Beasts or Beast? Graphics card help!

[jbarrows]

Hey guys, i have saved up enough money to go all out on the graphics card or cards im planning on running on hoefully my dream rig..but i was hoping you guys could shed some imput on this. My rig is going to be for mostly gaming and i was either going to pick up 2 7970s or 1 gtx 690...yes i plan on going all out like i said. Any advice on which way i should go?

 

[El Tigre]

If you are on a budget, I would suggest this GPU. The EVGA GTX 670 FTW beats even a reference GTX 680 out the box and beats the 7970 in most games too. It uses the GTX 680 PCB and has 8 Phase VRAM for better OC than even reference GTX 680's.

I have this card and can max out Battlefield 3 with solid 60+FPS with Vsync on 2 1080p.

It's only $400, best bang for your buck in this price range.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130787

http://hexus.net/tech/reviews/graphics/40613-evga-geforce-gtx-670-ftw/?page=5

 

[bigcyco1]

If you are on a budget, I would suggest this GPU. The EVGA GTX 670 FTW beats even a reference GTX 680 out the box and beats the 7970 in most games too. It uses the GTX 680 PCB and has 8 Phase VRAM for better OC than even reference GTX 680's.

I have this card and can max out Battlefield 3 with solid 60+FPS with Vsync on 2 1080p.

It's only $400, best bang for your buck in this price range.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130787

http://hexus.net/tech/reviews/graphics/40613-evga-geforce-gtx-670-ftw/?page=5

not for a three monitor set up that wouldn't be a good idea the 4GB model would though your card is kick ass to though

 

[El Tigre]

Ahh, didn't see that part, in that case, the 4Gb superclocked card would be your best bet. EVGA has hands down the best customer service too.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130785&Tpk=GTX%20670


At this price point, the HD 7970 is a good alternative as I personally think the GTX 680's are overpriced when a GTX 670 is up there in performance.


Thanks, I can max out any game @ 1080p. I will be getting an EK waterblock to dip her underwater soon as this card is a beast at OC.

 

[jbarrows]

im learning so much right now lol ok my budget is around 1900$ and half of that is going into the card but yeah is the the three monitor set up really worth it? if you can get the right card setup?

 

[bigcyco1]

Ahh, didn't see that part, in that case, the 4Gb superclocked card would be your best bet. EVGA has hands down the best customer service too.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130785&Tpk=GTX%20670


At this price point, the HD 7970 is a good alternative as I personally think the GTX 680's are overpriced when a GTX 670 is up there in performance.


Thanks, I can max out any game @ 1080p. I will be getting an EK waterblock to dip her underwater soon as this card is a beast at OC.

I agree the 680 is a rip off if i understand right it's only 7% faster than 670 but costs $100 more and man water cooled that would be sweet.

 

[dudewitbow]

im learning so much right now lol ok my budget is around 1900$ and half of that is going into the card but yeah is the the three monitor set up really worth it? if you can get the right card setup?

essentially any dual card setup made up of gpus past 400 are built for 3 monitors, if you wanted the two strongest single gpu cards at stock, it would be a 7970 ghz or a 680 4gb in crossfire/sli. though the 670 and 7970 are also great contenders. (though at this resolution, id give sleight of hand to 7970 as it handles this kind of resolution more fluently then the 670) but regardless the 670 is good as well, and the ftw price atm is at a low.

 

[bigcyco1]

im learning so much right now lol ok my budget is around 1900$ and half of that is going into the card but yeah is the the three monitor set up really worth it? if you can get the right card setup?

I prefer dual monitor set up but i suppose it's a matter of preference if 3 monitors is worth it or not

 

[El Tigre]

@ jbarrows: I think it's worth it if you are going to be gaming on 3D. But you will need 2 cards in SLI at least to achieve playable frame rates on any game at ultra settings. I personally am comfortable gaming at 1080p on a 40" Sony Bravia HDTV. That's why I went for the 2GB card.


@bigcyco1: I feel the same, my GTX 670 beats the GTX 680 in most games for $100 cheaper. I can't wait to dip her underwater, I'm going to have fun OC this beast, lol

 

[zander1983]

If you are on a budget, I would suggest this GPU. The EVGA GTX 670 FTW beats even a reference GTX 680 out the box and beats the 7970 in most games too. It uses the GTX 680 PCB and has 8 Phase VRAM for better OC than even reference GTX 680's.

I have this card and can max out Battlefield 3 with solid 60+FPS with Vsync on 2 1080p.

It's only $400, best bang for your buck in this price range.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130787

http://hexus.net/tech/reviews/graphics/40613-evga-geforce-gtx-670-ftw/?page=5

2nd that on the GTX670 FTW (for single screen), 690 for triple screen.

As for the rest,
CPU = 3570k with a proper aftermarket cooler will allow you to OC it way over 4GHz.
MB = ASUS P8Z77-V PRO or ASROCK Extreme6
PSU = Corsair 650 or 750w (for 2x GTX670s)
SSD = Intel 520 series (1x 240 or 2x 120 RAID0 which will give you 240GB but double performance)
Screen = preferably a newer model so you can get the same screens 3-9 months from now, 120Hz for 3D gaming and thin bezels (some thing like the Samsung S23A750D) Support to wall mount would be great so you can mount it on a triple-monitor stand, something like this http://xfxforce.com/en-us/Products/Accessories/Multi-Display-Systems/Monitor-Stands/Triple-Monitor-Stands.aspx

 

[jbarrows]

ok awsome, i really appreciate the help that you guys are giving me. thanks a lot! how is the dual monitor set-up btw? and would dual evga 670s be a good choice for that kind of setup?

