidia say their next gen comes out soon, but "when" and "if" has me hesitating on this purchase choice, for all i know their next gen could be delayed for months.)

(2) Buy any of the plethora of HD 7970's for Crossfire, in hopes of making them last longest and hoping that AMD can up their driver reputation. I know they are more expensive than the 570's, but my logic says they will last longer till next upgrade? Idk.

(3) Buy some 3GB GTX 580's. Again, same hesitancy from option (1) concerning longevity. Also, the 7970's seem to be faster for the same price point.

(4) Wait till the reviews and availability of the AMD 7950's comes out and hope they are better?


Currently, I am GPU-less hanging around on the Intel Sandy Bridge iGPU. To be honest, I am favoring option (1), simply because its the cheapest. My concern over these specific models is that the cooler seems to be a derivative of the 560 coolers. ie, non heat exhausting unlike the reference design and just dumps the heat into the case.

New Rig specs are:

Core i7 2600K @ 4.3Ghz Stock Voltage
Asus P8Z68-B/GEN 3 Motherboard
EVGA GTX 570 x2 SLI <==== RETURNED TO NEWEGG
16GB G.Skill 1600 DDR3
Corsair AX850 PSU
Corsair Force GT 120 SSD
Seagate 7200rpm 2TB HDD
Lian Li PC9-F
Thermalright Silver Arrow CPU Cooler
LG Blu-ray Drive

I suppose this is a continuation from a previous thread. I want this rig finished!! :confused: Any opinions are appreciated!
 
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at your resolution a single GTX 580 3GB or HD7970 would be the best way to go right now. then from there when you decide to upgrade your monitor(s) you can add a second card if needed and hopefully by then the prices have dropped on both cards making it worth the wait. i really wouldn't waste the money right off the bat getting 2 cards for SLI or CF, its just not needed at 1920x1200.
 
Overclocked HD7970 will come very close to GTX570 SLI and have none of the issues associated with dual GPU. HD7970 seems like a no brainer.
 
x3sphere said:
Overclocked HD7970 will come very close to GTX570 SLI and have none of the issues associated with dual GPU. HD7970 seems like a no brainer.
Click to expand...

Plus it's $200 cheaper. I hate how Nvidia cards rarely drop in price over the course of each generation.
 
If 2x570 in SLI <= an OC'd 7970 or 5803GB.....then im pulling the trigger tonight. Wish there was a comprehensive review/benchmark showing the 570's vs xxxxxxxx card. Is there any way to confirm this? Thx!!
 
Whach said:
If 2x570 in SLI <= an OC'd 7970 or 5803GB.....then im pulling the trigger tonight. Wish there was a comprehensive review/benchmark showing the 570's vs xxxxxxxx card. Is there any way to confirm this? Thx!!
Click to expand...

Well an OC'd 580 3GB will not come anywhere near 570 SLI. The 7970 is simply in a league of its own when it comes to overclocking. From LegitReviews:

metro-overclock.jpg


SLI scaling is usually around 80 % so you can extrapolate from this chart that a HD7970 clocked at 1165MHz is within 3-4FPS of 570 SLI at 1920x1200. That's a conservative OC too... [H] got 1260 MHz in its review, granted that was with raising volts however:

http://hardocp.com/article/2012/01/09/amd_radeon_hd_7970_overclocking_performance_review/6

If you go beyond 1200MHz, a 7970 looks to match or exceed 570 SLI...
 
Thx x3sphere for the chart. Really useful info. Think I'll order one, as soon as Newegg get some in. and maybe a monitor.





and maybe an extra card. arrrg.
 
#3 imo

Also saying to hope for AMD to up their reputation with their driver support is a joke.

sig.jpg
 
I'm not a fanboy, I run both AMD and nvidia cards. Having said that, the HD7970 seems like a no-brainer. Check the reviews posted here. Stock HD7970 vs. Stock anything, is a win for HD7970. OC HD7970 is absolutely the win.

Drivers? Seriously guys? Both AMD and nvidia have had, and continue to have, some issues with drivers. There is no perfect driver.

OP: unless you have serious anti-AMD feelings, toss an HD7970 into that shopping cart and enjoy your decision.
 
@dxbd a joke in what sense? I'd always assumed that a dual card setup would be difficult to maintain drivers for. As c3k said, both brands have their issues, but nvidia seems to have an easier time with it than AMD. Well, I never had any driver issues when I had the 570's from my perspective.
 
Doh, looks like neither are in stock at the moment of this posting. hmmm, maybe that's a good thing?:rolleyes:
 
Wait until the 31st of this month. The 7950 should be launching. They may be unlockable. Greater chances are that they wont unlock but noone knows for sure. 2 things will happen on or just after the 31st. The 7950 will launch and it's unlocking will be discovered or debunked. Solid info on Kepler what/where/when should be out, making your decision easier.
 
Also, be sure to speak with a Newegg customer service rep after you purchase the new card. They refunded me the restocking fee on the two 6950s I returned so I could purchase a 7970.
 
Buy the 7970 or 2. Obviously will keep its resale value long then the 570. Less power and heat so again no brainer.

If you were not limited to newegg i'd say buy 2 of my Evga GTX580s but there 1.5GB. :/
 
@fused. Yup. They waived the restocking fee from the beginning because I'm reordering from them:)
 
I don't see why you're considering anything else but the 7970, it's really a no-brainer.
 
@rUmX Well, the main reason was because not all the "cards" have been revealed...ie nvidia seem to be delayed and i don't want to spend the cash inefficiently based on an incomplete market picture :/

I suppose the best option would be to go with the 7970's and IF kepler turns out to be better and released quickly, then sell the 7970's and switch to them. Just means more hassle down the road.
 
