unnamednewbie13
Moderator
+2,053|6741|PNW

I'm going to throw a line out for some opinions. If you want, skip the TL;DR and state which option (in the table) you'd go with.

Here's what's going on. I built a Z68, 2500K, 16GB DDR3 rig in August last year with the idea of stepping up from a GTX 570 (note, 2.5GB) to a GTX 670 or getting a second GTX 570 sometime in 2012.

Well, it's that time and the price of the GTX 570 in question has only dropped by about $80, which isn't what I really hoped for.

I know the routine. A single GTX 670, for $100 more than a second GTX 570, will outperform the GTX 570 by roughly 30%, but two GTX 570's will surpass a single GTX 670, but at the cost of power usage, heat footprint, SLI glitchiness and the relatively insignificant 8x + 8x limitation of the Z68. Moving to the GTX 670, I doubt the move from the current 2.5GB to 2.0 GB will make a serious impact.

The GTX 680's are $100 more than the GTX 670's, don't perform much better and have the same amount of memory, so aren't an option. AMD is a remote option, but after persistent driver issues with previous cards, I'd rather avoid them, unfair or not.

Option #Card(s)ModelCostPlus
1(1x) EVGA GTX 570 2.5GB025-P3-1579-AR$0EVGA GTX 560 Ti
2(2x) EVGA GTX 570 2.5GB025-P3-1579-AR$320EVGA GTX 560 Ti
3(1x) EVGA GTX 670 FTW 2.0GB02G-P4-2678-KR$420EVGA GTX 560 Ti


Option 1 will probably hold me out for the time being. I can run the games I (currently) play on max without a hitch, so is probably the most attractive option.

Option 2 would be ideal, but for the disadvantages previously listed. Option 3, while pricey for at times limited improvement, would ensure that I wouldn't see terrible frame rates for a longer period of time.

With Option 3, I can probably sell the GTX 570 to a friend for a good $100 - $150 less than what it's selling for new, dropping the price of the GTX 670 to an ideal ~$300 (disregarding the $380 I spent on the GTX 570 in the first place).

All Options retain the 560 Ti for Physx, which is overkill, but the card has nothing better to do at the moment and outperforms the 9800 GT.
TopHat01
Limitless
+117|5874|CA
I don't see the point - a single GTX 570 maxes everything out, what more do you want/need? The only remotely system-intensive game I can think of that might require a better card is Max Payne 3, but I still would imagine the GTX 570 would run it at full settings.

Unless this is just upgrading for the sake of upgrading, why bother?

Last edited by TopHat01 (2012-05-27 01:32:25)

Beduin
Compensation of Reactive Power in the grid
+510|5720|شمال
The GTX 670 ofc.
الشعب يريد اسقاط النظام
...show me the schematic
rdx-fx
...
+955|6561
3B

grab the 670, then grab a second 670 in a few months
Jaekus
I'm the matchstick that you'll never lose
+957|5148|Sydney
Isn't this a bit of a no-brainer?

1) don't change anything

or

2) get the 670 and sell the 570. More cost effective than getting a second 570, which will continue to decrease in value.

Last edited by Jaekus (2012-05-27 02:32:24)

Jaekus
I'm the matchstick that you'll never lose
+957|5148|Sydney
But really just don't buy shit for the sake of buying shit. Wait till you actually need it. By then the price would have likely dropped and you save money.
Camm
Feeding the Cats.
+761|4938|Dundee, Scotland.
If you MUST buy something, get the 670, sell the 570 and 560ti.
for a fatty you're a serious intellectual lightweight.
unnamednewbie13
Moderator
+2,053|6741|PNW

Yeah, GTX 670 seems the thing. If the 570 was $100-$200 less, I might be harder-pressed to choose.

Jaekus wrote:

But really just don't buy shit for the sake of buying shit. Wait till you actually need it. By then the price would have likely dropped and you save money.
I don't unless it's out of the expendable part of my bank acct. For now, the 570 runs things fine as previously stated. The moment I run into a game that struggles, out goes the 570 and in goes a 670.
Jaekus
I'm the matchstick that you'll never lose
+957|5148|Sydney
Yeah that makes sense. At the moment like you said it runs everything on max without a hitch, so it seems a bit premature to upgrade now.
unnamednewbie13
Moderator
+2,053|6741|PNW

I doubt I'll save much money by waiting, but if a good 670 goes down by $50-$80 like the 570 in a year, then I'll be able to buy more pineapple pizza with what I save. Maybe I'll see how much my buddy really wants the 570. The decision may rest on his shoulders.
Finray
Hup! Dos, Tres, Cuatro
+2,629|5758|Catherine Black
pineapple pizza is really nice
https://i.imgur.com/qwWEP9F.png

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