Nvidia GTX 670 (May 10th)

[Vancha]

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/A...0_Direct_Cu_II

- Cheaper than the 7970/680
- As powerful as the 7970 and practically as good as the 680
- More energy efficient than the 680/7970
- Probably more powerful in SLI than a 690 and cheaper in doing so.

Notice the sound-levels for ASUS' Direct CU II cooler and then realize it's not 3 slots, like it usually is. The "stock overclock" also seems to have pushed it's performance beyond that of the 7970/680.

Update: So 670s in SLI are 1-2% less powerful than a 690, use more power than a 690, but cost about $200 less than a 690.

[Oryon22]

Ordered a Gigabyte Windforce GTX670 today!

[Goku]

Great card. I'll probably be recommending this to most builds here if people can afford. Personally my 560 Ti is all I need at the moment. I likely won't consider a upgrade till big Kepler (GK110) or AMD's next gen product.

[Rbstr]

Yeah, for those looking to spend in the 1k with some flexibility range this should be on the list.

This completely nullifies almost all the reason for the top-end AMD cards' existences at their current price points.

Hell, even if you have the budget for a 680 or 690, why bother? I almost wish I toughed it out with the 275 for another 6 months.

[Oryon22]

I'm feeling pretty good right now. I am glad I waited after the 680's release. I think I deserve it too... waited to upgrade for 5-6 yrs.

[Vancha]

Until it turns out the 660ti is practically as good/better than the 670.

[Oryon22]

Originally Posted by Vancha

Until it turns out the 660ti is practically as good/better than the 670.

Touché

[Oryon22]

... and it's shipped

[CrystalViolet]

This looks like my next upgrade assuming EVGA makes one with a back plate.

[Ailos]

Seriously eyeing this guy to replace my 5770, too (especially if I find out that PhysX adds some nice candy to PS2.

[BorisBlade]

Its still 10-15% slower if you OC a 680 to the same extent, pretty much the same as 570 vs 580. Yeah its an awesome card when its OC'd getting it to the levels of a stock 680, but thats stock 680, OC'n it will jump it right back out there.

So basically its still about what you want to spend, OC'd 670 is a better deal than stock 680, but still a clear loser to an OC'd 680. Keep in mind that these OC'd cards with their better cooling systems add cost to the cards. So its not the full 100 dollar difference but since the OC'd 670 is fairing so well, its still a better deal vs stock 680 if you, again, cant afford the OC'd 680.

[Ailos]

I don't feel like blowing $500+ on a single upgrade (particularly on one that isn't available right now). In my mind, spending $400 now so I can build an entirely new rig a year from now is more reasonable.

[Oryon22]

Originally Posted by BorisBlade

Its still 10-15% slower if you OC a 680 to the same extent, pretty much the same as 570 vs 580. Yeah its an awesome card when its OC'd getting it to the levels of a stock 680, but thats stock 680, OC'n it will jump it right back out there.

So basically its still about what you want to spend, OC'd 670 is a better deal than stock 680, but still a clear loser to an OC'd 680. Keep in mind that these OC'd cards with their better cooling systems add cost to the cards. So its not the full 100 dollar difference but since the OC'd 670 is fairing so well, its still a better deal vs stock 680 if you, again, cant afford the OC'd 680.

At 1920x1080P, I'm sure the 670 will be more than enough. If I can match, and even sometimes exceed a stock 680, I'm happy.

[Saieno]

Originally Posted by Oryon22

At 1920x1080P, I'm sure the 670 will be more than enough. If I can match, and even sometimes exceed a stock 680, I'm happy.

While I agree, I went with EVGA 670 GTX because of the Precision X software and the ability to StepUp to a new card in 90 days if I'd like. I'm curious how the performance between the 670 and 680 will be once the 680 actually has updated drivers.

[Rbstr]

Originally Posted by Saieno

While I agree, I went with EVGA 670 GTX because of the Precision X software and the ability to StepUp to a new card in 90 days if I'd like. I'm curious how the performance between the 670 and 680 will be once the 680 actually has updated drivers.

The 670 is simply a binned 680 with one faulty and disabled unit (hell, later down the line when they're getting better yield, it might simply be a disabled unit), they didn't even cut the memory bus down this time, so I'd expect most improvements for the 680 to have a proportional effect on the 670 as well.