AMD HD 7950 or Nvidia GTX 660 Ti?

I am contemplating an upgrade within the next few months. Currently, I have a GTX 560 Ti, which runs everything really well, except for Battlefield 3 and Far Cry 3. Granted, I am planning to move to a Haswell CPU upgrade during the June/July timeframe as well.

I know AMD has something up their sleeves, while nothing has been announced or rumored on the Nvidia side of things just yet.

From what I read, the 7950 and the GTX 660 Ti are pretty even in performance... But still, what would you guys recommend?

Get which ever is the cheapest both are very good.

Lately, I've been thinking that Nvidia has better contrast, showing all of the in-between colors, than AMD. I was a big ATI fan until they were bought by AMD, so I've still used the Radeon cards. I've found, though, that AMD goes for a high contrast that drowns some of the colors in either dark or light. From screen shots that compare the two brands, it looks like Nvidia handles this issue better. Unfortunately, I still haven't bought an Nvidia card, so this is simply speculation. If price is the only issue, then AMD usually wins.

To be honest I'd wait for the next generation of cards and just tone down your settings until then. Save an extra $100 for it and buy a new card at launch. But, if you have to have a new card now, get the 7950. Not only does it have more Vram than the 660ti, but it has a 384-bit memory bus over the 660ti's 194-bit. It's also much easier to overclock and can overclock much higher, some users have said they were approaching stock 680 speeds with it.Plagueless

^^I agree with this and say regardless, wait till the next generation of AMD & Nvidia cards are released. If they are priced out of your reach this current generation of 7xxx and 6xx cards may see a price drop. You still have a very capable card in the 560 that will serve you for a bit more and being a little more patient may save you a few bucks on a nice 7950.

*+

Lately, I've been thinking that Nvidia has better contrast, showing all of the in-between colors, than AMD. I was a big ATI fan until they were bought by AMD, so I've still used the Radeon cards. I've found, though, that AMD goes for a high contrast that drowns some of the colors in either dark or light. From screen shots that compare the two brands, it looks like Nvidia handles this issue better. Unfortunately, I still haven't bought an Nvidia card, so this is simply speculation. If price is the only issue, then AMD usually wins.

Barujin

As someone who has had both brands, i preferred AMD's look, Nvidia's default contrast settings just looked washed out to me and i had to fix them in the control paneld

[QUOTE="Barujin"]

Lately, I've been thinking that Nvidia has better contrast, showing all of the in-between colors, than AMD. I was a big ATI fan until they were bought by AMD, so I've still used the Radeon cards. I've found, though, that AMD goes for a high contrast that drowns some of the colors in either dark or light. From screen shots that compare the two brands, it looks like Nvidia handles this issue better. Unfortunately, I still haven't bought an Nvidia card, so this is simply speculation. If price is the only issue, then AMD usually wins.

ferret-gamer

As someone who has had both brands, i preferred AMD's look, Nvidia's default contrast settings just looked washed out to me and i had to fix them in the control paneld

Oh, don't get me wrong. I obsess over adjusting the lighting settings. With AMD, it seems like it's always a bit too high contrast when I'm able to eliminate the white haze (low contrast) from the image to achieve true black. ATI did a slightly better job at it.

the 7950 is a better choice, infact most 7950's sold today have the boost option (a very small overclock for this card) which put this card neck and neck with the geforce 670. Another overclock above that will probably put you past a 680gtx. Still the 7950 can't touch the 7970, it will always be the little brother bahaha.

the 7950 is a better choice, infact most 7950's sold today have the boost option (a very small overclock for this card) which put this card neck and neck with the geforce 670. Another overclock above that will probably put you past a 680gtx. Still the 7950 can't touch the 7970, it will always be the little brother bahaha.

blaznwiipspman1

Please stop talking, please.

I agree with others, wait until the new cards come out before buying. They are right around the corner. If you don't want any of those, then maybe at least 6xx/7xxx prices will go down with new ones out...

I'm happy with nVidia for great driver support. Just picked up new drivers with SLI support for DmC yesterday. Not saying that ATI has bad drivers, just that in my experience, nVidia is really good about getting drivers out for new games.

[QUOTE="blaznwiipspman1"]

the 7950 is a better choice, infact most 7950's sold today have the boost option (a very small overclock for this card) which put this card neck and neck with the geforce 670. Another overclock above that will probably put you past a 680gtx. Still the 7950 can't touch the 7970, it will always be the little brother bahaha.

