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Geek Culture / Need advice selecting a new GPU

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4125
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Posted: 17th Oct 2011 22:49 Edited at: 9th Nov 2011 21:55
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Didn't want the threads to look alike so I changed "help" with "advice". Anyways...

I just upgraded to a Q9650 from a E7400. The performance is just awesome.

Now I believe my GPU should be next. I currently have an XfX Nvidia Geforce 9800GTX+ 512MB Video Card. I was looking for somewhere around like a GTX 560 Ti. I saw an ECS GTX 560 Ti on newegg for about $220. That is just about as much as I can afford but I may be jumping the gun too high.

I do know that it would be sorta pointless with my current monitor resolution only maxing at 1600 x 900, but my uncle is going to give me a larger ACER monitor with a 1920 x 1080 resolution. As far as I know, with a resolution that high, a much more better GPU would be great.

I have an Ultra 650 Watt PSU with two 6-pin PCI-E Power Connectors, just an FYI.

So, what would you guys recommend me ? Both with good performance, better than my current GPU and a good price less then about $220.

One last thing, I'm sorta confused with the GTX 560 vs the GTX 560 Ti, I know the Ti is faster but by how much exactly ? Thanks in advance...

EDIT: Already made my choice on a ZOTAC AMP! Gefocre GTX 560 1GB Card. So no need to reply to this thread. This thread may now be locked...

Intel Core 2 Quad Q9650, Nvidia Gefocre GTX 560 1024MB, 8192MB Corsair XMS2*, XfX Nforce 780i, Windows 7 Home Premium x64
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bitJericho
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Posted: 17th Oct 2011 22:59 Edited at: 17th Oct 2011 23:00
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I would recommend getting the card with the most onboard ram. It makes a huge difference in speed, but only in games that would fill it up.

I have a 2gb gtx260 and there's barely any games out there that can make it struggle. Those that do I think are probably slowed down by my core 2 duo.

So, I recommend a 2gb (on board) card if you can find one, and then get the faster gpu after that.


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4125
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Posted: 17th Oct 2011 23:04
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Wouldn't 1GB be enough ?

Intel Core 2 Quad Q9650, ECS Nvidia Gefocre GTX 560 Ti 1024MB*, 8192MB Corsair XMS2*, XfX Nforce 780i, Windows 7 Home Premium x64
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bitJericho
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Posted: 17th Oct 2011 23:14 Edited at: 17th Oct 2011 23:23
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probably. But games are coming out that will fill it up. After memory is filled and memory is paged from ram, your FPS will drop.

GTA4 for example just about fills up 1700mb with full effects. You'll find there's a number of games out or coming out that will fill it.

Also, high def graphics can fill up memory very quickly. If your running in 1080p, I'd say you should get 2gb if you can afford it. For 220 bucks, there's a lot of cards out there with 2gb or more. Check newegg.com.

I'd probably get one of these cards:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150563

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814500182

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130662


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4125
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Posted: 17th Oct 2011 23:26
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Thanks. That last card, the 2GB GTX 560 sounds good for me, but I would have to save up some extra cash.

Now I don't really like GTA4, I prefer San Andreas Lol

Is there any other games out there that use up more than 1024MB of memory ?

Intel Core 2 Quad Q9650, ECS Nvidia Gefocre GTX 560 Ti 1024MB*, 8192MB Corsair XMS2*, XfX Nforce 780i, Windows 7 Home Premium x64
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bitJericho
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Posted: 17th Oct 2011 23:31 Edited at: 17th Oct 2011 23:32
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It depends on your video resolution and what AA settings you're using. Here's a list some random guy put together on the internet:

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?269866-List-of-known-suspected-games-to-eat-more-than-1GB-video-memory-at-1920x1200

It won't link for some reason...


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4125
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Posted: 17th Oct 2011 23:46
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I would've never suspected some of those games to eat up that much video memory. For the most part I don't use AA mainly because of my old CPU. Also, some time ago when I ran GTA4 I noticed I was very limited to what I could set it to. That's when I noticed that my 512MB wasn't going to cut it. Besides that I never would've guessed that causes some lagg too.

