How good is a GTX 660Ti at this moment in time?

[bramturismo]

Hello everyone,

 

My first post on this forum. Big fan of Linus Tech Tips videos!

 

 

Here's the deal:

 

I am new to desktop building. My current laptop is 3 years old, and it's starting to act up on me. When I was studying, I never had the time or money to build an expensive desktop. Plus I needed the mobility from a laptop as I was working with CAD programs. Now that I've finished my degree, I've got my own desktop at work with a 22" screen and I pretty much fell in love with large monitors. My job is paying good, and I no longer need a laptop. Neither am I any longer limited by a laptop to play the games I want.

 

But, this is by no means either a plan to mindlessly smack all of my hard earned cash at a monster of a desktop. I'm looking at something that performs rather well on a 1920X1080 resolution. I already figured that I'd need a very powerful graphics card if I want to game on a big 30" monitor. So far I've been looking at 24" monitors, I even found a 27" monitor on a 1080p display. Here the question just remains whether or not I'm sacrificing quality with a 1080p display on such a large monitor.

 

Anyway, here's what I was currently thinking of in my build:

 

- i5 3570k CPU

- 8 GB RAM

- 600W modular power supply

- 128GB SSD

- 1TB HDD

- ASUS GTX 660Ti Direct CUII OC GPU

- Cooler Master Hyper 212 CPU cooler

 

Here's what I'm interested in playing:

 

- Far Cry 3 

- Crysis 2 & 3 (I've only finished Crysis 1 in the past)

- Bioshock Infinite

 

Those are the games I can immediately think of. I'm a fan of eyecandy in games, but not as much in the way that I'm requiring the maximum amount of AA I can run. My guess is that I could run all of the mentioned games on very high settings with either no AA or 2XAA just fine.

 

 

BUT

 

 

How future proof is this build? 

 

I seem to have been introduced to desktop building at a wrong time where the GTX 660Ti still seems like a very solid GPU, but a new gen of GPU's is just around the corner. How much longer do you guys see the GTX 660Ti handling new games just fine?

 

There are two games in particular that I'm building this system for; Project CARS and Assetto Corsa, although these games probably won't come out before 2014. I'm a huge motorsports fan and it'd be fantastic to be able to run these games seamlessly and enjoy them to their full potential with a wheel.

 

A GTX 760Ti doesn't sound like it'd be worth it, the GTX 770 looks rather unimpressive, and as a newbie the GTX 780 is just so expensive. 

 

So, will the GTX 660Ti serve me just fine, or should I look at something above it? It'd be a shame to build this system and to find out 2 months later that this card isn't going to last me much longer if I want to keep enjoying newest games at their higher/highest eyecandy possibilities. 

 

 

Many greetings,

[Godlygamer23]

The 660 Ti is a great card(using it now) and will be for a while.

[FloRolf]

considering that you find the 770 unimpressive, your next target is the 780 because everything else above the 660ti would be "worse" than the 770.

[bennyino]

id get a 7950 instead, same price, better performance

[Akula]

7950 Boost is ideal, overclock-able to 7970 Speeds & cheaper :)

[ERSCreeper]

I was also once looking at getting a 660 TI power edition but then I got a HD 7950 and I couldn't be happier! And I got it for about $60 cheaper.

[Kevin0k]

Go for the 7950 and you get 4 awesome games free all for around the same price as a GTX 660 ti.

[Wauthar]

If you have a 660Ti right now, I shouldn't be worried. It still performs extremely well and will be performing good for at least some years. If you don't have anything right now, I will get a 7950, as mentioned above. It performs a bit better and is a great overclocker.

[iWearKiltz]

If you've video Linus' videos recently, then you should know that these TI cards are just a filler between the card above it and the the reference original card. 

at 1080p, nothing that powerful will be required, so a 660ti wouldn't be a bad bet, but like others have said 7950 may also take your fancy.

 

check out benchmarks for the games you want to play and the 660ti, subtract 10-25fps and that's a possibility to what games may be in a years time. Just remember, 30fps is playable but will not immerse you fully in the game.

