EVGA 670 FTW 4GB vs. 7970

[datguy88]

Hello, I have been looking to finalize my first gaming build after a year of saving up, and after believing the GT670 FTW 4GB was the way to go, I stumbled across some of the 7970s at very close prices. Not to mention, they are giving away Far Cry 3, Hitman Absolution, and Sleeping Dogs which I am completely excited for.

Could anyone please tell me which they have found to be better, the 670 or the 7970, and if its the 7970, which one? Also, should Physx, drivers, and planning to SLI/CF in the future play a role in which card to get?

Thank you for any answers as I really want to get into high end gaming, so choosing a card with 3GB+ for vram is a must as I want to max out Battlefield 3 and GTA V when it (hopefully) releases on PC; also, I plan on using many graphic intensive mods like ICEnhanncer GTA IV which are heavy in the vram usage department. I will also be getting an i5 3570k if that helps.

Once again, any tips that can be given would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[dscudella]

From what I've seen with the new AMD drivers, the 7970 is closer to the GTX 680 than GTX 670 is to the 7970 in performance.

What resolution will you be gaming at?

One display or multiple?

Do you already have PSU to back up the upgrade?

 

[bigcyco1]

I will tell you right now don't buy any 7970 except this one http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202001 it's a beast!And the only 7970 i would buy it will beat the 670 when overclocked it will beat a 680 in most cases if you can not afford that 7970 i would just go with 670

 

[datguy88]

From what I've seen with the new AMD drivers, the 7970 is closer to the GTX 680 than GTX 670 is to the 7970 in performance.

What resolution will you be gaming at?

One display or multiple?

Do you already have PSU to back up the upgrade?

I'm currently gaming at 1600x900, but I plan on eventually going up to 1920x1080. Same goes for display number: Once I get a 1080 monitor, I will be using the 900 one as my second monitor for multitasking.

This is my first build, so I plan on getting a Corsair 750W PSU with 80 Gold Efficiency.

 

[lt_dan_zsu]

The normal 7970( not ghz edition) is beating the 670 in performance now and is almost at 680 level performance and the ghz edition, which I am pretty sure actually surpasses the 680, I believe it also is cheaper than the 4gb 670.

 

[bigcyco1]

I'm currently gaming at 1600x900, but I plan on eventually going up to 1920x1080. Same goes for display number: Once I get a 1080 monitor, I will be using the 900 one as my second monitor for multitasking.

This is my first build, so I plan on getting a Corsair 750W PSU with 80 Gold Efficiency.

My personal experience is that Adaptive VSync makes my gaming experience smooth as silk. I don't use it on all my games, but it is nice to know that the option is there and that it works very well when needed. HardOCP, who did a full review on adaptive vsync, was impressed with it:

http://www.hardocp.com/article/2012/04/16/nvidia_adaptive_vsync_technology_review/3 MSI's GTX 670 Power Edition uses the famous Twin Frozr IV cooler from the MSI Lightning and comes with a large clock speed boost out of the box, making its default clock speed even higher than GTX 680 stock clocks. MSI is asking $389.99 $369.99 after rebate for their card, which doesn't look unreasonable, given the improved cooling and higher clocks. Here are professional reliable reviews of the card with benchmarks: http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardware-canucks-reviews/56546-msi-gtx-670-power-edition-oc-review.html
http://www.guru3d.com/article/msi-geforce-gtx-670-power-edition-oc-review/


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Uploaded with ImageShack.us SOURCE: http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/MSI/GTX_670_Power_Edition/

http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardware-canucks-reviews/56546-msi-gtx-670-power-edition-oc-review-20.html (670 PE OC) ONLY PAY ATTENTION TO THE 670 PE BENCHMARKS NOT THE OTHERS TEST DOESN'T SHOW THE LATEST AMD DRIVERS!!!

 

[babernet_1]

2GB is plenty for a 1920X1080 monitor. 4GB is only starting to be needed with a 2560X1600 display and really is only needed with a triple monitor 5760X1080. You would need two SLI 670's to be able to move all the ram anyway.

 

[BriboCN]

Go with the 7970. A 4gb 670 is pretty much a waste. Its not just the total memory that falls behind for Nvidia are higher resolution and high AA it is also the bus size. Adding 4gb only fixes part of the problem so the difference between it and a base 670 are minor. Plus with new drivers the 7970 provides the most bang for the buck. With their holiday offer for several free games (4 I think) with purchase it isn't even close. If you like the games keep them if not sell them and recoup some of your money.

 

[unksol]

7970

 

[dscudella]

Sorry bigcyco1 but those benchmarks are with launch drivers. The Radeons have improved.

Even in games like BF3 & Batman where Nvidia once shined the 7970 pulls ahead. Crank up the AA and the margin continues to grow.

