GTX680 upgrade to GTX970?

[lukehall 10]

Hi,

 

I currently run an i7 3770K (3.5GHz) with a GTX680. I'm getting a pretty solid 30 fps using PMDG 373NG/777 in most circumstances. I also use ORBX Global and regional sceneries with most UK2000 airports and a number of Aerosoft, FSDT and Fly Tampa ones. 

 

I'm looking at upgrading my system this year and was wondering if the upgrade from 680 to 970 will get me much benefit? Looking at the specs, it doesn't seem as if there is a great deal between them other than faster/more memory on the 970, plus a slightly faster clock speed. It seems that my current 680 is actually a pretty decent card. Is the 970 a stellar leap or am I mis-understanding things?

 

Any advice would be gratefully received! :-)

 

Best wishes,

 

Luke

[Capt Speirs 52]

Hi,

 

I currently run an i7 3770K (3.5GHz) with a GTX680. I'm getting a pretty solid 30 fps using PMDG 373NG/777 in most circumstances. I also use ORBX Global and regional sceneries with most UK2000 airports and a number of Aerosoft, FSDT and Fly Tampa ones. 

 

I'm looking at upgrading my system this year and was wondering if the upgrade from 680 to 970 will get me much benefit? Looking at the specs, it doesn't seem as if there is a great deal between them other than faster/more memory on the 970, plus a slightly faster clock speed. It seems that my current 680 is actually a pretty decent card. Is the 970 a stellar leap or am I mis-understanding things?

 

Any advice would be gratefully received! :-)

 

Best wishes,

 

Luke

 

I would save your money and overclock your CPU to 4.4 or 4.5 GHz. I did my i7 3770K and it made a huge difference. I am also running the GTX680,

[lukehall 10]

Thanks Ric. I'm inclined to agree with you. I think the GTX680 is a pretty solid performer. I'm just not knowledgeable when it comes to overclocking, despite reading lots of 'guides' online! 

 

Luke

[Capt Speirs 52]

Thanks Ric. I'm inclined to agree with you. I think the GTX680 is a pretty solid performer. I'm just not knowledgeable when it comes to overclocking, despite reading lots of 'guides' online! 

 

Luke

You need to find an overclock guide specific to your motherboard, do a google search. There are some really good guides out there. i can't remember where i got mine for my ASUS Sabbertooth Z77. The only issue I had was with "De-lidding" the i7 3770K. I don't recommend it because it is very risky and I haven't done mine yet, come close though. I am currently using water cooling. I am getting ready to water cool and overclock my 680 if it is possible.

[DylanM 1,069]

 

 

I would save your money and overclock your CPU to 4.4 or 4.5 GHz. I did my i7 3770K and it made a huge difference. I am also running the GTX680,

 

Hi Luke, I'd agree with Ric. The 680 is a very capable card, so for no-cost (assuming you already have a good CPU cooler), you can get performance up by overclocking to a stable 4.4 to 4.5 Ghz.   

 

However, if you are looking for bump in GPU performance, the 980 is probably what you're after. You may still be able to recoup some the cost by selling the 680 (which is what I did... ^_^ ). I run P3D and saw a noticeable bump when I went from the 680 to the 980.

[zmak 331]

Thanks Ric. I'm inclined to agree with you. I think the GTX680 is a pretty solid performer. I'm just not knowledgeable when it comes to overclocking, despite reading lots of 'guides' online! 

 

Luke

keep the card and overclock. I got my little old i2500k up to 4.7ghz with a $50 fan cooler . Your performance will go through the roof! Find the forum that supports your MOBO/card they usually have guides and you can ask questions as well.

[Capt Speirs 52]

Hi Luke, I'd agree with Ric. The 680 is a very capable card, so for no-cost (assuming you already have a good CPU cooler), you can get performance up by overclocking to a stable 4.4 to 4.5 Ghz.   

 

However, if you are looking for bump in GPU performance, the 980 is probably what you're after. You may still be able to recoup some the cost by selling the 680 (which is what I did... ^_^ ). I run P3D and saw a noticeable bump when I went from the 680 to the 980.

How much memory does your 980 have?

[lukehall 10]

How much memory does your 980 have?

 

I presume you meant my "680"? If so, then it has 2Gb.

 

Thanks!

[PieEater 10]

Looking at the specs, it doesn't seem as if there is a great deal between them other than faster/more memory on the 970, plus a slightly faster clock speed. It seems that my current 680 is actually a pretty decent card. Is the 970 a stellar leap or am I mis-understanding things?

 

No you are "misunderstanding things" there is a vast difference between the graphics processing unit (GPU) of the 680 and the 970, you can't just compare clock speeds and assume that like for like they are both as efficient, the 970 will give 40-50% better performance over the 680 in benchmarks.

 

I recently upgraded my 680 to a 780Ti which is slightly more powerful than the 970 and noticed significant benefits in frame rates in FSX when running in DX10 preview mode with Steve's fixer. But this is subjective as no-one has the same hardware and software configurations so others that have made similar upgrades and have not experienced the same performance increase.

 

Certainly as you have been advised overclocking your CPU will yield definite performance increases as FSX thrives on CPU clock speed, there will be many guides out there most likely several for your specific motherboard and CPU, Google is your friend. Before embarking on your overclocking adventure you will need a decent aftermarket cooler if you don't already have one.

[Capt Speirs 52]

I presume you meant my "680"? If so, then it has 2Gb.

 

Thanks!

I misunderstood, I thought you had the 980. My 680 has 4 GB Memory, so I am thinking for FSX the 980 with 4 GB Memory isn't going to do too much better for me.