Been quite some time since i'v looked at a video card as i'm still using my old ATI 4870.

Wanting to make the switch back to Nvidia but stuck on which brand to go for.

I've always been an asus user but not sure if they're still a top brand to purchase for video cards but i'm using a asus pz877v-pro mobo.

I do some gaming but i'm not into it as much as I use to be, just every now and then.

Is the 670 worth all the extra money over a 660?

I don't need all the special OC models and all that.

Appreciate the help.

Gainward gets my vote, last two cards I've had have been unreal. Previously owned Gigabyte and they kept shitting themselves. Can't speak for asus.

Simul, i'm not after the latest and greatest thing that's just going to be released. A 670 would last me 4-5years before I would have to upgrade again. But cheers, I didn't think about buying from overseas.

Skythra, no need for SLI as I'm not that hardcore into gaming or processing power. When I play games I like to enjoy them but machine will be used a bit more for photo processing. But having that extra bit of graphics power wouldn't hurt if I do decide to start up a GPU thirsty game.

Last nVidia card I used was the glorious 8800GT.

I'm kicking about in triple monitor gaming-land after I upgraded to a Sapphire Radeon HD 5870 Eyefinity 6 Edition.
It's the most money I've ever spent on a single piece of computer hardware (was $699 when I bought it) and I'm still, 2-3 years on, happily using it.

That being said, if you're willing/happy to stick with the ATi side of the fence, the 7870 represents some awesome bang for your buck with low voltage and temperature overheads, it's sure to be a f*****g reliable card.

I solidly vouch for Sapphire too, this card runs at 90+ degrees under load, and whilst it's only really been 'hot' [Read: mid to high 30's with some decent levels of humidity] in the ACT in the past fortnight, it is eating up shit like Far Cry 3 at 5760x1200.

... Far Cry 3 at 1920x1280 ...

Err, I'mma assume that's a typo, that or one WEIRD monitor.

That's an interesting take on 'why to upgrade' simul.
I certainly don't agree with the logic.

In the past 3 or so years, dx 11 has settled in and become the norm, and until dx12 arrives I see no reason to bust a nut upgrading, there are some strongly performing video cards for a very not strong price point; and until there is another 'class' [read: new video cards being made for new feature-sets] of video card I see no reason to throw big dollars at it.
(Especially if you're saving a few pennies to buy into the next gen of consoles.... assuming there's a good reason to buy into them...)

never had a problem with my eVGA 570 since i got it a while ago, seem like a really reliable brand.

edit: i can not edit my post to fix that link so here it is:

Graphics Card Hierarchy Chart

I'm spec'ing a Micro ATX small form factor PC at the moment.

I'll probably go with the NVidia 2GB 670, the difference between it and the 680 appears to be marginal so the 670 is better choice for budget. Also it seems sufficiently beasty to do all games at max settings and last at least 2-3 years.

The 660 Ti has good reports and can do solid gaming at mid to high settings (not max), but the performance gap between it and the 670 is significant, which puts it in a poor spot for the next 1-2 years and may mean a sooner upgrade.

This is based on my scan reads of reviews and forum critiques.

...due to the long console cycle...

I can appreciate where you're coming from, however the PC Hardware developments don't really have much of anything to do with console cycles. (Remember here, Consoles are 'downstream' in terms of hardware development, not vice versa).

DX11 was the last real class change in Video processing. And it's that same logic that dictates that anyone buying video cards 'to last 2-3 years' would be bitterly disappointed should the next DX suddenly appear, and then be taken up by the greater gaming community.

Of course, all of the above is only based on my observations (in the event that 'imo' needed to be typed with this post) of Gaming hardware developments over the past 5-6 generations of hardware.

670

My vote is against asus video cards. Personally i'd recommend EVGA Gigabyte and then Gainward in that order, puely based on my personal experience :).

I've had mx200 mx400 ti4200 6600 8800 9800 9800x2 (that sli on one card) 470(2xSli) 580(2xSli) so i've been through a few different brands.

Oddly i'm impartial sometimes to some of the no-name ones like inno3d and PoV. I also had lots of success with leadtek somehow.

Anyway most of the time you can't avoid the always present chance of getting a faulty card. It's just pretty unlikely you should get one. Most cards these days when they're worse brands just can't clock as far due to heat or something rather than being bad.

I'm also an nvidia fanboy, i had 2 ati cards and neither of them made me happy. But they were so long ago it's not even worth talking about. I stick with nvidia because it's comfortable no CCC and lower heat (my 580's ingame are like 58c, which is only important if you consider fan noise).