{"id":28910,"date":"2012-03-22T12:58:51","date_gmt":"2012-03-22T12:58:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?p=28910"},"modified":"2012-04-08T04:35:01","modified_gmt":"2012-04-08T03:35:01","slug":"nvidias-gtx-680-arrives-faster-smoother-richer-is-it-enough-to-take-the-performance-crown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/nvidias-gtx-680-arrives-faster-smoother-richer-is-it-enough-to-take-the-performance-crown\/","title":{"rendered":"Nvidia&#8217;s GTX 680 arrives!  &#8220;Faster, Smoother, Richer&#8221; &#8211; is it enough to take the Performance Crown?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: left;\" align=\"center\"><script type=\"text\/javascript\">\/\/ <![CDATA[\n                     google_ad_client = \"pub-7021221536180758\"; \/* 468x60, created 11\/11\/09 *\/ google_ad_slot = \"1949837292\"; google_ad_width = 468; google_ad_height = 60;\n\/\/ ]]><\/script><br \/>\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"http:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/show_ads.js\"><\/script><br \/>\nNvidia has finally released its long-awaited GeForce GTX 680 based on its brand new 28nm Kepler DX11.1 architecture today. This new GPU \u2013 Graphics Processing Unit &#8211; a term originally originated by Nvidia is a continuation of their strategy since G80 launched over six years ago to create a General Purpose Processor \u2013 co-equal with the CPU \u2013 that also renders amazing graphics.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\" align=\"center\"><a href=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/680-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-28913\" title=\"680-1\" src=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/680-1.jpg?resize=300%2C234\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/680-1.jpg?resize=300%2C234 300w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/680-1.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The GTX 680\u00a0is the culmination of five years of Nvidia&#8217;s efforts with their new DX11.1 Kepler architecture, their flagship GPU and the replacement for the GTX 580 which launched at the end of 2010. \u00a0Nvidia realizes that they are 2-1\/2 months later than their rival AMD graphics with 28nm DX11.1 video cards. \u00a0It appears that Nvidia waited to guarantee that there would be enough chips to supply a big demand when it finally launches today as yields on the new 28nm chips are less than ideal.<\/p>\n<p>In fact, AMD has already launched much of its HD 7000 DX11.1 series with new premium pricing for their HD 7970\u00a0at $550, down to their HD 7750 for $129. So today, NVIDIA has launched its new Kepler GeForce lineup with its GTX 680 flagship The GTX 480 comes with a MSRP of $499. So we need to answer the question: <em>How does it compare to AMD&#8217;s top single-GPU video card &#8211; the HD 7970?<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/7970-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-28954\" title=\"7970-1\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/7970-1.jpg?resize=300%2C174\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/7970-1.jpg?resize=300%2C174 300w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/7970-1.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>To properly bring you this review, we purchased a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.newegg.com\/Product\/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131465\" onclick=\"_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'outbound-article', 'http:\/\/www.newegg.com\/Product\/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131465', 'PowerColor HD 7970 from NewEgg']);\" >PowerColor HD 7970 from NewEgg<\/a>\u00a0for $550 (above) and put it through its paces this week with the very latest WHQL drivers &#8211; <a href=\"http:\/\/support.amd.com\/us\/gpudownload\/windows\/Pages\/radeonaiw_vista64.aspx\" onclick=\"_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'outbound-article', 'http:\/\/support.amd.com\/us\/gpudownload\/windows\/Pages\/radeonaiw_vista64.aspx', 'Catalyst 12-2, released March 7']);\" >Catalyst 12-2, released March 7<\/a>. \u00a0This driver set should be quite mature as AMD has had ten weeks to fine tune their HD 7970 drivers. \u00a0In contrast, the release GTX 680 GeForce 300.99 drivers that we are using are still beta and should leave some room for improvement by Nvidia&#8217;s driver team in the months to come.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/7970-gtx680.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-28955\" title=\"7970-gtx680\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/7970-gtx680.jpg?resize=300%2C179\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/7970-gtx680.jpg?resize=300%2C179 300w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/7970-gtx680.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>So you will see us pit our PowerColor reference design HD 7970 (above right) &#8211; at stock as well as overclocked &#8211; against the stock and overclocked GTX 680 (above left) using 23 modern games and 3 synthetic benchmarks mostly using 1920&#215;1200 and 2560&#215;1600 resolutions. \u00a0We shall also compare Nvidia&#8217;s 3-panel Surround working now off of a single GTX 680 versus the HD 7970 in Eyefinity\u00a0at 5760&#215;1080 resolution. \u00a0Lastly, we also bench 3D Vision 2 and PhysX, &#8216;on&#8217; versus &#8216;off&#8217; at the very popular 1920&#215;1080 resolution.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/6990-gtx590.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-28956\" title=\"6990-gtx590\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/6990-gtx590.jpg?resize=300%2C206\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/6990-gtx590.jpg?resize=300%2C206 300w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/6990-gtx590.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>We are also comparing the performance of our reference dual-GPU video cards, HD 6990 and the GTX 590 (above) as well as the very fastest video cards of AMD&#8217;s and Nvidia&#8217;s last 40nm generation, the HD 6970 and the GTX 580 (below).<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/6970-gtx580.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-28957\" title=\"6970-gtx580\" src=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/6970-gtx580.jpg?resize=300%2C179\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/6970-gtx580.jpg?resize=300%2C179 300w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/6970-gtx580.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\">What&#8217;s New with Kepler&#8217;s GTX 680?<\/h3>\n<p>One of the best three minute promotional videos of a new launch was (accidentally) posted by Nvidia yesterday. \u00a0It is well worth watching and will give you a great introduction to the GTX 680:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=HxXk-iXLjiY\" onclick=\"_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'outbound-article', 'http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=HxXk-iXLjiY', 'http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=HxXk-iXLjiY']);\" >http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=HxXk-iXLjiY<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Nvidia&#8217;s marketing buzzwords for the GTX 680 launch are, <em><strong>&#8220;Faster. \u00a0Smoother. \u00a0Richer.&#8221; \u00a0 <\/strong><\/em>The GTX 680 is designed for extreme efficiency and high performance.<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\">Faster<\/h3>\n<p>The GTX 680&#8217;s Kepler architecture is now SMX-based with 1336 CUDA cores. \u00a0It promises better geometry and texture processing than Fermi thanks to its improved instruction throughput and redesign. \u00a0In addition, Nvidia brings &#8220;GPU Boost&#8221;, a dynamic way to boost clocks speeds and maximize performance for each game.<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\">Smoother<\/h3>\n<p>New kinds of anti-aliasing &#8211; FXAA and TXAA &#8211; are\u00a0now\u00a0said to compete with MSAA in terms of IQ while not sacrificing performance. \u00a0And there is a new &#8220;Adaptive VSync&#8221; that is supposed to reduce tearing and stuttering associated with regular VSync. \u00a0Great hardware needs great software to support it and Nvidia is also a software company.<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\">Richer<\/h3>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; text-align: -webkit-auto;\">For the first time, it is now possible to play games spanning 3 displays in Surround or in 3D Surround off of a single GeForce GPU, the GTX 680. \u00a0 And the card can also drive a fourth accessory display. \u00a0PhysX has also been improved.<\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/SURROUND-4disp.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-28912\" title=\"SURROUND-4disp\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/SURROUND-4disp.jpg?resize=458%2C235\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/SURROUND-4disp.jpg?resize=458%2C235 763w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/SURROUND-4disp-300x153.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 458px) 100vw, 458px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\">How does the GTX 680 compare with its rival, AMD&#8217;s HD 7970?<\/h3>\n<p>This evaluation attempts to analyze and compare GTX 680 and HD 7970 performance and hopefully we can announce a performance winner. We will also look at the details to see what the new Nvidia Kepler GPU brings to the table. We also believe we have a good handle on how AMD is going to respond to Nvidia&#8217;s GTX 680 launch and we will share our analysis and insights with you.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>The competing cards<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The GTX 680, GTX 580, the GTX 590, the HD 7970, the HD 6990, the HD 6970 are the top cards from Nvidia and AMD of this and the last generation and we will see where they sit in relation to each other. \u00a0The HD 6990 and the GTX 590 are dual-GPU cards and are considered the fastest production video cards currently. \u00a0And it is important to see how much performance increase the GTX 680 has brought over the GTX 580.<\/p>\n<p>Since we do not want any chance of our CPU &#8220;bottlenecking&#8221; our graphics, we are testing all of our Graphics cards by using our Intel Core i7-920 at 4.20 GHz (using the 21x multiplier in turbo mode), 6 GB Kingston DDR3 and a Gigabyte X58 full 16x + 16x PCIe CrossFire\/SLI motherboard. <img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Next page...\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-includes\/js\/tinymce\/plugins\/wordpress\/img\/trans.gif?w=720\" alt=\"\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/>\u00a0This Core i7-920 although more than three years old easily competes with a mildly overclocked Core i7-2700K and is sufficient to differentiate high end video cards at high resolution and high detail settings.\u00a0\u00a0<img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Next page...\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-includes\/js\/tinymce\/plugins\/wordpress\/img\/trans.gif?w=720\" alt=\"\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/>Before we do performance testing, let&#8217;s take a look at the GTX 680 and quickly recap its new Kepler DX11.1 architecture and features.