A Video Upgrade

[Age]

Alright people, here's the quick and dirty about what I'm looking for:

Currently, I have a solid mid-range system sporting an Intel Dual Core 6400 (2.13GHz), 2GB of RAM (DDR 665, I believe), and an nVidia 7600 GT. These are the most basic specs, and I can provide an DxDiag upon request. Now to the point, I'm considering an upgrade from my 7600 GT to a 7950 GX2, but I have one major concern: power usage. From what I've read, the 7950 GX2 does use significantly more power on idle than most of its single-GPU counterparts, but when under stress, uses little more than average.

My question is, and I can't seem to find a comparison, how is the power consumption between a 7900 GT and a 7950 GX2? I'm not entirely sure of my power supply's specifications, but I'll be popping the case here in a moment to check.

Also, I'd like any reviews people may have of the card - 'bang for your buck', reliability, etc.,

And I have no intention of upgrading to DX10 / Vista any time soon (Probably 1.5+ years before I consider it), so I'm not concerned about that.

Suggestions and comments welcome, flames are not.

Thanks
-A

Edit: I suppose I should add a motive for upgrading. It's games like BioShock and, soon, Crysis that give my system trouble. I'm trying for those rock-solid (or reasonably-solid) framerates that help with the immersion that much more.

 

[Geomagick]

It is very difficult to recommend the 7950gx2 these days.

The gx2 does use a lot more power than a single chip version, also becuase the extra performance comes from SLI then the games have to be supported in the drivers. I found in the past that going down the SLI route, although offering more performance is not very cost effective unless you are at the high end.

You don't say what resolution you intend to run at as well, as this will have a significant effect on any recommendation.

 

[Arkaign]

No DX10? Then X1950XT for you!!! Awesome!

no 22A +12V PSU? Buy one! You'll need it for any decent vid card anyway ..

/thread

 

[Age]

My desktop resolution is 1280 x 1024. Most first-person shooters and MMOs I run at 1152 x 864 and in windowed mode; other games (RTS) typically full-screen at either 1024 x 768 or 1280 x 1024.

Powell, what single-GPU card might you recommend (Either ATi or nVidia) if not a 7950GX2?

You mention the X1950XT, Ark. I'll do some reading up on that one here in a while. I've been an nVidia junkie since day one, so I've never really given ATi cards any consideration.

 

[JustaGeek]

You should give the 7950GX2 a consideration ONLY if the price is about $200-250.

Anything more than that - go for 640MB 8800GTS, or wait for the new NVidia GPU's.

 

[Age]

Mmm. The benchmarks for the 8800GTS look good. I still need to pop the case and look at the power supply...

 

[Keysplayr]

8800GTS FTW. No reason to get a 7950GX2 when there are much better cards for the same or less money these days. AND use less power. And don't forget, people who buy DX10 hardware arent steering clear of playing their DX9 games. On the contrary. So, don't concern yourself with the DX10 debate, it's too early. Just buy the card that best suits your needs and enjoy your gaming whether it's a DX9 or DX10 card. That does not matter.

 

[Arkaign]

The 8800GTS is awesome, but if he's not bothering with DX10, the X1950XT is $100 or so cheaper, and will do just great for gaming in DX9. The 2nd-gen DX10 parts are right around the corner, so it's a helluva time to drop $250-$300 on a card.

 

[Age]

Alright, I think the 8800GTS is my card of choice. After reading overwhelmingly positive reviews (The only problems people seem to be having relate to systems operating on Vista), as well being reasonably priced around $350 - $410, I like what I see.

I've laid largely to rest my concerns regarding the size of the card. There's plenty of clearance where the bulk of the card (heatsink assembly, etc.) will rest, and plenty of 'headroom' for its 9.5" length. Now my last concern is this: My power supply. I popped the case and wrote down some numbers I thought 'looked significant'. Note that I'm not too wise on power supplies as you might have guessed.

Allied (Brand, obviously)
Volt
Max DC : +3.3V +5V
Current
Max DC : +12V -12V

195W / 280W

I'm also noting that my 7600 GT is drawing power directly from its PCIe slot. I'm assuming that means there's a reasonable buffer in the amount of strain my supply is under; there are also two unused power connections.

(Disclaimer: The above paragraph will probably come across as very naive.)

Thanks for the help thus far.

 

[JustaGeek]

You need a Power Supply with the minimum of 26A on the 12V rail.

The EVGA specifies the minimum of 400W PS, but it will be hard to find the 400W PS with 26A on the 12V rail.

I would recommend this one:

$69.99 AR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16817371002


And people here seem to like this one:

$114.99 AR (way too expensive IMO)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...9001&Tpk=corsair%2b520

From what I know, both of them are manufactured by Seasonic.

 

[daveybrat]

Go with the 8800GTS and you won't be dissapointed. There is absolutely no reason to get the other card when an 8800GTS is faster, supports DX10, and is more stable (no SLI drivers glitches).


