Switched from 7970m to 680m – Impressions and thoughts

Hello,

Just like some of you guys, I have been struggling for about 1 ½ months with Enduro issues, and finally decided to switch to the green team. At first I wasn’t going to write this post, just make the switch, no big deal. But after I got the 680m, I could not just be silent about it.

I mean, the card is FANTASTIC. It’s a whole new level. It can’t even be compared.

I was feeling kinda bad having returned the 7970m because I have always supported / been a fan of AMD and I really liked the potential of the card. But that feeling vanished as soon as I started some games and an involuntary smile came to my face and wouldn’t wear off. The results on BF3 and Dirt3 were the most impressive ones. With the same settings, my FPS jumped in BF3 from average 38 FPS (with dips to low 20s) to a steady 55-80 FPS. Caspian Border 64 players? Yeah, the card just eats the game alive. Dirt3, 45 FPS average jumped to 120 FPS in the built in game benchmark!!!!

On top of that, the temperatures are very good. I have around 10-15C lower temps on the 680m compared to the 7970m. ( GTX680m –> 63 C – 76 C || 7970m –> 77 C - 89 C ). I am using Thermaltake TG-1 thermal paste. NO foil mod, NO copper mod, NO laptop cooler. Just a couple of my Corsair M60 mouse weighs to elevate the back of the notebook. This fact alone leads me to believe that Enduro is so bugged that it is somewhat causing not only frame rate issues, but also higher temps.

The Nvidia control panel works pretty well, and almost all games are detected properly and run great. It’s not perfect though; BF3 crashes with the new 306.23 drivers and I had to manually setup GRID and MSI Kombustor to run on the 680m for example.

So, in MY opinion, the 680m is an AWESOME card. The 300$ price tag is worth it. It is very expensive, yes, but it works. It gives me peace of mind. I now have improved FPS, cooler temps, and ZERO screen tearing.

Positive:
- Better performance.
- STEADY performance.
- Cooler temps.
- Lower fan noise.
- Better driver support.
- No screen tearing.

Negative:
- Price is too expensive (a bit abusive I might say).


PS: I have the 680m for 3 weeks now.
That's it, I hope it helps clearing things out for some people.

 

Ok guys, here I want to express why I got the Nvidia card and maybe help you decide if you want to keep your 7970 or not. Instead of writing a boring wall of text I tried to make a Q&A so it is easy for you to find the parts you want to read. I was travelling so I couldn't update it earlier. I don't live in the US so I don't know how things work for returning products, consumer laws, etc, but I believe everything I wrote below is valid anywhere in the world.

Do you believe Enduro is going to be fixed?
Yes, I do.

Why did you get the 680m then?
I got fed up with this Enduro mess and with the lack of an official positioning by AMD regarding the issue. I got tired of checking for a fix every day, a 2000$ machine should not behave like that. I mean, half a product cycle and the thing is not fixed yet…

Was your laptop under the 30-day period?
No, I had my laptop for around 2 ½ months.

Are games actually unplayable on 7970m?
It depends on the game. Older games run fine in my experience. But yes, some games are unplayable.

Do you think the 7970m is defective?
The card itself is fine, but all Enduro enabled systems ARE defective. Since you bought the whole notebook instead of a standalone card, I think you are entitled to a refund or a swap, no excuses.

What if my 30-day period expired?
It should not be a problem if you have warranty, since you are not returning the product because you didn’t like it; you are returning it because it is not working properly.

How to negotiate with my reseller?
Don’t act nervous / irritated or like they are doing you a favor because they are NOT. It’s their responsibility to test and validate their products. Also don’t accept more than the price difference between 7970m and 680m. Act politely and try to setup some deal with a deadline, like “OK, by the end of October I want a decent driver with no issues or a swap for the GTX 680m”.

What if I want to swap anyway and my reseller says “NO”?
Well, having owned both cards, I can say FOR SURE that anyone that says the Enduro enabled systems are working properly is LYING, because it is NOT TRUE. Yes, it IS defective right now, and Yes, you are entitled to either a refund or a swap. If your reseller says anything else, they just want to move away from the line of fire, because they sold you a DEFECTIVE product and don’t want to be held accountable for. Don’t accept anything else. Don’t fall for this 30 day period crap talk. Sue them, whatever is necessary, be firm, don’t let them walk all over you with your 2000$ hard earned money on their pockets. Try to make a list of helpful resellers and unhelpful ones; so that people know where to buy their next PCs.

Should I wait for the fix or switch to the green team?
That is up to you, if you are willing to pay 300$ extra for a video card. I can only tell you about my experience with both cards, and I hope that my post helps you decide it.

Would you buy a 7970m / AMD product again?
Depends on how the situation plays out. On an Alienware system the 7970m is a very good card, with outstanding price / performance. No need to hate on one brand. I like AMD, owned several AMD/ATI based systems without any issues, but this time they have managed to create a ridiculous situation. I may consider them in the future though; it’s good to have options. Competition is always good for the consumer, remember that. :thumbsup:

-----------
That's it, if you want me to answer anything else I can update this post. Remeber this post is directed to those who are unhappy with the performance of their notebooks. I really hope it helps those of you that want to swap your card and finally enjoy your Laptop and your reseller is making things difficult. It seems that an update for Enduro is coming this month, but anyway I recommend you set up a "deal" with your reseller in case AMD fails to deliver the update.

Peace!

 

Agreed and my sentiments exactly. Good post

 

you were still able to return the card after 30 days of purchase?

 

Good for you! I also had the swap done and saw the same huge increases in BF3 as you did. The framerate dips into the 20's sent me over the edge. Temps were also better, and adaptive vsync was nice to play around with although I pretty much play BF3 with it off.

I'm running 302.92 from Clevo's download site. Never had a problem with the games I play, especially BF3. I did try 306.23 and had crash issues which is widely reported. You probably may also notice stuttering with 306.23 in BF3. You may want to roll back to 302.92 especially for BF3.

I started a thread regarding my switch from a 7970m to the 680m a while back pretty much stating what you observed. It just went a bit out of control with some reseller stating that the 7970m was working fine etc (it does fine in Alienwares with switchable graphics turned off)...others blaming Sager/Clevo which was wrong because AMD is working on a fix and subsequent driver releases should hopefully make this mess a distant memory. An argument can be made if/when AMD fixes the issue regarding price to performance but for me it was well worth it.

 

Yes. I had the laptop for 2 ½ months. You should also be able to return it. I will address that on the second part of my post.


PS: Thanks for the feedback guys. I am running 304.79. Everything great so far.

 

who was your resller? i thought you can only exchange in the first 30 days?

 

This is what I`ve beent trying to say all along since it was released, 680M is the way to go. It is truly an amazing GPU

 

Hi man, I have updated my second post, I hope it helps you. If you are returning it because it is not working properly, not because you don't like it, I don't believe such a period exists. You are protected by your warranty.