 

iWearKiltz

[mgsstar]

I would get a 7950 because some cards like the HIS IceQ X2 and the MSI Twin Frozr 3 can be overclocked to beat the reference 7970. This card has a better price to performance ratio than the 660ti.

[bramturismo]

HD7950 noted as an alternative, thanks!

[Chri5]

Go with an fx 8350 as it performs close to i7 levels and is cheaper than a 3570k.

Then use the money saved to get a 7950 or a 7970

[Godlygamer23]

Go with an fx 8350 as it performs close to i7 levels and is cheaper than a 3570k.

Then use the money saved to get a 7950 or a 7970

3570K is cheaper at Microcenter.

[bramturismo]

3570K is cheaper at Microcenter.

Ah, one thing I forgot worth mentioning. I'm not buying on the web, I'm buying from a store situated in the city I work in. I just have to place my order, call for an appointment and I can collect my parts. 

[Quantum]

660ti prices should go down soon with part of the new 700 series out.  You will probably be seeing some of the 600 series being on sale to make room for the 700 series in the near future.  I agree with the others that the 7950 is a great choice.  But, if you need the cuda cores for adobe programs, go for the 660ti.

[bramturismo]

Seems like the HD7950 is a more expensive alternative in my case. The store I'm planning ordering my parts at offer the FX-8350 processor cheaper than an i5 3570k, but the ASUS GTX 660Ti OC'd card has gotten cheaper since last I checked, making it as a whole with a processor cheaper as well. An HD7950 might get better OC results, but as an average gamer the question is how much I will OC my parts. After all, I know nothing about OC'ing. I kind of want my system to run things properly from the get-go, which is why I chose for ASUS' OC'd version of the GTX 660Ti in the first place. But if I'm just being an idiot, just say so. I'm just getting so confused by this Intel vs AMD war, and they seem to differ only some few framerates in benchmarks anyway.

 

Here is the system as it currently looks. I have no wired internet in my room, so I'll have to get a WLAN card for WiFi;

 

 

ARCTIC Koel pasta MX-2

NZXT Phantom 410 (black, no psu, atx)

COOLERMASTER Hyper 212 (s775, sAM2, s1366, sAM3, s1156, s1155, sFM1, s2011)

INTEL Core i5 3570K (3.4 ghz, 6 mb, s1155, 77 watt, boxed)

ASUS GeForce GTX 660 Ti DirectCU OC (1058 mhz, 2048 mb, DDR5, 6008 mhz, 192 bit, 11, fan)

SEAGATE Barracuda (1000 gb, sata/600, 7200 rpm, 64 mb, 3.5")

SAMSUNG 840 Series (120 gb, sata/600, 530 mbps, 130 mbps)

MSI Z77A-G45

CORSAIR Vengeance (8192 mb, 1600 mhz, CL9, 1.5 v, non-ecc)

ASUS Wlan Card (300 mbps, pci-e)

LG ELECTRONICS DVD RW + Software (24x, sata, Cyberlink SUITE, black)

CORSAIR CX (600 watt, atx, modular)

 

No software included in the list yet, as I don't know if I want to stick with Windows 7, or go for Windows 8.

[xAcid9]

Don't get the 3570k or 8350 if overclocking is not your thing. Get a non-k i5 processor or Xeon 1230v2 if you need more processing power for CAD programs. It is basically a 3770 without the integrated graphic but cost similar to a 3570k. (at least in my country)

With that said, overclocking is not a hard thing to learn. It is also one of the cheapest way to future proofing your system. :P

 

PowerColor RADEON HD7870 PCS+ (975 mhz, 2048 mb, DDR5, 6000 mhz, 256 bit, 11, fan) 213,24 €

This is a Tahiti LE card, it is a crippled HD7950 but can perform as good or better than a stock 7950/660ti when overclock. Cost much less than both of them.

 

There are two games in particular that I'm building this system for; Project CARS and Assetto Corsa, although these games probably won't come out before 2014. I'm a huge motorsports fan and it'd be fantastic to be able to run these games seamlessly and enjoy them to their full potential with a wheel.

I have a 7950 and i can max out pCars no problem but it struggle to maintained good FPS in Assetto Corsa Tech Demo. I'm not sure if the game is badly optimize since it still in early development or the graphic/physics is really demanding. The graphic not that great though.

