GTX-690

[PZ]

Those nVidia people never give up...

http://www.evga.com/articles/00679/#GTX690

[mandru]

I do like that it has a lower power requirement @ 300 W TDC running at 915 MHz (capable of soaking up an additional 75 W if the system power load will allow providing even more guts with 375 W pushing 1006 MHz).  The down side is that because the GTX 690 requires a PCIe-3 connection the only part of my system that I'd be able to use in upgrading would be my brawny HAF comp case and power supply because I'd have to upgrade the motherboard and CPU. :D

Gee, so a really fast new 2nd Gen Core i-7 (for best effect) and the Mobo upgrade to match plus the cost of the GTX 690 would be something like... What?  $2 K to $2.5 K?  ???

[Binnatics]

Appears so. Expensive stuff. Lucky me I got the mobo etc. upgrade recently, but I got myself a good working 570GTX which makes it kind of exaggerated to upgrade to the 6 series now. But still, nice cards 8-X
I'd go for the 680 though, with a stock OC boost. I don't trust these double GPU cards, and they double the price. Better get 2 680's for that money if you insist on the double power ^-^

I was wondering btw if it's possible to have a 680 and a 570 working in SLI together? Or do the Nvidia cards have to match like two drops of water to get this LSI thing working? I can't find a proper answer to that question. I know that a crossfireX setup can be whatever combination of cards, the mobo chip handles the rest ????

[Art Blade]

if I am not mistaken, SLI gives a frame to card 1 and the next frame to card 2 and starting over with card 1 and so forth.. using them in turns. That means two different cards cannot be a good idea and I suspect the best thing you could get out of that combo would be the bigger card slowing down to the specs of the smaller one. A waste of resources, at best.

[Binnatics]

If that's so, it is indeed a bad idea. And it sounds reasonable. I'd better not waste money on a card now. Not planning any 3D monitors or eyefinity set ups, so i'd stick to my current one  ;)

Just daydreams ^-^ ^-^

[mandru]

I'm using http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-690-benchmark,3193.html for my point of research on this GPU.  I've had good results with the accuracy of the product reviews from these guys over there.  Just watch out for the highlighted words in the text that are annoying and sometimes totally non-topic related automated roll over-activated popups that will eventually self terminate.  8-X   They gotta pay their bills I guess.  ::)  Either the page index or the page select menu at the bottom of each page will allow you to directly access points in the review that interest you.

The fan placement for cooling the GTX 690 could be problematic in some systems.  Center mounted the cooling fan throws 1/2 of the heat out the back as with a normal GPU and the other half of the heat gets pushed into the case where the CPU and motherboard already have their own heat to cope with by way of the case fans.  A dual SLI set up would mean twice as much heat for your system to contend with.

It's worth noting that the GTX 690 does not seem to have as intelligent of an idle time algorithm as you would expect for this money.  :-\\

A couple positive notes for the GTX 690 over dual SLI 680's:

* exhaust noise would be a lot quieter than two of the GTX 680's in SLI
* a slight drop in performance (compared to two GTX 680's) when in the 300 W @ 915 MHz but opened (wired) to access the 375 W @ 1006 MHz setting that is negated
* even at 375 W less power hungry that 680 in SLI when engaged at highest demand levels (see above about idle time  :-( )
* how often do you get to own the equivalent of the Bugatti Veyron of anything at these prices  ;)


There's no denying even with all the good and bad this GPU's a fairly desirable monster.  8)

[PZ]

Good discussion gentlemen  :-X

I may need to find the best card that will fit into my main board as I'm not inclined to invest in a new one.

[Binnatics]

Damn Mandru, you're pushing me towards the abyss;

the equivalent of the Bugatti Veyron of anything at these prices  ;)

If you take a look at the raw machine picture, with the pure metal cooling house on it, it would fit in just fine on a shelve where my Makita Jig Saw and my Black & Decker Hammer Drill are stashed.  :-D

...even more daydreams ^-^ ^-^ (:)

[mandru]

Realistically the GTX 680 is a fine GPU.  In fact it is so fine that it has created enough demand that I am currently at a loss of being able to find one in stock for the rebuild I may be facing to be able to tackle FC3 in September.