 

[dscudella]

Also take into consideration that the 7970 and 7970 Ghz Edi have the same overclock ceiling making a stock 7970 an even better buy.

 

[bigcyco1]

The correct answer is 7970GHZ this card if you want the very best single card i assure you this is it with the new driver update nothing but a 690 can beat it http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202001

 

[bigcyco1]

Sorry bigcyco1 but those benchmarks are with launch drivers. The Radeons have improved.

Even in games like BF3 & Batman where Nvidia once shined the 7970 pulls ahead. Crank up the AA and the margin continues to grow.

http://i1308.photobucket.com/albums/s605/dscudella/bf3_zps00168cb4.gif

http://i1308.photobucket.com/albums/s605/dscudella/batman_zps0a3dc063.gif

http://i1308.photobucket.com/albums/s605/dscudella/skyrim_zpsfcb28db2.gif

http://i1308.photobucket.com/albums/s605/dscudella/overall_zpsdf505f8e.gif

My benchmarks are for the 670 PE there are correct so no need to be sorry and these benchmarks don't include the non reference overclocked 670's so they really are not proving much to me

 

[dscudella]

The review and benchmarks for the 670 PE were done in June 2012. Catalyst 12.11 didn't release until October. The benchmarks I posted are updated with the new drivers.

Regardless, without stepping into the $1000 range, bigcyco1 is correct. The Vapor-X 7970 ghz edi is the best single card solution.

 

[akshayghai29785]

well just for information with new nvidia 310 drivers there is increase in performance of 6xx series GPU's so actual benchmark should be drivers vs drivers with 7970 vs gtx 670 with latest drivers

 

[datguy88]

Thanks for all the input so far. Looking at the MSi PE 670, i saw that people had issues with overvolting, and because I have heard nothing but good things from EVGA, I figured that their 670 FTW would be the best choice.

As for the 4GB model, I wanted to compare that one because I have heard that the necessary amount of vram for mods like icenhancer in GTA IV is above 2GB, so between the AMD card with 3GB and the nVidia with 4GB, I thought it was a fair comparison.

Also, is PhysX a big enough positive that it would warrant choosing the one card over another?

 

[ProVisionOman]

Thanks for all the input so far. Looking at the MSi PE 670, i saw that people had issues with overvolting, and because I have heard nothing but good things from EVGA, I figured that their 670 FTW would be the best choice.

As for the 4GB model, I wanted to compare that one because I have heard that the necessary amount of vram for mods like icenhancer in GTA IV is above 2GB, so between the AMD card with 3GB and the nVidia with 4GB, I thought it was a fair comparison.

Also, is PhysX a big enough positive that it would warrant choosing the one card over another?

Nop. PhysX can work on the CPU. Given yours is a 3570k, its ok. And also.. There is no reason to buy the 7970 if you're not gonna overclock it. Belive me DO IT. I even overclock my 5450. Its jumped from 45FPS to 60 in CoD1.

 

[Rockdpm]

I don't know what kinda BS you raden fans are smoking but us Geforce Fanboys smoke that real ish. the GTX 670 is a bang/buck/performer card.. depending on which card you get, you have a very serious game changer. the 7970 is a great card... but AMD still lacks stable drivers. Sure you can argue they boost performance over the 670 (not 680) but if your graphics driver is crapping out on you constantly how can you enjoy gaming

With the Geforce GTX 670, you can get superior gaming performance with a starting price or 369.99 on newegg, your looking at a investment to a good community, Stable drivers and a forum that puts you in direct contact with driver devs that can directly help you with driver support if you encounter a bug. NVIDIA Geforce has the best gaming community i know. They love user feedback.

So there ya have it, the NVIDIA Geforce GTX 670 is a great card. the 7970 comes with games you say? ever thought there was a marketing reason they they throw in those games? because without the games, the card won't sell.. Notice the games they include are AMD favored/sponsored.

GTX 670>7970

You decide
Game, Set, Match. Good day sir!

 

[Rockdpm]

Thanks for all the input so far. Looking at the MSi PE 670, i saw that people had issues with overvolting, and because I have heard nothing but good things from EVGA, I figured that their 670 FTW would be the best choice.

As for the 4GB model, I wanted to compare that one because I have heard that the necessary amount of vram for mods like icenhancer in GTA IV is above 2GB, so between the AMD card with 3GB and the nVidia with 4GB, I thought it was a fair comparison.

Also, is PhysX a big enough positive that it would warrant choosing the one card over another?

Get the GTX 670 FTW, don't be "dat guy", be that guy and get a good EVGA GTX 670 FTW

 

[dscudella]

Whoa, easy there Rockdpm. No one's saying anything bad about Nvidia. The 670 is a great card. Especially the EVGA 670 FTW. No one's puffing up their chest. The 7970 just happens to be better, at the moment. I haven't seen any new benchmarks with the new drivers that are supposed to boost 6xx series by 15%. If that is true, the 670 should jump ahead on benchmarks.