V4LENT1NE

Please stop talking, please.

LoL...you noob...

Are you bringing facts in to the discussion?Pfff....lame.

[QUOTE="V4LENT1NE"]

[QUOTE="blaznwiipspman1"]

the 7950 is a better choice, infact most 7950's sold today have the boost option (a very small overclock for this card) which put this card neck and neck with the geforce 670. Another overclock above that will probably put you past a 680gtx. Still the 7950 can't touch the 7970, it will always be the little brother bahaha.

rhazzy

Please stop talking, please.

LoL...you noob...

Are you bringing facts in to the discussion?Pfff....lame.

the 7950 is a better choice, infact most 7950's sold today have the boost option (a very small overclock for this card) which put this card neck and neck with the geforce 670. Another overclock above that will probably put you past a 680gtx. Still the 7950 can't touch the 7970, it will always be the little brother bahaha.

blaznwiipspman1

LOL WTF?

[QUOTE="rhazzy"]

[QUOTE="V4LENT1NE"]

Please stop talking, please.

Plagueless

LoL...you noob...

Are you bringing facts in to the discussion?Pfff....lame.

[QUOTE="Plagueless"][QUOTE="rhazzy"]

LoL...you noob...

Are you bringing facts in to the discussion?Pfff....lame.

V4LENT1NE

[QUOTE="blaznwiipspman1"]

the 7950 is a better choice, infact most 7950's sold today have the boost option (a very small overclock for this card) which put this card neck and neck with the geforce 670. Another overclock above that will probably put you past a 680gtx. Still the 7950 can't touch the 7970, it will always be the little brother bahaha.

V4LENT1NE

Please stop talking, please.

Please stop talking, please.

[QUOTE="V4LENT1NE"][QUOTE="Plagueless"] Unfortunately he's not....That graph is very old and before the 12.8-12.11 Catalys drivers. I get an average of 70 fps on my 7950 and I'm prepared to post screens to prove it.Toxic-Seahorse

[QUOTE="blaznwiipspman1"]

the 7950 is a better choice, infact most 7950's sold today have the boost option (a very small overclock for this card) which put this card neck and neck with the geforce 670. Another overclock above that will probably put you past a 680gtx. Still the 7950 can't touch the 7970, it will always be the little brother bahaha.

FaustArp

LOL WTF?

[QUOTE="V4LENT1NE"]

[QUOTE="blaznwiipspman1"]

the 7950 is a better choice, infact most 7950's sold today have the boost option (a very small overclock for this card) which put this card neck and neck with the geforce 670. Another overclock above that will probably put you past a 680gtx. Still the 7950 can't touch the 7970, it will always be the little brother bahaha.

ronvalencia

Please stop talking, please.

Please stop talking, please.

[QUOTE="ronvalencia"]

[QUOTE="V4LENT1NE"]

Please stop talking, please.

horgen123

Please stop talking, please.

its not vram thats the issue, its the BUS width. In metro the 7950 does better as well, even though the game is a TWIMTBP title. Kepler is optimized for power efficiency, not performance like the last generation where 580gtx was the king.

[QUOTE="horgen123"][QUOTE="ronvalencia"]

Please stop talking, please.

blaznwiipspman1

its not vram thats the issue, its the BUS width. In metro the 7950 does better as well, even though the game is a TWIMTBP title. Kepler is optimized for power efficiency, not performance like the last generation where 580gtx was the king.

Some are not due to bus width.

"7870 XT" uses Tahiti LE (24 CU) with Pitcairn's PCB i.e. 256bit 2GB config.

Well first off /) but just my imput i have a 7950 and i love it glad i made the choice to go with it. I have the MSI version of the card and I plan on overclocking it when i get my new motherboard :) Im not really a fanboy i just really like the card.

Well first off /) but just my imput i have a 7950 and i love it glad i made the choice to go with it. I have the MSI version of the card and I plan on overclocking it when i get my new motherboard :) Im not really a fanboy i just really like the card.

smashNgrab5953

yeah its a great card

[QUOTE="blaznwiipspman1"]

the 7950 is a better choice, infact most 7950's sold today have the boost option (a very small overclock for this card) which put this card neck and neck with the geforce 670. Another overclock above that will probably put you past a 680gtx. Still the 7950 can't touch the 7970, it will always be the little brother bahaha.

