Get to the next level with the EVGA GeForce GTX 680. This card delivers truly game-changing performance that taps into the powerful new GeForce architecture to redefine smooth, seamless, lifelike gaming. It offers brand new, never before seen features that will redefine the way you think about performance graphics cards. Expect more from your graphics card that just state-of-the-art features and technology; get faster, smoother and a richer gaming experience with the EVGA GeForce GTX 680.
$ 609.99
Good card, but could be better,
I just bought three of these to replace my EVGA GTX680 Superclocked Signature 2GB cards. I found out the hard way that if you want to run a surround monitor setup, you really need to buy the version that has 4GB of DDR5. 2GB of DDR5 is not enough to fulfill the post-processed data buffer when gaming at high resolutions (i.e., 5760 x 1080 -or- 3240 x 1920). Games like Crysis 2 and BF3 are perfect examples of games that you will begin to see stutter when the VRAM buffer has been maxed out. I do play all my games at the highest settings, so that also contributes to this factor. Here are my PROs and CONs for this video card:
PROs:
1) Equipped with vapor chamber cooling (the reason why the card is 1/2″ longer than the reference card; which means a non-reference PCB – and a non-standard waterblock if you want to liquid cool them later)
2) 8-phase PWMs for more stable overclocking
3) EVGA 3-year factory warranty stays with the card, regardless of who you sell it to! This is great for guys like me that sell their ‘old’ PC hardware and upgrade to the new hardware every 18 months 😉
4) EVGA Customer service is awesome – literally, second to none in the service they provide!
CONs:
1) Cost premium for vapor cooling and an extra 2GB of memory is tough for some folks to pay
2) Backend of the card where the fan is located is not canted like on previous generation NVidia cards, this prevents efficient airflow into the fan intake
3) There are other alternative solutions by other companies such as Galaxy and Asus that have superior cooling solutions, higher factory overclocks for $60 less! O.o
4) All of EVGA’s GTX680 series cards (including the Superclocked Signature 2 version with two fans) show that EVGA engineers continue to use an outdated cooling design. This proves that EVGA is NOT adapting to the times – other companies are providing much more affordable cards with superior performance – come EVGGA engineers, you can do better than this!! Show them what America can do!
Bottomline, this is a very good card. Cost is a bit high, and better deals can be found. The one caveat is that EVGA does provide outstanding customer service. Whether or not this is worth the extra premium you will pay for EVGA products is up to you. If I had to do it again, I would have bought three EVGA Classified GTX680s since they only cost $30-40 more for each card. Oh well 🙁
So whatever you decide, you can NOT go wrong with upgrading to one or more GTX680s. NVidia has outdone themselves this time around. The only real thing to complain about is the cost. But, that’s the price you pay for being a PC gamer!
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|WOW!! This card is perfect!,
Upgraded from SLI 1GB 460GTX’s (Fermi) Sonic model by Palit. While I loved the performance from the dual 460’s. The 680 is just destroying everything I throw at it. Metro2033, Day Z, Tera, Tribes Ascend are all being played maxed out at 1920 x 1080. EVGA also gives this a three year warranty with purchase and provides a DVI to VGA converter if you need it. Overall the cards quiet. I can’t hear it and it works perfectly. Installation was easy. Remove old cards. Plug in new card. Boot. Load Drivers. Reboot. Done.
Highly Recommend!
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