GTX 660 Ti SC or GTX 760 ?

Greetings Geeks.

I currently own a GTX 560 SC. It runs great on my AMD Phenom II X4 955 oc'd a tad. I have been very happy with the card. But - I am planning for my upgrade next year (I put it off again this year) and I want to spread out some of the cost between now and then as my upgrade will include a host of stuff. So . . .

I am not really sure exactly what route to go. I have seen the 660's around $200, with the 760's about $50 or so more. I have been all over the internet comparing prices, features, and benchmarks. The 760 seems marginally faster, maybe a little less so with my current CPU setup, but that of course will change when I upgrade. I would assume the gains would be moderately more with a new and improved rig.

I use my PC for gaming of all varieties; strategy, sims, RPG's, etc. So, I come to you - Geeks, for some input. Is the 760 worth the extra $ for the performance it will offer?

Thanks for any input.

 

My perception is that video-cards is still The One Product Segment that drops in price frequently and receives New Blood - new standards, new products - almost as often.

If a 760 gets you great new performance now, fine - then use that to justify the purchase. But in a year, it likely won't be considered top-value - ie, performance vs. dollar. It's a certain bet that a $250 video card next year will be hailed as a far better performer. (Of course, they HAFTA say that or else they'd never sell a new card.)

 

I advise AGAINST this practice for several reasons, not least of which are these two:

1. The warranty periods begin on the date of purchase, not date of installation.

2. Newer (and potentially cheaper) versions may be released while your "new" device grows old, unused, on the shelf.​

Therefore, my advice is to save your money and build up your budget until you are ready to purchase everything at once. Then you will be sure to get the latest versions/revisions and your warranty periods will start then, not 6 months ago.

Two things to remember here; (1) Your current motherboard may limit your CPU upgrade options and (2) if you plan on upgrading your motherboard too, remember it is illegal to use an OEM/System Builders license that came with or was purchased for one computer on another computer (or "upgraded" motherboard). Note the motherboard is considered the heart and soul of a computer. Consequently a new motherboard is considered a new computer for licensing purposes. A disk “branded” with a computer maker’s brand name, or is labeled with “OEM", "OEM/System Builder”, “Upgrade”, “Academic Edition”, or "For Distribution with a new PC only", is not transferable to a "new" PC (or "upgraded" motherboard) under any circumstances. These OEM licenses are inextricably tied to the "original equipment".

Most importantly, this information is in the EULA and as users, we agreed to the terms of the EULA (end-user licensing agreement) when we decided to continue to use the software on the original computer. And that makes it legally binding.

So, if planning on upgrading the motherboard too, budget for a new OS license if your old license is of the type mentioned above (as the vast majority are).

As for your graphics card, again, wait until you are ready to purchase everything, then I recommend you check out the latest update of Toms Hardware, Best Graphics Cards for the Money, February 2014.

And remember, a decent graphics card is often the most power hungry device in our computers, often much more so than the CPU. It is often necessary to upgrade the power supply when upgrading graphics. If that is necessary, be sure to properly calculate your needs, add some nice buffer room, then buy a quality supply from a reputable maker and ensure it is 80 PLUS certified. I prefer Corsair and Antec PSUs.

 

Thanks for the "Legalease." I am aware of all that. I have been building computers for 20 years. And those laws are like any other laws, you could follow anyone around and they would break any number of laws on any given day unintentionally. Not that ignorance is a defense, but that is reality. I am sure I am guilty on some level, as are most people, but again, unintentional.

As for Tom's Hardware, that is a great resource. I visit the site as a resource and for keeping up to date on PC technology. Anand Tech, of which I am sure you are aware of, is great too. I would be remiss if I were not to come to Major Geeks and seek additional advice. I want to use all resources at my disposal. I queried on other forums as well.

In the end, I settled on an Asus GTX 660. I got a great price, and it will be a modest upgrade of which I will see more gains with my future upgrade. I could have spent more, but that leaves me more money for other things in the meantime.​

 

760! I went for the bottom of the barrel - a GTX 660. You are correct, that the video card scene is fluid. I could have afforded a 760 GTX, but decided to save some money for other things. In the meantime, I will gain some modest performance in some areas, which for the price I paid, is worth it to me.

 

It has nothing to do with laws. Neither does 20 years experience (I won't hold your obvious youth and lack of experience against you! ). It is just a fact the warranty period begins when you buy the product (the date on your sales receipt), not when you first decide to use it.

On several occasions I have seen folks buy piecemeal over time when they have extra cash - justifying it by claiming they are lousy at saving money. But then life got in the way and for various unplanned reasons, over a year passes and suddenly a motherboard, graphics card, or PSU is out of warranty before the box is even opened. And on more than one of those occasions, the product was dead out the box - with them stuck paying for a new one because the warranty period had expired.

Another perfect example is peripheral revisions - particularly for integrated peripherals. These include new revisions of the USB, PCIe, and SATA protocols for example, that may be released while your brand new, but unopened motherboard is waiting for you to buy your RAM, CPU, or PSU.

I would hardly call the GTX 660 "bottom of the barrel". As seen here, not only is it listed in the "High End" chart, but it is listed pretty high on the chart too.​

 

My "youth" I thought I was old! I won't ask. . .

Money is not really an issue. I could drop a boatload of cash on an entirely new rig this afternoon with no sweat. But a budget is budget. I do like upgrading piecemeal; for some reason it is satisfying. I will be installing the card as soon as it arrives, so it won't be waiting around for a year to be used. I will of course put it through it's paces to see how it holds up.

You are right, it is not bottom of the barrel - I just meant in the sense it is the least of the cards that I was thinking about purchasing. I usually stay a little behind the curve when upgrading anyway. My current rig, an AMD II X4 955 equipped GTX 560 SC runs just about anything really well. In fact, it amazes me how it has handled itself through the years. My upgrade will be a complete overhaul: mobo, RAM, CPU, and some sort of Win64 bit to take advantage of the extra 8 Megs of RAM I will install.

The card I purchased was an Asus. It seemed to get pretty good reviews for the most part. My last few cards have been of the EVGA variety, and I have been very happy with their products. Upon researching benchmarks, I discovered their benchmarks, for whatever reason, were a little behind the Asus in performance. The card was also over $20 cheaper after rebates too. Go figure.

 

Why? How does it compare to your experience with other cards? I don't think my current could push that card to it's potential.

 

I typically wait for version 2.0, or at least, 1.1 before I jump on new advances and technologies. They don't always succeed even if better.

"Upgrading" a "current" system is one thing. Buy piecemeal parts for a new computer is different. I would not recommend buying a graphics card today if it will not be used for potentially 6 month or longer.

Let's just say I got into computers when I literally stood inside one in the early 70s and was tasked to interface a new, state-of-the-art, communicate with submerged subs, LF radio system with the NORAD mainframe I was standing inside of.