How much vRAM do I need?

[Synomenon]

Three monitors:
Dell U2410 - 1920x1200
Dell U2211H x2 - 1920x1080

I usually play games on the U2410. One U2211H always has email on it and the second U2211H always has Skype, IM, system monitoring utilities on it.

When I play games I usually have them in "Windowed Mode".

How much vRAM do I need?

 

[toyota]

1gb with higher end gpu would be enough for most cases but you already have a 6950 2gb which is plenty. so whats the problem?

 

[Synomenon]

No problem. I don't like how loud my 6950 is, but it's due to having the three monitors running off of it.

Thinking of switching to the XFX BE 6870 with the quiet cooler (which has only 1GB), but I don't know if it'll be anymore quiet than my 6950 if I connect the three monitors to it (the XFX BE 6870).

 

[mnewsham]

No problem. I don't like how loud my 6950 is, but it's due to having the three monitors running off of it.

Thinking of switching to the XFX BE 6870 with the quiet cooler (which has only 1GB), but I don't know if it'll be anymore quiet than my 6950 if I connect the three monitors to it (the XFX BE 6870).

Maybe the 6870 2gb driving 2 1920x1080 and 1 1920x1200 display ain't easy.

 

[Synomenon]

^
Sorry, I don't understand what you're trying to say.

 

[digitaldurandal]

Maybe the 6870 2gb driving 2 1920x1080 and 1 1920x1200 display ain't easy.

Engrish prease.

OP why don't you create a custom fan profile for your card and see if that helps?

 

[Synomenon]

I've considered that, but don't really want to have another program starting up at boot just to control the card's fan speed.

I'd try modifying the card's BIOS to lower voltages and fan speeds, but I do not know how to do that.

 

[mnewsham]

^
sorry my mind is elsewhere get this palit gtx 560 2gb version as simultaneously displaying (basically) 3 1920x1080 images is not easy on vRAM.

The gtx 560 ti is about 5 dBa quieter then the 6950 at load.

 

[RavenSEAL]

If noise is the problem, then you need water cooling.

 

[toyota]

If noise is the problem, then you need water cooling.

I thought water cooling was louder overall in many cases.

 

[RavenSEAL]

I thought water cooling was louder overall in many cases.

Depends where you place the pump really, my friend uses WBC on his OCd i7 and his GTX480 and his system is rather quiet, even at night, it's no louder than a pair of 140mm fans.

 

[load81]

If noise is the problem, then you need water cooling.

Or an aftermarket fan cooler even.

 

[Synomenon]

No place to put all the components for a full liquid cooling system.

An aftermarket cooler is ok as long as it's more quiet than the stock fan AND it takes up the same space OR less than the stock cooler.

 

[badb0y]

How much clearance do you have?

Accelero Xtreme Plus is slightly larger than the stock cooler and is better/quieter.

 

[Synomenon]

No clearance at all. The 6950 is in the 16x slot which covers up one of my 1x slots. The second 1x slot (next to the one that's covered up) has a PCIe USB3.0 card. The last slot has a TV tuner card.

 

[fuzzymath10]

Are you sure you don't want to use something like afterburner to control the fan? You've got an SSD so it might add a millisecond to your boot routine. Doesn't look like RAM is the issue either

That was the only way to get my video card quiet and it was a good solution. Actually the fans were still poor enough that I bought a 60mm fan and attached it with rubber bands and now I'm happy

 

[Nirreln]

It could be that the video card isn't getting enough fresh air, that case is fairly small. Does leaving the side panel open help at all? Anyway I wouldn't consider downgrading, finding a better cooling solution for the card is what I would do. I can't help you pick one out but xbitlabs has a some reviews of vga coolers you could check out. http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/coolers

 

[apoppin]

i am not sure i understand your issue. Is it noise when not playing a game? You do realize that because you are running "mismatched" displays, your video card upclocks almost as though there is a 3D application running.

The solution is to run all three displays at the same resolution - either by running 1920x1080 on all three now or by upgrading your flanking displays to 1920x1200 (or the center one to 1920x1080). There are also other possibilities (by adding another very quiet video card to drive the other two displays for productivity) and ways to minimize this issue by adjusting settings.

To answer the question about 1920x1200, 1GB of vRAM would be a minimum for playing PC games at high details and with AA/AF enabled.

Three monitors:
Dell U2410 - 1920x1200
Dell U2211H x2 - 1920x1080

I usually play games on the U2410. One U2211H always has email on it and the second U2211H always has Skype, IM, system monitoring utilities on it.

When I play games I usually have them in "Windowed Mode".

How much vRAM do I need?

 

[wuliheron]

It may be that your gpu itself is struggling rather then the vram in particular. When you play in windowed mode on one monitor it still has to process the desktop on the others as well as the game. You might try using eyefinity to play the game across all 3 monitors and see if the gpu is still loud.

 

[Synomenon]

Yes, the issue is noise when not playing any games. It's loud when I'm just doing work (word processing, email, internet, etc.). When I play something the sound doesn't change much (still loud) until I play something demanding then it gets even louder.

I guess I'll just have to live with the noise.

 

[3DVagabond]

Yes, the issue is noise when not playing any games. It's loud when I'm just doing work (word processing, email, internet, etc.). When I play something the sound doesn't change much (still loud) until I play something demanding then it gets even louder.

I guess I'll just have to live with the noise.

Creating a fan profile is your best solution. The additional process at start up is nothing to be concerned about.

^
sorry my mind is elsewhere get this palit gtx 560 2gb version as simultaneously displaying (basically) 3 1920x1080 images is not easy on vRAM.

The gtx 560 ti is about 5 dBa quieter then the 6950 at load.

Will this drive 3 monitors simultaneously? I don't see where it says it does (looked at Palit's site as well) and nVidia cards are typically limited to two.

I was also looking for a review of it and couldn't find one. Do you have a link?

 

[Dadofamunky]

Fan profile is the way to fly. Seriously, it adds next to no load on your system.

 

[MangoX]

Lol OP made the same exact thread on [H]...

 

[Synomenon]

Yes I did. Whenever I have "technical" questions I post the questions on multiple forums. Usually Anandtech, [H], and a couple of other forums.

Fastest way to get answers, opinions, etc..