<br \/>\n<!--pagetitle: Introduction--><!--nextpage--><!--pagetitle: Kepler Architecture &#038; Features--><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\">Architecture and Features<\/h3>\n<p>We have covered Fermi&#8217;s GF100 architecture in a lot of detail previously.\u00a0 You can can read our articles <a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?p=14600\">here <\/a>and also in our coverage of NVIDIA&#8217;s GPU Tecnology Conference 2010 that we\u00a0reported on it for you <a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?p=11661\">here<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?p=11825\">here<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?p=11911\">here<\/a> in a three-part series. \u00a0 The new Kepler architecture builds on Fermi architecture with some important improvements and refinements that we will briefly cover before we get into performance testing.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/680-Chip-shot.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-28915\" title=\"680-Chip-shot\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/680-Chip-shot.jpg?resize=300%2C214\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/680-Chip-shot.jpg?resize=300%2C214 300w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/680-Chip-shot.jpg 579w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h3><strong>SMX architecture<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/SMX.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-28916\" title=\"SMX\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/SMX.jpg?resize=471%2C302\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/SMX.jpg?resize=471%2C302 785w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/SMX-300x192.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 471px) 100vw, 471px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>As Nvidia&#8217;s slide indicates, the new architecture is called SMX and it emphasizes 2x the performance per Watt of Fermi. \u00a0\u00a0Their multi-threaded engine handles all of the information using four graphics processing clusters including the raster engine and two streaming multi-processors.<\/p>\n<p>The SM is now called the SMX cluster. Each SMX cluster includes a Polymorph 2.0 engine, 192 CUDA cores, 16 texture units and a lot of high-level cache. To add it all up, \u00a02 SMXs each times 16 SMXs each including 192 CUDA cores, equal 1536 CUDA cores.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/680-Chip-Diag-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-28925\" title=\"680-Chip-Diag-1\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/680-Chip-Diag-1.jpg?resize=365%2C620\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/680-Chip-Diag-1.jpg?resize=365%2C620 405w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/680-Chip-Diag-1-176x300.jpg 176w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 365px) 100vw, 365px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Four raster units and 128 Texture units comprise 32 ROPs; eight geometry units each have a tessellation unit, and more lower-level cache.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/KEPLER-BlockDiag.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-28926\" title=\"KEPLER-BlockDiag\" src=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/KEPLER-BlockDiag.jpg?resize=529%2C316\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/KEPLER-BlockDiag.jpg?resize=529%2C316 756w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/KEPLER-BlockDiag-300x178.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 529px) 100vw, 529px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Nvidia has really improved their memory controller over last generation as there is a\u00a0256-bit wide GDDR5 memory interface at 6Gbps declared throughput.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/6gbpsDDR5.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-28958\" title=\"6gbpsDDR5\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/6gbpsDDR5.jpg?resize=300%2C239\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/6gbpsDDR5.jpg?resize=300%2C239 300w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/6gbpsDDR5.jpg 540w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The Kepler PolyMorph and Raster engines have been improved over Femi.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/KEPLER-ImpPolyMorph.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-28927\" title=\"KEPLER-ImpPolyMorph\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/KEPLER-ImpPolyMorph.jpg?resize=480%2C196\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/KEPLER-ImpPolyMorph.jpg?resize=480%2C196 800w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/KEPLER-ImpPolyMorph-300x122.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>We see bindless textures which dramatically increase the number of textures to the shaders allowing for more detail. \u00a0Logic has been improved.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/KEPLER-bindlesstext.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-28928\" title=\"KEPLER-bindlesstext\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/KEPLER-bindlesstext.jpg?resize=480%2C273\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/KEPLER-bindlesstext.jpg?resize=480%2C273 800w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/KEPLER-bindlesstext-300x170.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>We also see improvements in Kepler scheduling over Fermi.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/KEPLER-SchedulingExample.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-28929\" title=\"KEPLER-SchedulingExample\" src=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/KEPLER-SchedulingExample.jpg?resize=480%2C267\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/KEPLER-SchedulingExample.jpg?resize=480%2C267 800w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/KEPLER-SchedulingExample-300x166.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Of course, this lead to changes in design decisions for more efficiency.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/KEPLER-PowervClock.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-28930\" title=\"KEPLER-PowervClock\" src=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/KEPLER-PowervClock.jpg?resize=480%2C277\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/KEPLER-PowervClock.jpg?resize=480%2C277 800w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/KEPLER-PowervClock-300x172.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>This is a very brief overview of Kepler architecture as presented to the press at Kepler Editor&#8217;s Day in San Francisco two weeks ago. \u00a0If we are able to attend the upcoming GTC, you can expect a lot more details about the architecture.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>GPU Boost<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>GPU Boost was invented by Nvidia to improve efficiency and to raise the GTX 680 clocks automatically in response to dynamically changing power requirements. \u00a0Up until now, Nvidia engineers had to select clock speeds on a specific &#8220;worst case&#8221; power target &#8211; often a benchmark.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/GPUBOOST-Frequency.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-28937\" title=\"GPUBOOST-Frequency\" src=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/GPUBOOST-Frequency.jpg?resize=480%2C272\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/GPUBOOST-Frequency.jpg?resize=480%2C272 800w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/GPUBOOST-Frequency-300x169.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately, all apps are not equal in their power requirements and some applications are far more power-hungry than others &#8211; that means that in some games with lower power requirements, the game is not optimized for higher core frequency because it is limited by a global power target.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-28941\" title=\"GPUBOOST-opyimize\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/GPUBOOST-opyimize.jpg?resize=480%2C269\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/GPUBOOST-opyimize.jpg?resize=480%2C269 800w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/GPUBOOST-opyimize-300x168.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<p>With GPU Boost, there is real time dynamic clocking with polling every millisecond. \u00a0In this way, clocks can be ramped up to meet the power target of each application &#8211; not held back by the most stressful app, which is usually a benchmark, not a game.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/BOOST-2.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-28938\" title=\"BOOST-2\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/BOOST-2.jpg?resize=480%2C271\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/BOOST-2.jpg?resize=480%2C271 800w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/BOOST-2-300x169.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Fortunately, GPU Boost goes hand in hand with overclocking and delivers additional frequency in addition to the clocks set by the end user.\u00a0GPU Boost continues to work while overclocking to the maximum allowed by the ever-changing power envelope.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/GPUBOOST-oc.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-28940\" title=\"GPUBOOST-oc\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/GPUBOOST-oc.jpg?resize=480%2C269\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/GPUBOOST-oc.jpg?resize=480%2C269 800w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/GPUBOOST-oc-300x168.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Moving the voltage higher also moves the frequency and boost higher. \u00a0In practice, if you monitor the frequencies, they constantly change up and down. \u00a0You can see this in the overclocking section by using EVGA&#8217;s Precision.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Adaptive VSync<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Traditionall VSynch is great for eliminating tearing until the frame rate drops below the target &#8211; then there is a severe drop from usually 60 fps down to 30 fps if it cannot meet exactly 60. \u00a0When that happens, there is a noticeable stutter.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/AdaptiveVSynch-stutter.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-28931\" title=\"AdaptiveVSynch-stutter\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/AdaptiveVSynch-stutter.jpg?resize=480%2C274\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/AdaptiveVSynch-stutter.jpg?resize=480%2C274 800w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/AdaptiveVSynch-stutter-300x171.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Nvidia&#8217;s solution is to dynamically adjust VSync &#8211; to turn it on and off instantaneously. \u00a0In this way VSynch continues to prevent tearing but when it drops below 60 fps, it shuts off VSynch to reduce stuttering instead of drastically dropping frame rates from 60 to 30 fps or even lower. \u00a0When the minimum target is again met, VSynch kicks back in. \u00a0In gaming, you never notice Adaptive VSynch is happening; you just notice less stutter (in demanding games, especially).