FaustArp

LOL WTF?

that is true if you oc the HD7950 to around 1150-1200MHz

[QUOTE="FaustArp"]

[QUOTE="blaznwiipspman1"]

the 7950 is a better choice, infact most 7950's sold today have the boost option (a very small overclock for this card) which put this card neck and neck with the geforce 670. Another overclock above that will probably put you past a 680gtx. Still the 7950 can't touch the 7970, it will always be the little brother bahaha.

MK-Professor

LOL WTF?

that is true if you oc the HD7950 to around 1150-1200MHz

[QUOTE="MK-Professor"]

[QUOTE="FaustArp"]

LOL WTF?

Plagueless

that is true if you oc the HD7950 to around 1150-1200MHz

Even if you did, it still wouldn't outperform a typical 680 in games.  :roll:

Here are some 7950 vs. 660 Ti graphs, from Guru of 3D:

There were probably more, I just got tired of pasting.  Jebus, folks...it's almost like anyone on the internet can just up and paste bar graphs to argue anything they like.  :P  Lol.

[QUOTE="MK-Professor"]

[QUOTE="FaustArp"]

LOL WTF?

Plagueless

that is true if you oc the HD7950 to around 1150-1200MHz

1050 MHz:? did you have it at stock Voltage? i have two of them at 1200MHz no problem.

[QUOTE="Plagueless"][QUOTE="MK-Professor"]

that is true if you oc the HD7950 to around 1150-1200MHz

FaustArp

Even if you did, it still wouldn't outperform a typical 680 in games.  :roll:

yes it can:roll:

a HD7950 at 1200MHz perform little bit faster than the HD7970GHz-edition and the GHz-edition perform very similarly to the GTX680.

[QUOTE="MK-Professor"]

[QUOTE="FaustArp"]

Even if you did, it still wouldn't outperform a typical 680 in games.  :roll:

FaustArp

yes it can:roll:

a HD7950 at 1200MHz perform little bit faster than the HD7970GHz-edition and the GHz-edition perform very similarly to the GTX680.

Then clock a 7950 to 1200MHz, run some games.  We'll compare to the results of a 680 @1200.  If they are the same, then I'm wrong.

If not, then maybe there is something to it other than clock speeds, which is all I've been saying every time this issue comes up.

Or, if you're Captain Obvious, click on the "Rate My Setup!" thread at the top of the page.  There is a guy and I sharing bookmarks, he has 670 SLI and I have 680 SLI.  His clock speeds are higher than mine.  Think he gets better results because his clocks are faster?  :roll:

[QUOTE="FaustArp"]

[QUOTE="MK-Professor"]

yes it can:roll:

a HD7950 at 1200MHz perform little bit faster than the HD7970GHz-edition and the GHz-edition perform very similarly to the GTX680.

FaustArp

Then clock a 7950 to 1200MHz, run some games.  We'll compare to the results of a 680 @1200.  If they are the same, then I'm wrong.

If not, then maybe there is something to it other than clock speeds, which is all I've been saying every time this issue comes up.

Or, if you're Captain Obvious, click on the "Rate My Setup!" thread at the top of the page.  There is a guy and I sharing bookmarks, he has 670 SLI and I have 680 SLI.  His clock speeds are higher than mine.  Think he gets better results because his clocks are faster?  :roll:

Well, I may want to mention that I don't overclock. Ever. But even still, I am swayed by the 7950's price to performance ratio over the 660 Ti, but I've used Nvidia cards since forever, so I am somewhat tempted not to switch.

Well, I may want to mention that I don't overclock. Ever. But even still, I am swayed by the 7950's price to performance ratio over the 660 Ti, but I've used Nvidia cards since forever, so I am somewhat tempted not to switch.

The_Capitalist

[QUOTE="Plagueless"][QUOTE="MK-Professor"]

that is true if you oc the HD7950 to around 1150-1200MHz

FaustArp

Even if you did, it still wouldn't outperform a typical 680 in games. :roll:

Here are some 7950 vs. 660 Ti graphs, from Guru of 3D:

There were probably more, I just got tired of pasting. Jebus, folks...it's almost like anyone on the internet can just up and paste bar graphs to argue anything they like. :P Lol.

The word 'typical' can be debated.

Hitman Absolution DX11

[QUOTE="The_Capitalist"]

Well, I may want to mention that I don't overclock. Ever. But even still, I am swayed by the 7950's price to performance ratio over the 660 Ti, but I've used Nvidia cards since forever, so I am somewhat tempted not to switch.

