Should I keep this card instead of upgrading?

[dark1349throne]

Hello guys and gals. I am writing in regards to a gaming PC I just built. I am wondering if I should upgrade to the EVGA GeForce GTX 680 Classified 4gb or if I should keep my EVGA GeForce GTX 670 FTW 2gb and run SLI? I was pretty bummed to see I won't be able to run Crysis 3 on the highest settings. Any input would be nice as long as it is constructive and not judgmental or sarcastic. Thank you!

OS: Win 7 64bit Pro Service Pack 1
MoBo: Asus Sabertooth Z77
CPU: Intel i7-3770k
RAM: Corsair DOMINATOR Platinum Series 32 GB (CMD16GX3M2A1866C9)
GPU: 2GB Nvidia GeForce GTX 670 FTW
LCU: Corsair H80
PSU: Rosewill Bronze 1000W

 

[ASHISH65]

Keep that card.if you upgrade to 680 then it is just 5%performance boost.crysis3 is really demandind games.if you want to touch 60fps with maxout then you need to sli or crossfire

 

[dark1349throne]

So, would running SLI be as powerful as the EVGA GeForce GTX 680 Classified 4gb or more so? I had a SLI configuration when I first built this PC but hit a bump in the road and had to sell one of the cards. After getting some money back, I am in the position to run SLI again or upgrade. I fully understand a 5% difference is not worth it but would running SLI blow an EVGA GeForce GTX 680 Classified 4gb out of the water or would it be identical since I would be running 4gb of VRAM just like the GTX 680?

I hope I am making sense here...

 

[geofelt]

So, would running SLI be as powerful as the EVGA GeForce GTX 680 Classified 4gb or more so? I had a SLI configuration when I first built this PC but hit a bump in the road and had to sell one of the cards. After getting some money back, I am in the position to run SLI again or upgrade. I fully understand a 5% difference is not worth it but would running SLI blow an EVGA GeForce GTX 680 Classified 4gb out of the water or would it be identical since I would be running 4gb of VRAM just like the GTX 680?

I hope I am making sense here...

I suggest you wait until you try Crysis 3 and see if your results are lacking.

1. A 5-10% boost is not likely to make much difference.

2. Who knows how well Crysis 3 will play with sli.

3. 4gb Vram is not a factor in performance with one monitor, and a minor difference in triple monitors.
Read this: http://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/articles/Video-Card-Performance-2GB-vs-4GB-Memory-154
And... the vram in each gpu is not additive. In effect,2gb cards or a GTX690 is still using 2gb vram. It would take 4gb cards to use 4fv.

4. My advice is to hold on a bit, and look for the upcoming GTX7xx or amd 8xxx series updates due out this spring.

 

[neon neophyte]

ha, definitely dont buy a 680. 670 is only slightly slower and actually overclocks better than a 680. when you take overclocking into account a 670 is almost dead even with a 680.

the performance boost on running 2x670 sli will be huge though. definitely buy another 670 over a 680.

 

[dark1349throne]

I suggest you wait until you try Crysis 3 and see if your results are lacking.

1. A 5-10% boost is not likely to make much difference.

2. Who knows how well Crysis 3 will play with sli.

3. 4gb Vram is not a factor in performance with one monitor, and a minor difference in triple monitors.
Read this: http://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/articles/Video-Card-Performance-2GB-vs-4GB-Memory-154
And... the vram in each gpu is not additive. In effect,2gb cards or a GTX690 is still using 2gb vram. It would take 4gb cards to use 4fv.

4. My advice is to hold on a bit, and look for the upcoming GTX7xx or amd 8xxx series updates due out this spring.

I like the idea of the new series coming out but I don't want to wait. ) As far as how well Crysis 3 will run in SLI is up in the air, you're right. However, I feel @Neon Neophite as far as the overclocking goes. My current GPU overclocks nicely even though at factory speeds I can still run anything on ultra. As I said though, Crysis is my only concern as everything else in this years current lineup can be played on my system as it is. The rest of the information you posted is helpful too and I thank you for your time.

 

[dark1349throne]

Best answer selected by dark1349throne.

 

[neon neophyte]

crysis will support sli. hell, everything does now. i think peoples concerns about games not supporting crossfire and sli are just lingering from past experience. they both have very high compatibility now.

even if a game doesnt have it at launch you can be sure it will take next to no time for it to be implimented.

gpu manufacturers want to sell cards afterall.

 

[dark1349throne]

ha, definitely dont buy a 680. 670 is only slightly slower and actually overclocks better than a 680. when you take overclocking into account a 670 is almost dead even with a 680.

the performance boost on running 2x670 sli will be huge though. definitely buy another 670 over a 680.

I am going to choose your answer as the best. I remember when I was running SLI, I was playing Max Payne 3 on the highest setting and it looked amazing. To be honest, I'm not sure how well it would look/run since I uninstalled it after beating it. I feel that not only another GTX 670 FTW would be cheaper, but I am already comfortable with the one I have. Plus, as you and @Geofelt stated, it is pretty much identical. With a good SLI overclock it should handle Crysis 3 quite nicely with a patch if it is crappy at launch. Since they are making it mandatory you have a DX11 card, I would hope and am assuming they would take the time to test it in SLI configuration before launch. With that being said, I am selecting your answer as the best. Thank you too for your time!