Which 670 to buy?

I'm looking for the shortest GTX 670. I know the PCB is short, but I'm looking for one with a short cooler too (for an overall shorter GTX 670 than the vanilla version).
 
dukenuke88 said:
Asus DirectCU Top?

Gigabyte Windforce 3x?

Or possibly waiting for the potential MSI TF3 or TF4 version? So many choices

Does the gigabyte one offer voltage unlock? I know the Asus one does
Click to expand...

A card in the hand is worth two in the bush.

Though it doesn't seem like these are selling out quite like the GTX 680 which is what I feared. I was thinking if I didn't get in this first wave it might be a month before I got one --- and then you stll gotta pay full price a month later - you just lose that month of having the card. The gigabyte card is no longer avail, but I don't know how you could go wrong with it unless you want a 4GB card. Anything faster is going to be only a hair faster and the Gigabyte card is actually just $399 or $409 everywhere it was sold.
 
The gigabyte cards with the windforce cooling are.. Well FLAT OUT UGLY. They look cheap & the PCB is the ugliest color blue I have ever seen in compnents. This doesnt matter to most people, but I put enough money into my system I take pride in the way it looks as well as performs.

I went with the EVGA base model. Simply put I liked the asthetics, the reviews still have it very quiet & cool. I Also dont normally overclock my video cards and the 670 stock did GREAT in every one of my normally played games that I could find tested (biggest being Starcraft 2 & Dirt 3). Playing at a single 2560x1440 it needs to be a pretty beefy card, but not as much as some so I can deal with slightly less performance for a little cooler & quieter compared to the SC model.

Had EVGA had a Twin fan design I would have probably gotten it. Also MSI's TF cards are also great with the black BCB's & the metal fan shrouds.
 
bastage said:
The gigabyte cards with the windforce cooling are.. Well FLAT OUT UGLY. They look cheap & the PCB is the ugliest color blue I have ever seen in compnents. This doesnt matter to most people, but I put enough money into my system I take pride in the way it looks as well as performs.

I went with the EVGA base model. Simply put I liked the asthetics, the reviews still have it very quiet & cool. I Also dont normally overclock my video cards and the 670 stock did GREAT in every one of my normally played games that I could find tested (biggest being Starcraft 2 & Dirt 3). Playing at a single 2560x1440 it needs to be a pretty beefy card, but not as much as some so I can deal with slightly less performance for a little cooler & quieter compared to the SC model.

Had EVGA had a Twin fan design I would have probably gotten it. Also MSI's TF cards are also great with the black BCB's & the metal fan shrouds.
Click to expand...

Interesting, because I think the Gigabyte card looks fantastic. To each their own... my case is sealed anyway, so I'd rather have better thermals & noise levels.
 
GoldenTiger said:
Interesting, because I think the Gigabyte card looks fantastic. To each their own... my case is sealed anyway, so I'd rather have better thermals & noise levels.
Click to expand...

I havent read a review on the gigabyte specifically, but thermal wise I prefer for the hot air to be dumped out of the system rather then have it recycled. Normally I will take the dual fan cards just for the noise & give up some on the thermals, but when the reviews said that even at load the ref cards were inaudible that was enough for me..
 
Agreed with bastage on the cooler + pcb color, does look horrible. I plan on modding the cooler a bit when I get it cause I went with the GB 670 myself. 680 PCB + 5phase and 6+8pin = win for me. Less work of redoing my sleeved extensions from 8 to 6pin too lol.

Also got the 680 backplate, going to get some screws and nuts to hold it down since I know the cooler is bolted down by the gpu core and vrm plate I think. The PCB stiffener thing with the gigabyte logo can be removed too.

Lastly, going to try and paint the shroud to white to match my case, hopefully with all that done it'll hide most of the blue pcb and MIGHT look cool. Worse case scenario is that it looks like crap lol.
 
The blower design on the reference 670s aren't very loud. The last blower that I had that annoyed me in terms of noise was the 480. But the 5XX and 6XX cards both have very quiet blowers, even when gaming, I can barely hear them. I prefer the blower design because it vents the hot air out of your case. If you have a case with plenty of ventilation I think the Gigabyte design is better for keeping the card itself cool though.
 
lol....just tack on a EVGA GTX670 backplate for $20 if you really don't want to see the blue. Can't see it otherwise. I have no qualms with my GB card.

d7f4ccf5_gigabyte3oc.jpeg
 
5icko said:
[H]'s numbers... 57.5 fps (670) vs 59.4 (680)... with settings up? Most monitors top out at 60 frames, and besides, anyone who plays BF3 with settings up, in multi-player at least, fails to understand how eye candy in that game degrades competitiveness.

And your temp figures are just dead wrong. The 670 OC actually runs cooler.

Capture-1.png
Click to expand...

I want BF3 to look as good as possible at all times. You would want it to be at 60+ FPS at all times for smoothness. With a 680 I can do that and still be competitive because it can keep the FPS at 60+ on Ultra. I guess I'm spoiled.