As of right now, I'm thinking of getting that 2GB GTX 560. But I'll need to wait an extra few weeks. No big deal for me (I hope).

Thanks for that info, if there still some better choices let me know...

Intel Core 2 Quad Q9650, ECS Nvidia Gefocre GTX 560 Ti 1024MB*, 8192MB Corsair XMS2*, XfX Nforce 780i, Windows 7 Home Premium x64
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The Wilderbeast
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Posted: 18th Oct 2011 00:11
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I would reiterate everything that Jerico has just said. What is the resolution of your monitor? If you want to go for high resolutions and high AA settings then you'll want to go for a card with a high memory bandwidth: the wider the bus and the faster the memory the higher the bandwidth. As a rule I wouldn't go for anything that doesn't have at least 1.5GB GDDR5. I have a friend with the GTX 560 ti and it's a monster which will handle just about anything.

Make sure you go for a reputable company; I have had good experiences with both Evga and XFX. Moving up from a 9800 GTX means your PSU will be more than up to the task as all cards now are made on a smaller fabrication process and thus are more energy efficient (for the most part, I'm looking at you ATI HD 6990 ).


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4125
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Posted: 18th Oct 2011 00:41
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So that would mean that the EVGA GTX 560 2GB card is next on my list.

Thanks Guys !

Only wish it was a tad cheaper but what can you do...

Intel Core 2 Quad Q9650, ECS Nvidia Gefocre GTX 560 Ti 1024MB*, 8192MB Corsair XMS2*, XfX Nforce 780i, Windows 7 Home Premium x64
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The Wilderbeast
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Posted: 18th Oct 2011 10:29
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If you sold your 9800 GTX you could probably get 80 quid or so for it which would cover some of the cost of a new card. It should last you a long time too so I think it's a worthwhile investment.


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charger bandit
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Posted: 18th Oct 2011 19:14
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Nah 2gb cards aren't that much important,theres barely a few games that use very high quality textures to use that up(GTA4,RAGE). Speed>RAM size.


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bitJericho
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Posted: 18th Oct 2011 19:22 Edited at: 18th Oct 2011 19:23
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There's only so much speed modern games need. Like I said, I have a gtx 260 and that's plenty for almost every game out there. My bottleneck is with the CPU.

A gtx560 would eat my card for breakfest, and should play anything out there right now.

I would say you probably don't need more than 2gb, and 1.5 is probably enough, but if I had a budget of 250 bucks, I would get the 2gb gtx 560 personally.

It would really depend on your needs. If you want modern games at the highest resolutions and best textures, more ram, not more gpu!

If you want the best FPS and are willing to risk having to lower texture quality on some games, get more gpu!


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noobnerd
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Posted: 18th Oct 2011 22:19 Edited at: 18th Oct 2011 22:21
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i was indecided between the 560 ti and the 570, took the 570 just in case and it rolls everything on maxed. But the 560 Ti should run even Crysis 2 @ 1680x1050 and Ultra settings with Dx11 patch+ HD settings at playable fps so i think its a great choise

http://www.geforce.com/

go to that site it is very usefull for finding out what the nvidia GPUs are capable of
http://www.geforce.com/Optimize/OPS/Crysis-2-GeForce-GTX-560-Ti-OPS
theres the optimal playable settings for Crysis 2 with a 560 Ti normal version

If you check the difference between 560Ti and not Ti in Crysis 2 on those same settings, the difference is 2 fps so it isnt such a big deal but hte price is quite the same no?
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Posted: 18th Oct 2011 23:47 Edited at: 18th Oct 2011 23:54
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Quote: "Nah 2gb cards aren't that much important,theres barely a few games that use very high quality textures to use that up(GTA4,RAGE). Speed>RAM size."