<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/AdaptiveVSynch.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-28932\" title=\"AdaptiveVSynch\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/AdaptiveVSynch.jpg?resize=480%2C269\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/AdaptiveVSynch.jpg?resize=480%2C269 800w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/AdaptiveVSynch-300x168.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Adaptive VSynch is a good solution that works well in practice. \u00a0We did not spend a lot of time with Adaptive VSynch as we rarely use VSynch when we game and never when benching.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><strong>FXAA &amp; TXAA<\/strong><\/h2>\n<h3><strong>TXAA<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>There is a need for new kinds of anti-aliasing as many of the modern engines use differed lighting which suffers a heavy performance penalty when traditional MSAA is applied. \u00a0The alternative, to have jaggies is unacceptable. \u00a0TXAA &#8211; Temporal Anti-Aliasing is a mix of hardware mult-sampling with a custom high quality AA resolve that use temporal components (samples that are gathered over micro-seconds are compared to give a better AA solution).<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/TXAA-explained.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-28944\" title=\"TXAA-explained\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/TXAA-explained.jpg?resize=542%2C448\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/TXAA-explained.jpg?resize=542%2C448 542w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/TXAA-explained-300x247.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 542px) 100vw, 542px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>There is TXAA 1 which extracts a performance cost similar to 2xAA which under ideal circumstances give similar results to 8xMSAA. \u00a0Of course, from what little time we have spent with it, it appears to be not quite as consistent as MSAA but works well in areas of high contrast. \u00a0TXAA 2 is supposed to have a similar performance penalty to 4xMSAA but with higher quality than 8xMSAA. \u00a0We simply did not have time to investigate these claims but present Nvidia&#8217;s examples below.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/FXAA-MSAA.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-28933\" title=\"FXAA-MSAA\" src=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/FXAA-MSAA.jpg?resize=296%2C686\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/FXAA-MSAA.jpg?resize=296%2C686 296w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/FXAA-MSAA-129x300.jpg 129w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 296px) 100vw, 296px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>How does TXAA compare with 8xMSAA? \u00a0Pretty good if these images are good examples of it. \u00a0Again, TXAA seems to work really well in areas of high contrast lighting.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/TXAA-vsMSAA.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-28943\" title=\"TXAA-vsMSAA\" src=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/TXAA-vsMSAA.jpg?resize=293%2C360\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/TXAA-vsMSAA.jpg?resize=293%2C360 516w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/TXAA-vsMSAA-244x300.jpg 244w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 293px) 100vw, 293px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>TXAA will be the subject of an IQ analysis in a forthcoming article. For now, it works and appears to be a great option for the situations where MSAA doesn&#8217;t work efficientlyl<\/p>\n<h3><strong>FXAA<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Nvidia has already implemented FXAA &#8211; Fast Approximate Anti-Aliasing. \u00a0In practice, it works well in some games <em>(Duke Nukem Forever)<\/em>, in other games it may be a bit blurry for some<em>. \u00a0<\/em>First, a screenshot from the upcoming Samaritan demo with no AA and the jagged edges are intolerable.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Samaritan_No_AA.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-28934\" title=\"Samaritan_No_AA\" src=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Samaritan_No_AA.jpg?resize=300%2C168\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Samaritan_No_AA.jpg?resize=300%2C168 300w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Samaritan_No_AA-1024x576.jpg 1024w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Samaritan_No_AA.jpg 1800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Now 4xMSAA is applied to the entire screen slowing performance considerably. \u00a0Jaggies are reduced visibly at the cost of performance.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Samaritan_4xMSAA.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-28935\" title=\"Samaritan_4xMSAA\" src=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Samaritan_4xMSAA.jpg?resize=300%2C168\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Samaritan_4xMSAA.jpg?resize=300%2C168 300w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Samaritan_4xMSAA-1024x576.jpg 1024w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Samaritan_4xMSAA.jpg 1800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Here is the same scene with FXAA applied. \u00a0In many cases, where there is a lot of difference between light and dark scenes it works better than MSAA; in others it lacks a bit and blurs the entire scene. \u00a0In this example, it works very well to eliminate aliasing.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Samaritan_FXAA.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-28936\" title=\"Samaritan_FXAA\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Samaritan_FXAA.jpg?resize=300%2C168\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Samaritan_FXAA.jpg?resize=300%2C168 300w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Samaritan_FXAA-1024x576.jpg 1024w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Samaritan_FXAA.jpg 1801w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Again, FXAA is a great option to have when MSAA kills performance. \u00a0We plan to devote a entire evaluation to comparing IQ between the HD 7000 series and the GTX 600 series as well as to the older series video cards.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Specifications<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Here are the specifications for the GTX 680:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/680-specs.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-28914\" title=\"680-specs\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/680-specs.jpg?resize=439%2C369\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/680-specs.jpg?resize=439%2C369 439w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/680-specs-300x252.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 439px) 100vw, 439px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>There were quite a few changes between the GTX 680 and the GTX 580.<\/p>\n<p>Here are the specifications of the GTX 580<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/SPECS.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/SPECS.jpg?resize=432%2C448\" alt=\"\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Right off we see the memory speed\/bandwidth has taken a huge jump from 4Gbps to 6Gbps while the memory configuration of the GTX 58o has been reduced from 384-bit to 256-bit; while the vRAM has been increased from 1.5GB to 2GB! \u00a0And the core clock has gone up from 772MHz to 1006MHz while the power requirements have dropped from 244W down to 195W. \u00a0 We also notice that DisplayPort is now an option.<\/p>\n<p>TheGeForce GTX 680 was designed from the ground up to deliver exceptional tessellation performance which Nvidia claims is 4 times the HD 7970&#8217;s tessellation performance. Tessellation is the key component of Microsoft&#8217;s DirectX 11 development platform for PC games.<\/p>\n<p>Tessellation allows game developers to take advantage of the GeForce GTX 680 GPU&#8217;s tessellation ability to increase the geometric complexity of models and characters to deliver far more realistic and visually rich gaming environments. Needless to say, the new GTX brings a lot of features to the table that current Nvidia&#8217;s customers will appreciate, including improved CUDA&#8217;s PhysX, 2D and 3D Surround plus the ability to drive up to 3 LCDs plus a 4th accessory display from a single GTX 680; superb tessellation capabilities and a really fast and power efficient GPU in comparison to their GTX 580.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Surround plus an Accessory display from a single card<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>One of the criticisms that Kepler addressed in Fermi was that two video cards in SLI are required to run 3-panel Surround or 3D Vision Surround. \u00a0The GTX 680 now can run three displays plus an accessory display and Nvidia has changed their taskbar from the left side to the center screen. \u00a0We didn&#8217;t find much difference with the taskbar in the center; it might be more convenient for some users.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/SURROUND-taskbarCenter.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-28945\" title=\"SURROUND-taskbarCenter\" src=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/SURROUND-taskbarCenter.jpg?resize=480%2C207\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/SURROUND-taskbarCenter.jpg?resize=480%2C207 800w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/SURROUND-taskbarCenter-300x129.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>One new option is in the Bezel corrections. \u00a0In the past, the in-game menus would get occluded by the bezels and it was annoying if you use the correction. \u00a0Now with Bezel Peek, you can use hotkeys to instantly see the menus hidden by the bezel. \u00a0However, this editor does not ever use bezel correction.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/SURROUND-bezelPeak.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-28946\" title=\"SURROUND-bezelPeak\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/SURROUND-bezelPeak.jpg?resize=480%2C281\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/SURROUND-bezelPeak.jpg?resize=480%2C281 800w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/SURROUND-bezelPeak-300x175.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Nvidia claims a faster experience with the custom resolutions because of a faster center display acceleration. \u00a0Of course, we tested Surround&#8217;s 5760&#215;1080 resolution and compared it to identical settings with Eyefinity driven off of a HD 7970. \u00a0Check out the results in the Performance Summary chart and the 3D Vision\/Surround section.<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><!--pagetitle: A Look at the GTX 680--><\/p>\n<h3><strong>A look at the cards<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Nvidia has redesigned their GEFORCE logo somewhat in this professionally rendered image. \u00a0You can see the connectors.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/GeForce_GTX_680_Style-3.