Bioshock Infinite
- Thread starter grassman
- Start date
chrismjurd
New member
same as you paulstung, took 3 days for the crysis one to pop my inbox 
worth the wait, completed Bioshock in that time, so didnt mind too much.
worth the wait, completed Bioshock in that time, so didnt mind too much.
jamesriley94
New member
Thanks!
I think I'm going to buy mine today!
( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130787 )
Edit: Buying right now!
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jamesriley94
New member
Can I recommend you don't?
Unless you're watercooling, some of the aftermarket coolers are better.
I used to have the KFA2 version (Galaxy in the States):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814162109
And the cooler on that is far quieter and better performing. I could lock it to 30% fan speed, and temps wouldn't go above 65 degrees C.
Alternatively, Zotac do a card:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814500266
That's identical to the EVGA FTW version (680 PCB and cooler) but for $50 cheaper.
I'd definitely take the Galaxy version over EVGA. It pained me to get rid of mine, but unfortunately you can't watercool them.
Unless you're watercooling, some of the aftermarket coolers are better.
I used to have the KFA2 version (Galaxy in the States):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814162109
And the cooler on that is far quieter and better performing. I could lock it to 30% fan speed, and temps wouldn't go above 65 degrees C.
Alternatively, Zotac do a card:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814500266
That's identical to the EVGA FTW version (680 PCB and cooler) but for $50 cheaper.
I'd definitely take the Galaxy version over EVGA. It pained me to get rid of mine, but unfortunately you can't watercool them.
I dunno, I'd spent a week building myself up to the EVGA :-/
And the Galaxy is out of stock... (lol, I'm LOOKING for reasons not to change my mind now)
Who is Zotac anyway? You're the first to recommend them~
EDIT:
This is the deal I found at MicroCenter, 389.99 after rebate, and I get to go pick it up in store tonight!
Is the EVGA really that bad??
http://www.microcenter.com/product/...erclocked_2048MB_GDDR5_PCIe_30_x16_Video_Card
And the Galaxy is out of stock... (lol, I'm LOOKING for reasons not to change my mind now)
Who is Zotac anyway? You're the first to recommend them~
EDIT:
This is the deal I found at MicroCenter, 389.99 after rebate, and I get to go pick it up in store tonight!
Is the EVGA really that bad??
http://www.microcenter.com/product/...erclocked_2048MB_GDDR5_PCIe_30_x16_Video_Card
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jamesriley94
New member
Zotac used to be a lot bigger than they are now.
They're a reliable enough company though, so don't worry about that.
The EVGA FTW uses the reference 680 PCB and cooler - ie, you're buying a 680 card, but with the 670 chip in it instead. So basically, EVGA don't actually make any of it - nvidia do, then EVGA just put them together. The Zotac card is exactly the same - I'd hazard a guess to say put together in the same factory maybe(?). But either way, you're buying exactly the same product, all manufactured by the same company (nvidia) but for $50 cheaper.
Everything with an EVGA badge has the price put up unnecessarily.
Look at other retailers that stock the Galaxy card maybe? Or wait for it to come back in stock? You'll definitely not regret waiting for it.
They're a reliable enough company though, so don't worry about that.
The EVGA FTW uses the reference 680 PCB and cooler - ie, you're buying a 680 card, but with the 670 chip in it instead. So basically, EVGA don't actually make any of it - nvidia do, then EVGA just put them together. The Zotac card is exactly the same - I'd hazard a guess to say put together in the same factory maybe(?). But either way, you're buying exactly the same product, all manufactured by the same company (nvidia) but for $50 cheaper.
Everything with an EVGA badge has the price put up unnecessarily.
Look at other retailers that stock the Galaxy card maybe? Or wait for it to come back in stock? You'll definitely not regret waiting for it.
So, the Galaxy GTX 670 is quieter?... hmm better cooling IS important if I want to learn how to OC..
Edit: I will be buying an MSI mPower in a month or two, so... something I get should look good on that mobo
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130660
Edit: I will be buying an MSI mPower in a month or two, so... something I get should look good on that mobo
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130660
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jamesriley94
New member
It is quieter yeah, and performs better than the EVGA and Zotac.
However, as it's a non-reference design, it exhausts the heat into the case, rather than the EVGA which exhausts out of the rear vents. Therefore it's important to have good case flow if you have the Galaxy card (not that you shouldn't have good case flow regardless of the card you use)
Tbh, all 3 are good choices, and you'll be able to overclock fine with all of them.
Overclocking GPUs is dead easy though.
However, as it's a non-reference design, it exhausts the heat into the case, rather than the EVGA which exhausts out of the rear vents. Therefore it's important to have good case flow if you have the Galaxy card (not that you shouldn't have good case flow regardless of the card you use)
Tbh, all 3 are good choices, and you'll be able to overclock fine with all of them.
Overclocking GPUs is dead easy though.
I just saw that the 680 FTW is only $60 bucks more... would it be worth it to spend a little more now, and have better performance for longer?
http://www.microcenter.com/product/..._LE_Superclocked_2048MB_GDDR5_PCIe_Video_Card
http://www.microcenter.com/product/..._LE_Superclocked_2048MB_GDDR5_PCIe_Video_Card
jamesriley94
New member
Nope! Pointless buying a 680. The 670 performs so close to it, you may as well just save money and get the 670.
alienware
Banned
The issue with the 680 PCB cards is that they usually use the stock 680 cooler which is a blower design and they are generally quite noisy when you drive up the fan speeds.
They're fine at idle but if you do a lot of gaming you may start to get annoyed by it..
The Galaxy uses a custom air cooler which has been designed after the fact. The FTW and Zotac (non Amp!) use the standard blower cooler Nvidia designed.
I would always opt for a card with a twin/triple fan custom cooler simply as they are usually always better than the reference design of any card. Well, apart from the 7990 where AMD finally seem to have removed their heads from their assholes and FINALLY put a decent cooler on a dual GPU card !
They're fine at idle but if you do a lot of gaming you may start to get annoyed by it..
The Galaxy uses a custom air cooler which has been designed after the fact. The FTW and Zotac (non Amp!) use the standard blower cooler Nvidia designed.
I would always opt for a card with a twin/triple fan custom cooler simply as they are usually always better than the reference design of any card. Well, apart from the 7990 where AMD finally seem to have removed their heads from their assholes and FINALLY put a decent cooler on a dual GPU card !