BTW, below are [H]ard|OCP's temperature findings on their 670 that you called me "dead wrong" on. My 680 runs at 60C. It has never been even close to 85C. I do not have a screenshot. You'll just have to trust me.

http://www.hardocp.com/images/articles/1336636802OhmufU4CHj_8_2.gif
 
Starrbuck said:
I want BF3 to look as good as possible at all times. You would want it to be at 60+ FPS at all times for smoothness. With a 680 I can do that and still be competitive because it can keep the FPS at 60+ on Ultra. I guess I'm spoiled.

BTW, below are [H]ard|OCP's temperature findings on their 670 that you called me "dead wrong" on. My 680 runs at 60C. It has never been even close to 85C. I do not have a screenshot. You'll just have to trust me.

http://www.hardocp.com/images/articles/1336636802OhmufU4CHj_8_2.gif
Click to expand...

Whatever numbers you choose to believe, the temps on either card aren't anything to get wrapped around. Also remember that one card is an Asus OC, and the other stock, so the performance/temps will differ.

As far as Ultra settings on BF3, no matter what card(s) you're running, you're getting needlessly fragged at those settings. Turn off that stuff and you'll see what I mean... e.g. someone behind smoke that kills you - you can't see them but they can see you. Try it out. ;)
 
Just got the 670 in, I thought this thing was supposed to be small, turns out it is exactly the same size as my gtx 570 with the shroud, just the board itself is smaller.
 
Now there are 3 gigabytes in stock at Amazon. Wonder if people are canceling their orders, Amazon is getting more in stock, or what is going on. Maybe Nvidia has a lot better supply on the 670's than they did the 680 and 690.
 
Just got an email from Amazon saying my Gigabyte will be here next week, and now they have more in stock. So tempted to pull the trigger on another.
 
nebrunner said:
Now there are 3 gigabytes in stock at Amazon. Wonder if people are canceling their orders, Amazon is getting more in stock, or what is going on. Maybe Nvidia has a lot better supply on the 670's than they did the 680 and 690.
Click to expand...

Or people saw the Sapphire 7970 OC / Non-Ref card price drop to $449.99 and realized that for $50 more they could get AMD's flagship which seems to be more future proof and overlclocks like a monster...
 
I don't know if I have buyers remorse or not, upgraded from a 580... the extra frames in BF3 were too good to pass up, coupled with the almost halved power consumption..

Once I sell the 580 I'll feel much better lol
 
dukenuke88 said:
Does the gigabyte one offer voltage unlock? I know the Asus one does
Click to expand...

Where'd you hear that? I didn't think any of the cards have unlocked voltages.

Dev1ant said:
lol....just tack on a EVGA GTX670 backplate for $20 if you really don't want to see the blue. Can't see it otherwise. I have no qualms with my GB card.
Click to expand...

Interesting that your card only goes to 111% power. Nice clocks anyway though.
 
Ordered a Gigabyte 670 OC yesterday morning at 9am PST from NCIX.com, picked it up in store at 6pm. First piece of release day hardware I've ever owned, and my new IB build is complete sooner than I was expecting (wasn't sure on video card until I saw the 670 reviews).

I guess the GB is ugly compared to my old MSI Twin Frozr 560Ti but I don't care about looks. It's fast, quiet and cool! Haven't had a chance to OC but from playing 2 hours of BF3 (1920x1200, Ultra, 4X MSAA, FXAA high, 16X AF, HBAO, Adaptive vsync) max card temp was 59c, fans peaked at 34% and GPU boost around 1165MHz with 69% power target reached (this is at factory OC). Couldn't hear the card in my 550D case with vents closed either.

VERY impressed.
 
I did one of those 3dmark11 tests, I don't have the pay version, but a stock EVGA Superclocked 670 scored a 8618 on graphics, the P score was 7924, but I did a clear cmos when I installed the GPU so everything is back to stock clocks as well. I don't know how good the graphics score is because I've never done a benchmark program before, but that is what I got. All I did was install the drivers and Precision X 3.0.2 and then ran the program.

Also this idles about 4 degrees lower than my old EVGA 670 superclocked HD graphics card. This thing idles at a cool 32-33 degrees Celsius.
 
5icko said:
Whatever numbers you choose to believe, the temps on either card aren't anything to get wrapped around.
Click to expand...

I'm not wrapped around anything, just pointing it out for consideration. Twenty degrees difference is pretty significant to me. It may not be to you or some others.

5icko said:
As far as Ultra settings on BF3, no matter what card(s) you're running, you're getting needlessly fragged at those settings. Turn off that stuff and you'll see what I mean... e.g. someone behind smoke that kills you - you can't see them but they can see you. Try it out. ;)
Click to expand...

Again, not my style, but thanks for the tip. I could try to set it to show stick figures but if that's what it takes to be the top fragger, I'll pass!
 
