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[xbit labs] MSI lightning 7970OC vs GTX 680 DC2 TOP OC head to head

post #1 of 137
6/15/12 at 5:35pm
Thread Starter 
I thought this article was interesting, which gives an idea of how well the upcoming Tahiti 2 will perform compared to the GTX 680.

Anyway,
Quote:
Which graphics card is better, ASUS GeForce GTX 680 DirectCU II TOP or MSI R7970 Lightning? Well, we guess it’s up to you to decide, basing on your personal preferences and requirements. But each of them is going to deliver outstanding performance which is the product of cutting-edge technologies, high-quality materials and ingenious engineering solutions.

The ASUS GeForce GTX 680 DirectCU II TOP can be rebuked for its scanty accessories and bulky triple-slot form-factor whereas the MSI R7970 Lightning is rather too noisy and has single-link DVI outputs, yet these are but minor shortcomings compared to such advantages as the amazing efficiency and low noise level of ASUS’s DirectCU II cooler and the broad functionality and gold-plated chokes of MSI’s 17-phase power system. Each of these graphics cards certainly has much more highs than lows. We only have to wait for them to start selling and make our shopping choice.

In conclusion we would like to award ASUS GeForce GTX 680 DirectCU II TOP and MSI R7970 Lightning our Editor’s Choice title as the most advanced single-GPU High-End graphics cards in the market:

Source:

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/graphics/display/asus-geforce-gtx-680-msi-radeon-hd7970.html
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post #2 of 137
6/15/12 at 5:37pm
Thread Starter 
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13_crys2.png
15_bat.png
17_dirt.png
Edited by xoleras - 6/15/12 at 5:42pm
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post #3 of 137
6/15/12 at 6:45pm
Nice.
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post #4 of 137
6/15/12 at 6:49pm
Anyone ever claiming 680 is so much better than 7970 are laughable. Both are solid cards, if you like AMD go 7970, if you like the green team go 680. It's not a situation where an AMD guy has to get a 580 over a 6970; they're evenly matched.

Luckily for me i'm not biased lol.

This isn't very interesting though, what's really interesting is what kind of monster can AMD muster up to compete with GK110?
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post #5 of 137
6/15/12 at 7:13pm
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Lightning cards are always amazing in my experience. One of my cards is a beast easily hitting 1275/1800 in the benches on air. Makes me wonder if MSI will be using the new XT2 chips in the future Lightnings and if so will they mark them appropriately? That will be a huge selling point on the used market...
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post #6 of 137
6/15/12 at 7:23pm
Thread Starter 
Hmm, that could be a possibility. That would explain the ratio of 670s (failed 680s, TONS on the market) compared to 680s (available, but not as many in numbers compared to the 670)
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post #7 of 137
6/15/12 at 7:27pm
My understanding of the review:

Each card performs and averages almost identically, but what do YOU need and what do YOU require..

The Nvidia card succeeds in the Noise, Temperature and Power department. It also succeeds slightly in the Driver department.
Nvidia cut their flagship into a 2x 6pin reducing the power it needs to deliver.
They also did alot better than the 7970 in the Noise department. The Nvidia card requires no liquid cooling to be a bearable solution.
Nvidia did what they were supposed to with a die shrink (28nm), they cut the power, cut the temperature and cut the noise.

The 7970 can hit 1200mhz but requires more voltage than stock thus outputting more heat, noise and current.
No 680's voltage can't be touched meaning that the card stays energy efficient.

Ive owned both cards, in Crossfire and SLI and i can tell you all now that Nvidia has done their job in delivering the most powerful and energy efficient card ever made.

AMD are now pulling their 7970 out of beta and giving us the real 7970 (GhZ Edition)
This is a major slap in the face to all 7970 owners. They are releasing a fixed product of their former and telling us the consumers to "deal with it".
Sorry AMD, but you have to do alot better to win the hearts of the GPU world.

Just my 2cents, un biased and just straight out.
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post #8 of 137
6/15/12 at 7:31pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Renairy View Post

My understanding of the review:
Each card performs and averages almost identically, but what do YOU need and what do YOU require..
The Nvidia card succeeds in the Noise, Temperature and Power department. It also succeeds slightly in the Driver department.
Nvidia cut their flagship into a 2x 6pin reducing the power it needs to deliver.
They also did alot better than the 7970 in the Noise department. The Nvidia card requires no liquid cooling to be a bearable solution.
Nvidia did what they were supposed to with a die shrink (28nm), they cut the power, cut the temperature and cut the noise.
The 7970 can hit 1200mhz but requires more voltage than stock thus outputting more heat, noise and current.
No 680's voltage can't be touched meaning that the card stays energy efficient.
Ive owned both cards, in Crossfire and SLI and i can tell you all now that Nvidia has done their job in delivering the most powerful and energy efficient card ever made.
AMD are now pulling their 7970 out of beta and giving us the real 7970 (GhZ Edition)
This is a major slap in the face to all 7970 owners. They are releasing a fixed product of their former and telling us the consumers to "deal with it".
Sorry AMD, but you have to do alot better to win the hearts of the GPU world.
Just my 2cents, un biased and just straight out.

If you feel that way & have a older model 7970.. only 1 thing you can do.. OVERCLOCK it thumb.gif
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post #9 of 137
6/15/12 at 7:34pm
Well they released it way ahead of the competition to get the numbers out there. Then they drop the price $100. They already slapped the early adopters in the face right there. But this is to be expected with some product releases. I don't think 7970 owners should regret there purchase. They've been enjoying the performance for months now. Nvidia has cards being benched at "stock" when most of the time it's at 1100mhz+ winning most tests against an 800mhz or 925mhz AMD card and not many review sites make note of that. There's no doom scenario for either side and as long as performance and efficiency go up and prices don't rise too much with them, we as consumers win.

heh, my post count is the same as the 7970 Lightning's core clock speed.
Edited by PureBlackFire - 6/15/12 at 7:37pm
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post #10 of 137
6/15/12 at 7:49pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Renairy View Post

My understanding of the review:
Each card performs and averages almost identically, but what do YOU need and what do YOU require..
The Nvidia card succeeds in the Noise, Temperature and Power department. It also succeeds slightly in the Driver department.
Nvidia cut their flagship into a 2x 6pin reducing the power it needs to deliver.
They also did alot better than the 7970 in the Noise department. The Nvidia card requires no liquid cooling to be a bearable solution.
Nvidia did what they were supposed to with a die shrink (28nm), they cut the power, cut the temperature and cut the noise.
The 7970 can hit 1200mhz but requires more voltage than stock thus outputting more heat, noise and current.
No 680's voltage can't be touched meaning that the card stays energy efficient.
Ive owned both cards, in Crossfire and SLI and i can tell you all now that Nvidia has done their job in delivering the most powerful and energy efficient card ever made.
AMD are now pulling their 7970 out of beta and giving us the real 7970 (GhZ Edition)
This is a major slap in the face to all 7970 owners. They are releasing a fixed product of their former and telling us the consumers to "deal with it".
Sorry AMD, but you have to do alot better to win the hearts of the GPU world.
Just my 2cents, un biased and just straight out.


This is really dumb. HD4890 must have been a slap in the face too.

~7 months later, refreshed GPU to further compete... How is that a slap in the face. An OG 7970 is still arguably one of the best/fastest single GPUs ever made. Time it's self must be a slap in the face.... Oh, wait, it is lol.

They were ahead of nV by ~4 months, and it's not like they held anything back. Respins and process enhancements simply made more clock speed @ less voltage and power available. It's very normal.
Edited by Dmac73 - 6/15/12 at 7:51pm
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