True but going on this list Jerico2day posted:

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?269866-List-of-known-suspected-games-to-eat-more-than-1GB-video-memory-at-1920x1200

Most of those are games I wanted to play. Rage included and yes I want the textures and stuff all the way and to make good use of this new 1920 x 1080 ACER monitor I'm supposedly getting. Also, it seems you'll never truly know which new games that come out will eat up more than 1024MB of memory. I think it be better safe than sorry but I feel where your coming from...

Quote: "If you sold your 9800 GTX you could probably get 80 quid or so for it which would cover some of the cost of a new card."


Besides online stores like Ebay, I don't know any place around here that would buy the 9800GTX+. Also I don't know how to sell on Ebay or similar Lol. But that is a very good idea ! I'll find some way to do that, I could also sell my old E7400 as well but I have to find out how...

EDIT: On some recent thinking, I could try a local pawn shop near me. I wonder if they would work...

Intel Core 2 Quad Q9650, EVGA Nvidia Gefocre GTX 560 2048MB*, 8192MB Corsair XMS2*, XfX Nforce 780i, Windows 7 Home Premium x64
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The Zoq2
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Posted: 19th Oct 2011 10:41
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I have a GTX 560 Ti, it works realy good and in the BF3 beta I got 30-50 FPS...

Srry about my english im from sweeden
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Daniel TGC
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Posted: 23rd Oct 2011 22:50 Edited at: 23rd Oct 2011 22:52
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You should get this fantastic card if you can find it, it's dead cheap.


TVGA 8800 (1988) - first S/VGA compatible chipset (ISA), 512KB framebuffer
8800BR (512KB, 128KB banks only)
8800CS (512KB, 64KB banks + old/new mode support)



It uses an advanced 16-bit gpu, with a massive 65536 colour range.

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Quik
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Posted: 23rd Oct 2011 22:52 Edited at: 24th Oct 2011 00:00
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Daniel is out ** doing good ** again i see.. xD

** Mod mild abuse of power in the name of humour

I don't live under a bridge or eat billy goats thank you very much!

- Daniel TGC


The result of origin.. Oh and ponies
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4125
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Posted: 27th Oct 2011 03:43
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Quote: "You should get this fantastic card if you can find it, it's dead cheap.


TVGA 8800 (1988) - first S/VGA compatible chipset (ISA), 512KB framebuffer
8800BR (512KB, 128KB banks only)
8800CS (512KB, 64KB banks + old/new mode support)"


Lol. I believe I already have it still in this old, not working IBM PC sitting in the closet.

It seems I won't be getting the amount of money I had hoped for so I might be getting the 1GB GTX 560 Card instead but I'm not holding my breath for that...

Only time will tell...

Intel Core 2 Quad Q9650, EVGA Nvidia Gefocre GTX 560 2048MB*, 8192MB Corsair XMS2*, XfX Nforce 780i, Windows 7 Home Premium x64
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DeadTomGC
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Posted: 27th Oct 2011 05:02
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The GTX 560 TI is what I have. Combine that with an intel 2600k and you can run any game at medium graphics, and most at max, or pretty much any at max with some OC.


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Daniel TGC
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Posted: 27th Oct 2011 05:07
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The 560 eh? Decent card from what I hear. Personally I am going to stick with my nVidia 880GTS, but then the last game I purchased was Mass effect 2, which ran very well. I think I'll get mass effect 3 for the Xbox 360 I picked up on eBay for £47, I am debating the pc version of Skyrim and a graphics card upgrade, but I might just get that for for the Xbox as well. Pcs are good for modding and offer better graphics, but I dont have the time to mod games these days, I'm getting too old. Still taught me a lot about modelling and animation.

Anyway the 560 should see you through a few years, or the 460 is cheaper and it will run games just as well.