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-28917\" title=\"GeForce_GTX_680_Style-3\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/GeForce_GTX_680_Style-3.jpg?resize=480%2C490\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/GeForce_GTX_680_Style-3.jpg?resize=480%2C490 800w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/GeForce_GTX_680_Style-3-294x300.jpg 294w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>We can see that there are two dual link DVI ports, a HDMI 1.4a port. and a DisplayPort. \u00a0To run 3 panel Surround off of a single GTX 680, we used two DVI connectors and a passive DisplayPort to DVI adapter. \u00a0We were not able to test 3D Vision Surround as we would need the more expensive active DisplayPort to dual-link DVI adapter or else we would still have to use two GTX 680s in SLI.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Quiet Gaming<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/QuietGaming.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-28919\" title=\"QuietGaming\" src=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/QuietGaming.jpg?resize=411%2C268\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/QuietGaming.jpg?resize=411%2C268 685w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/QuietGaming-300x195.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 411px) 100vw, 411px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Here you can see the GTX 680 with its cover removed.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/GeForce_GTX_680_3qtr_No_shr.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-28920\" title=\"GeForce_GTX_680_3qtr_No_shr\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/GeForce_GTX_680_3qtr_No_shr.jpg?resize=480%2C335\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/GeForce_GTX_680_3qtr_No_shr.jpg?resize=480%2C335 1000w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/GeForce_GTX_680_3qtr_No_shr-300x209.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0And here is the PCB.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/GeForce_GTX_680_3qtr_No_The.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-28921\" title=\"GeForce_GTX_680_3qtr_No_The\" src=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/GeForce_GTX_680_3qtr_No_The.jpg?resize=480%2C335\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/GeForce_GTX_680_3qtr_No_The.jpg?resize=480%2C335 1000w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/GeForce_GTX_680_3qtr_No_The-300x209.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>From a top down look with the cover removed.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/GeForce_GTX_680_F_No_Shroud.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-28922\" title=\"GeForce_GTX_680_F_No_Shroud\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/GeForce_GTX_680_F_No_Shroud.jpg?resize=480%2C238\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/GeForce_GTX_680_F_No_Shroud.jpg?resize=480%2C238 1000w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/GeForce_GTX_680_F_No_Shroud-300x149.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>And now the PCB and layout.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/GeForce_GTX_680_F_No_Therma.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-28923\" title=\"GeForce_GTX_680_F_No_Therma\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/GeForce_GTX_680_F_No_Therma.jpg?resize=480%2C238\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/GeForce_GTX_680_F_No_Therma.jpg?resize=480%2C238 1000w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/GeForce_GTX_680_F_No_Therma-300x149.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Here is the other side.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/GeForce_GTX_680_B.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-28924\" title=\"GeForce_GTX_680_B\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/GeForce_GTX_680_B.jpg?resize=480%2C237\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/GeForce_GTX_680_B.jpg?resize=480%2C237 1000w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/GeForce_GTX_680_B-300x148.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The chip itself is quite small.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>SLI and Tri-SLI<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The GTX 680 is set up for SLI and Tri-SLI. \u00a0We hope to cover SLI performance of the GTX 680 in an upcoming article.<\/p>\n<p>The specifications look extraordinary with solid improvements over the Fermi-based GTX 580. \u00a0Let&#8217;s check out performance after we look at our test configuration on the next page.<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><!--pagetitle: Test Configuration--><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"font-size: large;\"><span style=\"color: #ffff00;\"><strong>Test Configuration &#8211; Hardware<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: left;\">\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Intel Core i7 920 reference 2.66 GHz<\/span>, overclocked to 4.2 GHz using the 21x multiplier<span style=\"font-size: small;\">; Turbo is off and HyperThreading is on.<\/span><\/li>\n<li>Gigabyte GA-MA790X-UD4P (latest BIOS, PCIe 2.0 specification; CrossFire\/SLI 16x+16x).<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\">6 GB OCZ DDR3 PC 1800 Kingston RAM (3&#215;2 GB, tri-channel at 1200MHz; 2&#215;2 GB supplied by Kingston)<\/span><\/li>\n<li>GeForce GTX 680, 2 GB (1006\/3000MHz and also overclockesd, 1156\/3025MHz), supplied by Nvidia<\/li>\n<li>GeForce GTX 590, 3 GB reference clocks, Galaxy clocks (607\/1707 MHz), supplied by Nvidia.<\/li>\n<li>GeForce GTX 580, 1.5 GB reference design and clocks (772\/2004 MHz), supplied by Nvidia<\/li>\n<li>PowerColor Radeon HD 7970, 3 GB with custom cooling at stock clocks (925\/1375MHz) and also overclocked (1100\/1400MHz)<\/li>\n<li>AMD Radeon HD 6990, 4GB reference design and stock clocked (850\/1250MHz), supplied by AMD<\/li>\n<li>AMD Radeon HD 6970, 2 GB reference design and stock clocks (880\/1375MHz), supplied by AMD<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Onboard Realtek Audio<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\">2 x 500 GB Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 hard drives; one for AMD and one for Nvidia<br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Thermaltake ToughPowerXT 775W power supply unit supplied by Thermaltake<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Thermaltake Element G Case supplied by Thermaltake<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Frio OCK CPU cooler, supplied by Thermaltake<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Philips DVD SATA writer<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\">HP LP3065 2560&#215;1600 thirty inch LCD.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Three ASUS VG236 23-inch 1920&#215;1080 120Hz LCDs supplied by ASUS\/Nvidia and used for Surround\/Eyefinity 5760&#215;1080 resolution.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Asus VG278 27&#8243;- 120Hz 1080p display and 3D Vision 2 Glasses supplied by Nvidia\/ASUS.<br \/>\n<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #ffff00;\">Test Configuration &#8211; Software<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\">NVIDIA GeForce 296.10 WHQL drivers for GTX 580 and GTX 590 and 300.99 release drivers for the GTX 680; High Quality<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\"><span>AMD 12.2 WHQL Catalyst drivers; High Quality &#8211; optimizations off; use application settings<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Windows 7 64-bit; very latest updates<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\">DirectX November 2010<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\">All games are patched to their latest versions.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\">VSync is forced off in the control panel.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\">AA enabled as noted in games<\/span><span style=\"font-size: small;\">; all in-game settings are specified with 16xAF always applied; 16xAF forced in control panel for\u00a0<em>Crysis.<\/em><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\">All results show average, minimum and maximum frame rates except as noted.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Highest quality sound (stereo) used in all games.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: small;\">Windows 7 64, all DX10 titles were run under DX10 render paths; DX11 titles under DX11 render paths.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><strong><span style=\"color: #ffff00;\">The Benchmarks<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Synthetic<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Vantage<\/li>\n<li>3DMark 11<em><\/em><\/li>\n<li>Heaven 3.0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div><strong>OpenGL<\/strong><\/div>\n<ul>\n<li><em>Wolfenstein<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div><strong>DX9\u00a0<\/strong><\/div>\n<ul>\n<li><em>Batman: Arkham Asylum\u00a0<\/em>(3D &amp; PhysX tests only)<\/li>\n<li><em>Mafia 2\u00a0<\/em>(3D &amp; PhysX tests only)<\/li>\n<li><em>Super Street Fighter IV, Arcade Edition <\/em>(3D Vision comparison only)<\/li>\n<li><em>Left 4 Dead 2<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Serious Sam 3 BFE<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div><strong>DX10<\/strong><\/div>\n<ul>\n<li><em>Crysis<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Far Cry 2<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em><\/em><em>Just Cause 2<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em><\/em><em>World-in-Conflict<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Resident Evil 5<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div><strong>DX11<\/strong><\/div>\n<ul>\n<li><em>BattleForge<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Alien vs. Predator<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>STALKER, Call of Pripyat<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Metro 2033<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>F1 2010<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>H.A.W.X. 2<\/em><em><\/em><\/li>\n<li><em><\/em><em>Lost Planet 2<\/em><em><\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Civilization V<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Total War: Shogun II<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em><em>Crysis 2<\/em><\/em><\/li>\n<li><em><\/em><em>Dirt 3<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Deus Ex: Human Revolution<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em><em>Batman: Arkham City<\/em><\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Before we get to the GTX 680&#8217;s performance in gaming, let&#8217;s look at overclocking, power draw and temperatures.<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><!--pagetitle: O\/C'ing. Power Draw &#038; Temps--><\/p>\n<h2>Overclocking, Power Draw &amp; Temperatures<\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Overclocking<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Overclocking the GTX 680 beyond the stock overclock was easy. \u00a0No one should let the boost clocks intimidate them. \u00a0Using EVGA Precision tool, simply push the sliders to the right as far as you dare and set the clocks. \u00a0No more shader clocks to adjust and the vRAM and the core are easy to set. \u00a0As usual, we are not looking for the ultimate overvolted overclock with our VGA fan screaming along at 100%.