Toxic-Seahorse

I agree with others, wait until the new cards come out before buying. They are right around the corner. If you don't want any of those, then maybe at least 6xx/7xxx prices will go down with new ones out...

I'm happy with nVidia for great driver support. Just picked up new drivers with SLI support for DmC yesterday. Not saying that ATI has bad drivers, just that in my experience, nVidia is really good about getting drivers out for new games.

FaustArp

nvidia is the only way to go (imo) becuase every amd/ati card i have ever owned has had driver problems, whereas the every nvidia card(s) i have owned have fantastic driver support and are less quirky.

[QUOTE="FaustArp"]

I agree with others, wait until the new cards come out before buying. They are right around the corner. If you don't want any of those, then maybe at least 6xx/7xxx prices will go down with new ones out...

I'm happy with nVidia for great driver support. Just picked up new drivers with SLI support for DmC yesterday. Not saying that ATI has bad drivers, just that in my experience, nVidia is really good about getting drivers out for new games.

buccomatic

nvidia is the only way to go (imo) becuase every amd/ati card i have ever owned has had driver problems, whereas the every nvidia card(s) i have owned have fantastic driver support and are less quirky.

cool story bro.

The point is not to compare an OC'ed 7950 with an OC'ed 680.Plagueless

Actually, if you read, that is exactly the point:

[QUOTE="FaustArp"]

Even if you did, it still wouldn't outperform a typical 680 in games.  :roll:

MK-Professor

yes it can:roll:

a HD7950 at 1200MHz perform little bit faster than the HD7970GHz-edition and the GHz-edition perform very similarly to the GTX680.

^^See there?  Somebody specifically makes the claim that you can OC a 7950 to get performance similar to a 680.  :roll:

It has nothing to do with nVidia defending or AMD bashing.  People need to stop making misleading claims.

[QUOTE="Plagueless"]

Actually, if you read, that is exactly the point:

[QUOTE="MK-Professor"]

[QUOTE="FaustArp"]

Even if you did, it still wouldn't outperform a typical 680 in games.  :roll:

FaustArp

yes it can:roll:

a HD7950 at 1200MHz perform little bit faster than the HD7970GHz-edition and the GHz-edition perform very similarly to the GTX680.

^^See there?  Somebody specifically makes the claim that you can OC a 7950 to get performance similar to a 680.  :roll:

It has nothing to do with nVidia defending or AMD bashing.  People need to stop making misleading claims.

the 7970 ghz edition is faster than the 680 without a shadow of a doubt. LINK So if you can get a 7950 at 1200mhz to outperform a 7970 ghz then you are already above the performance of a 680.

I don't get why it is so hard for FaustArp to grasp that we are talking for HD7950(1.2Ghz OC) vs HD7970GHz-edition(NO OC) vs GTX680(NO OC)

of course the GTX680(NO OC) is faster than the HD7950(NO OC)
and the GTX680(OC) is faster than the HD7950(OC)

If you guys REALLY think that only the clock speed matters, then somebody clock your 7950 to some fixed speed (1200MHz or something) and get some in-game results.  We can set 680(s) to the same speed.  Let's see if they are performing the same.

They won't. I already told you that you can click a link in this same forum, having nothing to do with AMD/nVidia, to see that clock speed isn't the only thing that matters.

But if you guys actually think it's nothing but clock speed, we can go ahead and test this.

If you guys REALLY think that only the clock speed matters, then somebody clock your 7950 to some fixed speed (1200MHz or something) and get some in-game results.  We can set 680(s) to the same speed.  Let's see if they are performing the same.

They won't. I already told you that you can click a link in this same forum, having nothing to do with AMD/nVidia, to see that clock speed isn't the only thing that matters.

But if you guys actually think it's nothing but clock speed, we can go ahead and test this.

FaustArp

If you guys REALLY think that only the clock speed matters, then somebody clock your 7950 to some fixed speed (1200MHz or something) and get some in-game results.  We can set 680(s) to the same speed.  Let's see if they are performing the same.

They won't. I already told you that you can click a link in this same forum, having nothing to do with AMD/nVidia, to see that clock speed isn't the only thing that matters.

But if you guys actually think it's nothing but clock speed, we can go ahead and test this.

