Geforce GTX 670 and 660 non-SLI, Same MoBo

[Sulley1]

So I have a Geforce GTX 660 currently on my ASUS P8Z77-V LX Motherboard. I'm wanting to upgrade for Battlefield 4, but don't want to break the bank. I was thinking of buying this 670:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0081IFO2C/ref=gno_cart_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Would it be a good idea to use this as my main card and use the 660 as a physx card? Is this a terrible idea? I would like to go SLI with the 660 and buy another, but my motherboard doesn't support it.

Should I go with another card entirely that has 3GB as the new BF4 specs recommend?

Thanks!

 

[eatmypie]

how about http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127732 I hate amd stuff but still is a sick card for the money

 

[loosescrews]

Not too many games support hardware accelerated PhysX. You would be better off selling your 660 and using the money towards a better card.

 

[Live Wyre]

If I'm not wrong, the BF series favors AMD cards to Nvidia cards. This card will handle BF4 just fine.
http://www.amazon.com/Sapphire-DL-DVI-I-SL-DVI-D-PCI-Express-11196-09-40G/dp/B009MML1UA/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1379129712&sr=1-2&keywords=radeon+7950
It costs just as much as the 670 and performs better with 3GB VRAM, a must have for upcoming games if you want all the textures.

If you can afford to spend $20~ more, get this flagship card.
http://www.amazon.com/Sapphire-DL-DVI-I-SL-DVI-D-PCI-Express-11197-03-40G/dp/B009B6Y01Y/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1379129972&sr=8-4&keywords=7970+ghz

 

[Sulley1]

I've actually heard and read that Nvidia cards are better for Battlefield. I've also seen that Nvidia cards perform better in gaming settings than AMD cards. So I'm leaning toward Nvidia right now.

Those are high quality cards, but I really like Nvidia. I can also get a promo card for Batman: Arkham Origins, which I'm gonna get anyway (with most 600/700 series cards and a $50 value). Will the 670 be able to handle Battlefield 4 on High or Ultra with just 2 Gb? The one I have linked also has a $30 rebate.

What I'm getting at is, is this a good card for around $200 with all the deals I'm getting?

 

[Live Wyre]

The 670 could keep up with BF3, but with newer AAA titles like BF4, you may need more than just 2GB VRAM. Maybe 760 4GB for you? It will handle newer games fine and gives you the option to SLi in the future

 

[Sulley1]

Just looking around on this topic and came across this: (the best solution answer)

http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-1715978/evga-760-acx-2gb-evga-760-acx-4gb.html

So do you think that if I got the 760 I would only utilize 2 Gb before I hit the gpu power limit? If so it would only make sense for getting the 670. I just don't want to buy a card and have it be out of date within a short amount of time and don't want to spend a bunch of money.

If they only made a 3gb model of the 670.. the 4 gb model is over $400 so that's out of the question.

 

[Live Wyre]

Hmmm... I guess that thread makes sense. Looks like there are posts that also suggest this.

Why do you like Nvidia? If it's for accelerated PhsyX, you can use your 660 as a dedicated PhsyX card and get an AMD card. But in the end it's preference.

Just know that anything 2GB and below will not let you completely max everything on newer games. (Everything=Crazy MSAA and Textures, maybe with mods like in Skyrim)
http://www.overclock.net/t/1388354/2gb-vram-not-enough-anymore-agree-or-disagree/320

 

[Mousemonkey]

Hmmm... I guess that thread makes sense. Looks like there are posts that also suggest this.

Why do you like Nvidia? If it's for accelerated PhsyX, you can use your 660 as a dedicated PhsyX card and get an AMD card. But in the end it's preference.

Just know that anything 2GB and below will not let you completely max everything on newer games. (Everything=Crazy MSAA and Textures, maybe with mods like in Skyrim)
http://www.overclock.net/t/1388354/2gb-vram-not-enough-anymore-agree-or-disagree/320

I guess you don't know that PhysX switches off if there is an AMD card in the system and the third party drivers that the OP would need haven't been updated in quite some time so that setup wouldn't work on newer games anyway.

 

[Live Wyre]

Hmmm... I guess that thread makes sense. Looks like there are posts that also suggest this.

Why do you like Nvidia? If it's for accelerated PhsyX, you can use your 660 as a dedicated PhsyX card and get an AMD card. But in the end it's preference.

Just know that anything 2GB and below will not let you completely max everything on newer games. (Everything=Crazy MSAA and Textures, maybe with mods like in Skyrim)
http://www.overclock.net/t/1388354/2gb-vram-not-enough-anymore-agree-or-disagree/320

I guess you don't know that PhysX switches off if there is an AMD card in the system and the third party drivers that the OP would need haven't been updated in quite some time so that setup wouldn't work on newer games anyway.

Oh, I didn't know that. Thanks for the info Mousemonkey. But AMD also support PhsyX but only Nvidia supports advanced PhsyX, so if he had gotten an AMD card with the 660 as a dedicated PhsyX card, will the normal PhsyX get turned off?

 

[Mousemonkey]

AMD does not support PhysX™ as that is owned by Nvidia. Other physic's engines run on the CPU.

 

[Sulley1]

Cool. So if I get a 670 2 or 4 gb will it last for a year or two of new games, if I don't go crazy with the MSAA and such? Or would a 760 be better? Both are near the same price.

 

[Mousemonkey]

I would go for the 670 over the 760, cores over clockspeed.

 

[Sulley1]

Looks like I'm going with an ASUS 670 either 2 or 4 Gb depending on if I can sell my current card.

Thanks all!