\u00a0 We always test with our cards at stock voltage and with the stock fan profile so that our reader may have a good idea of midrange overclocking.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Precision-OC-680.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-28947\" title=\"Precision-OC-680\" src=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Precision-OC-680.jpg?resize=550%2C359\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Precision-OC-680.jpg?resize=550%2C359 550w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Precision-OC-680-300x195.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>As you can see, we upped the base clock by +150MHz over the base clock of 1006GHz for 1156MHz and GPU Boost adjusts the frequency upward by another +100MHz to top out at about 1260MHz. \u00a0We also set the power target to the maximum 132% and upped the memory clock by 25MHz (eventually). \u00a0Fan speed stayed low and temperatures in the mid-50s under load. \u00a0Of course, at idle the voltage and the clocks dropped.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Precision-OC-680-idle.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-28948\" title=\"Precision-OC-680-idle\" src=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Precision-OC-680-idle.jpg?resize=550%2C358\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Precision-OC-680-idle.jpg?resize=550%2C358 550w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Precision-OC-680-idle-300x195.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Power Boost will continually adjust the clocks and the voltage dynamically per each application. \u00a0Below we see 1005MHz and have seen it fluctuate upward to 1285MHz with the same application,<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Precision1005MhzVlow.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-28960\" title=\"Precision1005MhzVlow\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Precision1005MhzVlow.jpg?resize=518%2C377\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Precision1005MhzVlow.jpg?resize=518%2C377 800w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Precision1005MhzVlow-300x217.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 518px) 100vw, 518px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>We did exactly the same thing with our PowerColor HD 7970. \u00a0Its stock clocks are 925\/1375 and we pushed them beyond the fastest AMD partner-overclocked Radeon HD 7970&#8217;s clocks at 1070\/1400MHz to exactly 1100MHz\/1400MHz at stock voltage and with the stock fan profile. \u00a0And our particular HD 7970 was not completely stable at anything over 1100MHz on the core without upping the voltage.<\/p>\n<p>With our GTX 680, we reached 1156MHz on the core and upped the memory +25Hz to 3025MHz.\u00a0 That 1156Mhz is +150MHz over Nvidia&#8217;s stock core clock and that does not count further overclocking of approximately +100MHz provided automatically by GPU Boost.\u00a0 On the other hand, the +25MHz total memory boost is quite conservative.\u00a0 We could have gone much higher on the core and on the memory if we were willing to turn up the fan speeds or adjust the voltage but we are saving that for the follow up article.\u00a0 As it was, core temps are not the sole limiting factor on our overclock of either the HD 7970 nor the GTX 680 as far as we can see.<\/p>\n<p>We always use EVGA&#8217;s Precision overclocking tool which recently added integrated GPU voltage adjustments.\u00a0 In addition to the EVGA GeForce GTX 680, EVGA has also introduced a new version of its popular \u201cPrecision\u201d overclocking software, EVGA Precision X. It allows you to fine tune your GeForce graphics card, including GPU Clock speed, GPU Voltage, Memory Clock speed and Fan speed.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>EVGA Precision X features many new and key features:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\u00b7 Brand New GUI \u2013 Built from the ground up for the next generation of graphics accelerators.<\/li>\n<li>\u00b7 Advanced Hardware Monitoring \u2013 See GPU vitals in real time.<\/li>\n<li>\u00b7 In Game Monitoring \u2013 See your GPU vitals, without leaving your game.<\/li>\n<li>\u00b7 Frame Rate Target \u2013 GeForce GTX 680 will adjust power\/clock dynamically to match set framerate.<\/li>\n<li>\u00b7 Fan Curve \u2013 Setup and advanced fan profile.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.evga.com\/precision\" onclick=\"_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'outbound-article', 'http:\/\/www.evga.com\/precision', 'Learn More about EVGA Precision X']);\" target=\"_blank\">Learn More about EVGA Precision X<\/a><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Temperature<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Our ambient (room temperatures) were fairly warm &#8211; 72-76F &#8211; so as to approximate a warm Spring day. Be aware that we used our\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/thermaltake-element-g-case\">Thermaltake Element G<\/a>\u00a0case which has excellent airflow for an oversized midtower.\u00a0 The GTX 580 Ti runs quite cool at even our overclock, in the low to mid-50s C even under load.\u00a0 However, once the core speed increased, so did the temperatures until we were idling in the low 60s when we hit near the 1300MHz peak on the core from boost and temperatures would rise into the low-80sC.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Precision1234Mhz80c.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-28961\" title=\"Precision1234Mhz80c\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Precision1234Mhz80c.jpg?resize=560%2C409\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Precision1234Mhz80c.jpg?resize=560%2C409 800w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Precision1234Mhz80c-300x219.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 560px) 100vw, 560px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>You can see from the performance charts what effects increasing core speed has on the GTX 680 \u00a0&#8211; from the reference speed of 1006\/3006MHz , to our own +150MHz. \u00a0The performance summary charts are up next and there is a separate overclocking chart showing the manual overclocking of the GTX 680 +150MHz on the core compared to the +175MHz we got with our PowerColor HD 7970.<\/p>\n<p>We are looking forward to our follow-up article which will include voltage increases for both the GTX 680 and the HD 7970. \u00a0So far, they both seem to overclock equally very well.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Power Draw<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>We did a rough comparison by using our entire system running identical stressful benchmarks while monitoring with Kill-A-Watt. \u00a0Here is the GTX 680 in our system at idle.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/idle680W.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-28964\" title=\"idle680W\" src=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/idle680W.jpg?resize=270%2C300\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/idle680W.jpg?resize=270%2C300 270w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/idle680W.jpg 550w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 270px) 100vw, 270px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Now we ran our benches continually and looked for the peak usage of power with our GTX 680 overclocked as far as it would go stably without \u00a0fan profile adjustment nor with a voltage increase. \u00a0The absolute peak power usage was a blip at 451W. \u00a0We couldn&#8217;t quite catch it, but we got close.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Max680W.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-28965\" title=\"Max680W\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Max680W.jpg?resize=295%2C300\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Max680W.jpg?resize=295%2C300 295w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Max680W.jpg 550w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 295px) 100vw, 295px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Installing the overclocked HD 7970 into the same system drew 44W more than with the overclocked GTX 680; we photographed the peak Wattage that we observed. \u00a0 The PowerColor HD 7970 was also overclocked as far as it would stably go &#8211; also on the stock fan profile and stock voltage.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Max7970W.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-28966\" title=\"Max7970W\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Max7970W.jpg?resize=300%2C262\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Max7970W.jpg?resize=300%2C262 300w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Max7970W.jpg 550w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Noise<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Both cards are extraordinarily quiet for high-end flagship cards. \u00a0The GTX 580 is already quiet for a powerful card, but both of these cards are noticeably quieter. \u00a0And we had to drop our overclock on our CPU and lower our CPU fans rpm to even notice them at all. \u00a0Both automatic fan profiles work well and needed no tweaking using our maximum overclock on each card.<\/p>\n<p>It appears that Nvidia has especially tuned the GTX 680 to be quiet somewhat at the expense of cooling. \u00a0It will be interesting to see what cooling designs their partners implement.<\/p>\n<p>Before we head to our performance charts, let&#8217;s do check out 3D Vision PhysX\u00a0and\u00a0Surround vs. Eyefinity testing.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><!--pagetitle: 3D Vision, PhysX and Surround--><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><strong>3D Vision Testing and PhysX<\/strong><\/h2>\n<h3>3D Vision 2<\/h3>\n<p>We evaluated\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/3d-vision-mega-evaluation-gimmick-or-gamings-future\">3D Vision with 80 games<\/a>\u00a0and determined that it will be the next big thing in gaming.\u00a0 Even older games not specifically made for 3D can work very well with the added dimension of depth.\u00a0 We also evaluated 3D Vision 2 and found it superior to the passive 3D HD3D used by AMD. \u00a0We are not going to compare performance again as HD3D lacks the robust support that Nvidia provides for 3D Vision but will instead focus on the GTX 680&#8217;s improvement over the GTX 580<\/p>\n<p>All of the games were played with maximum settings with a single GTX 680 and GTX 580. Motion Blur is left off and settings are maximum except as noted on the chart.\u00a0 We compare framerates in 2D with 3D Vision and note that there are further downward adjustments for smoother play.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/SSFIV-2011-07-31-21-52-44-10.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-27921\" title=\"SSFIV 2011-07-31 21-52-44-10\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/SSFIV-2011-07-31-21-52-44-10.jpg?resize=300%2C168\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/SSFIV-2011-07-31-21-52-44-10.jpg?resize=300%2C168 300w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/SSFIV-2011-07-31-21-52-44-10-1024x576.jpg 1024w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/SSFIV-2011-07-31-21-52-44-10.