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Graphics Graphics RMA Decision

Discussion in 'Hardware' started by Uggers, 23 Aug 2012.

  1. Uggers

    Uggers What's a Dremel?

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    Hey all,

    Got a bit of a question, I am currently waiting for SCAN to get the

    ASUS GTX670 DirectCU II TOP NVIDIA Graphics Card - 2GB

    Back in stock for my RMA, they've confirmed mine is broken and currently don't know when they'll get it back in stock again. Apart from being annoying as when I sent in the RMA I was told it was in stock, I am now stuck waiting until it appears again.
    I've been told they could swap it for a different card. Although I am not to sure if I really want to change it for another type. However, I have noticed this;

    EVGA 2GB GeForce GTX 680 SC Signature 2

    Does anyone have any thoughts of this card. I have yet to see any reviews (Or I'm blind) relating to this new 2 Fan unit.

    I did like the ASUS, but there seems to be alot of problems with them and stock seems to be non-existant at the moment. I suppose I could get the non-TOP Version but I did like the idea of having one that was in theory manufacturer o/c'd and thus covered by warranty (I realise GPU is a bit of a lottery)

    Is the 680 really worth it? I hear it just a epeen really. I don't want to manually OC the card myself, rather have a Manufacturers OC as I don't want to kill a card or mess around myself to be honest.
     
  2. Chris_Waddle

    Chris_Waddle Loving my new digital pinball machine

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    I have the Signature 2 card and I have to say that it's an excellent card. It flies through all games I play but until I update my monitor setup I am only gaming at 1920x1200.

    I did consider the card that you have, but thought as the sig 2 wasn't much more, I would go down the route of a 680.

    I will say one thing about the sig 2, the 2 fan system on this card whilst slightly quieter than the reference fan, does blow the hot air into the case rather than out of the case. If you have any air flow problems in the case then you need to bear this in mind - not sure if this is the case with the Asus TOP design?

    After scaling down from a watercooled system, the noise increase when gaming is quite apparent. As I haven't had a fan cooled GPU for many a year I can't say if it's this card or all cards.
     
  3. Uggers

    Uggers What's a Dremel?

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    Thanks for the reply,

    I would imagine the ASUS one is the same, at least regarding pushing air into the case as its fairly open. So I imagine even more so?

    I've got quite a good push pull system in the case so I don't mind if the ambient temp goes up a few degrees.

    I just want it to be fairly quiet. Although I'm used to air cooling so I guess its like you said, maybe because you've stepped down from watercooling.

    I'm finding it hard to find reviews of the SC Signature 2 though, I was hoping to get some Decibel readings so I can compare the cards in that regard.
     
  4. Chris_Waddle

    Chris_Waddle Loving my new digital pinball machine

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    I thought I'd see if I could get an impression of how loud the card is. The truth is, it isn't that loud at all. It was my Kuhler 920. I had forgotten that I had set it to custom for benching. The heat from the GPU going back into the case was causing the Kuhler fans to kick in.

    Once I re-set that back to normal the sound was nice and quiet again. I've run Furmark now for around 20 mins. The GPU is hitting 79 at max temp (it's also overclocked a bit) and the card is pretty quiet.

    Think I shall still have to watercool.
     
    Last edited: 23 Aug 2012
  5. Uggers

    Uggers What's a Dremel?

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    Ahh, that makes sense.

    I decided to go for it, The fact that there seems to be a shortage of the Asus ones around makes me wonder if alot are being RMA'd.
    It might be a little louder or hotter than the Asus but I think with EVGA's software and warranty then it'll probably work out for the best in the long run
     

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