 

Since 660 Ti performance is just slightly lower, i think you should have no problem with both of these games.

[codytappen]

Before I answer the GPU question I'd like to comment on your monitor situation. If you are in love with big monitors I suggest 26 to 30inch, but at these screen sizes (anything greater than 23 inch at this point in time) you want to get a 1440p or 1600p monitor; games will look much better at a higher resolution, particularly if the monitor you're using is on the large side. Also, if you've so easily come to love large monitors, I guarantee you will love a monitor with a higher quality (not TN) panel. Running games at best settings and whatnot is fantastic, but it's useless if you're doing so on a monitor with huge pixels and inaccurate washed out colors. Please take buying a high quality monitor (not cheap) into the equation.
 
Unfortunately the negative of having a high res monitor is that you NEED a good deal of GPU power (and VRAM) if you wish to run at higher/highest settings, but if you don't go +1080p the demands will be much lower. FOR 1440p: If you're on a tight budget I highly recommend a 7950 (with 3GB of VRAM); the 660ti's memory bus is just not as fit for higher res textures so I wouldn't recommend. If you really want to run games at high settings at that res you'll want a GTX 780 or Titan, because noting else compares (citation: every single one of Linus' benchmarks). FOR 1080p: Here you can get away with highest settings (not all games but most) with a 660ti, and with the 660ti you get Geforce Experience which will optimize graphics settings (in some games) for you. On the other hand, the 7950 is still a better card for a very similar price; plus, it comes with four or five awesome AAA titles. Either of the cards will be great for 1080p, so you can decide between the two.

[Friction]

I'll stick to the question at hand.

 

To give you an idea of playability with a 660Ti, I am using a 23" LED screen with my EVGA GeForce GTX 660Ti Superclocked + edition and I am playing Metro Last Light on full 1080p with nVidia recommended settings and the game doesn't lag or skip whatsoever. So a 660Ti will play pretty much any game you through at it at 1080p right now, but of course will suffer in years to come with games that demand more.

 

Personally, I recommend going for the fastest card you can afford right now.

[joshuamurphy]

also i would wait tillfour generation intel cpus were probally less than two months to getting them. atleast here in nz

[bramturismo]

Do AMD GPU's work better with AMD processors and vica versa?

 

Just wondering, because I might as well get the HIS IceQX2 HD7950 with the i5 3570k since everyone is saying that this card is absolute beast when you overclock it. Does anyone have any specific details how an OC'ed HD7950 from HIS compares to the 7970 and Nvidia cards? Also, will I need additional cooling or are the stock fans on an NZXT Phantom 410 + the fans on the card itself good enough?

 

The HD7950 is 20$ more expensive, but if that beats a GTX670 then I'm saving a lot of money! Given that there's no bickering between it and the 3570k.

[AdamG1401]

"How future proof is this machine"

 

PLEASE. Future proofing is a myth. Crytek or some other game company could whip a new engine out tomorrow that spanks a titan up the arse. (Metro Last Light at high res is just an example). Don't try to future proof. It'll only work if you play those EXACT same games for the lifetime of your rig. Just plan sensible and be prepared to upgrade every 2 to 4 years. 

 

Thank you.

[nishank93]

As I'm sure people have already said, get a 7950. MUCH better card than the 660Ti.

[AdamG1401]

Do AMD GPU's work better with AMD processors and vica versa?

 

Just wondering, because I might as well get the HIS IceQX2 HD7950 with the i5 3570k since everyone is saying that this card is absolute beast when you overclock it. Does anyone have any specific details how an OC'ed HD7950 from HIS compares to the 7970 and Nvidia cards? Also, will I need additional cooling or are the stock fans on an NZXT Phantom 410 + the fans on the card itself good enough?

 

The HD7950 is 20$ more expensive, but if that beats a GTX670 then I'm saving a lot of money! Given that there's no bickering between it and the 3570k.

No. AMD with Intel and nVidia with AMD's CPU's is fine. Makes little to absolutely no difference. Just buy what's the best GPU for the price. Look at Linus' graphics card showdowns.

[Godlygamer23]

Do AMD GPU's work better with AMD processors and vica versa?

No.