Too funny.
My browser window is only so big, so it cut off your thread title at "Need help picking new GF"
What about a GTX 750 Ti? Pretty good little card. A little more info on what you play/do on your computer might help with a recommendation.
750 ti is overpriced and overhyped, it should really be only used in builds with limited psus, I'd go with a Radeon 7850 or 7870(your power supply has more than enough power), both beat out the 750 ti, and can be had for $60 and $80 respectively on /r/hardwareswap(dont look on ebay, they gouge the prices) used
750 ti is overpriced and overhyped, it should really be only used in builds with limited psus, I'd go with a Radeon 7850 or 7870(your power supply has more than enough power), both beat out the 750 ti, and can be had for $60 and $80 respectively on /r/hardwareswap(dont look on ebay, they gouge the prices) used
750 ti is overpriced and overhyped, it should really be only used in builds with limited psus, I'd go with a Radeon 7850 or 7870(your power supply has more than enough power), both beat out the 750 ti, and can be had for $60 and $80 respectively on /r/hardwareswap(dont look on ebay, they gouge the prices) used
Totally agree. I dropped a 7870 in my daughter's build with an 1150 socked pentium clocked at 3.5ghz and it played every game we threw at it at 60+ fps @ 1080p. Great little card.
As far as overheating, what case are you running? What is your airflow set up like? Ideally, cold air should enter the front/bottom and go out the top/back. For cases with poor airflow, you may want to consider a reference style cooler for your gpu. You give up a couple deg C compared to a custom solution, but when gaming/working for extended periods, they stay very consistant due to all the heat dumping out the back of the computer while the custom solutions tend to just keep recycling the air in the case and get hotter and hotter.
Well, long story short, I have an old PC that I can't really replace right now with bad air flow in the case I can't really help.
I need a graphics card that won't be an overkill for this system, will be strong enough to avoid overheating as far as possible and will get enough juice from the PSU. Preferably no annoying vibrations from the fan (I'm hypersensitive to that kind of thing, unfortunately), preferably no bad fan noise at all (humming is okay).
Here's the relevant stats:
CPU: e8600
RAM: 4x2 GB DDR2 800 MHz A-DATA VITESTA
HDD: SAMSUNG F1
PSU: OCZ Z5 650W
I do have an aftermarket box, but airflow seems to be bad, apparently, even with case wings removed and/or plenty of fans. The rest of the system is okay, but GFX cards end up exceeding 100 degrees Celsius eventually.
My last new card was a GeForce 460 GTX, but it went bad and started causing Windows to crash or not load at all. I'm back to my older Radeon 4850 with custom cooling, but the huge heatsink + 12 cm fan apparently is not enough. It wasn't before I replaced it, either (with the exception of a couple of specific driver releases that made it work stably).
The nVidia did overheat a bit from time to time, but that was rare and practically always recoverable. The 4850 does that all the time and requires a system reset. Can't even play Crusader Kings 2 (which the nVidia could handle without breaking a sweat most of the time), forget anything more demanding or stability-critical (e.g. multiplayer with a ranking system).
Part of the problem is that I have a PCI-E soundcard just above the GFX card. Small form-factor, but still quite close and all.
Ideally wouldn't spend more than 200 bucks, preferably a bit less.
Why not just replace the GTX460 with a new GTX460? They are awesome cards. I'm sure you can find one from someone very inexpensive.
750 ti is overpriced and overhyped, it should really be only used in builds with limited psus, I'd go with a Radeon 7850 or 7870(your power supply has more than enough power), both beat out the 750 ti, and can be had for $60 and $80 respectively on /r/hardwareswap(dont look on ebay, they gouge the prices) used
As far as overheating, what case are you running?
What is your airflow set up like? Ideally, cold air should enter the front/bottom and go out the top/back.
For cases with poor airflow, you may want to consider a reference style cooler for your gpu. You give up a couple deg C compared to a custom solution, but when gaming/working for extended periods, they stay very consistant due to all the heat dumping out the back of the computer while the custom solutions tend to just keep recycling the air in the case and get hotter and hotter.
750 ti is overpriced and overhyped, it should really be only used in builds with limited psus, I'd go with a Radeon 7850 or 7870(your power supply has more than enough power), both beat out the 750 ti, and can be had for $60 and $80 respectively on /r/hardwareswap(dont look on ebay, they gouge the prices) used
Totally agree. I dropped a 7870 in my daughter's build with an 1150 socked pentium clocked at 3.5ghz and it played every game we threw at it at 60+ fps @ 1080p. Great little card.