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Here are the results of our benching with 3D Vision enabled versus 2D with the GTX 550 versus the GTX 680. There is a significant performance hit because each frame is rendered twice \u2013 once for the left eye and once for the right.<\/p>\n<p>First the chart:<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/3DVision.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-28969\" title=\"3DVision\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/3DVision.jpg?resize=523%2C321\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/3DVision.jpg?resize=523%2C321 646w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/3DVision-300x184.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 523px) 100vw, 523px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>And now the graph:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/3DVision-Graph.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-28970\" title=\"3DVision-Graph\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/3DVision-Graph.jpg?resize=482%2C1246\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/3DVision-Graph.jpg?resize=482%2C1246 482w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/3DVision-Graph-116x300.jpg 116w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/3DVision-Graph-396x1024.jpg 396w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 482px) 100vw, 482px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>3D Vision is quite impressive as gamers now have an enhanced dimension of depth to immerse them even more into their game.\u00a0 Best of all as you can see, 3D Vision is now playable on a single GTX 680.\u00a0 In all cases, the performance is better with the GTX 680 over the GTX 580 &#8211; sometimes, enough to make a difference in playability.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>PhysX<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>AMD has no answer to PhysX although they have promised physics support for years. \u00a0Nvidia has developed their own propriatary PhysX which is used in a few games to create extra immersion with particle, fluid and other physics calculations that previously usually required a separate video card just dedicated to geometry and PhysX calculations.<\/p>\n<p>Due to enhancements in Kepler&#8217;s SMX architecture as well as higher clocks, it is now easier to run PhysX on high with the GTX 680 than with the GTX 580. \u00a0At GeForce Kepler Editor&#8217;s Day in San Francisco, the Gearbox CEO and founder, Randy Pitchford demonstrated <em>Borderlands 2<\/em> running on a single GTX 680. \u00a0Gearbox uses PhysX for immersion by adding extra physics effects. \u00a0It was quite an impessive demonstration and this editor \u00a0is definitely looking forward to <em>Borderlands 2<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Borderlands-2.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-28950\" title=\"Borderlands-2\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Borderlands-2.jpg?resize=550%2C312\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Borderlands-2.jpg?resize=550%2C312 550w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Borderlands-2-300x170.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>In some cases where playability is marginal with a single GTX 580, settings had to be reduced to accommodate PhysX calculations without stalling framerates.\u00a0 <em>Mafia 2 <\/em>and<em> Batman: Arkham City<\/em>\u00a0framerates always benefitted greatly by adding a dedicated PhysX card. \u00a0Here are 4 games\u00a0\u00a0that make use of PhysX\u00a0comparing the GTX 680 versus the GTX 580 without any dedicated PhysisX card. \u00a0If there is a choice, PhysX is set to &#8220;High&#8221; (or &#8220;Off&#8221;).<\/p>\n<p>Here is the GTX 560 compared with the GTX 680 at the same settings &#8211; PhysX On versus Off. \u00a0First the chart:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/PhysX.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-28971\" title=\"PhysX\" src=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/PhysX.jpg?resize=533%2C235\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/PhysX.jpg?resize=533%2C235 533w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/PhysX-300x132.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 533px) 100vw, 533px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>As you can see the GTX 680 is significantly faster.<\/p>\n<p>We already covered <a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?p=27955\">3D Vision 2 and the new Light Boost Asus VG278<\/a> 27&#8243; 120Hz second generation display and improved 3D Vision glasses in an evaluation featuring\u00a0<em>Batman: Arkham City <\/em>and<em> Trine 2.<\/em>\u00a0 Make sure that you stay tuned for regular 3D Vision driver performance testing and follow everything S3D in our forum.\u00a0 We have also covered HD3D <a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?p=28477\">passive S3D versus 3D Vision 2 in our ViewSonic V3D221 evaluation<\/a> and concluded that 3D Vision is by far the more robust solution over passive HD3D using TriDef software.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Surround vs. Eyefinity<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Kepler has finally addressed the criticism that two cards in SLI were needed to run Surround &#8211; 3 matched displays spanned as a single display for super-widescreen gaming. \u00a0The GTX 680 is capable of driving 3 displays in Surround or 3D Vision Surround using the two dual-link DVI connectors plus a DisplayPort passive adapter to HDMI connector. \u00a0To use 3D Vision Surround, you must use an active DP adapter which is quite expensive, or you can use two GTX 680s in SLI.<\/p>\n<p>Let&#8217;s check out Surround vs. Eyefinity performance in the next section, along with the rest of the performance summary charts and graphs.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><!--pagetitle: Performance Summary Charts--><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Performance summary charts &amp; graphs<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Here are the summary charts of 24 games and 3 synthetic tests. The highest settings are always chosen and it is DX11 when there is a choice; DX10 is picked above DX9, and the settings are ultra or maxed.\u00a0\u00a0Specific settings are listed on the Main Performance chart at the end of this page.\u00a0 The benches are run at 1920&#215;1200 and 2560&#215;1600 with separate charts devoted to overclocking, PhysX, 3D Vision,\u00a05760&#215;1080 Surround and Eyefinity resolution as well as\u00a0dividing games by their\u00a0DX pathway.<\/p>\n<p>All results, except for Vantage and 3DMark11, show average framerates and higher is always better. In-game settings are fully maxed out and they are identically high or ultra across all platforms.\u00a0 We see some very impressive results with the EVGA-clocked 448 core generally beating or trading blows with the GTX 570 and HD 6950.\u00a0Most game benchmarks show it even than the HD 7970 and especially convincing at 1920&#215;1200 resolution. \u00a0Let&#8217;s break down the chart into several smaller charts. \u00a0First up, let&#8217;s look at OpenGL, DX9, DX10 and DX11 games separately.<\/p>\n<h2>Futuremark &amp; Heaven synthetic tests<\/h2>\n<p>3DMark11 is Futuremark&#8217;s latest DX11-only benchmark and here are the default benchmarks detailed results.<\/p>\n<p class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-27910\" title=\"gtx560ti448-3dMark11-stock-1\">Unfortunately, scores are completely meaningless when they are presented in this way but they do offer supporting data to accompany our game benches. \u00a0Here is the chart with Vantage, 3D Mark11 and Heaven.<\/p>\n<p class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-27910\" style=\"text-align: center;\" title=\"gtx560ti448-3dMark11-stock-1\"><a href=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/SyntheticExcelCht.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-28975\" title=\"SyntheticExcelCht\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/SyntheticExcelCht.jpg?resize=495%2C74\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/SyntheticExcelCht.jpg?resize=495%2C74 750w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/SyntheticExcelCht-300x44.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 495px) 100vw, 495px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-27910\" title=\"gtx560ti448-3dMark11-stock-1\">Here is the same information presented in two charts &#8211; first up, Vantage and 3D Mark11<\/p>\n<p class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-27910\" title=\"gtx560ti448-3dMark11-stock-1\"><a href=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Synthetic.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-28976\" title=\"Synthetic\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Synthetic.jpg?resize=482%2C561\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Synthetic.jpg?resize=482%2C561 482w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Synthetic-257x300.jpg 257w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 482px) 100vw, 482px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Heaven 3.0 is a very demanding benchmark and here it is expressed in a chart.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Heaven.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-28978\" title=\"Heaven\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Heaven.jpg?resize=482%2C533\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Heaven.jpg?resize=482%2C533 482w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Heaven-271x300.jpg 271w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 482px) 100vw, 482px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Again, synthetic tests are interesting but they are not necessarily indicative of real world gaming performance. \u00a0In all three cases, the GTX 680 &#8220;wins&#8221; over the HD 7970. \u00a0Next up, let&#8217;s look at DX9 and OpenGL games.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>DX9 and OpenGL<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><em>Wolfenstein<\/em> is our only example of OpenGL. \u00a0Unfortunately <em>Rage<\/em> is hard to benchmark so it will have to do until <em>Doom IV<\/em> is released. \u00a0<em>Left 4 Dead 2<\/em> represents the very popular if aging Source Engine and <em>Serious Sam 3 BF3<\/em> is a very new and demanding DX9 game released late last year on the Serious 3.5 engine that provides impressive visuals and on ultra settings and high resolution, can slow the fastest video cards.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/DX9-oglExcalcht.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-28977\" title=\"DX9-oglExcalcht\" src=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/DX9-oglExcalcht.jpg?resize=495%2C101\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/DX9-oglExcalcht.jpg?resize=495%2C101 750w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/DX9-oglExcalcht-300x61.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 495px) 100vw, 495px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Here is the above chart expressed as a graph.