[fragger]

Well, you've still got about four months to hunt one down mate, hope you make it :)

Btw, has there been any mention of what the required hardware specs for FC3 might be? Hope I don't have to rebuild again for it...

[nexor]

Btw, has there been any mention of what the required hardware specs for FC3 might be? Hope I don't have to rebuild again for it...

I've been searching for that info myself, no luck yet

[Binnatics]

Weird. They spawn so much info about the game, but they forget to mention such a basic and practical info :-\\

[fragger]

I guess we'll find out in due course...

[nexor]

Btw, has there been any mention of what the required hardware specs for FC3 might be? Hope I don't have to rebuild again for it...

I found thiis info, hope it helps

Far Cry 3 minimum system requirements

- OS: Windows 7, Windows XP or Windows Vista
- CPU: Pentium D 3.0GHz or Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 3600+ equivalent
- Minimum RAM required for Fary Cary 3: 2 GB or more
- Graphics card requirement for Far Cry 3: GeForce 6800 Ultra or Radeon HD 2900 GT
- Hard Drive: 12 GB HDD
- DirectX: Version 9 or higher
- Sound Card: DirectX 9 Compatible

Then I found these sites

http://www.game-debate.com/games/index.php?g_id=883&game=Far%20Cry%203

http://digitalbattle.com/far-cry-3-system-requirements/

http://www.gamepur.com/news/7103-rumor-far-cry-3-pc-system-requirements-leaked.html/

[PZ]

Good info, nex  :-X

[fragger]

Yep, thanks nexor :-X :)

[nexor]

I checked out these two cards, they rate fairly high and don't seem to be too expensive, at least not in SA that is

LEADTEK® nVidia GeForce GTS 450 PCI-Express x16 2.0, 2GB SDDR3 128-Bit, GPU:783 / Mem:1066MHz, DVI x1, D-SUB x1, HDMI x1, DirectX 11  ZAR995.00

LEADTEK® nVidia GeForce GTX 550 Ti PCI-Express x16 2.0, 1GB GDDR5 192-Bit, GPU:900 / Mem:4100MHz, DVI x2, Mini HDMI x1, DirectX 11  ZAR1195.00

[Binnatics]

Any news on the new GTX Titan?? It seems the replacement, somehow, of this GTX 690 monster, and seems to be the most powerful single GPU currently available. The chip is a former Tesla chip.
Anyway, I think it's the better choice, compared to the 690, but it's quite expensive. Anyway, I also noticed quite a price drop on the GTX680's, now available @ €450,-  ^-^

[mandru]

Actually when I price compare the two GPUs a high end EVGA GTX 690 ($999usd) still floats right about in the same stratospheric range as a low end (if its possible to call it that) EVGA GTX Titan ($1019usd).  To bump the EVGA GTX Titan up to a core clock of 928MHz and add the HydroCopper upgrade  for liquid cooling pushes it to $1299usd

[Abletile]

$1299usd

OUCH!

[JRD]

Quite an expensive videogame we're talking about!  ????

[PZ]

 ???

[Art Blade]

damn, you really have to have enough money not to worry about details such as prices if you're interested in that card ???

[Binnatics]

BUT: this card, and the GTX690, are mostly tested on systems that use multiple displays and extreme high resolutions; much more than the common 1080 HD quality I'm using (with a 24" display). Which means, IF I buy such a card, I won't make use of it. I'm not planning to buy another 2 additional displays for enjoying the power such a GPU can deliver.

For me, It might be an idea to upgrade to a descent GTX680 one day, maybe when GTA V comes out, just to be sure I get the best delivered detail on my 24"screen.  8)