EVGA GTX 680 4GB vs GTX 690 for my system

[derstig]

Guys,

I'm building a new system, it will have i7 3930k CPU, 32 GB of RAM (8 x 4), a fast SSD, and I will use this on 2560 x 1600 30" monitor (only 1 monitor so far, but I might add 2 small ones on each side in the future). My main usage for this computer in games will be FSX, then BF3. I also do some video and picture editing, not at a professional level though, just as a hobby.

I'm a bit confused about which of these cards to get. 690 apparently is actually 2 GB of RAM each PCB, so it looks like its less RAM. It also does not have HDMI out (I will be connecting my PC to my TV for the times I need to use it for HTPC).

Money is not an issue, I just don't believe the more expensive is the better for my case, sounds like 680 is better because of having 4GB of vRAM which is important for 30" displays.

 

[Rockdpm]

I'm quite confused now. Can someone please explain to me in layman's terms as to why in SLI mode half of vRAM is wasted? Or is it wasted? So why is GTX 690 advertised as 4 GB instead of 2 GB? And when I have 2 x 680s of 4 GB each, I'm effectively only able to use 4 GB of vRAM? This is crazy.

I still haven't made up my mind about what display to use. I really really want a 30" monitor badly though. I have been using my 27" monitor @ 1920 x 1200 for so many years now, I need a higher resolution. I know how good 2560 x 1600 looks, and I have always wanted one. Maybe I'll just use 1 monitor and never expand it or maybe I'll get one of those 1600 x 1200 and use them vertically and have 4950 x 1600 setup.

I also don't understand the comments about a better SLI board requirement to be able to effectively have 680s in SLI. What does that mean?

Your getting a 3930K, EVERY 2011 board supports ATLEAST 2 way SLI so ignore the comments about your motherboard... and what the deal is with Vram and SLI is it Doesn't stack. What i mean by that is you can't take a single monitor and plug it into one card and get 4Gb of vram if both cards are 2GB. just like you can't take a 690 and plug it up to a single monitor and get 4Gb of vram because the chips on board the 690 are in SLI.

Now if you had two 680's 2Gb or 4Gb's the monitor that is plugged up to card 1 would get a 2Gb or 4Gb of memory that goes to that monitor. and the 2nd monitor plugged up to the 2nd card below it would get the vram from the 2nd card in SLI. but vram doesn't "thread" i guess is a easy way to put it through the process of SLI. Why do they advertise the 690 to have 4Gb of vram? well gee idk i guess to make it sound ultra so more people will dump a grand on a graphics card.. But back to what i was saying if you had a 3rd monitor plugged into either one of the 2 cards in SLI.. then one of the cards would have to share its vram between the two monitors.. So you can either get 2 680's 4Gb's. or get 2 670 4Gb's (FTW) and get a 3rd later on down the road..

If your only going to run one monitor right now, then a GTX 670 or GTX 670 will be fine. But if your going to get more monitors not now but latter then get a 4Gb just in case.. And PS: all cards have a HDMI out on them including the 7970. Also don't get a 4Gb card and a 2Gb card because they will not SLI properly.. Idc what people say about coolbits its the worst POS software i heard of trying to pair different cards together..

 

[bawchicawawa]

Go with crossfire 7970s.
http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/powercolor_devil_13/7.htm

 

[Rockdpm]

Honestly i can't say I would wan't 7970's in Xfire nor a 7990 devil 13. Why? because I don't like Radeon Drivers. I used radeon twice and the first time was back when it was ATI and not AMD, the second time I had a Radeon and the drivers were annoying and confusing to install..

 

[babernet_1]

Go with crossfire 7970s.
http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/powercolor_devil_13/7.htm

So glad you REPEATED this link. Keep in mind that the new 4GB 680's will fare much better in the hi rez arena than the link's 2GB 680's. Note also that 680's draw considerably less power than 7970's. And that different games will favor different cards.

 

[derstig]

so the 7970 is better than GTX 680?

 

[Rockdpm]

so the 7970 is better than GTX 680?