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/DX9-ogl.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-28979\" title=\"DX9-ogl\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/DX9-ogl.jpg?resize=482%2C1205\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/DX9-ogl.jpg?resize=482%2C1205 482w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/DX9-ogl-120x300.jpg 120w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/DX9-ogl-409x1024.jpg 409w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 482px) 100vw, 482px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Wolfenstein is embarrassingly faster on the HD 7970 although it is quite playable on the GTX 680. \u00a0Both <em>Left 4 Dead 2<\/em> and <em>Serious Sam 3 BFE <\/em>are faster on the HD 7970 than the GTX 680 although there is no practical difference in the gameplay experience. \u00a0Let&#8217;s check out DX10 games<\/p>\n<h3><strong>DX10 Games<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/DX10games.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-28980\" title=\"DX10games\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/DX10games.jpg?resize=495%2C156\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/DX10games.jpg?resize=495%2C156 750w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/DX10games-300x94.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 495px) 100vw, 495px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>We test five DX10 games. \u00a0Here is the above chart expressed in a graph.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/DX10.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-28981\" title=\"DX10\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/DX10.jpg?resize=482%2C1903\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/DX10.jpg?resize=482%2C1903 482w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/DX10-259x1024.jpg 259w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 482px) 100vw, 482px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Out of these five DX10 games, only <em>World-in-Conflict<\/em> is marginally faster on the HD 7970 over the GTX 680; in <em>Crysis<\/em> the situation reverses with the GTX 680 a bit faster. \u00a0However, the other 3 games are noticeably faster with the GTX 680. \u00a0At 1920&#215;1200 the performance gap is wider than at 2560&#215;1600.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>DX11 Games<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Most of our testing emphasizes DX11 games and we bench 13.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/DX11Chart.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-28986\" title=\"DX11Chart\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/DX11Chart.jpg?resize=525%2C403\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/DX11Chart.jpg?resize=525%2C403 750w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/DX11Chart-300x230.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 525px) 100vw, 525px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>And now the same thirteen DX11 games are expressed as two very long charts:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/DX11-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-28987\" title=\"DX11-1\" src=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/DX11-1.jpg?resize=482%2C2104\" alt=\"\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/DX11-2.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-28988\" title=\"DX11-2\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/DX11-2.jpg?resize=482%2C2504\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/DX11-2.jpg?resize=482%2C2504 482w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/DX11-2-197x1024.jpg 197w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 482px) 100vw, 482px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>From the above 13 games, the HD 7970 is faster in 3 games &#8211; <em>BattleForge, Aliens vs. Predator <\/em>and <em>Metro 2033<\/em>. \u00a0 In three games, they trade blows &#8211;\u00a0<em>\u00a0Call of Pripyat, F1 2010 and Deus Ex: Human Revolution, <\/em>depending on the resolution.\u00a0\u00a0Finally, the GTX 680 is faster in seven DX11games that we tested: \u00a0<em>Lost Planet 2, H.A.W.X. 2, Crysis 2, Civilization 5, Shogun II, DiRT 3 <\/em>and<em> Batman: Arkham City.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Super-Widescreen 5760 x1080,\u00a0Surround vs. Eyefinity<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Here is the GTX 680 benchmarked in 3-panel Surround versus the HD 7970 in Eyefinity on the same same system compared; first up is the chart:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/SurroundvEyefinity.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-28973\" title=\"SurroundvEyefinity\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/SurroundvEyefinity.jpg?resize=372%2C540\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/SurroundvEyefinity.jpg?resize=372%2C540 372w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/SurroundvEyefinity-206x300.jpg 206w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 372px) 100vw, 372px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Next up is the same information expressed as a graph:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/SurroundvEyefinity-graph.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-28974\" title=\"SurroundvEyefinity-graph\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/SurroundvEyefinity-graph.jpg?resize=482%2C846\" alt=\"\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>At the highest widescreen resolution of 5760&#215;1080 that we tested at, the HD 7970 trades blows with the GTX 680 as they each take half of our benches. \u00a0It generally appears that the GTX 680 shows its strength at 1920&#215;1200 which diminishes a bit compared to the HD 7970 as the resolution goes way up.<\/p>\n<p>Next up, let&#8217;s look at PhysX<\/p>\n<h3><strong>PhysX<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/PhysX1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-28984\" title=\"PhysX\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/PhysX1.jpg?resize=448%2C198\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/PhysX1.jpg?resize=448%2C198 533w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/PhysX1-300x132.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 448px) 100vw, 448px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>In each case the GTX 680 is faster than the GTX 580 that it replaces; in some cases enough to affect playability. \u00a0Let&#8217;s check out 3D Vision:<\/p>\n<h3><strong>3D Vision<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/3DVision1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-28985\" title=\"3DVision\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/3DVision1.jpg?resize=452%2C278\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/3DVision1.jpg?resize=452%2C278 646w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/3DVision1-300x184.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 452px) 100vw, 452px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Just as with PhysX, the GTX 680 offers a better playing experience in 3D Vision compared to the GTX 580; some cases will make a definitely noticeable and better experience playing with the newer card.<\/p>\n<h2>Overclocking<\/h2>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal;\">(This section on overclocking was added March 23, 2012) <\/span><\/h2>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal;\">Here is the GTX 680 directly compared against the HD 7970 &#8211; both at stock clocks and then overclocked as far as they will go on stock voltage. <\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal;\">The GTX 680 is clocked at 1006\/3000 at stock and overclocked to 1156\/3025MHz<\/span><\/li>\n<li>The HD 7970 is clocked at 925\/1375 at stock and overclocked to 1100\/1400MHz<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal;\">The first chart is 1920&#215;1200 and the same setting are used consistently throughout this evaluation:<\/span><\/h2>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: x-small;\"><span style=\"font-weight: normal;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/OC-25x16cht.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-29037\" title=\"OC-25x16cht\" src=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/OC-25x16cht.jpg?resize=467%2C559\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/OC-25x16cht.jpg?resize=467%2C559 467w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/OC-25x16cht-250x300.jpg 250w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 467px) 100vw, 467px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal;\">The second chart is 2560&#215;1600:<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/OC-19x12cht.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-29038\" title=\"OC-19x12cht\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/OC-19x12cht.jpg?resize=463%2C581\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/OC-19x12cht.jpg?resize=463%2C581 463w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/OC-19x12cht-239x300.jpg 239w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 463px) 100vw, 463px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Now here is a very long graph with 1920&#215;1200 resolution:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/OC-19x12.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-29039\" title=\"OC-19x12\" src=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/OC-19x12.jpg?resize=482%2C2002\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/OC-19x12.jpg?resize=482%2C2002 482w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/OC-19x12-72x300.jpg 72w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 482px) 100vw, 482px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Next up is the 2560&#215;1600 overclocking chart.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/OC-26x16.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-29040\" title=\"OC-26x16\" src=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/OC-26x16.jpg?resize=482%2C2002\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/OC-26x16.jpg?resize=482%2C2002 482w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/OC-26x16-72x300.jpg 72w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 482px) 100vw, 482px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Both cards overclock superbly on stock voltage and fan profiles and the GTX 680 generally retains its performance advantage over the HD 7970.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><strong>Main Overall Summary chart<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><strong><\/strong>In the first three columns of the main performance summary chart, the GTX 680 is tested at stock and overclocked; next is the GTX 580 and then the GTX 590. \u00a0Next we see the 3GB HD 7970, stock and overclocked; then the HD 6990 and the HD 6970. \u00a0This is the master chart and it has not been made into a graph as there would be too much information to put onto a single graph.<\/p>\n<p>(Typo: Catalyst 12-2 was used for testing all Radeons)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/MainChart-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-28982\" title=\"MainChart-1\" src=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/MainChart-1.jpg?resize=525%2C426\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i1.