GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB SLI or GeForce GTX 680 2GB

[jeremymh]

I am finishing up a new pc gaming build and I am debating between 2 different video cards.

I have never ran SLI before but considering it after all the documentation I have read on the GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB.

I am wondering are these 2 cards in SLI outperform and work better than a single GeForce GTX 680 2GB? How would the GeForce GTX 680 2GB in SLI mode compare to the GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB in SLI mode?

My last video card was SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 5970 single card. What direction would you recommend going? What is going to be the best in the long run?

Thanks in advance!

 

[imomun]

My suggestion grab a GTX 670 for now and SLI it later when price is down

 

[jeremymh]

I find this surprising after the reviews I read on Tomshardware amongst other places stating the 2 of the GTX 660Ti beat the GTX680 by a huge margin. The card I was looking at is.....http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127696

So you would recommend not purchasing this card and getting a GTX670? Would the Radeon HD7950 be better?

 

[deathengine]

+1 for 670's in SLI.

More cost effective then 2 680's, (even though i went for 2 680's myself)

 

[jeremymh]

Is the 680's that much better than the 670's? Are you running SLI of the 2 680's?

I am trying to get the best card for the best price that will last me a good while if that means me only buying 1 GTX680 then so be it and I can buy another a few weeks down the road or something. Input and feedback appreciated.

 

[i8myhippo]

The problem with getting 2 cards to start is that when those cards can no longer keep up, you have to scrap them completely. If you buy a 680, which is of comparable performance, you can add another when the performance isn't quite up to your standards!

 

[Fokissed]

I went with a GTX 680 4GB and I have no regrets. I can upgrade to SLI if needed, and 4GB of VRAM would be needed for resolutions over 1920x1200.

 

[jeremymh]

So if you were me you would go the direction of getting 2 of the GTX680's and run them in SLI mode or would you go the route or purchasing 2 of the GTX670's? Is the Radeon models better in performance and would they be as good or should I stick with Nvidia?

 

[jeremymh]

I went with a GTX 680 4GB and I have no regrets. I can upgrade to SLI if needed, and 4GB of VRAM would be needed for resolutions over 1920x1200.

How much is that card? Isnt it like $1000?

 

[Murissokah]

The problem with getting 2 cards to start is that when those cards can no longer keep up, you have to scrap them completely. If you buy a 680, which is of comparable performance, you can add another when the performance isn't quite up to your standards!

The difference in performance between the 670 and the 680 is far from enough to justify the price difference.

Having tried multi-card setups in the past, I will always favour single card solutions. They just plain work. Consistently. SLI/Crossfire is a constant battle to get working. Most of the time there will be limitations on what works well with multiple cards.

My personal experience was that it was better to leave Crossfire off unless I was going to run one of a few certain games where it made a good difference in performance and I could get it working well.

 

[Murissokah]

I went with a GTX 680 4GB and I have no regrets. I can upgrade to SLI if needed, and 4GB of VRAM would be needed for resolutions over 1920x1200.

How much is that card? Isnt it like $1000?

No, no, that would be the Titan or the 690. The GTX 680 4GB costs around 600 bucks.

 

[jeremymh]

So your answer is to simply get a GTX680 4gb and go with a single card setup and disregard the GTX670, GTX660 Ti, and the Radeon HD7970 or the Radeon HD7950?

 

[Murissokah]

So your answer is to simply get a GTX680 4gb and go with a single card setup and disregard the GTX670, GTX660 Ti, and the Radeon HD7970 or the Radeon HD7950?

I got a 680 (2GB) myself and am quite content. If I was buying today, I'd go for 4GB, though. The 670 4GB should be given a thought too, the difference is really small. Here is a comparison between the 680 and 670:

http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/2012-vga-gpgpu/compare,2977.html?prod%5B5483%5D=on&prod%5B5634%5D=on

My advice is purchasing the single best card you can afford. If the extra 100 bucks on the 680 would be harsh on your bank account, the 670 will do just fine. If you have no preference on manufacturer, consider the 7970 Ghz too, it is a great card and might be cheaper.

Also, if you ever decide to try multi-card for the lulz, go SLI. There are reviews showing that the FPS measurament does not tell the whole story on SLI/Crossfire, and Crossfire is specially troublesome.

 

[jeremymh]

This is the card I was looking at to purchase after reading everyone's feedback and comments. How do you think it will stack up? I may go with a single card for now and purchase another for SLI in few months.

Thoughts?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125448

 

[imomun]

Why not simply just buy the 670 FTW cost less than 680 but out of the box GTX 680 Performance. Also built on full size GTX 680 PCB. Im using one, I see a 1150MHz boost clock when gaming without doing any manual overclock. See my Graph above the 1st post. GTX 670 & 680 difference is very minor few frames anyways. Heres an review. http://hexus.net/tech/reviews/graphics/40613-evga-geforce-gtx-670-ftw/

Another important aspect is when your doing SLI the FTW would be better as most of its heat gets dump outside the case due to its external blower design unlike the gigabyte card. When your AIM is to SLI remember HEAT x 2 and Wattage x2 aswell So you don't want all those heat getting dumped inside your case do you?

 

[Murissokah]

This is the card I was looking at to purchase after reading everyone's feedback and comments. How do you think it will stack up? I may go with a single card for now and purchase another for SLI in few months.

Thoughts?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125448

That is a good card, would certainly do. As Imomun said, the 670 FTW is also a good choice. It's really up to you. If you value the warm fuzzy feeling of having the top single-GPU card of the family (not considering Titan, obviously, which is another thing entirely), go 680. The 670 FTW is a good 90 bucks cheaper, and has similar performance. It does have produce a bit more noise and heat, though, but maybe not enough to be an issue. Either way you will be well served.