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.
$ 490.00
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Fastest single GPU card in the universe! (for now..),
Hello there,
I’m sure as you read this review there may have been tears shed, hair pulled out, foreheads banged against hard surfaces, screams and curses uttered, more tears, frustration, and exhaustion only to realize that you’re still contemplating between the GTX 680 and the infamous 7970.
Being an owner of a XFX Dual Dissipation Black Edition 7970 Factory OCed to 1000M (currently the fastest 7970), I was skeptical of purchasing a GTX 680 due to numerous rumors that claim they have similar performances. Being a compulsive shopper I bought it. I ran many tests and here’s what I found:
After comparing benchmarks with both cards on 3DMark and Heaven, the GTX 680 and 7970 traded blows with each other. Keep in my mind that my 7970 is faster than the reference 7970s. In games such as Battlefield 3, the GTX 680 performed faster by 5-12{b81fbfd19e1fca5890798868c0714c408bbd5ec471654b6f9630c0fffa6e7eb3} in terms of FPS on 2560×1440 resolution with Maxed Ultra settings 0xAA. If you have a monitor with 1920×1080 or 1680×1080, you’ll see a 20-35{b81fbfd19e1fca5890798868c0714c408bbd5ec471654b6f9630c0fffa6e7eb3} gain in performance on Maxed Ultra settings 0xAA (as proven by popular websites such as hardcanuck, overclock.net etc). I was afraid the 680’s 2GB VRAM was insufficient to render so many pixels on a 2560×1440 (just like how many GTX 580 1.5GB users experienced on this resolution which is why they released a 3GB version), but to my surprise it did a fine job and still gained lead over the 7970 by 5-10{b81fbfd19e1fca5890798868c0714c408bbd5ec471654b6f9630c0fffa6e7eb3}. I won’t go into too much details since there are TONS of respected websites that do, but I hope this preview from a consumer, like yourself, gives you a good idea of how the GTX 680 performs.
Having read through so many GTX 680 reviews, it all comes down to asking who is the real winner here? On a clock to clock basis, they trade blows with each other. It baffles me to see so many review websites deeming the GTX 680 as the ultimate champion yet the 7970 doesn’t seem to fall behind too much. With the potential OCing room of the 7970s, an overclocked 7970 (1200+ core clocked) had the same scores as GTX 680 on some benchmarks though not all. On the other hand, an OCed 680 definitely will be faster than the 7970. With this in mind, there’s no clear champion. However, the Kepler GK110 scheduled for release in Q4 is rumored to dominate both of these cards hands down. Then again rumors are rumors but to my surprise many of the rumors regarding the GTX 680 weeks ahead of launch date were actually on par.
So what’s my point? If you have a 7970, you should definitely hold off on the GTX 680 and wait for Kepler GK110 as you won’t find a huge performance gain. Catalyst 12.3 driver is rumored to boost some performance for the 7970 (as we all know drivers have always been a limiting factory for AMD). If you don’t have a 7970, then definitely upgrade to this card–you won’t regret it. Though if AMD brightens up and lowers the 7970s to mid to low $400s, then go for the 7970 and wait for Kepler 110.
On a side note, we all know that the GTX 680 is a popular card and is sold out in almost every retail stores (I had to wake up at 6am on launch date to order mine from Amazon. It only took ~10 minutes to sell out), but please please please avoid buying from third party sellers who have exploited this new technology by buying mass quantities and selling it at ridiculously high prices. This prevents many hungry users from getting the card on time. For example, I’ve seen a few sellers on Amazon marketplace who have already sold a few GTX 680s for $635 as well as eBay for $650 while the MSRP is $500! I called Amazon as of 3/23/12 to inquire when the next batch will arrive so I can SLI my GTX 680 and they said next week! Be patient and have faith in Amazon. NVIDIA anticipated to sell out quick on this item and every retail wants to cease on this moment, so be patient and have faith in Amazon as every store is fighting to restock asap.
I tried to write this review in the most unbiased way. But the truth is…. (drum roll) I am an Nvidia fan boy. I’ve bought Nvidia cards all my life because I’ve read horrid stories of AMD drivers. I purchased the 7970 because it was the fastest card available with great architecture a few months ago and I felt Nvidia really lagged behind the competition race :thumbs up to AMD:. Generally AMD drivers aren’t that great. They often screw up crossfire support for many newly released games, however, its important to note that AMD’s new drivers give more performance enhancements to higher end cards than lower end. I’ve had a few crashes on my 7970 only to have XFX technical support advise me to use an older driver 12.1 for stability. While AMD is moving backwards on drivers (lol literally), NVIDIA is moving forward. Their drivers have always been rock solid!
Bottom line is you can’t go wrong with either the 7970 or GTX 680. The GTX 680 has been proven to be FASTER, but not by much depending on your settings. Chasing technology is like a bottom less…
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|I love It but there will always be something better,
I play on a 1080p non 120 Hz screen and this is overkill for it…but it looks fantastic. I feel no need to overclock with this card on a small screen but some will. Hey if you can afford it, get it. If you want to wait, wait. Do not over pay. There will always be something better. For upgrade nuts, you know that a classified edition will come, so do what is right for you. As for me, I love it. For people who do not want to spend grab an older card for most will still perform well.
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|Single EVGA GTX 680 upgrade from ASUS HD 5850 Direct CU,
Just got this card in the mail last night. I had my HD 5850 Overclocked to 900Mhz and i still could only play BF3 at medium to low settings with a average of 20-40FPS. This card right out of the box held 60+ FPS on Ultra settings with 4x MSAA at 1080p on my 42″ 120hrz HDTV ( my monitor ). I overclocked it to 1.3Ghz in less than 20Minutes with no previous know how of precision X. memory at 3.5Ghz as well. You must set a custom fan profile if you want the card to stay under 70c ( which it must or the card will throttle its self and you will loose your GPU boost preset ). mine average 65-68c with 85{b81fbfd19e1fca5890798868c0714c408bbd5ec471654b6f9630c0fffa6e7eb3} fan. It blow hot air out the back like a space heater but its a cool running card compared to gtx 580/590 ect. its a bit loud compared to my system that runs nearly silent. my rigs a HALF 922 with Intel i2600k at 5Ghz. with overclock i get 85-130FPS in BF3. Amazing card. I had ordered a ASUS 7970 Direct CU II TOP previously that was DOA! This was before the GTX 680 was released. Im glad that card was DOA actually because this card is amazing. I also can honestly say the drivers for this card are next to non. I know every one says that AMD drivers are not that great but im here to personally say that they are far inferior compared to Nvidia… sad because i love AMD and just upgraded from a CRosshair Formula 4/ Phenom x6 1090t thats now sitting on my shelf along with my AMD video card. Im off track but my old rig was good BUTTT my new rigs smokes my old one hands down and was worth the $ and then some. Great card and i recomend it to any one who has that CASH. I was thinking i might have to SLI this card with another GTX 680 but this card OVERCLOCKS so well i wont have to in the near or far future. Without a overclock it still tears wholes through ULTRA setting on all games. CHEERS AND LET THE HEAD SHOTS BEGIN!
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