Only in a AMD fan boys eyes yes.. I mean we can sit here and say the 7970 GHZ edition Super ultimate ultra clocked beats the 680 all day every day But not one of those people will say the 680 Overclocks beat shte 7970 GHZ's... So for multi monitors yes the 7970 does better with single card But.. if your going to do SLi later on with multiple monitors then the 670/680 4Gb is way to go. if your going to do 1 screen then it turns into personal preference but frame for frame at stock the 680 wins

 

[dyc4ha]

My 2c:

The drivers for AMD have been significantly improved over the past year, and installing drivers is definitely as easy as clicking 'next' and 'finish'. I wouldn't rule out the 7990 because of that.

Multi-monitor setups would benefit from MORE vram. Period. So definitely consider builds with more than 3GB effective vram (Dual setup or single card).

If you are a person who is running multi 30" monitor with beasts of a GPU, I doubt an extra $20 on your electricity bill over a year will make a difference for you 😉

Really, it comes down to either CFX 7970/7990/680 4GB/SLI 680 4GB.

As others have said before, the 690 4GB is 2+2GB, meaning only effective 2GB vram.

Cheers

 

[Kkkk1]

Go with crossfire 7970s.
http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/powercolor_devil_13/7.htm

Amen to that. Everyone knows Xfire is much better than the NVIDIA version. If it was my choice I'd Xfire 2 7970's and lets face it it is plenty enough power, OK the SLi 680 is a bit more powerful but at the end of the day is 60fps OK for you or can you tell the difference if you got 70fps I'd definitely go for 7970 xfire.
Sorry just my opinion.

 

[spookyman]

Then add in what happens if your GTX 690 breaks?


But honestly I have both a EVGA GTX 680 FTW SLI set up and a Sapphire Radeon 7970 GHZ crossfire set up.


They both perform similarly to each other. Depends on the games you play and what you want to do with the cards.

 

[ricardois]

Thanks for your post. I will use HDMI only to connect my PC to my TV, which is in another room. My main monitors at 2560 x 1600 will connect via regular DVI cables. So based on what you are saying, if I connect my TV to my 690 using HDMI to DVI converter, I can get both sound and video?

To use 2560 x1600 you will need DUAL LINK DVI cables, and not just SINGLE LINK DVI (just making sure you know that).

About the Sound:

I did tested this with a 660 ti and i know it worked, using a DVI to HDMI converted, i was getting sound on the television. but i did not tested this on my 680 or a 690, but probably yes...

 

[derstig]

To use 2560 x1600 you will need DUAL LINK DVI cables, and not just SINGLE LINK DVI (just making sure you know that).

About the Sound:

I did tested this with a 660 ti and i know it worked, using a DVI to HDMI converted, i was getting sound on the television. but i did not tested this on my 680 or a 690, but probably yes...

And it will depend on what television you have, check this answer:
http://superuser.com/questions/381290/is-there-any-dvi-to-hdmi-converter-with-audio

I actually did not know that. I will make sure I get the right cable. Thanks.

 

[tpapas_papas]

I think if I add any extra 30" panels (1 or 2), I'm better off with 2 x 680s no? My biggest concern with 690, and this might sound funny to some people, is the lack of HDMI port. I don't think the converter it comes with (DVI to HDMI) carries audio and I'm going to have to have a complex setup. I have a TV that's in another room and I have a 40 ft long HDMI cable that runs between my PC and my TV. I use my TV and XBMC all the time and it would be impossible for me to find a 40ft long audio cable and change my setup.

I also heard that these dual PCB cards sometimes get complications with certain games. With SLI, you can easily disable a card, with this, you cannot really turn it off. I also think for the same price, buying 2 GTX 680s is better. If the 690 was say $700, then yea, it would be bargain. But I can buy 2 evga 680 GTX FTW for $1,050. The GTX 690 costs the same. With today's cases and cooling solutions in the case, I don't think having 2 cards is a problem.

Also, the monitors I will buy are all 60 Hz. I don't think there is ever a 2560x1600 monitor that is 120hz that is affordable. Considering all the games will run at 60fps at that resolution, can someone explain how 690 is any better, I don't think there is a game that 680 won't be able to run at 60 fps at maxed out settings with the CPU and SSD and RAM I am buying.

Again, the money is not an issue, I just don't want to buy the wrong thing for the wrong reasons. I don't want to sound like I am justifying a 680, I am just trying to explain my situation so that everyone can better answer.

sound works by using this adapter on the miniDP-to-HDMI.
http://www.accellcables.com/products/DisplayPort/DP/mdp_hdmi.html
Just checked it