GTX680 Quad SLI vs HD7970 Quad CrossfireX Review
Introduction
Product on Review: KFA2 GTX680 2GB GDDR5 (QUAD SLI)
Manufacturer: KFA2
Sponsor: Overclockers UK
Street Price: £443.99
Like most enthusiasts, especially those that either bench or game at the high end, what we all want to know is 'who is best'? In years gone by it was a simple affair of pitching one card against another however with multiple GPU setups now common place there is more to evaluating a graphics cards performance. No longer is it mano-a-mano, 1 vs. 1 because to truly examine the performance of a high end graphics card you also have to look at how it performs when in tandem with another. SLI and CrossfireX are critically important when faced with the decision of what to buy because it's all very well buying the fastest single card, if it scales poorly in multi-GPU configuration you could be disappointed if you wish to expand on your GPU setup.
So when our friends at Overclockers UK sent us KFA2's latest Kepler equipped graphics card, the mighty GTX680, we were intrigued to see what it could offer over other GTX680's. More so because they were sending not one but four of these monster cards for us to analyse. Couple this with the fact we happened to have a few HD7970's hanging around the office and we were ready to pitch an NVIDIA army against the forces AMD. Fun times ahead!
We were impressed with KFA2's GTX570 with it's funky cooling design. Sadly, the product we have for review today is pretty much reference by design but that does not mean it's a slouch by any stretch of the imagination - far from it! Linking four of them together poses some interesting questions:
How do they scale? What is the power consumption like? Are they noisy? Are they hot? And of course the question everyone wants to know - how do they compare. So for this review we will be looking closely at both cards and comparing 1v1, 2v2, 3v3 and 4v4 which will allow you to make the best choice dependent on your preference of multi GPU setup.
Let's see how the specifications compare...
Product on Review: KFA2 GTX680 2GB GDDR5 (QUAD SLI)
Manufacturer: KFA2
Sponsor: Overclockers UK
Street Price: £443.99
Like most enthusiasts, especially those that either bench or game at the high end, what we all want to know is 'who is best'? In years gone by it was a simple affair of pitching one card against another however with multiple GPU setups now common place there is more to evaluating a graphics cards performance. No longer is it mano-a-mano, 1 vs. 1 because to truly examine the performance of a high end graphics card you also have to look at how it performs when in tandem with another. SLI and CrossfireX are critically important when faced with the decision of what to buy because it's all very well buying the fastest single card, if it scales poorly in multi-GPU configuration you could be disappointed if you wish to expand on your GPU setup.
So when our friends at Overclockers UK sent us KFA2's latest Kepler equipped graphics card, the mighty GTX680, we were intrigued to see what it could offer over other GTX680's. More so because they were sending not one but four of these monster cards for us to analyse. Couple this with the fact we happened to have a few HD7970's hanging around the office and we were ready to pitch an NVIDIA army against the forces AMD. Fun times ahead!
We were impressed with KFA2's GTX570 with it's funky cooling design. Sadly, the product we have for review today is pretty much reference by design but that does not mean it's a slouch by any stretch of the imagination - far from it! Linking four of them together poses some interesting questions:
How do they scale? What is the power consumption like? Are they noisy? Are they hot? And of course the question everyone wants to know - how do they compare. So for this review we will be looking closely at both cards and comparing 1v1, 2v2, 3v3 and 4v4 which will allow you to make the best choice dependent on your preference of multi GPU setup.
About KFA2
KFA2 exists for 2 main reasons:
1. To bring the best quality and performing products to market
2. KFA2 is going to “Kick Friggin Ass” and take names later!
KFA2 are a sole European focused brand, providing European based support, warehousing and RMA facilities. Our primary goal is to provide products based upon two key elements "Performance and Quality" with peace of mind, knowing that all support related services are located within Europe.
KFA2 exists for 2 main reasons:
1. To bring the best quality and performing products to market
2. KFA2 is going to “Kick Friggin Ass” and take names later!
KFA2 are a sole European focused brand, providing European based support, warehousing and RMA facilities. Our primary goal is to provide products based upon two key elements "Performance and Quality" with peace of mind, knowing that all support related services are located within Europe.
Let's see how the specifications compare...