FaustArp

If you guys REALLY think that only the clock speed matters, then somebody clock your 7950 to some fixed speed (1200MHz or something) and get some in-game results.  We can set 680(s) to the same speed.  Let's see if they are performing the same.

They won't. I already told you that you can click a link in this same forum, having nothing to do with AMD/nVidia, to see that clock speed isn't the only thing that matters.

But if you guys actually think it's nothing but clock speed, we can go ahead and test this.

FaustArp

fine here are some benchmarks where the 7950 Boost edition, a clock speed of only 950mhz, keeps up with the 680 in pretty much all the games tested within 5 frames per second and sometimes surpasses.  I REPEAT the clock speed is only 950 mhz, it can go up to 1300mhz for the good cards, 1200mhz normal card.  The drivers for both cards are pretty new, NOT drivers from 8 months ago that you always try to post and act ignorant.  The 7950 boost does a FINE job, which is what makes it a sweet deal at < $300

NOBODY IS SAYING THAT THE 7950 IS AS GOOD AS THE 680 CLOCK FOR CLOCK. Hopefully the caps got the point through. The main point is that you can get a 7950 to preform at stock 680 levels. Yes the clock will be much higher than the 680 and YES the 680 beats a 7950 clock to clock, but that's not the point. The point is you can possibly get a $300 card to perform at a $500 stock card's level.

Toxic-Seahorse

Except that is exactly what people are saying:

a HD7950 at 1200MHz perform little bit faster than the HD7970GHz-edition and the GHz-edition perform very similarly to the GTX680.

MK-Professor

He specifically says that it will perform " very similarly."

I'm not sure you guys are actually reading this.  It's also the second time somebody on this forum has made that claim while helping people pick a GPU.  It has nothing to do wiht being a fanboy.  It bothers me a bit when people make misleading statements.  

[QUOTE="Toxic-Seahorse"]NOBODY IS SAYING THAT THE 7950 IS AS GOOD AS THE 680 CLOCK FOR CLOCK. Hopefully the caps got the point through. The main point is that you can get a 7950 to preform at stock 680 levels. Yes the clock will be much higher than the 680 and YES the 680 beats a 7950 clock to clock, but that's not the point. The point is you can possibly get a $300 card to perform at a $500 stock card's level.

FaustArp

Except that is exactly what people are saying:

a HD7950 at 1200MHz perform little bit faster than the HD7970GHz-edition and the GHz-edition perform very similarly to the GTX680.

MK-Professor

He specifically says that it will perform " very similarly."

I'm not sure you guys are actually reading this.  It's also the second time somebody on this forum has made that claim while helping people pick a GPU.  It has nothing to do wiht being a fanboy.  It bothers me a bit when people make misleading statements.  

[QUOTE="FaustArp"]

[QUOTE="Toxic-Seahorse"]

Except that is exactly what people are saying:

[QUOTE="MK-Professor"]

a HD7950 at 1200MHz perform little bit faster than the HD7970GHz-edition and the GHz-edition perform very similarly to the GTX680.

Toxic-Seahorse

He specifically says that it will perform " very similarly."

I'm not sure you guys are actually reading this.  It's also the second time somebody on this forum has made that claim while helping people pick a GPU.  It has nothing to do wiht being a fanboy.  It bothers me a bit when people make misleading statements.  

Nor did he say overclocked, I guess you implied that yourself.  

Is your reading comprehension that bad?  :P LOL.

It's a pretty misleading statement for people GPU shopping.  It would be so easy to think "well I'll just get a 7950 instead of a 7970/680, if they are about the same."  That is what bothers me.

[QUOTE="Toxic-Seahorse"]

[QUOTE="FaustArp"]

He specifically says that it will perform " very similarly."

I'm not sure you guys are actually reading this.  It's also the second time somebody on this forum has made that claim while helping people pick a GPU.  It has nothing to do wiht being a fanboy.  It bothers me a bit when people make misleading statements.  

FaustArp

Nor did he say overclocked, I guess you implied that yourself.  

Is your reading comprehension that bad?  :P LOL.

It's a pretty misleading statement for people GPU shopping.  It would be so easy to think "well I'll just get a 7950 instead of a 7970/680, if they are about the same."  That is what bothers me.

they are about the same, the 7970 is a little faster than both true, but the 7950 is a fine card according to the benchmarks ive just shown.  You can keep ignoring the evidence right in front of your eyes all you want.