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/MainChart-1.jpg?resize=525%2C426 750w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/MainChart-1-300x243.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 525px) 100vw, 525px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/MainChart2.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter  wp-image-28983\" title=\"MainChart2\" src=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/MainChart2.jpg?resize=525%2C397\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i0.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/MainChart2.jpg?resize=525%2C397 750w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/MainChart2-300x226.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 525px) 100vw, 525px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>No matter how you add it up, the GTX 680 is generally faster overall than the HD 7970. \u00a0Both overclock superbly so neither card has much of an advantage over the other with headroom on stock clocks and with the stock fan profile. \u00a0As the resolution increases, the performance advantage of the GTX 680 diminishes a bit over the HD 7970 and the gap narrows. \u00a0AMD would have to significantly increase the clocks of the HD 7970 to catch the GTX 680.<\/p>\n<p>Let&#8217;s head for our conclusion.<br \/>\n<!--nextpage--><!--pagetitle: Conclusion &#038; The Verdict--><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">This has been quite an enjoyable if far too short, 2-week exploration for us in evaluating our new GTX 680 since Kepler Editor&#8217;s Day in San Francisco.\u00a0 It did very well performance-wise comparing it to the the GTX 580 where it brings higher performance for the same launch price as the GTX 580&#8217;s launch price and the GTX 480 before it. We were totally impressed with the cool-running Kepler chip that has such outstanding overclockability for a good price.\u00a0 It slots right above the HD 7970 and fairly far above the GTX 580 and it offers more advantages than just price.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">We see good overclockability with quietness at stock voltage and fan profile from even the regularly-cooled reference design GTX 680 as well as from the custom-cooled HD 7970. The GTX 680 is a better value overall than the HD 7970 if you are looking at performance. \u00a0Especially since the HD 7970 is currently priced fifty dollars more than the GTX 680.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: left;\">Pros<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Price &#8211; for $500 it is a versatile flagship card that is designed for heavy DX11 gaming; it is not more expensive than last generation&#8217;s flagship although it has more performance and new features. \u00a0It is priced fifty dollars cheaper than the HD 7970 although it out-performs it overall.<\/li>\n<li>TDP and power draw is excellent. \u00a0Performance per watt is better than its competitor&#8217;s more expensive flagship 28nm HD 7970. \u00a0Unlike the HD 7970, the GTX 680 only needs two six-pin PCIe connectors which still allows for good overclocking.<\/li>\n<li>Overclockability is excellent &#8211; GPU Boost works as advertised.<\/li>\n<li>The reference design cooling is quiet and efficient; the card and well-ventilated case stay cool even well-overclocked.<\/li>\n<li>It is possible to use three of these cards for extreme Tri-SLI performance without needing a massive PSU<\/li>\n<li>3D Vision 2 and PhysX enhance gaming immersion and both are improved using the GTX 680 compared to the current generation.<\/li>\n<li>Surround plus an accessory display can now be driven off of a single GTX 680 without requiring SLI; 3D Vision Surround works with an active DP to Dual-link DVI adaptor<\/li>\n<li>New AA allows for high performance without jaggies in deferred shading lighting engines<\/li>\n<li>Adaptive VSynch reduces stuttering while retaining the advantages of minimizing tearing.<\/li>\n<li>The GTX 680 is the fastest single-GPU video card &#8211; period!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Cons<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Surround requires DP or a passive DP adapter plus 2 DVI; 3D Vision Surround requires an expensive active DP to Dual-Link DVI adapter (or SLI).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>The Verdict:<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>If you are buying a flagship video card right now and looking for the highest performance, the GTX 680 is a great value and bang-for-buck gaming video card that will stand tall even among the fastest dual-GPU cards with just a bit more overclocking.\u00a0 When a great value is offered like this in a flagship card, and comes in priced less expensive than its competitor, we feel it deserves ABT&#8217;s highest award &#8211; the &#8220;Kick Ass&#8221; award.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Kick-Ass.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-27918\" title=\"Kick-Ass\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Kick-Ass.png?resize=150%2C251\" alt=\"\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a>We do not know what the future will bring, but the GTX 680 brings an excellent top-performer to the GeForce family.\u00a0 With great features like PhysX and the second generation of 3D Vision, you can be assured of immersive gaming by picking this card for 1080p or even higher resolutions including for Surround or for 3D Vision Surround.<\/p>\n<p>If you currently game on an older generation video card, you will do yourself a big favor by upgrading. The move to a GTX 680 will give you better visuals on the DX11 pathway and you are no doubt thinking of SLI or even Tri-SLI if you want to get ultimate gaming performance. \u00a0We expect that many enthusiasts will &#8211; like us &#8211; upgrade to Intel&#8217;s Ivy Bridge \u00a0&#8211; and this is the perfect video card to compliment their fastest processors.<\/p>\n<p>The competition is hot and AMD offers their own set of features including Eyefinity and HD3D with the competing Radeon HD 7970. \u00a0However, we expect that they will be forced to drop pricing on the reference and stock-clocked HD 7970s, down from the premium pricing they are asking for it and we also expect that they will feature more overclocked and super-overclocked versions as their process matures. \u00a0Of course, Nvidia&#8217;s partners will do the same and we can expect overclocked SKUs at launch, and we look forward to evaluating the GTX 680 with higher overclocks by using higher voltages and more aggressive fan profiles.<\/p>\n<p>Stay tuned, there is a lot coming from us at ABT.\u00a0 Next up is a long delayed evaluation of the Thermaltake Frio and Frio OCK CPU coolers which have allowed us to increase our Core i7-920 +200MHz to 4.2GHz just for this review. \u00a0And you can expect more great reviews from our Mobile Tech guys to put into our new section; expect a Genius product review also this week! \u00a0And don&#8217;t forget to check our forums! \u00a0Our tech discussions are becoming among the best to be found anywhere!!<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_28962\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/NvidiaChocCookie.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-28962\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-28962\" title=\"NvidiaChocCookie\" src=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/NvidiaChocCookie.jpg?resize=300%2C255\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"http:\/\/i2.wp.com\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/NvidiaChocCookie.jpg?resize=300%2C255 300w, http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/NvidiaChocCookie.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-28962\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nvidia Chocolate Cookie - delicious!<\/p><\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: left; padding-left: 60px;\">Mark Poppin<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left; padding-left: 60px;\">ABT Senior Editor<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 90px; text-align: left;\">Please join us in our\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/abt\/index.php\" target=\"_blank\">Forums<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 90px; text-align: left;\">Become a Fan on\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/AlienBabelTech\/123268467142\" onclick=\"_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'outbound-article', 'http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/AlienBabelTech\/123268467142', 'Facebook']);\" target=\"_blank\">Facebook<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 90px; text-align: left;\">Follow us on\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/alienbabeltech\" onclick=\"_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'outbound-article', 'http:\/\/twitter.com\/alienbabeltech', 'Twitter']);\" target=\"_blank\">Twitter<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 90px; text-align: left;\">For the latest updates from ABT, please\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?feed=rss2\" target=\"_blank\">join our RSS News Feed<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 90px; text-align: left;\">Join our Distributed Computing teams<\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: left; padding-left: 120px;\">\n<li>Folding@Home &#8211; Team AlienBabelTech &#8211; 164304<\/li>\n<li>SETI@Home &#8211; Team AlienBabelTech &#8211; 138705<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.worldcommunitygrid.org\/reg\/viewRegister.do?teamID=3P39R3SRV1\" onclick=\"_gaq.push(['_trackEvent', 'outbound-article', 'http:\/\/www.worldcommunitygrid.org\/reg\/viewRegister.do?teamID=3P39R3SRV1', 'World Community Grid &#8211; Team AlienBabelTech']);\" target=\"_blank\">World Community Grid &#8211; Team AlienBabelTech<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/?p=28910\"><img decoding=\"async\" align=top title=\"Author: Mark Poppin\" src=\"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/GTX680ImageLink1.jpg\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":29280,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2533,7814,5],"tags":[5126,72,5127,5125,4259,4412,5122,5124,5123,4253,4413,5012,5121,121,5135,5128],"class_list":["post-28910","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-abt-news","category-articles","category-gaming","tag-adaptive-vsynch","tag-amd","tag-fxaa","tag-gpu-boost","tag-gtx-580","tag-gtx-590","tag-gtx-680","tag-gtx-680-review","tag-gtx-680-vs-hd-7970","tag-hd-6970","tag-hd-6990","tag-hd-7970","tag-kepler","tag-nvidia","tag-overlocking","tag-txaa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28910","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28910"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28910\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29280"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28910"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28910"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/alienbabeltech.com\/main\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28910"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}