graphic card advice

[SamanosukeShiva]

I'm thinking of buying http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130551 but the reviews say it runs too hot (100+C) at times. Should I buy additional cooling? my pc case is full tower w/ 2x 25cm fan.

[xopher]

Get 2 460s for less money and SLI them for better performance.

[avelle]

Everyone recommends SLI but nobody ever mentions the downside. Not every game supports it and you end up getting half the performance you paid for.

[Evanos]

Generally it is preferable to buy one top of the line graphics card at the moment than buy 2 and SLI them, that allows you the option for a cheap upgrade down the road (when prices fall enough) and exceptionable play at the moment. This card is often criticized for it's temperatures (if it says anything my 5970 which generally gets a little better performance than this card, but is kind of cheating because it is 2 GPUs in one maxes out at 65c with my aftermarket cooler and topped out at 80 with the stock), but it is capable of handling the heat. If I recall it is able to take around 90 pretty safely consistently.
If you are concerned with your heat there are a couple aftermarket cooling options available for you though and many more coming around the corner.
If you case is big enough to handle I have seen a few threads about people using this cooler on their GPU and dropping the temp by a good 20c, this is an exceptional aftermarket cooler for that card:
http://www.thermalright.com/new_a_pa..._spitfire.html

A lot of people are hoping that more aftermarket coolers will be similar to the ones that are currently installed on the Zotac 480s which have very good temps for the card:
http://www.zotac.com/index.php?optio...100060&lang=en

All in all, 480s are a pretty solid card, can't go wrong with it. A few go up open box on Newegg every week if you keep your eyes open also.

[Shadowhusky]

Hijacking this thread for my own video card question. It seems I need a new (cooler running) card now. Right now I have a 9800GTX and I want a card that will at least match that in power from ATI. Since ATI seems to be better cooled right now than Nvidia, what do you guys recommend? Price cap at 200$.

[Evanos]

Hijacking this thread for my own video card question. It seems I need a new (cooler running) card now. Right now I have a 9800GTX and I want a card that will at least match that in power from ATI. Since ATI seems to be better cooled right now than Nvidia, what do you guys recommend? Price cap at 200$.

Used or new or open box?

[Shadowhusky]

Used or new or open box?

Anything really.

[Evanos]

Anything really.

I generally buy a lot of my used tech gear from overclock.net because a lot of those guys are very reputable (can't post a for sale until you have so many up reps, and then once you do sales you get sale reps). I've bought 400+ cards on there and never had a problem. One that catches my eye on there right now is: http://www.overclock.net/video/78516...-frozr-ii.html
(but that is $20 over your limit. It should be noted that I have personally dealt with that guy and was able to talk him down and he was quick and honest). You can easily get a really good price on overclock.net.
Another cheap but effective card I saw there was this one: http://www.overclock.net/video/777621-xfx-5770-v1.html

If you would rather go the retailer route Newegg puts many open-box items up on their site every week, they just sell fast so you need to keep watching. I've seen 5850s fall around $200 and definitely have seen 5770s go there. With any of those cards (depending on your processor, etc) you could handle the game on low and, depending on standards, on high.

Here is a link to a 5770 under $200 (not open box) that would be a pretty solid card: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814127490

I must say though, as a fanboy of neither company (I always go performance over brand) you can't really beat the Nvidia 260s if $200 is your price range.

This is what I would buy in your situation, even with the heat and power consumption that comes with it: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130562

[Knyghtmayre]

If you want new:

EMCYVNV39 + Palit GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) Sonic 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 = $206

VGA14327 + HIS iCooler V Radeon HD 5830 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 = $180

Those seem to be the best deals @Newegg atm, but you can find secondhand cards on OCN for cheaper.

[Olo401]

Ew... 5830? Really?

To the OP: If you're looking to get a kick-ass card wait a couple months for the new GF104/106 based 475 and 485 to come out. They should run much cooler (my new EVGA 460 runs fantastic and runs really cool, much cooler than I expected)

[Evanos]

If you want new:

EMCYVNV39 + Palit GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) Sonic 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 = $206

VGA14327 + HIS iCooler V Radeon HD 5830 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 = $180

Those seem to be the best deals @Newegg atm, but you can find secondhand cards on OCN for cheaper.

Generally, you'd be better off running with a 5770 or a 5850 than a 5830. There have been plenty of articles/threads hardware forums outlining the problems with the 5830, one of the cases where bigger isn't always better. You could get a much more stable overclock and better scores with a 5770 generally. Imo though the $20 jump to a 5850 is well worth the money as that is an awesome card.
However, as it now stands I still think 460s are the best in the price range given their shortcomings.

[pugnax179]

in response to some review of people saying the GTX480 reaching temperatures of over 100C, have not seen my graphics card go above 92C once and thats with playing hours of BFBC2 and MoH Beta

[Knyghtmayre]

92c is still pretty awful... And yeah, I wouldn't get a 5830, and if you can get a 5850 for $20 more than a 5770 (Where the hell is this) then I'd definitely go for that. Only reason I showed that 5830 is because it's $180 and even the lowest I've seen for a 5850 on OCN is like $220. I really don't see how you can recommend a 5770 over a 5830 when they're the same price when everything I've read says 5830>5770. http://www.techspot.com/review/249-ati-radeon-hd-5830/ Is just one example. If you were to get a 5770, I'd get one which isn't priced stupidly high at $180 (even if the hawks are much sexier/cooler, I don't think it's a justifiable $40 price hike).

I think what needs to be determined is which of these better describes your goal (@Shadowhusky):

a) I want to spend $200 and get every ounce of performance out of that $200.
b) My budget limited to $200 but want to get the best price-performance ratio, even if I don't spend the full $200.

[CoronA1979]

Agreed - 92c is still pretty damn hot Pug - I'm shopping around for some upgrades on my PC currently also but I doubt I'll be getting a 480.

[Boyiee]

If the card is made to run that hot and can run that hot then it's not a problem. Your room is just going to be a little warmer.

[Crizto]

Can someone recommend a cheap upgrade for my system?
Currently using a GeForce 7950 and I'm hoping I wouldn't have to upgrade my motherboard or anything yet. So obviously looking for something that would fit. When I get home later tonight I can post what motherboard I'm currently using as well if that is crucial.

[Odesseiron]

I have a GTX 480 SC. When I did stress tests on it OC'd, it ran to about 91 degrees. The card is made to safely run up to 105 degrees C. I wouldn't worry about it. Besides, if you have a rig with some fans in it, your machine will be fine. I got my 480 (along with the rest of my machine) 3 weeks ago, and I haven't looked back since.

[Arximiro]

What's a good way to check your Gcard Temps? I've wondered that for awhile. Is there a program of sorts?

[Pandum]

gpuz, catalyst for ati

[Senji]

I'm thinking of buying http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130551 but the reviews say it runs too hot (100+C) at times. Should I buy additional cooling? my pc case is full tower w/ 2x 25cm fan.

Im guessing your using the Windtunnel case, I wouldn't be worried about the temps, that thing stuffs a lot of air directly on the cards and destroys many other cases on temps.