The 320MB or 640MB GTS are fine choices.

 

[Age]

Alrighty, JaG, I've got the first (cheaper) power supply picked out, I think.

Now for my final question: Does the manufacturer of a card matter much? I've had good experiences with eVGA, and I lean in that direction (They've manufactured my past two cards, both of which I've used for long-ish periods without fail). Further input appreciated. :>

Thanks again

(Edit for clarity)

 

[bryanW1995]

don't drop $400 on a card that will be replaced in 8-10 weeks. the x1950 xt is a good deal at around 150 or so if you can find it, or you could spend 250 for this xfx 8800gts 320

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814150171

I personally would highly recommend just sticking it out for a couple months until the new cards come out. I used to have a 7600 gt, and sure it lacked a little bit in performance, but you will be very happy that you waited when your 9800 gts or 2950 pro shows up and rocks your world for the next couple of years

 

[Age]

You raise a good point, Bryan, and I'm going to be taking that into serious consideration (I had forgotten that the 9x series had been announced at some point.) My concern then is whether or not the 9x series will retain the DX 9 / 10 cross-compatibility of its 8x series predecessors, though I can't imagine nVidia dropping DX9 compatibility at the drop of a hat. They'd do nothing better than shoot themselves in the foot.

Indeed if I chose to wait I might also put off buying a new PSU and see what kind of power these cards are going to be taking. They're due out around the Holiday season, so I might be able to get one through my parents and spare my seventeen-year-old income from further pain.

I'll give it some thought over the next few days. Thanks for the help thus far, people.

 

[Age]

It's not been 'the next few days', but without the ability to sleep and time to burn, I've given the idea of waiting thought, and have decided that I will wait for the release of the 9x series of cards (Or Radeon's next; we'll see the benchmarks). But I worry that if I were to invest in, for the sake of arguement, a 9800 GTX, that my video card would indeed be a beast, but the rest of my system (As mentioned earlier, Intel Core 2 Duo 6400, 2GB DDR665) would be inadequate to properly support such a fine piece of hardware. Whether that's a genuine concern or not given my current specs is up to you.

My earlier question concerning video card manufacturers still stands, though, and any input on that front is appreciated.

Thanks for the help, all.

 

[MarcVenice]

I hope you didn't buy that powersupply. If you need a new PSU, this is the best, cheapest solution right now: http://shop3.outpost.com/produ...M4GkRPX++62sggmHQfIHGg**.node3?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

As for the videocard, your monitors highest resolution is 1280*1024? Then you don't really NEED a BEAST of a videocard. You should invest 300$ into a widescreen 20-22" monitor first, then invest some money into a decent videocard. Running a 9800gtx, worth 600$ on a 1280*1024 screen is just NUTS. I would buy a new monitor first, and a 8800gts or whatever is affordable when the 9800gtx or 8900 comes out. By then prices of other cards will drop, and perhaps 300-350$ buys you a 2900xt or a 8800gtx.

Oh and as for the rest of your rig, push up the FSB of that cpu to 333, making your cpu run at 2.66ghz, and it should be plenty fast to handle all of the aforementioned videocards. In essence, you won't be cpu limited if that's what you were afraid of.

 

[betasub]

Your CPU/memory is a solid base for matching up with a high-end graphics card, but if that's your plan you should really be budgeting for:

1. Quality, recognized brand-name PSU.
2. Graphics card that can handle the games you play, at the resolution/detail you want.
3. A monitor that will allow that high-end graphics card to show its true capabilites.

 

[Age]

Marc: Nope, nothing has been bought yet. Concerning my FSB, how might I increase it? I've never done any sort of overclocking whatsoever.

By the time the 9x series is released I should have well over $1k saved up. I've been wanting to upgrade my monitor for some time now, and right now I have $800 on hand, so I may as well do that now. My dad has a rather nice 20" LG monitor; I wouldn't mind going with the widescreen version of that particular model. Any recommendations on monitors is welcome, and I will be reading the relevant sticky. Hopefully I can get a monitor that is capable of at least 1600 x 1200 without breaking the bank too badly.

Thanks again.

 

[solofly]

Like most say, 8800 all the way. You don't need Vista/DX10 to enjoy it. (or wait for next gen)

 

[Arkaign]

Go look at monitors in person. You can probably get a steal on a 22" w/1680x1050. I have a 20, 22, and a 24, and the extra $300-$400 for a 24" is just wasted money IMO.

As far as video cards, grab a X1950XT while you're at it, then you can game happily at max native res + loads of details for the time being. You can then sell the X1950XT easily when the 9800s hit, then pick up a 8800GTS/GTX for a LOT less than they are now. ATI's refresh is coming up quick as well, so it makes zero sense to buy a high-end video card until after the new stuff hits.