660 vs. 660ti

[Rioisbeast]

Hey guys Im doing my first build and have picked out everything but the graphics card. I feel that the best two for me would be either the 660 or the 660ti. I play Star Craft 2, Skyrim, BF3, Far Cry 3, Borderlands 2, Mass Effect 3, League of Legends, Fallout NV, and any games similar to the ones listed above. With those types of games in mind would I be able to get by with the 660 or should I go up to the 660ti.

My build:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Best Buy)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($124.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($51.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($84.99 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT Tempest 410 Elite (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair Professional 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 Full (64-bit) ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $771.91
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-26 17:06 EST-0500)

 

[Mousemonkey]

I thought you had 500 series cards. A great card though agreed.

I have both, SLi'd 560Ti's in one rig and SLi'd 660Ti's in the other. 😗

 

[bigshootr8]

Lol you and your 60 series cards. Man when will you make the leap and get 2 high end cards 😛

 

[Rioisbeast]

Hey guy I have a question is the fractal design define r4 have enough air flow to support something like a 660ti? Also does the windowed version compromise the silence of the case.

 

[bigshootr8]

Yes It would because in the non window version you get padding on both sides. You also get a fan on the side panel with the non window version. Either version is great you still get sound dampening but the noise would be higher yes. And the case still provides good airflow its a great designed case with ventilation in the front of the case and you have ways of placing fans in areas to make it just great. With a 660Ti you would be just fine. I would be a little more concerned in a SLi/CF setup because of how much heat that can build up but with a single card config just dandy.

 

[Mousemonkey]

Lol you and your 60 series cards. Man when will you make the leap and get 2 high end cards 😛

If the Maxwell GPU's have the compute abilities that Fermi demonstrated then I may consider it but for the most part I see the flagship cards as being a waste of money as I can the same (or better) gaming performance at the resolution I use with two midrange cards for less money.

 

[bigshootr8]

I think that is fair. I just see the performance of the 670 and am far happier then I was with my 560Ti's in SLI to each is own i guess.

 

[Mousemonkey]

I think that is fair. I just see the performance of the 670 and am far happier then I was with my 560Ti's in SLI to each is own i guess.

I use my cards for folding so that is always taken into account when buying new ones, that and the PSU requirements.

 

[bigshootr8]

Ah, so your needs are a little different then rather pointless it would be then to spend the extra on the 670.

 

[Mousemonkey]

Ah, so your needs are a little different then rather pointless it would be then to spend the extra on the 670.

I think so, the PPD from dual 660Ti's is quite a bit more than a single 670 would garner.

 

[linkgx1]

Wait, are the 7 series of Nvidia GPUs coming out this year? I'm building a computer within a month and I'm not sure what to do. Get cheap, upgrade later....or wait. Not really seeing a clear option.

 

[determinologyz]

Wait, are the 7 series of Nvidia GPUs coming out this year? I'm building a computer within a month and I'm not sure what to do. Get cheap, upgrade later....or wait. Not really seeing a clear option.

If you can wait it out im guessing around march april for the 780 and it gown down the series from there..

 

[bigshootr8]

Well, I would perhaps wait for the new intel chips to come out that would be perhaps a good way to go which should be coming out I would think April/May and then get a card then.

 

[revro]

well i was able to get 45-55 average fps in FC3 on evga 660 ftw when i set custom ultra settings and set shadows and post processing to medium. so if Crysis 3 is like FC3 who knows. tough i must say that i am running FC3 with FXAA and 0msaa. 4msaa was getting me just 28,x avg fps

best
revro

 

[bigshootr8]

I'll have to upload my video fraps from when I was doing the alpha it looks the same and performs around the same as Crysis 2 unless they put something extra on beta or release.

 

[ronss]

might also consider the evga 660 sc,,,,,its not that far behind the the 660t in benchmarks...and a lot cheaper 😀

 

[stantheman123]

Get what you need now. Dont play the waiting game.

 

[bigshootr8]

Right a factory overclocked card should place you near the 660Ti. The main thing you lose is the CUDA core count from the 660Ti/670 at 1344 to the 660 with 960

 

[determinologyz]

Get what you need now. Dont play the waiting game.

Its not really that bad of a waiting game..Now i can see if someone said wait for maxwell..As for me im waiting..I could upgrade to a 680 and be done with it but i choose not to..770

 

[bigshootr8]

There is no right or wrong answer with waiting. Its in the hands of the consumers when they pull the plug or not. If you wanted to enjoy games now and play games now getting a current gen card is fine. If you wanted to wait because you are doing fine and are fine getting the better card down the road that is fine to there is no right or wrong when it comes to purchasing components. Everything is subjective.

 

[stantheman123]

Yea im personally not a patient person. so i can wait long haha.

 

[bigshootr8]

I'm with you there. I am a impulse buyer I'll think about it constantly until I justify to buy it or to wait a while.

 

[Kingtr011]

when it comes down to it the 660ti is using the high end chip the 660 isnt so marginal performance boost but better stability in overclocking and you can ramp it up even more

 

[determinologyz]

Yea im personally not a patient person. so i can wait long haha.

Word see thing about what i was saying with buying now i mean its cool but as soon as the 700s hit its going to cross your mind to sell that 600 series gpu you just bought..Thats why i advice waiting..Happens all the time

 

[bigshootr8]

Yea and if you are wanting to buy within the next few months that makes all the sense in the world. Because you never make back all the costs of the card you purchased before selling. I had two 560Ti's and I only got back around 260 dollars when I bought the cards they were 230 a piece I believe so there you go :\ But I couldn't be happier with my 670.