As far as overheating, what case are you running? What is your airflow set up like? Ideally, cold air should enter the front/bottom and go out the top/back. For cases with poor airflow, you may want to consider a reference style cooler for your gpu. You give up a couple deg C compared to a custom solution, but when gaming/working for extended periods, they stay very consistant due to all the heat dumping out the back of the computer while the custom solutions tend to just keep recycling the air in the case and get hotter and hotter.
What about newer R270X (those can be had for the same price as the GF750ti) or older 7950/7970 (just a little more expensive)?
The used 670s and 680s are a better deal and they run much cooler and are less noisy.
Maybe get a better computer CASE and transfer everything over for better air flow instead?
Maybe get a better computer CASE and transfer everything over for better air flow instead?
I bought a really nice (huge full tower) computer case well over a decade ago and have been building fresh guts into it, piece-by-piece, for years now. Since it is so old, it does not accommodate fans bigger than 80mm, but it has places for at least half a dozen of them.
A good case is a good investment, when you can swing it.
Maybe get a better computer CASE and transfer everything over for better air flow instead?
I bought a really nice (huge full tower) computer case well over a decade ago and have been building fresh guts into it, piece-by-piece, for years now. Since it is so old, it does not accommodate fans bigger than 80mm, but it has places for at least half a dozen of them.
A good case is a good investment, when you can swing it.
I think most of the new series parts sandybridge and above, make nice, low idle power file servers/ transcoders.
So, cheaper cases might be the way to go,
P280 on sale, $60, every other month or so.
If you HAD to buy something TODAY..
I'd get a gtx 670 on ebay for ~$100-125
For the case don't bother buying anything..
Just run the system with the side panel off.. this solves your cooling problems INSTANTLY
turn off ur front case fans, the single one on the back next to the io ports is sufficient.
BitFenix Shinobi (http://allegro.pl/bitfenix-shinobi-midi-tower-usb-3-0-czarny-z-okne-i5663062318.html) (intelligent bottom HDD rack for once; silencing mats)
***
A new case is imperative. I can highly recommend the CoolerMaster HAF series. They're affordable, well laid out and have plenty of vents and cooling options.
Then if you want to keep the current system going for a while, get another 460. They're great cards and don't generate too much heat.
You could also try underclocking it. Performance in games like Starcraft will be unaffected and it'll generate less heat, fans will run slower, etc.
I run a pair of watercooled GTX460's and they still perform surprisingly well on modern titles in 1080p (40fps at least in most games with settings at or close to max).
if the 960 4gb costs something like 200-250, then it's really not worth it.
might as well get the 970, or the used 670 or 680
if the 960 4gb costs something like 200-250, then it's really not worth it.
might as well get the 970, or the used 670 or 680
I wholeheartedly disagree. 970 is $100 more for very little performance gain. Used 670 is $50 to $70 less, but it's only 2GB and the TDP is much worse, so it uses more power, runs hotter and has lower performance...
The 960 4GB is the best price / performance / longevity / power / cooling sweetspot.
....
You do realize the 960 IS the 680 rebranded..
....
You do realize the 960 IS the 680 rebranded..
Um, nope. GTX680 is a GK104-400-A2. Kepler core, with 195 TDP. GTX960 is GM206. Maxwell core with 120 TDP... Different family, architecture, speeds, etc.
so... what are YOU talking about?
Where the heck to you get a used 670 for $100!?!?!?
A new 960 4GB is around $230, which is good for what you get. I couldn't find a 970 for less than $340, but I wasn't looking all that hard, so...
...
Look at the damn numbers , the 680 is the same thing as the 960, the exact same damn thing..
...
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Look at the damn numbers , the 680 is the same thing as the 960, the exact same damn thing..
...
?????
GTX680: Kepler architecture, 3540 million transistors, 294mm2 die size , 256-bit bus, 1536:128:32 core config, 195 TDP
GTX960: Maxwell architecture, 2940 million transistors, 227mm2 die size, 128-bit bus, 1024:64:32 core config, 120 TDP
They may have similar performance in some tasks, but they're totally different chipsets and the 960 will handle new content better than the 680, both 2D and 3D.
OpenGL features are released all the time and graphics developers actively look for ways to get more performance from these features. You don't need to wait for DX-based content to start seeing the advantages of the newer architecture.
Features the 960 has that the 680 doesn't:1. NVENC (HEVC encoding, support for H.264 encoding resolutions at 1440p/60FPS & 4K/60FPS),
2. Dynamic Super Resolution,
3. Third Generation Delta Color Compression,
4. Multi-Pixel Programming Sampling,
5. Nvidia VXGI (Real-Time-Voxel-Global Illumination),
6. VR Direct,
7. Multi-Projection Acceleration,
8. Multi-Frame Sampled Anti-Aliasing(MFAA),
9. HDMI 2.0 support,
10. Dynamic Parallelism,
11. HyperQ,
12. CUDA Compute Capability 5.2 (this is a nice one),
13. 4GB RAM.
