Solved New GTX 670 Upgrade

[JackALope52x]

Hi all,

I currently have a Radeon 1GB 6870 HD that just isn't doing it for me anymore, so I have finally decided to upgrade my graphics card. I have decided to go with the GTX 670 because it fits in my price range of about $350 -$450. My question is, which one should I get? I would prefer to stick with more of the "name brand" companies (Asus, EVGA, MSI), but even between them there are too many to choose.

Any recommendations are welcomed even if it is for a different card, but I would prefer to stay with Nvidia. Also price isn't a big issue but I just don't want to spend a lot of money on a card I really won't use or need.

Thanks in advance for all the help,
-JackALope

 

[Dude]

Those are all good brands, I would go with the one you catch on sale.

 

[JackALope52x]

Hey Dude, thanks for the quick reply. I am sorry if my question was confusing but I meant more specifically as in what card I should buy within those brands. Because each one of those brands has 3-4 versions of the card.

For example two EVGA cards:
EVGA 02G-P4-2676-KR GeForce GTX 670 FTW LE 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card - Newegg.com
EVGA 02G-P4-2670-KR GeForce GTX 670 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card - Newegg.com

Both are 2GB cards, one just has a faster core and boost clock than the other. I understand there are slight differences between all the cards but what is recommended? Has anyone had any experience with any of these cards specifically? Sorry if I am asking the wrong questions here but I just need help picking the specific card. Thanks again!

 

[Dude]

No worries, I don't have an 670, I'm running a 660. Use this link to compare them:

Video Card Comparison - GPUReview.com

There are people on here with 670's, they will probably chime in when they are on.

 

[essenbe]

I've had/have 2 670's. I had the EVGA 670 2GB model and now have the EVGA 670 SC 4GB model. Both have done exceptionally well for me. EVGA is the way to go. They have excellent customer support and a great forum that can answer any question you may have. If I buy another one, it will be the SC 4Gb model. Not because it is factory overclocked, you can do that yourself if you are so inclined, but for the extra memory. 2Gb is usually enough for todays games, but in the near future, I think more may be required.

 

[JackALope52x]

Awesome. Thanks for the link Dude, I will take a look at it.

Hey essenbe, I was looking at the EVGA 670 SC 4GB too. I was leaning more towards a 4GB card over a 2GB card as well. I was thinking about the Asus 670 4GB because it has two fans and stays really cool. I read that the EVGA runs a little hotter than it should. What are the temps that your card is running at?

 

[essenbe]

I have heard that too. I don't know where it came from, because it is not true. Besides, the reference design moves all the hot air out the back of the card (out of the case). Most non reference designs empty at least most of it inside the case. I use EVGA's precision X and set a fairly aggressive fan profile. The cards are pretty quiet until the fan hits about 60-70%, and they are not bad at that speed. The hottest my card has ever been was 62C, and that was while running Ungine Heaven on extreme settings. During gaming I usually run between 52-56. I normally idle 28-33C.

 

[JackALope52x]

I have heard that too. I don't know where it came from, because it is not true. Besides, the reference design moves all the hot air out the back of the card (out of the case). Most non reference designs empty at least most of it inside the case. I use EVGA's precision X and set a fairly aggressive fan profile. The cards are pretty quiet until the fan hits about 60-70%, and they are not bad at that speed. The hottest my card has ever been was 62C, and that was while running Ungine Heaven on extreme settings. During gaming I usually run between 52-56. I normally idle 28-33C.

That's really good to know. I was leaning more towards the Asus because I figured it would run a lot cooler but since the EVGA runs cool as well it might be worth it because how much cheaper it is than the Asus. Thanks for the info.

 

[essenbe]

No problem. All I know is I've had 2 and neither one ran hot. Just be sure and set a custom fan profile, no matter which card you get.

 

[Dude]

No problem. All I know is I've had 2 and neither one ran hot. Just be sure and set a custom fan profile, no matter which card you get.

excellent advice essenbe, I just set one up for mine

 

[JackALope52x]

No problem. All I know is I've had 2 and neither one ran hot. Just be sure and set a custom fan profile, no matter which card you get.

Um I am sorry if this a dumb question but a custom fan profile? Would this be done through a Windows program or through the software that come with the card?

 

[linnemeyerhere]

Software through Nvidia just like Catalyst via AMD.

 

[Dude]

I might be wrong but I think you need to use MSI Afterburner, EVGA Precision, Zotac Firestorm etc.. to set a custom profile. I think the nvidia control panel just lets you set it at a constant speed.

 

[JackALope52x]

Oh okay that makes sense. Thanks mate!

 

[linnemeyerhere]

That's it, I've used MSI Afterburner and it's fairly comprehensive.

 

[JackALope52x]

I might be wrong but I think you need to use MSI Afterburner, EVGA Precision, Zotac Firestorm etc.. to set a custom profile. I think the nvidia control panel just lets you set it at a constant speed.

Oh I see. I have friends that use MSI Afterburner but I never realized you could use it to control the GPU fan speed. Are there other programs out there or is MSI Afterburner just the main "go to" program for this.

 

[Dude]

I might be wrong but I think you need to use MSI Afterburner, EVGA Precision, Zotac Firestorm etc.. to set a custom profile. I think the nvidia control panel just lets you set it at a constant speed.

Oh I see. I have friends that use MSI Afterburner but I never realized you could use it to control the GPU fan speed. Are there other programs out there or is MSI Afterburner just the main "go to" program for this.

MSI Afterburner http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/msi_afterburner_review.html

EVGA Precision
http://www.evga.com/precision/

They all work with most GPU's

 

[JackALope52x]

I might be wrong but I think you need to use MSI Afterburner, EVGA Precision, Zotac Firestorm etc.. to set a custom profile. I think the nvidia control panel just lets you set it at a constant speed.

Oh I see. I have friends that use MSI Afterburner but I never realized you could use it to control the GPU fan speed. Are there other programs out there or is MSI Afterburner just the main "go to" program for this.

MSI Afterburner http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/msi_afterburner_review.html

EVGA Precision
http://www.evga.com/precision/

They all work with most GPU's

Ah awesome. I'll try them both out and see which one I like. Thanks.

 

[essenbe]

They are both basically the same with a different interface.

 

[JackALope52x]

They are both basically the same with a different interface.

Haha of course they are.