GTX 680

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steamboateng

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I will probably replace my present GTX 570 (1.2 Gb vid mem) with a GTX 680 later this year. The GTX sports 2 Gb vid mem; certainly an imporovement over my own. Prices run about $500 USD for the new card. However research has led me to investigate the EVGA GTX 680 Classified card. This card is clocked a bit higher and it sports a full 4 Gb vid mem. Prices run $600-650 range. Is it worth the extra $100-150 for this card performance wise? Need a 'puter nerd to answer that one!
 
I don't think the extra money spent is worth it, Mike. I have their GTX680 and it works just as well and will save you $100-150.

John
 
I have never had either version of either card but this forum http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2276643 is a typical discussion - note
Right now the advantages of having a 4gb card are really only going to be relevant when playing with multiple screens. With that said, my modded skyrim uses nearly 3gb of VRAM @2560x1600 with 4xaa
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Supposedly the GTX 680 beats even the Radeon 7970 with 3GB of VRAM so there'd be no real advantage. Personally I would keep a beady eye on ebay for a used one. I am watching something nice right now but am saying nowt :confused:
 
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I have the @ $49-$79 ($129 at Best Buy) Galaxy GT430 and it works fairly well, as it is a 1Gb memory video card, as it will run on my cheepo LiteOn 300Watt PS.

I believe that a 2Gb dedicated graphics video card is about the maximum that you should need, and a minimum 2-3 Gb RAM PC (as Trainz will not need 4Gb RAM, or more), and a fast CPU speed (not including TurdoBoost, as TurdoBoost is for sporadic bursts of speed, and is not for lengthy graphic/gaming activities).
 
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lewisner said:
I have never had either version of either card but this forum http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2276643 is a typical discussion - note Supposedly the GTX 680 beats even the Radeon 7970 with 3GB of VRAM so there'd be no real advantage. Personally I would keep a beady eye on ebay for a used one. I am watching something nice right now but am saying nowt [/FONT][/COLOR]:confused:
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After reading the discussion you referenced, I come away with the impression that a 4Gb vram card may 'future proof' my 2 year old rig; and I have had thoughts of throwing another monitor up there (Idle thoughts!) Right now TS12 is nailed to 2xaa, so no big drag on the system yet.

Cascaderailroad, I'm looking to go forward with the computer, not backwards! Trainz isn't the only program I run. I want to ensure my computer is capable of handling stuff 4 years down the line, at least.
 
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Future proofing is always good as long as your budget allows it and several people are getting rid of 680's in SLI in favour of GTX 690's or Titans. If you do wait till later in the year Nvidia are expected to release the first of the GTX 700 series :mop:
 
you should wait for titan.2 gb vram is required when you wish to play 1080p gaming .but its recommended that a such big graphic card should have 2gb and more ram
 
Personally I would say you can get away with 1GB of Vram for 1080P gaming but it's really no advisable anymore. Titans memory buffer was set at 6Gb to address concerns of customers who may have found issues with smaller quantities, but in the end memory buffer is only good for generating high res textures quickly at high resolutions (Multi monitor level resolutions at this time), which is why one should not only consider Vram when making a purchase. Is the jump from a 570 to a 680 really going to satisfy you is a good question. The gap realistically is not huge and $500+ really is a lot to part with. But it's your choice.
 
steamboateng said:
I will probably replace my present GTX 570 (1.2 Gb vid mem) with a GTX 680 later this year. The GTX sports 2 Gb vid mem; certainly an imporovement over my own. Prices run about $500 USD for the new card. However research has led me to investigate the EVGA GTX 680 Classified card. This card is clocked a bit higher and it sports a full 4 Gb vid mem. Prices run $600-650 range. Is it worth the extra $100-150 for this card performance wise? Need a 'puter nerd to answer that one!
Click to expand...

To be completely honest, I would not go from the 570 to the 680. Consider what you are using for hard drives, first. If you do not have SSD units, get that. That will speed things up more than anything. You have a good GPU already.

Paul
 
Paul,

You hit the nail on the sweet spot perfect!
Yes SSD does the most for trainz and when you buy SSd look for the best low latency which also helps trainz more than anything.
I just ordered a qoute for the Titan 6Gb and move from my 3 year old very nice and warm runnning GTX 580. Here in the tropics temp of 80C in the comp up is is not uncommon so I have to find the best solution with less power usage and low temps to run without aircon room.
In a few days I will know when I can upgrade my rig and replace my tower case for a form factor hig end gaming pc desktop easy to handle when travel and taking less space,power and ready to serve for the next 4 years till the grapheen world will change the entire spectrum lol.

Regards

Roy:wave:
 
It appears that gtx 600 Series prices are going to drop with the advent of the gtx 700 Series coming soon. And after that; rumors of another series employing Maxwell archatechture (whatever that is) which is supposed to knock the sox off current cards.......in 2014.....
It seems to me that a wise investment in a bargain priced 680 may be the route to take as an interim card.
And yes, I have Trainz on SSD.
 
Well, then you need to really decide. What CPU, and how much RAM do you have? Otherwise, go for it.

Paul
 
I have an i7 950 quad core oc'd to just under 4Ghz, w/6Gb of triple channel RAM. A 1000w Corsair PS feeds the rig; so I got plenty of room to upgrade.
 
Well, that CPU is more than enough, you probably are fine on RAM, I have 8 on a laptop and 24 on a desktop, had 6 before on desktop, who knows... Just get it!
 
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