Another 660ti vs 670 thread...

[YiamiYo]

Hello everyone, this is my first post on the forums!

I know this has been discussed a lot, as I've spent a lot of time searching google if gtx 670 worth it over 660ti...

The truth is I might not even need a 660ti cause of bottlenecking so here are my PC specs:

Motherboard: GA-P55A-UD3R (rev. 1.0)

CPU: Intel Core i5-750 2.66GHz

CPU Cooler: CoolerMaster Hyper TX3 Evo

RAM: 4x Corsair Dominator 2GB 1600MHz DDR3

(2x CMP4GX3M2B1600C8 + 2x CMD4GX3M2A1600C8 cause when I upgraded my old memory was discontinued and I was in need for more RAM to run VMs, so I picked something as similar I could find)

HDD: 2x WD Caviar Black 640GB 64MB in RAID0

PSU: Corsair 650W CMPSU-650TXEU

Case: CoolerMaster Sileo 500 Black

Current GPU: Palit GTS 250 1GB

I've managed to OC a bit, but my PC couldn't run stable at speeds other people have reached with the same CPU/Mobo combo (maybe cause of the different RAM modules)

[url=http://valid.canardpc.com/2713270]http://valid.canardpc.com/2713270[/url=http://valid.canardpc.com/2713270]

I want to try 3D gaming in the future, so I'd like to be able to reach 120 fps even at mid graphics (for 1x 1080p display) at games like Guild Wars 2 and Skyrim or other future games.

My budget is around 350 Euros and I don't want an AMD GPU.

I love Nvidia's stability and I also like experimenting with CUDA and PhysX as a programmer.

Thanks in advance!

[Helltech]

With 3D in mind I'd get a 670, don't worry to much about a bottleneck, but I'd try harder to overclock your CPU. You just gotta work with it. What CPU cooler do you have?

[YiamiYo]

I got a CoolerMaster Hyper TX3 Evo

I got it back when I wasn't overclocking and I was getting like 85-90C with stock cooler at 2.66GHz...

I was happy with it's low price, the reason it didn't need a backplate and it's performance till I saw this thread using the same cpu/motherboard: http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/254386-29-overclocking-gigabyte-ud3r-excellent

I didn't know a first generation i5 was so capable of overclocking...

I've tried to increase voltages along with bclk, but didn't mess with setFSB at all...

Prime95 was reporting problems at first minute and I was getting random crashes when using lots of RAM.

Maybe I should go back to using only 4GB RAM?

[eshbop]

I got a CoolerMaster Hyper TX3 Evo

I got it back when I wasn't overclocking and I was getting like 85-90C with stock cooler at 2.66GHz...

I was happy with it's low price, the reason it didn't need a backplate and it's performance till I saw this thread using the same cpu/motherboard: http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/254386-29-overclocking-gigabyte-ud3r-excellent

I didn't know a first generation i5 was so capable of overclocking...

I've tried to increase voltages along with bclk, but didn't mess with setFSB at all...

Prime95 was reporting problems at first minute and I was getting random crashes when using lots of RAM.

Maybe I should go back to using only 4GB RAM?

Don't go step down to 4GB, using lots of RAM shouldn't crash the system unless the RAM is dodgy. Try testing your ram with memtest86+ to make sure its not faulty. Otherwise your overclock may just not be stable.

[wpirobotbuilder]

A 670 is identical to a 660Ti in every way (at least at the reference design level). Same number of cores, same clock speeds, same technologies. The only difference is the memory bus width (256-bit vs 192-bit). This makes the 670 much better suited to high-res gaming. However the 670 costs a good deal more (about $100 if memory serves) for the added memory bandwidth.

I program in CUDA as well, and IMO more cores and faster clock speeds are far more important than the memory bus bandwidth depending on the program you are running (such as the case where you are doing lots of transfers to and from the GPU, in which case you will see some benefit to the larger bus).

You should be fine with your CPU getting either one of those cards.