 

[dscudella]

Patch notes from the GeForce 310.33 Beta Driver

New in R310 Drivers:

Performance Boost – Increases performance for GeForce 400/500/600 Series GPUs in several PC games vs. GeForce 306.97 WHQL-certified drivers. Results will vary depending on your GPU and system configuration:

GeForce GTX 680:
Up to 11% in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Up to 6% in StarCraft II
Up to 6% in Batman: Arkham City
GeForce GTX 660:
Up to 6% in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Up to 3% in Batman: Arkham City
Up to 4% in Dragon Age II

Taken from Nvidia GeForce 310.33 Official Patch Notes

Edit: Those appear to be the only two models effected by the drivers.

 

[Rockdpm]

Whoa, easy there Rockdpm. No one's saying anything bad about Nvidia. The 670 is a great card. Especially the EVGA 670 FTW. No one's puffing up their chest. The 7970 just happens to be better, at the moment. I haven't seen any new benchmarks with the new drivers that are supposed to boost 6xx series by 15%. If that is true, the 670 should jump ahead on benchmarks.

Wasn't saying ANYONE was saying anything bad about NVIDIA. Just saying AMD fanboys need to lay off the 7970 is best cause drivers makes it better than 670 pickup line.

 

[datguy88]

If I am going to get a 7970, I would probably get the xfx 7970 Double Dissipation Ghz Edition as not only does it come with Sleeping Dogs, Hitman Absolution, and Far Cry 3, all of which I am beyond excited to play, but they are also packing in Dirt 3 and Two World. That's about a $250 value of games I would buy anyway. The performance on the card isn't very much factory OC'ed, but if there is still room to overclock, I might try it.

I also didn't see any real problems in newegg reviews or benchmarks, and I currently own an xfx 5570 which has served me well and has proven xfx's reliability. (Is xfx to Amd what EVGA is to nVidia?)

At the same time, nVidia has done bundles with Assassin's Creed and Borderlands 2 this year, so waiting to see EVGA's response should be interesting.

Also, I have heard that nVidia drivers are better, but I have seen benchmarks from the new AMD Drivers (12.11) that will be pushing AMD optimized games like Far Cry 3 and Medal of Honor to their best performance, and the results somewhat tower over the gtx 670 with current drivers by 10 or so fps. It has also been said that those "Never Settle" drivers offer better performance in all other games (DX9-DX11).

Looking at prices, the xfx Double D 7970 is about $435-440 after rebates and shipping, but the EVGA GTX 670 FTW 2GB (which I think may be better than the 4GB as I haven't heard any complaints from ICEnahncer users that their vram was being maxed in GTA IV, as that proved to be a problem in overly modded Skyrim) is about $350 after rebates. At the same time Amd is offering $250 worth of games while EVGA is offering none as of now.

This is about where I stand right now in the unsure department, and the pros and cons of these choices are making the final choice extremely difficult! Thanks so far though.

BTW: Has anyone used their 7970 in GTA IV or ICEnhancer and if so, how does it perform (playability, fps, etc.)? I have seen that game to be Nvidia optimized and I can't find any youtube videos that show someone using their 7970 in mod configs like the ones with 670 FTWs.

 

[RussK1]

I don't know what kinda BS you raden fans are smoking but us Geforce Fanboys...

GTX 670>7970

You decide
Game, Set, Match. Good day sir!

Yeah... sorry bud, but no it doesn't.

http://technewspedia.com/geforce-gtx-680-geforce-310-33-vs-radeon-hd-7970-catalyst-12-11-ghz-edition/

http://alienbabeltech.com/main/?p=32344&page=3

"Nvidia claims not-significant boosts to popular games"

AMD takes at a 3:4 ratio... and what's this you claim about drivers? It's not wise to parrot what was said from 2-3 years ago... in fact I have more problems with my nVidia drivers than my AMD driver's. In fact look:

HERE.

I know it hurts...

 

[datguy88]

What do you guys think of the XFX 7970 Double Dissipation Ghz Edition card? I currently own an XFX 5570, so I know they are a good company, but has anyone here used this card because according to benchmarks and newegg reviews I have read, it seems like nothing but a good thing.

Also, I have heard that nVidia drivers are better, but I have seen benchmarks from the new AMD Drivers (12.11) and the results somewhat tower over the gtx 670 with current drivers by 10 or so fps. It has also been said that those "Never Settle" drivers offer better performance in all other games (DX9-DX11).

BTW: Has anyone used their 7970 in GTA IV or ICEnhancer and if so, how does it perform (playability, fps, etc.)? I have seen that game to be Nvidia optimized and I can't find any youtube videos that show someone using their 7970 in mod configs like the ones with 670 FTWs.