Go with the 7970, it's new die size, lots more transistors, and 30% OC headroom. It should show it's full potential when drivers mature.
 
x3sphere said:
Well an OC'd 580 3GB will not come anywhere near 570 SLI. The 7970 is simply in a league of its own when it comes to overclocking. From LegitReviews:

http://www.legitreviews.com/images/reviews/1805/metro-overclock.jpg

SLI scaling is usually around 80 % so you can extrapolate from this chart that a HD7970 clocked at 1165MHz is within 3-4FPS of 570 SLI at 1920x1200. That's a conservative OC too... [H] got 1260 MHz in its review, granted that was with raising volts however:

http://hardocp.com/article/2012/01/09/amd_radeon_hd_7970_overclocking_performance_review/6

If you go beyond 1200MHz, a 7970 looks to match or exceed 570 SLI...
Click to expand...

Except you can see that the 7970 is just barely faster than the 560 Ti 2win, and since 570 SLI is undoubtedly going to be faster than that...

Also, "beyond 1200" is not a standard overclock for the 7970.

That said, the 7970 is definitely a better deal than those 2.5 GB GTX 570s, which are overpriced in the first place.
 
Option 2. 570s have lost their value tremendously, i spent around $740 on 2 of them like a year ago, now they're worth 250 a piece if lucky. From what i've seen 7970s on cfx show a great performance.
 
santanac said:
Option 2. 570s have lost their value tremendously, i spent around $740 on 2 of them like a year ago, now they're worth 250 a piece if lucky. From what i've seen 7970s on cfx show a great performance.
Click to expand...

Not for the 2.5 GB cards. The normal 1.25 GB 570s go for about $250 still, at a minimum.
 
santanac said:
Option 2. 570s have lost their value tremendously, i spent around $740 on 2 of them like a year ago, now they're worth 250 a piece if lucky. From what i've seen 7970s on cfx show a great performance.
Click to expand...

I'm sure the 7970's are great cards, its why I'm considering them. My concern is with everything else :\
 
How much do you think I could sell a used 7970 for , say, 2 months down the road?
 
We'll I can't really complain about the 7970's I'm running, there is a great deal of performance to be had with them. On the Nvidia front I hear that Kepler is being rushed to market to compete and that Nvidia already has working silicon back. So if you can wait then wait, when Kepler gets here we'll have a much better idea of how this generation is going to shake out. That being said being without a competent GPU for that long could suck, there's always going to be something better coming down the road, you have to bite the bullet at some point. Do you have something passable to put into your system right now? If so you might throw in a card that will let you get some play time in at lower resolutions and settings till you can see how things shake out for this generation. Keep in mind you might be waiting until the end of May before you can even see what Kepler can do, or it could be April no one really knows at this point. I'm sure we'll get more rumors and details as we get closer to Kepler's launch. On the rumor front I hear Kepler has multiple outputs and can do surround on one card so obviously Nvidia has learned a lesson there and has had time to build multi-monitor support into the card from the ground up. I don't envy you but that's the current state of things, get something from last generation and maybe save some money, get the 7970 the only current generation card available with great performance that's pricey, or wait and see what Nvidia has up its sleeve for this generation.
 
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B^gD^ddy~CF~ said:
We'll I can't really complain about the 7970's I'm running, there is a great deal of performance to be had with them. On the Nvidia front I hear that Kepler is being rushed to market to compete and that Nvidia already has working silicon back. So if you can wait then wait, when Kepler gets here we'll have a much better idea of how this generation is going to shake out. That being said being without a competent GPU for that long could suck, there's always going to be something better coming down the road, you have to bite the bullet at some point. Do you have something passable to put into your system right now? If so you might throw in a card that will let you get some play time in at lower resolutions and settings till you can see how things shake out for this generation. Keep in mind you might be waiting until the end of May before you can even see what Kepler can do, or it could be April no one really knows at this point. I'm sure we'll get more rumors and details as we get closer to Kepler's launch. On the rumor front I hear Kepler has multiple outputs and can do surround on one card so obviously Nvidia has learned a lesson there and has had time to build multi-monitor support into the card from the ground up. I don't envy you but that's the current state of things, get something from last generation and maybe save some money, get the 7970 the only current generation card available with great performance that's pricey, or wait and see what Nvidia has up its sleeve for this generation.
Click to expand...

I've got a friend who's gonna lend his 8600gt. But to be honest, this iGPU isn't that bad for general purposes (other than gaming). I plan on waiting till February to see if anything is even at least put forward by nvidia. If not, then I plan on going to the 7970's. And, I always have the option of selling them on if I decide that Kepler is worth it. I've decided against the 570's simply because i'd think id take a big loss too soon as they approach Nvidia's next release :/
 
I'd say just buy a single HD 7970 for now. Preferably from Asus/Gigabyte/MSI, as these seem like the favored brands at the moment. If you decide to go Kepler I'm sure the resale value will be to your favor, and if you get that bigger monitor, then another 7970 will be an option as well.

Buying some 570s/580s this late in their life cycle doesn't seem to be the best idea anyway.
 
BanDeodorant said:
I'd say just buy a single HD 7970 for now. Preferably from Asus/Gigabyte/MSI, as these seem like the favored brands at the moment. If you decide to go Kepler I'm sure the resale value will be to your favor, and if you get that bigger monitor, then another 7970 will be an option as well.

Buying some 570s/580s this late in their life cycle doesn't seem to be the best idea anyway.
Click to expand...

Agreed. Now if I can find some in stock on Newegg......doh!
 
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