Question need opinions on video cards ( PCMech Forums Video, Audio and Multimedia )
Updated: 2009-06-04 05:20:08 (15) |
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need opinions on video cards
hey, im running a X1950XT 512MB, i beleive sapphire built if it even matters.
i really want to switch to an NVIDIA card becuase im tired of ATI's drivers. ive been running ATI cards since my 9700 pro, infact ive had too many for anyone.
at any rate. ATI is saying my card is now a legacy product. that and my main issue, i want higher FPS in TF2. if i try to run "very high" textures in tf2 it gets a bit choppy. tho i can run high textures with 4XAA and 8X AF which is kinda weird but whatever.
i run 1680x1050 on a 22" monitor.
i need opinions on what card to get. i dont have much fundage these days, but i do want something thats a significant increase over the x1950xt 512
im thinking maybe a GTX 260?
my system is a AMD 6000+ 125w with a M2N-SLI delux mobo with windows 7. not the fastest on the planet, but right now the video card is definatly the bottle neck.
im looking to spend i guess $100-200 which is a farcry lower then my past $400-600 limit
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| Answers: need opinions on video cards ( PCMech Forums Video, Audio and Multimedia ) |
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need opinions on video cards
What do you have for a power supply? The GTX 260 is the best Nvidia under $200. You need 500w and 36 amps on the +12v, and it uses two PCI-E 6 pin connectors.
glc
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need opinions on video cards
a Nspire NSP-PSH650V 650W with a 140mm fan and removable plugs.
looks like it has two 12v supplys each rated for 18A for a total of 36A
it does have a second PCIX plug i can use. i built the machine to do SLI back in the day and ran out of money
mrtube
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need opinions on video cards
Since you own an AMD system I recommend you stick to ATI. The 4850 is an awesome video card that will work very well with the AMD 6000
I am not saying Nvidia is bad but currently it seems games play better with ATI.
Nspire makes bad power supplies. Look into FSP, Corsair or Sea Sonic.
Khalil
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need opinions on video cards
heh.
im not changing a power supply because of the name on it. out of all of the supplies ive had on the bench this one had both the best regulation and the least noise on the outputs.
it also runs as cool as the better names and has quality caps.
at any rate.. i was looking at 4870's. are the 4850's that much faster then my x1950xt?
mrtube
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need opinions on video cards
Quote:
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Originally Posted by mrtube
a Nspire NSP-PSH650V 650W with a 140mm fan and removable plugs.
looks like it has two 12v supplys each rated for 18A for a total of 36A
it does have a second PCIX plug i can use. i built the machine to do SLI back in the day and ran out of money
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Multi rail power supplies are crap, especially when it come to running power hog video cards.
If you are going to spend that much on a video card, go ahead and get a 4870 - they are just a few dollars more than the 4850 and most of them offer free shipping.
You need a high amp single rail PSU (as GLC has mentioned) and the way to go with that is with either PC POWER & COOLING or CORSAIR.
chuck4456
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need opinions on video cards
That Nspire power supply wont last with a 4870.
The 4850 is substantially faster than your current card. The 4670 will game much better than your current card. Your card is 3 generations old. In its day it was a great card but its old now.
Khalil
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need opinions on video cards
wow, guess things changed. back in the day the dual rail was considered better :\
will it hold up with the 4850?
mrtube
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need opinions on video cards
hows the : CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W supply?
i can fit that in sometime when i get the money.
mrtube
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need opinions on video cards
That's a good unit.
Quote:
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if i try to run "very high" textures in tf2 it gets a bit choppy. tho i can run high textures with 4XAA and 8X AF which is kinda weird but whatever.
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That's because higher textures require more video ram, whereas anti-aliasing and AF are GPU intensive.
Particularly with the resolution you're talking about running, make sure to get a card with 1GB of onboard memory.
LeftyAce
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need opinions on video cards
That Nspire is sufficient. It's not crap. It meets specs. We used to use them and never had a failure.
glc
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need opinions on video cards
Quote:
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Originally Posted by glc
That Nspire is sufficient. It's not crap. It meets specs. We used to use them and never had a failure.
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I'll bet it falls flat on its face within six months or sooner, if the system even boots once he has one of those 48XX installed.
chuck4456
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need opinions on video cards
It's 650 real watts and 36 real amps. *IF* that meets specs for the card, it will work fine. Nspire power supplies are made by Channel Well and I repeat, they work fine. Just because it doesn't meet with your approval that requires a single rail doesn't mean it's gonna die on him.
Don't you think the video card manufacturers take into account the widely varying quality of power supplies and recommend more towards the worst case? I bet a card where they recommend 500 watts and 36 amps would run fine with 400 high quality watts and 30 high quality amps. Far be it from me to *recommend* a low quality power supply, but a Nspire is on the "good" side of the house - note I did not say "excellent". Now, if he had a 650 watt Coolmax, I'd be telling him to get it out of there.
Nspire is ASI's house brand.
glc
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need opinions on video cards
yea. i was gonna mention that nspire doesnt make power supplys, they were rebagged. but i didnt want to get in an argument. heh
ANYWAY, how much video ram can TF2 use then? i assumed it would never touch 512.
mrtube
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need opinions on video cards
thx glc.
i typically dont buy garbage. i usually hunt around to find atleast "decent" parts. and like i said, i had this supply along with quite a few others on the bench. theres so many people out there who buy a $70 case that comes with a power supply and use it.
i beleive i paid $100-120 for this supply 2 years ago. not a huge amount but it wasnt a cheap supply. like i said in the above post tho, i wouldnt mind buying a new supply if i end up having too due to current limitations. i wouldnt mind throwing a 800-1000W supply in if i have to.
but i wont just because someone doesnt like the name
mrtube
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need opinions on video cards
got good news sorta.
i CAN run tf2 with very high textures with AA off. it had been awhile since i had played. so i didnt really remeber what settings i used. but it seems since i installed windows 7 i had issues finding drivers for the x1950xt. i noticed lastnite the fan never sped up like it used too in game. finally found out 9.1 vista64 drivers will work, now its running fairly decent.
however, i still plan on buying a new video card. im looking at the powercolor 1GB 4850 thats clocked at i think 665Mhz? looks like newegg has them for around $150.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814131123
this will atleast allow me to run higher FPS, and run AA and higher levels of AF.
any opinions on the power color card?
im running this in an antec 900 case so im not too terribly worried about the card venting into the case. infact right now i prefer it, i vacuum my pc quite ofen, and with the 1950's cooler i still end up pulling the card out to clean it.
mrtube
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