Fast, but the HD 7970 3GB GHz Edition is
quicker and cheaper
Nvidia’s top-end single-GPU card, the GTX
680 2GB, wowed us on its arrival earlier this year by resoundingly out-pacing
the HD 7970 3GB. While AMD has been aggressive in its response, improving
drivers, driving down prices and legitimising an overclocked version in the
form of the HD 7970 3GB GHz Edition, the GTX 680 2GB has remained around its
launch price of $607.
Nvidia
GeForce GTX 680 2GB
The GTX 680 2GB’s GK104 GPU offers the full
count of four GPCs, each comprising two Sms, themselves made up of 192 stream
processors, making a total of 1,536. Each SM also boasts 16 texture units and a
dedicated tessellation unit via Nvidia’s polymorph engine. As with the majority
of 6-series cards, the GTX 680 2GB uses GPU Boost to adjust the card’s clock
speeds within the set 195W TDP. This makes for a base clock speed of 1,006MHz,
and a guaranteed boost clock of 1,058MHz, although we’ve observed clock speeds
boosting to 1,110MHz at stock. Meanwhile, factory overclocked versions raise
the entire boost curve, increasing both the case and boost frequencies.
The card’s 2GB of GDDR5 runs at a nippy
1.5Hz (6GHz effective), but as the GK104 only has four 64-bit memory
controllers, the resultant 156-bit memory interface limits memory bandwidth to
192GB/sec. In comparison, the HD 7970 GHz Edition’s 384-bit memory interface
and 6GHz effective memory clock allows for a peak memory bandwidth of
264GB/sec.
A score of 1,865 in out Unigine benchmark
demonstrates the GTX 680’s strength at 1,920 x 1080. At this resolution, it’s
able to match or better the HD 7970 3GB GHz Edition’s minimum frame rate in
every test, with a minimum in Skyrim of 88fps being 12 per cent faster than the
Radeon card. At 2,560 x 1,600, though, the tables are reversed, as the GTX 680
2GB’s lower memory bandwidth limits its performance in The Witcher 2 and Crysis
2, with the GTX 680 2B performing 10 per cent slower than the HD 7970 3GB GHz
Edition in both tests. At 5,760 x 1,080, the Radeon again proved the be
superior in every test by around 10 per cent. The GTX 680 2GB’s saving grace is
its power consumption, with our test system drawing 272W; 33W below HD 7970 3B
GHz Edition’s result.
The
GTX 680 2GB’s saving grace is its power consumption, with our test system
drawing 272W; 33W below HD 7970 3B GHz Edition’s result.
Conclusion
While still an extremely fast GPU,
particularly at 1,920 x 1,080, the GTX 680 2GB’s price has proven immobile in
the face of increased competition from AMD. The HD 7970 3GB GHz Edition is
typically $47.9 cheaper than the GTX 680 2GB, and offers similar or superior
performance, while the GTX 670 2GB is only 10 per cent slower but a whole
$159.5 cheaper. As such, we can’t recommend the GTX 680 2GB as the high-end
card of choice any more.
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Details
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Price
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$607
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Manufacturer:
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www.nvidia.com
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Rise:
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Great performance; lower power
consumption than HD 7970 3GB GHz Edition
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Fall:
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More expensive than the HD 7970 3GB GHz
Edition, and slower at high resolutions
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Scores
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1920 speed:
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18/20
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2560 speed:
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17/20
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5760 speed:
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4/5
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Value:
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32/55
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