 

[bigcyco1]

Well this is just a example of what i would get case is personal so i left that out also you could get a good 650W if you never plan to SLI in future PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: TUNIQ Tower 120 Extreme 90.7 CFM Fluid Dynamic Bearing CPU Cooler ($59.98 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V PRO ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($209.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($48.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Crucial M4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 670 4GB Video Card ($477.55 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: PC Power & Cooling 750W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Sony AD-7280S-0B DVD/CD Writer ($22.98 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Asus VH236H 23.0" Monitor ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Asus VH236H 23.0" Monitor ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1659.43
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-07-23 03:00 EDT-0400)

 

[El Tigre]

ok awsome, i really appreciate the help that you guys are giving me. thanks a lot! how is the dual monitor set-up btw? and would dual evga 670s be a good choice for that kind of setup?

With two monitors at that resolution, 2x 4GB cards would be fine, I would suggest getting 2 EVGA GTX 670 Superclocked 4GB cards as it will perform, if not beat the GTX 690 for about $100 cheaper (the GTX 690 is overpriced currently, some merchants are even charging up to $1200 per card!)


@ bigcyo1: Your setup looks good, I would suggest the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo as it's about $40 and should perform around the same as the Tuniq Tower.


@ jbarrows: If you decide to game on a single monitor, then the EVGA GTX 670 FTW would be the better card to use and it's cheaper than the 4GB Superclocked card ad actually performs better too with a single display in most games.

 

[bigcyco1]

These are cases i would recommend MID TOWERS Case:COOLER MASTER HAF XM RC-922XM-KKN1 Black Mesh, Plastic, Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119257#top


Case:Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case with Upgraded USB 3.0
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021#top

Case:Corsair Carbide Series 500R Black Steel structure with molded ABS plastic accent pieces ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139009#top


Case:Corsair Special Edition White Graphite Series 600T Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139005#top

Case:Antec Eleven Hundred Black Super Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129178#top

Case:COOLER MASTER HAF 922 RC-922M-KKN3-GP Black Steel + Plastic and Mesh Bezel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case with USB 3.0 and Black Interior
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119197#top

Case:NZXT Phantom 410 CA-PH410-B2 Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower White Trim Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146091#top

 

[bigcyco1]

FULL TOWER RECOMMENDATIONS

Case:Rosewill THOR V2 Gaming ATX Full Tower Computer Case, support up to E-ATX / XL-ATX, come with Four Fans - 1 x Front Red LED 230mm Fan, 1 x Top 230mm Fan, 1 x Side 230mm Fan, 1 x Rear 140mm Fan
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147053#top

Case:Antec Twelve Hundred V3 Black Steel ATX Full Tower Unbeatable Gaming Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129100#top

Case:Thermaltake Chaser MK-I (VN300M1W2N) Black SECC ATX Full Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133191#top

Case:COOLER MASTER HAF 932 Advanced RC-932-KKN5-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case with USB 3.0, Black Interior and Four Fans-1x 230mm front RED LED fan, 1x 140mm rear fan, 1x 230mm top fan, and 1x 230mm side fan
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119160#top

Case:COOLER MASTER CM Storm Series Trooper (SGC-5000-KKN1) Black Steel / Plastic ATX Full Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119245#top

Case:NZXT SWITCH 810 Black CA-SW810-B1 Steel / Plastic ATX HYBRID Full Tower Gaming Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146089#top

Case:NZXT Phantom PHAN-001BK Black Steel / Plastic Enthusiast ATX Full Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146068#top

Case:COOLER MASTER HAF X RC-942-KKN1 Black Steel/ Plastic ATX Full Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119225#top

Case:Antec DF-85 Black Steel / Plastic ATX Full Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129087#top

 

[El Tigre]

I have this case and it's a good case, it's underrated but performs well.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811553002

 

[bigcyco1]

I have this case and it's a good case, it's underrated but performs well.

looks]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811553002

looks pretty decent

 

[dudewitbow]

looks pretty decent

you kinda have to give it some props to have a full tower case at that price though.

 

[El Tigre]

I like to USB 3.0 ports on the top, the fan controller on the top for 2 clusters of fans and like the slot at the top for a SATA HDD/SSD (useful when quickly transferring stuff between other HDD/SSD's from other machines, no need to open the side panel and such.) It also has the holes in the rear for a WC loop setup. It does not look or feel cheap either.


This is what the inside looks.

 

[aznplayer213]

if want to sli or crossfire u might as well spree for a stronger cpu (X79). dont want to bottleneck the dual gpu configs to much...

 

[bigcyco1]

@El Tigre wow it looks nice especially with a EVGA GTX 670 FTW in it lmao

 

[El Tigre]

if want to sli or crossfire u might as well spree for a stronger cpu (X79). dont want to bottleneck the dual gpu configs to much...

No need too, the i5 CPU listed a few post above mine is enough and an OC will take care of any bottlenecks, heck, my nearly 4 yr old mobo/CPU did not bottleneck my old GTX 560 Ti SLI setup.


@ bigcyco1: Thanks, it looks a tab bit messy because in that pic, I had taken out my old Raptor (2x Raid 0) for my new Crucial M4 256Gb SSD) and that extra SATA cable was dangling, lol

 

[dudewitbow]

the only gripe is that fan cable just hovering over the gpu, only if there was a pci-e fan controller just to make the case look clean, albeit it would be an aesthetic change and not a necessary one.

 

[El Tigre]

the only gripe is that fan cable just hovering over the gpu, only if there was a pci-e fan controller just to make the case look clean, albeit it would be an aesthetic change and not a necessary one.

I already took care of that, I tucked it behind the mobo tray, this pic was when I first threw in the GTX 670, added 2 more fans (120mm), hence the missing rear slot covers too. I was testing the card before I really organized my wires and such.

The case already comes with it's own fan controller.