Looks like it comes down to the following GTX 670....looks like these are the go to cards for performance...both noise & temp

1. Asus DCU2 Top

2. Gigabyte Windforce OC

so which one is better? lol
 
I bought the Gigabyte primarily because it has a VRM heat sink that's independent of the cooler. It makes it simple to WC with my old MCW60 gpu only blocks.
 
dukenuke88 said:
Looks like it comes down to the following GTX 670....looks like these are the go to cards for performance...both noise & temp

1. Asus DCU2 Top

2. Gigabyte Windforce OC

so which one is better? lol
Click to expand...

Well, the Gigabyte costs MSRP, the Asus definitely does not. So I'd say the gigabyte is the better deal, but the Top is probably a better card (or at least, it uses binned chips).
 
Starrbuck said:
I'm not wrapped around anything, just pointing it out for consideration. Twenty degrees difference is pretty significant to me. It may not be to you or some others.
Click to expand...

It's not 20 degrees difference, based on anyone's numbers. lol

Check some of the recent posts... people are getting 65 at load.

You're starting to give me the impression you have buyer's remorse on your 680... keep trying to convince yourself.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
The Gigabyte Windforce model looks like the best value among the 670s. I have a windowed case that's inverted ATX so I can actually see the heat sink / fan on my card. Waiting for the Asus, looks way better.

Can't wait to finish my SB build...........
 
Last edited:
Just got my 670, Gigabyte. Card is a beast... AND SILENT!! It hasn't breached 60c after 15 minutes of Furmark.. Amazing!!

BF3 looks great @60FPS 4xMSAA and adaptive VSYNC.

Sorry for the noob question, but what do you guys recommend in terms of managing the card? The drivers do not contain any overlocking or power configurations..
 
Bumrush said:
Just got my 670, Gigabyte. Card is a beast... AND SILENT!! It hasn't breached 60c after 15 minutes of Furmark.. Amazing!!

BF3 looks great @60FPS 4xMSAA and adaptive VSYNC.

Sorry for the noob question, but what do you guys recommend in terms of managing the card? The drivers do not contain any overlocking or power configurations..
Click to expand...

EVGA's Precision X


Forceman said:
Where'd you hear that? I didn't think any of the cards have unlocked voltages.



Interesting that your card only goes to 111% power. Nice clocks anyway though.
Click to expand...

Not exactly sure what that represents actually lol. Seems to be the same voltage as other cards...GTX680 version also goes up to 111%.
 
Bumrush said:
Just got my 670, Gigabyte. Card is a beast... AND SILENT!! It hasn't breached 60c after 15 minutes of Furmark.. Amazing!!

BF3 looks great @60FPS 4xMSAA and adaptive VSYNC.

Sorry for the noob question, but what do you guys recommend in terms of managing the card? The drivers do not contain any overlocking or power configurations..
Click to expand...

That's a great temp. You can use either Afterburner or PrecisionX for overclocking - they both work about the same and are based on the same core tech, so it's really down to which interface you like better.
 
5icko said:
It'a not 20 degrees difference, based on anyone's numbers. lol
Click to expand...

I just showed you [H]ard|OCP's numbers. Are you saying they lied?

5icko said:
Check some of the recent posts... people are getting 65 at load.

You're starting to give me the impression you have buyer's remorse on your 680... keep trying to convince yourself.
Click to expand...

Honestly I don't care what impression you have. People who are trying to justify settling for a 670 may just as easily be lowering their temperature reports at load. :)

I am tired of arguing with you, so the last word is yours.
 
One more thing.. Sorry again for the newbage.. But Adaptive VSYNC alone makes this worth it.. Zero input lag and no need to limit framerate in BF3 with it. Amazing.

I just played for 30 minutes and my case remained silent. Even my sub-par Coolermaster 750 PS remained silent..
 
Starrbuck said:
I just showed you [H]ard|OCP's numbers. Are you saying they lied?
Click to expand...

What are you talking about? :rolleyes:

680.png

670.png


Starrbuck said:
Honestly I don't care what impression you have. People who are trying to justify settling for a 670 may just as easily be lowering their temperature reports at load. :)

I am tired of arguing with you, so the last word is yours.
Click to expand...

Yep, buyers remorse.
 
One more thing that is strange.. Looks like BF3, with vsync disabled and everything maxed, including 4xMSAA, GPU usage is only 60-65%. Is that normal?
1080p
 
Bumrush said:
One more thing that is strange.. Looks like BF3, with vsync disabled and everything maxed, including 4xMSAA, GPU usage is only 60-65%. Is that normal?
1080p
Click to expand...

What is your CPU usage? If you are maxing out your CPU, it may not be pushing enough thru the vid card.
 
I'm an idiot.. The on screen display for the EVGA tool displays power % first, not GPU usage..

My GPU usage was 98%..

I'm in shock that a single card solution runs BF3 maxed out at 1080P with no lag.. So much better than my 6870's in crossfire.. The microstutter was so annoying.

I don't play BF3 competitively, but it is clear that people running this type of card have an advantage as even aiming seems so much smoother.. I won't miss crossfire one bit.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top