ALL USELESS (like when they put NKRO 1000hz usb on keyboards)
This is the G4a3rs marketing schema , no developers will take advantage of any of those things
If you think developers won't find uses for any of those in future, then stick with your old tech 680. Would you say a Radeon and a GTX are the "exact same cards" if they benchmark about the same? Staaaahp.. please.
And yes, a 960 will outperform 670.
Anyway, grats to the OP. Nice to see you sorted it out.
The 960 will out perform the 670 by 10-15% at best, Yet it costs MUCH more than 10% more money, Dollar to performance is terrible, AND ontop of which it's technically already obsolete..
4GB RAM.
And yes, a 960 will outperform 670.
Anyway, grats to the OP. Nice to see you sorted it out.
The 960 will out perform the 670 by 10-15% at best, Yet it costs MUCH more than 10% more money, Dollar to performance is terrible, AND ontop of which it's technically already obsolete..
Glad you were able to find a card. I would have recommended a 280X, but thought you were only looking at Nvidia. I personally have one and it has been awesome. Plays every game I want @ 1440p.
The cards in your search range are all "obsolete"
But , within this Sphere , we can still optimize for price to performance. And the 960 falls short, because of the bus, AND because it is a 3rd string build in terms of component quality (vrms, chokes, capacitors)
Whereas, MOST 670s are top notch builds with solid components
Argh, it looks like those 290X Radeons with reference cooling that someone unloaded six at a time aren't selling all that well yet. They're sitting at 33% of their typical NIB price yet. I expect them to go up a lot just before the end of each auction, but with three of them ending today and a bunch more waiting for the weekend, I'm pretty sure there are gonna be some relatively low prices there.
Then again, the reference cooler on the 290X just isn't enough, aftermarket cooling costs another $80 or so, and those guys aren't telling where the cards are coming from.The cards in your search range are all "obsolete"
But , within this Sphere , we can still optimize for price to performance. And the 960 falls short, because of the bus, AND because it is a 3rd string build in terms of component quality (vrms, chokes, capacitors)
Whereas, MOST 670s are top notch builds with solid components
That's why I skip some generations of nVidia and generally prefer ATI cards as far as the physical card itself goes, though I'm not a fan of their drivers. High-quality high-end nVidia cards of older make have always tended to attract me in some particular way. Perhaps ever since I got a used 5900XT (which still works in a Unix/COBOL workstation right now).
***
Okay, so the card is 285mm long. It will actually fit inside my old case just barely, and for the new case (still haven't chosen one yet) I'll need to pay some attention to the lengths. Now the question is, what do I do about the cooling etc.? WindForce blows down, not up, which means an intake fan in the floor of the case probably wouldn't be ideal. Also, a thick plank like that PCB + cooler of 285mm length effectively makes a partition wall that separates the VGA region from the rest of the case. So. Do I put a vertically aligned fan there, before the card (just to give some direction to the exhaust air from the card, push it out of the case) or do I use a side fan/ventilation holes in the wing of the case?
The reference 290x cooling is enough, as long as you run it "open case" and "Loud" ..
hahahaha..
Having more memory means LESS use of the bus, not more, so it helps in many ways.
The 960 has a TDP of 120W, 280X is 250W, 290X is 290W... No need for massive, loud cooler and serious airflow management.
um.. is it doing that even at low overclocks? like if you go to 3.7ghz.. does it still reset?
Put ram to very low speeds.. then test the 3.7 with a high cpu voltage
Mind helping me with the mobo now?
I'd go with the Asrock, but you don't mention the price.. It's likely to be the most stable for OC.
Mind helping me with the mobo now?
You didn't want to spend money on a graphics card, and now you don't want to spend money on a motherboard.
No. I would only suggest something way out of your price range and something you can not possibly afford.
I'd go with the Asrock, but you don't mention the price.. It's likely to be the most stable for OC.
You wouldn't go with the budget Asrock, unless you're not planning on any overclocking.. because the cheaper asrock boards have like 3 real phases for the CPU, it uses doublers to supply the necessary current, but honestly, you're just asking for trouble down the line if you overclock..
Mind helping me with the mobo now?
You didn't want to spend money on a graphics card, and now you don't want to spend money on a motherboard.
No. I would only suggest something way out of your price range and something you can not possibly afford.
