Upgrading to 780 reference or non reference?

G

Get Milky

Member
Hey, i need some advice on an upgrade i'm doing. At the moment i've got a radeon 6950 and soon, really soon i'll be upgrading to a 780 as i'm getting a new motherboard and cpu and will have enough cash for a new gpu.
I've been looking around and i found the MSI gamer edition for the 780 and im quite drawn to it. The reason for that is when i built my friends desktop i got him the gamer edition of the 760 and it runs quite smoothly ( extremely quite also). However i was wondering if its worth looking at any other reference and non reference card because im still a little unsure.
I heard MSI have their lightning card being released soon and that confuses things more. Anybody have any second opinions on this or have the card and can tell me how its going for them? :)
 
Boozad

Boozad

Prolific Poster
I've got the reference Palit and if you're gaming on one 1080p monitor you won't need anything more. It's a phenomenal card.
 
mantadog

mantadog

Superhero Level Poster
What is your concern with the reference card? Noise, performance or something else?

When I upgraded my pc to a dedicated GPU a while back I ordered a reference card but got sent a non reference card. I wanted the blower style design because I have a rubbish case, but ended up with a better card at the end of the day. Just depends what exactly you wan from your GPU, and lets face it if you want a 780 you want performance and you will get slightly more performance from a non reference design.
 
bigben

bigben

Master Poster
I used to have a reference Palit GTX 670, until I got offered a couple of asus ones (this one) at a price I couldn't refuse (significantly cheaper than on amazon). It performs better as it's factory overclocked, and until I put the second one in as SLI was a lot quieter.
 
Boozad

Boozad

Prolific Poster
I was worried about the noise levels of the reference 780 but the cooling system is bloody brilliant on it, it's so quiet the missus doesn't even moan when I'm gaming while she's watching her soaps and stuff and that's a feat in itself. As for performance, I can't see what benefit a factory overclocked card would offer on a single 1080p monitor, my card is handling games on Ultra settings with no problem at all. Maybe they may have a small edge when newer games are released but then I'll just OC my reference card which looks pretty simple (and safe) to do.
 
bigben

bigben

Master Poster
Boozad said:
I was worried about the noise levels of the reference 780 but the cooling system is bloody brilliant on it, it's so quiet the missus doesn't even moan when I'm gaming while she's watching her soaps and stuff and that's a feat in itself. As for performance, I can't see what benefit a factory overclocked card would offer on a single 1080p monitor, my card is handling games on Ultra settings with no problem at all. Maybe they may have a small edge when newer games are released but then I'll just OC my reference card which looks pretty simple (and safe) to do.
Click to expand...

Ah ok the reference GTX 670 is pretty noisy. Good to know they have improved on that.
You would benefit from the overclock if, like me you have have a monitor with 120hz + refresh rate (even my SLI overclocked 670's can't max out Tomb Raider on ultra with everything on at consistent FPS, they range from ~85-120 fps).
If like most other people you have a 60hz monitor then I agree that you probably have no need for the overclock.
 
Boozad

Boozad

Prolific Poster
bigben said:
Ah ok the reference GTX 670 is pretty noisy. Good to know they have improved on that.
You would benefit from the overclock if, like me you have have a monitor with 120hz + refresh rate (even my SLI overclocked 670's can't max out Tomb Raider on ultra with everything on at consistent FPS, they range from ~85-120 fps).
If like most other people you have a 60hz monitor then I agree that you probably have no need for the overclock.
Click to expand...

I read a lot of reviews of the reference 780s before ordering as noise levels were a big thing for me when I bought the rig, and I was a bit wary about buying the reference card. I'd previously bought an ASUS 7850-DC2T for my backup rig which was a brilliant card for the price and super quiet until the fans hit around 50%, and I wanted another ASUS card in this rig but when I ordered there was only the reference or either a factory Gigabyte or MSI (can't remember which) and I didn't want one of those so I took a chance on the reference and haven't been disappointed.
And it's a good point about the monitor refresh rate, mine is indeed a 60Hz monitor and the Palit card handles everything brilliantly. I don't think I'd benefit from a 120Hz monitor as I really doubt I'd see the difference but obviously personal preference will rule the day there.

In a nutshell though if you have a single 1080p 60Hz monitor then the stock card will be more than enough, and a fair bit cheaper too. Plus they look like sex.

DSC_0023.jpg
 
tom_gr7

tom_gr7

Life Serving
I think it depends upon what card design you like?

the standard reference design will generally push the heat out of the rear of the case, thus helping with case temperatures.

A custom design card, may have two or three small fans and offer good/great cooling for the gpu. BUT all the hot air will be dumped into the case and require exhausting. Also It may actually increase CPU temperatures by a few degrees.

I'd also consider what warranty a manufacturer offers, and also does that manufacturer void your warranty if you remove the heat sink? (say if the thermal paste needed changing)

Personally, I like EVGA cards, 3 years warranty as standard AND you can remove the heatsink without voiding warranty. But i have had two Palit 580's previously.
 
G

Get Milky

Member
Wow, thanks for all the input guys. :) To answer some of your questions, yes noise is a BIG importance to me as i want it to be as quiet as i possibly can. :L As for design seeing as my theme is blue the msi gaming edition is red so that's a bit of a downer but its very quiet and over clocked. Oh and yes overclocking will be done as i record and want to push the frames out as much as i can. xD Finally i will be getting a 120hz monitor soonish as well so hmm, still a little bit lost but i can see a good difference between the lot now.

I like what the msi card offers(cooling,overclocking) not the look however. :L

The reference design looks AWESOME but i dunno if it'll be too loud or too hot for what i'm wanting.

They're my pros and cons now, but thanks for all the help guys ( and to the guy who uploaded the picture, looks awesome!) :)

If you have any more input for a more decisive push on one of the two then please do tell. xD
 
Boozad

Boozad

Prolific Poster
Get Milky said:
The reference design looks AWESOME but i dunno if it'll be too loud or too hot for what i'm wanting.
Click to expand...

Not trying to convince you as it's obviously your choice mate, but it's very quiet and runs at about 80°C under heavy load.
 
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