680 DCUII TOP vs 680 DCUII

[Calcifer]

Hi guys, I'm buying a new graphics card and I'm wondering if the TOP version is worth 60$ more then the normal DCUII.

Will I be able to overclock the DCUII to the same level as the TOP version and does the TOP have anything else special, that seperates it from the normal version?

Thank you

 

[Jeremy1998]

Hi guys, I'm buying a new graphics card and I'm wondering if the TOP version is worth 60$ more then the normal DCUII.

Will I be able to overclock the DCUII to the same level as the TOP version and does the TOP have anything else special, that seperates it from the normal version?

Thank you

Plain and simple, the TOP will have a better chip. But you're the only one that can decide if that little boost in performance is worth the money... Do you want/need the absolute best of the best?

 

[NRG!]

No, it's not worth the extra. The overclocking is pot luck.

 

[airdeano]

ASUS isn't one to "give away the store" on price point. if the "TOP" is grade A
stock, the plain usually didn't bin high enough to make the cut for "TOP" material.
will it OC to "TOP" values, prolly not.

curious, why the 680, most other brands have the 680 as premium pricing for 15%-20%
performance improvement than the 670 version for almost $100 more. adding the $60
for "TOP" performance and you might be getting 25% better? i'm not razzing your
choice, i'm trying to understand why would one pay more for minimal performance
gains.

example: if a game is barely playable "at MAX" with 30fps and you get a say 25%
boost in performance (7.5fps) by buying a card $150 more now making it
37.5fps, is that justifiable?

again, not trying to ruffle feathers, just trying to get a grasp on the high-end
GPU market.

 

[Josh Weston]

As far as I know, Asus, like most other manufacturers, are not one to cherry pick their cards at all. Their TOP cards are sold at a higher price point merely because they're sold at a higher clock. This is not to say that they can reach a higher clock than the non-TOP variants when you start OCing it yourself, merely that those who don't like to tinker with Afterburner and the like are paying for the factory OC.

I'd save your money and go with the stock DCUII card, although I'd probably recommend a 670 over a 680 for price to performance etc.

 

[alienware]

As far as I know, Asus, like most other manufacturers, are not one to cherry pick their cards at all. Their TOP cards are sold at a higher price point merely because they're sold at a higher clock. This is not to say that they can reach a higher clock than the non-TOP variants when you start OCing it yourself, merely that those who don't like to tinker with Afterburner and the like are paying for the factory OC.

I'd save your money and go with the stock DCUII card, although I'd probably recommend a 670 over a 680 for price to performance etc.

I'm not so sure Josh tbh.

I remember saying once on another forum that manus did not test every individual GPU separately but some one told me that they do. Apparently they have a means to literally drop them in one by one and see what they're capable of.

Which makes sense. A mate of mine runs a Zotac 670 Amp ! and the boost clock on it is pretty mental (1176 stock) so they surely must test these cores before adding the expensive cooler?

One of my 670s will only boost to about 1105 before it becomes terribly unstable.

 

[Calcifer]

Thanks for the replies, will a 4gb be better than the 2gb top or is the 4gb not necessary for a single screen 1080p?

 

[alienware]

Not needed right now.

As for what the future holds? who can tell.

What I do know is that any one who opted for the insanely expensive 5870 back in the day (the 2gb one) still has a card they can use.

Those who opted for the 1gb can't play BF3 or Crysis 3 with any sort of FSAA due to the lack of vram.

So I guess it depends how long you're planning on keeping the card tbh. Don't buy it for right now though, as 2gb is enough atm.