As you can see I ended up forking out the cash when I figured it was worth it, and ended up buying an R9 280X, which may be behind AMD's newest generation and a rebranded 7970 but is still a perfectly valid mid-range 2015 card.
It's the same with mobo and CPU. What I can afford is one thing, what I can justify (working in office software and mostly playing somewhat dated games) is a different issue. For example I can afford Skylake 6600K with a gaming mobo, but the question is should I, given my use of this PC and given the price-to-performance ratio of, let's say, buying a used i7 900-something or 2000-something and cheaper DDR3 memory.
Or, in other words, I can afford to spend the money per se but not to waste it or experiment with it. Clearer now?
What I can't afford is something like Asus Maximus VIII with Skylake i7 and 32GB of the fastest DDR4. That would be something I couldn't afford. (Technically I could, but it would be above my paygrade, and I would also be wasting that power for the first 2-3 years on software and games that can't make use of all of it.)
Mind helping me with the mobo now?
You didn't want to spend money on a graphics card, and now you don't want to spend money on a motherboard.
No. I would only suggest something way out of your price range and something you can not possibly afford.
As you can see I ended up forking out the cash when I figured it was worth it, and ended up buying an R9 280X, which may be behind AMD's newest generation and a rebranded 7970 but is still a perfectly valid mid-range 2015 card.
It's the same with mobo and CPU. What I can afford is one thing, what I can justify (working in office software and mostly playing somewhat dated games) is a different issue. For example I can afford Skylake 6600K with a gaming mobo, but the question is should I, given my use of this PC and given the price-to-performance ratio of, let's say, buying a used i7 900-something or 2000-something and cheaper DDR3 memory.
Or, in other words, I can afford to spend the money per se but not to waste it or experiment with it. Clearer now?
What I can't afford is something like Asus Maximus VIII with Skylake i7 and 32GB of the fastest DDR4. That would be something I couldn't afford. (Technically I could, but it would be above my paygrade, and I would also be wasting that power for the first 2-3 years on software and games that can't make use of all of it.)
Then why don't you find an ASUS Sabertooth or Crosshair motherboard used? I'm sure you can find a deal if you look around. Don't compromise on the motherboard if you can help it. Get a previous Gen.
I hope this helps you.
I'd go with the Asrock, but you don't mention the price.. It's likely to be the most stable for OC.
You wouldn't go with the budget Asrock, unless you're not planning on any overclocking.. because the cheaper asrock boards have like 3 real phases for the CPU, it uses doublers to supply the necessary current, but honestly, you're just asking for trouble down the line if you overclock..
I'd go with the Asrock, but you don't mention the price.. It's likely to be the most stable for OC.
You wouldn't go with the budget Asrock, unless you're not planning on any overclocking.. because the cheaper asrock boards have like 3 real phases for the CPU, it uses doublers to supply the necessary current, but honestly, you're just asking for trouble down the line if you overclock..
Um what? The Extreme 4 is not a budget board and exceeds your "8 phases" requirement: http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/7295/asrock-z170-extreme4-intel-motherboard-review/index3.htmlShow Image(http://www.cute-factor.com/images/smilies/yoyocici/yociexp44.gif)
Anyway....Show Image(http://www.cute-factor.com/images/smilies/yoyocici/yociexp36.gif)
I'd go with the Asrock, but you don't mention the price.. It's likely to be the most stable for OC.
You wouldn't go with the budget Asrock, unless you're not planning on any overclocking.. because the cheaper asrock boards have like 3 real phases for the CPU, it uses doublers to supply the necessary current, but honestly, you're just asking for trouble down the line if you overclock..
Um what? The Extreme 4 is not a budget board and exceeds your "8 phases" requirement: http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/7295/asrock-z170-extreme4-intel-motherboard-review/index3.htmlShow Image(http://www.cute-factor.com/images/smilies/yoyocici/yociexp44.gif)
Anyway....Show Image(http://www.cute-factor.com/images/smilies/yoyocici/yociexp36.gif)
They don't have the full digital VRMs, they're still using hybrids to cut cost..
Seriously, STOP buying Asrock.. STOP IT.. it's bad..
That same damn review says, quote, Tweaktown: " The VRM is also very basic, but it does make the cut for high ambient temperature overclocks. "
Vrms are super important again on z170 because they moved the regulator off the die..
Asrock is still Skimp..
Hmmm... yeah, Win7 needs EHCI. I'm a Win7 x64 supporter, not a fan of 10 AT ALL and I don't like the 8.0 and up UI changes. But in this case I'd recommend 8.1 with a few tweaks.
GL with build. Looking forward to pics.