But the radeon 6850 seems to give the best bang for buck. Have a look here.

http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/gpu_value.html
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Ocho Geek
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Posted: 27th Oct 2011 14:25
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the 8800 is a bit out of date now; they sell them as budget cards now

I have the 460, so I can vouch for the 560 being an awesome card


Not Spanish, Not Eight, Just Ocho

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Daniel TGC
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Posted: 27th Oct 2011 16:30
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If it ain't broke don't fix it, that's my motto! I always push old hardware for as far and long as I can. That way when I finally upgrade it's that much more amazing My trusty 8800 hasn't given up the ghost yet, so it'll remain my card for the next year or perhaps two.
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4125
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Posted: 8th Nov 2011 18:02
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Well I just ordered a ZOTAC AMP! ZT-50702-10M GeForce GTX 560

It's not a 2GB card like what people recommend me but I was kinda sort on some cash Lol. But I believe this should be a good enough upgrade from my old 9800GTX+.

I should receive it in about 2 days from now (or so), So before this thread becomes useless, I'll post up the differences in performance and if there's any problems...

Thanks Again !

Intel Core 2 Quad Q9650, Nvidia Gefocre GTX 560 1024MB, 8192MB Corsair XMS2*, XfX Nforce 780i, Windows 7 Home Premium x64
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Phaelax
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Posted: 9th Nov 2011 07:34
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Quote: "You should get this fantastic card if you can find it, it's dead cheap.
"


I have several old Trident cards sitting in my basement. No idea why I've held onto ISA cards this long.

Your signature has been erased by a mod please reduce it to no larger than 600 x 120.
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DevilLiger
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Posted: 9th Nov 2011 19:54 Edited at: 9th Nov 2011 20:36
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yes more memory equals better. i have a 1gb memory radeon HD6670 video card and i don't like it. i want a top of line geforce gtx 590 with 3gb memory. that should do fine. im more of a geforce kind of guy.


btw would you consider this upgrade? lol

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=6809990&CatId=4044

here is a link to a website that was comparing GPU. i never heard of the SLI versions of geforce till now. lol i feel old. seem that the gtx 580 SLI does very good overall.

http://alienbabeltech.com/main/gtx_590_review/all/1

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4125
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Posted: 9th Nov 2011 21:54
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Quote: "btw would you consider this upgrade? lol"


Quote: "Well I just ordered a ZOTAC AMP! ZT-50702-10M GeForce GTX 560"


I just stated I ordered my video card.

The ZOTAC AMP! GF-GTX-560 Is a superb upgrade from my old 9800GTX+. Crysis runs flawlessly at max settings but we'll see how it fairs with a new 24' Monitor.

I'm more than happy with my purchase. All my games so far runs smooth Maxed out. Going to install some graphic mods for crysis to see how good this thing really is.

Thanks for the recommendations ! You all were very helpful !

Intel Core 2 Quad Q9650, Nvidia Gefocre GTX 560 1024MB, 8192MB Corsair XMS2*, XfX Nforce 780i, Windows 7 Home Premium x64
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Daniel TGC
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Posted: 10th Nov 2011 22:13
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I would never upgrade from a 9800 myself. I wouldn't see the point, the 3xx series is just a rebranded 9xxx series card from what I understand, so really it's only been two nVidia series since the 9xxx, the 4xx and 5xx. I tend to let at least three generations come and go before I consider upgrading from what was an upper range card.

P.S. I might never upgrade again now I've discovered Onlive.
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4125
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Posted: 11th Nov 2011 19:59
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Quote: "I would never upgrade from a 9800 myself. I wouldn't see the point,"


I wasn't really able to run crysis maxed out on very high. Once there is a lot of action on-screen. The frame rate would shutter a bit.

Also, I play Blur splitscreen with 4 players sometimes, that cause some lag from time to time.

I also wanted to mod GTA4 but this thing could do much with that game.

Deus Ex never worked for me. Idk why, now it does. It just gives blank screen once i get control of the character for the first time.

I wanted to play some games in DX11 glory. Dragon Age 2 is one of them...

Intel Core 2 Quad Q9650, Nvidia Gefocre GTX 560 1024MB, 8192MB Corsair XMS2*, XfX Nforce 780i, Windows 7 Home Premium x64
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