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7970 or 680? 7970 is $160/$170 cheaper

post #1 of 26
5/4/12 at 8:36pm
Thread Starter 
Hey guys.

So here in Australia the prices are screwed. References 680's are $700, and a reference Sapphire 7970 is $540.

I'm watercooling my parts, so really it's either a:

Sapphire 7970 with EK full cover block = $668.

Any reference 680 = $700.

So it's 7970 w/ block and $32 - half my radiator payed as well.
Or a 680.

Does the extra cost really justify a 680 over a 7970?
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post #2 of 26
5/4/12 at 8:38pm
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7970 is really close to a 680, like margin of error close when both at max overclock so if I were only interested in gaming I would take the AMD if it's that much cheaper.
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post #3 of 26
5/4/12 at 8:40pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by juano View Post

7970 is really close to a 680, like margin of error close when both at max overclock so if I were only interested in gaming I would take the AMD if it's that much cheaper.

Thanks for the response. I will be overclocking it till it hits the wall, it's getting a 360 rad for itself so keeping it cool when OC'ing shouldn't be a worry.
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post #4 of 26
5/4/12 at 8:41pm
No. Only a 6-7% difference between the 7970 and 680 at stock clocks with the 680 being the victor (the benchmarks and tests do flip-flop a bit though), but the 7970 overclocks like a champ. With that waterblock on the 7970 and a nice overclock, you should blow a 680 out of the water. For $32 cheaper, I would call that a win. biggrin.gif

EDIT: Basically what Juano said... doh.gif
I am slow at responding tonight... redface.gif
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post #5 of 26
5/4/12 at 8:41pm
7970 is just as good or better when overclocked (better than an overclocked 680), despite being worse at stock. So 7970 with a waterblock for cheaper is a much better deal.
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post #6 of 26
5/4/12 at 8:42pm
amd is cheaper and overclocked runs Very close to the gtx 680. but i have been reading alot about driver issues with the AMD card.
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post #7 of 26
5/4/12 at 8:42pm
Performance-wise the 680 is a bit better but a heavily overclocked 7970 should be on par, if not slightly better. The 680 has locked voltage so the overclocking potential is limited.

On the driver side, I really prefer the Nvidia drivers. I had 6870CFX before. So far, my experience is much better. Of course, CFX is partly responsible for the issues I've had but I overall think Nvidia proposes a more polished product (including software).

Hope this helps.
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post #8 of 26
5/4/12 at 8:46pm
Thread Starter 
Wow, the nvidia forums get so many more replies haha!

I've heard about the AMD drivers too, I'm usinga 6950 and have used them in crossfire and never had issues redface.gif Not too sure what the fuss is!

I really wanted to go nvidia this time round, but I can't justify the price mad.gif I think 7970 it is. Thankyou and rep to all that contributed!
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post #9 of 26
5/4/12 at 8:47pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by crackerssss View Post

Wow, the nvidia forums get so many more replies haha!
I've heard about the AMD drivers too, I'm usinga 6950 and have used them in crossfire and never had issues redface.gif Not too sure what the fuss is!
I really wanted to go nvidia this time round, but I can't justify the price mad.gif I think 7970 it is. Thankyou and rep to all that contributed!

Either way I think you can't lose.

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post #10 of 26
5/4/12 at 8:51pm
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price/performance, the 7970 wins. If you get a decent card, it will keep up with the 680 in just about any program and save you the cash up front.

Also, if you play 1440/1600, the 7970 tends to pull ahead.
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