[dreadlord369]

Hey guys, I've finally decided I will get a new 1440p monitor that can overclock to 120hz (Tempest OC or Catleap 2B). Thing is, I know my 570 is not enough to power games at that resolution or refresh rate and I do not want to get a second card for SLI.

In my case, would a single GTX 680 be better or would a 7970 ghz edition be better? I've heard reports that say that a 7970 beats the 680 at higher resolutions but some people said that only applies to resolutions with multi-monitor setups. What would be better for a a monitor at 2560x1440 running at 120hz?
Thanks in advance.

 

[dihartnell]

You would be happy with either. get the cheapest of the two.

The 7970s extra RAM is a bigger advantage at multimonitor setups but probably only a slight edge at 1440p.

 

[dreadlord369]

Would the GTX 680 have an advantage if I got the 4gb version or would there be no difference?

 

[Hyperion.]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dreadlord369

Would the GTX 680 have an advantage if I got the 4gb version or would there be no difference?

It would still have the same ram bus size. There would be no advantage both cards are still pretty much equal. The 4gb ram on a 680 will just give you the advantage of not running out of vram opposed to a 2gb version that could run out. The 7970 i think is still the better bet as its cheaper, just as powerful and you get 3gb vram which is a nice middle ground.

Also i have heard reports that the 4gb version of the 670, and 680 actually run slower then the 2gb version just because of the extra vram having to run on that lower bus. The 2gb seems to be the perfect amount for the bus and thats why they came out to market that way.

But that is all just what i have heard from others and read in reviews. Trust me i am almost a expert in these 2 cards at this point from all the reviews i have read and benchmarks i have seen.

 

[DaFaRsHeR]

According to this Nvidia have a disadvantage ATM over AMD if you want to OC your monitor to a 120hz refresh rate http://www.overlordcomputer.com/Overclock_Overview_s/1825.htm

 

[coachmark2]

I would have a look at this:

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/555?vs=618

Click the X and close all the benchmarks you don't care about. It takes about a minute to do, but you will really appreciate the visual aid it gives. Anandtech puts AMD-biased games at the top of the benchmark pages and Nvidia-biased games at the bottom, so close all the 1920x1080 and 1680x1050 benches so you're just looking at 2560 benches.

Then make your call. My vote goes to the 680 by a slight edge. The BLUE is the 680 and the BLACK is the 7970.

Or, just look at this picture.

 

[whybother]

Neither card has the grunt necessary to provide anywhere near 120fps at 1440p.

 

[jerrolds]

Quote:

Originally Posted by coachmark2

I would have a look at this:
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/555?vs=618
Click the X and close all the benchmarks you don't care about. It takes about a minute to do, but you will really appreciate the visual aid it gives. Anandtech puts AMD-biased games at the top of the benchmark pages and Nvidia-biased games at the bottom, so close all the 1920x1080 and 1680x1050 benches so you're just looking at 2560 benches.

Then make your call. My vote goes to the 680 by a slight edge. The BLUE is the 680 and the BLACK is the 7970.
Or, just look at this picture.

Those benchmarks are no longer accurate. Since 12.7 Radeon 7970s on on par or better than the 680 - http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-7970-ghz-edition-review-benchmark,3232.html

At 2560x1200 the 7970 beats out the 680 in every game (BF3, Crysis 2, Skyrim, Dirt 3, Metro 2033)

That and the 7970 overclocks like a beast.

Id go with a 7970 because they can be found cheaper, overclock higher - but if you think youre going to go SLI in the future or need PhysX for whatever reason - then a 670 would be fine as well.

 

[freeman29]

1440p at 120hz only with Nvidia GTX 690, 1000€.

 

[IcedEarth]

Quote:

Originally Posted by whybother

Neither card has the grunt necessary to provide anywhere near 120fps at 1440p.

I was just about to say this. I can't believe it took that long for this statement to be made.

120hz is only relevant if you can achieve 120FPS. You would struggle to achieve 120FPS in most games at 1440p even with either of those cards running in SLI/XFIRE. 1440p is a very demanding resolution.

You'd almost certainly max most games out with a 7970/680 considering I can max most games at 1440p with my 580 (barring Battlefield 3) but I highly doubt you would hit a consistent 120FPS in many of today's demanding games.

 

[freeman29]

Nvidia GTX 690 on Battlefield 3 only gets 69fps @ 2560x1600. So you need 2 Nvidia GTX 690

, 2000€.

http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/evga_geforce_gtx_690_review,19.html

 

[DaFaRsHeR]

Quote:

Originally Posted by IcedEarth

I was just about to say this. I can't believe it took that long for this statement to be made.
120hz is only relevant if you can achieve 120FPS. You would struggle to achieve 120FPS in most games at 1440p even with either of those cards running in SLI/XFIRE. 1440p is a very demanding resolution.
You'd almost certainly max most games out with a 7970/680 considering I can max most games at 1440p with my 580 (barring Battlefield 3) but I highly doubt you would hit a consistent 120FPS in many of today's demanding games.

Iced I know this is slightly tangential to the topic but what is your experience of playing BF3 @1440 on a GTX580, is the lag acceptable?

 

[Archngamin]

A 670 would be preferable to a 580 for BF3.

 

[IcedEarth]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaFaRsHeR

Iced I know this is slightly tangential to the topic but what is your experience of playing BF3 @1440 on a GTX580, is the lag acceptable?

I don't own BF3.

I only know for a fact that I couldn't run BF3 at max settings on my GTX580 @ 1440p because I've been following the 1440p monitor clubs and most people are struggling with two of these in SLI at that resolution. I'm not sure what settings would be needed in order to play BF3 smoothly at 1440p on a GTX580, sorry.

 

[DaFaRsHeR]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Archngamin

A 670 would be preferable to a 580 for BF3.

I was just interested (as u can see from my sig i have a 670) Arch. Do u play BF3 on your Achieva?

 

[Archngamin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaFaRsHeR

I was just interested (as u can see from my sig i have a 670) Arch. Do u play BF3 on your Achieva?

Yeah, but no where near 120 fps. I stay around upper 40s to upper 60s on 64 man servers last time i checked which was before I switched to the latest drivers.