Upgrade from 8600GTS 256MB?

[whattaguy]

Hi,

I'm looking to upgrade my ASUS 8600GTS. It's been so long since I've looked at PC hardware, so please help me out. I've been hearing that the 5770 was a good choice, but there isn't a kext available for my OSX86 machine.

Are there any other options available for the $150 price range?

Thanks.

 

[RussianSensation]

First of all, I have to say you got a classic CPU setup. Q6600 on P35 DS4 and TT120 will let you do 3.4ghz at 1.4V or less. So what are you waiting for? P35 will do 400 FSB x 9 on a Q6600 without even breaking a sweat. I had a G0 with P35 DS3L, which is inferior to your board, and achieved the aforementioned results.

To answer your primary question, for $150, 5770 is probably the most well rounded card. While it often trails 4870/GTX260 and esp 4890 in performance in older games, its performance is inline with its price in the games which are coming out now. It also runs cooler and can be often found below $150. Personally, I would take the 5770 over 4870 (which is also $150 on Newegg). Since GTX260 and 275 are priced in the $200s and are hard to find, I can't recommend those cards.

Metro 2033: http://www.pcgameshardware.de/aid,7...tX-11-und-GPU-PhysX/Action-Spiel/Test/?page=2

BF: BC2: http://www.techspot.com/article/255-battlefield-bad-company2-performance/page5.html

 

[whattaguy]

First of all, I have to say you got a classic CPU setup. Q6600 on P35 DS4 and TT120 will let you do 3.4ghz at 1.4V or less. So what are you waiting for? P35 will do 400 FSB x 9 on a Q6600 without even breaking a sweat. I had a G0 with P35 DS3L, which is inferior to your board, and achieved the aforementioned results.

To answer your primary question, for $150, 5770 is probably the most well rounded card. While it often trails 4870/GTX260 and esp 4890 in performance in older games, its performance is inline with its price in the games which are coming out now. It also runs cooler and can be often found below $150. Personally, I would take the 5770 over 4870 (which is also $150 on Newegg). Since GTX260 and 275 are priced in the $200s and are hard to find, I can't recommend those cards.

Metro 2033: http://www.pcgameshardware.de/aid,7...tX-11-und-GPU-PhysX/Action-Spiel/Test/?page=2

BF: BC2: http://www.techspot.com/article/255-battlefield-bad-company2-performance/page5.html

Thanks...I'm not too familiar with OC'ing, but I'd be glad to learn. Do I just match those specs in my bios? I think I OC'ed one time, but that was 5+ years ago with a P4 2.4 chip.

Also, thanks for your card recommendations.

 

[CurseTheSky]

Another recommendation for the HD 5770. While it certainly can't keep up with more expensive high-end cards like the HD 5850 or GTX 275 / 285, it's a solid performer given the price. And, as RussianSensation said, it runs cool and quiet.

Given the lower price-point and the popularity, picking up a second one (perhaps used) later on for Crossfire may be a great option.

 

[happy medium]

5770.

 

[vj8usa]

Hi,

I'm looking to upgrade my ASUS 8600GTS. It's been so long since I've looked at PC hardware, so please help me out. I've been hearing that the 5770 was a good choice, but there isn't a kext available for my OSX86 machine.

Are there any other options available for the $150 price range?

Thanks.

Is this for gaming? If so, I'm assuming you're dual/multi booting Windows alongside OS X.

 

[whattaguy]

Is this for gaming? If so, I'm assuming you're dual/multi booting Windows alongside OS X.

Yes, I am.

 

[RussianSensation]

Thanks...I'm not too familiar with OC'ing, but I'd be glad to learn. Do I just match those specs in my bios? I think I OC'ed one time, but that was 5+ years ago with a P4 2.4 chip.

Also, thanks for your card recommendations.

Here I found the screenshots of the BIOS and we'll go from here>

1) Update your bios to the latest version using Gigabyte @ BIOS:
http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Support/Motherboard/Utility_Model.aspx?ProductID=2638&ver=

2) Upon booting into the BIOS - Cntrl+Alt+Delete press Cntrl+F1 to unlock Motherboard Intelligent Tweaker (MIT).

3) These 2 screens are everything you need to know:
http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleid=2185&page=5

First screenshot - Set everything to Auto, except for:

CPU Clock Ratio - Leave at 9x
CPU Host Clock Control - Enabled
CPU Host Frequency (how fast your FSB is) - Set to 333 to start
PCI Express Frequency - set to 100
CIA 2 - leave at disabled
System Memory Multiplier - set to 2.0 (that's the lowest you can go I believe). You can later readjust it to get maximum speed closest to DDR2-800 (specs for your ram)
Set Performance Enhancement to Standard

Second screenshot - Set everything to Auto, except for:

System voltage control - manual
DDR2 overvoltage control - stock is 1.8V I believe. Set this to +0.1V for conservative reasons (you can always lower it once you are done with memory).
PCIe- overvoltage - Auto
FSB overvoltage - +0.1V
MCH overvoltage - +0.1v
cpu voltage control - 1.40V.

Basically once your board boots at 3.0ghz (333 FSB x 9), just run Orthos for stree testing:
http://files.extremeoverclocking.com/file.php?f=200
10-12 hours should be enough.

use CPU-Z to monitor your cpu voltage: http://www.cpuid.com/cpuz.php
You cpu voltage may be 1.40V in the BIOS but under stress, it may dip to 1.32-1.34 (this is normal).

and you can use Hardware monitor for cpu temps: http://www.cpuid.com/hwmonitor.php

Your ram will be running at DDR2-666 if you set FSB to 333 at 2.0 Ram ratio. To get to 3.4ghz, you'll need 378 FSB x 9 multi and a voltage of 1.40 or greater. Check your temperatures. You may settle at 3.2ghz. Just find the optimal voltage vs. temperatures vs. cpu speed.

Let me know if you have any questions.

 

[whattaguy]

Here I found the screenshots of the BIOS and we'll go from here>

1) Update your bios to the latest version using Gigabyte @ BIOS:
http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Support/Motherboard/Utility_Model.aspx?ProductID=2638&ver=

2) Upon booting into the BIOS - Cntrl+Alt+Delete press Cntrl+F1 to unlock Motherboard Intelligent Tweaker (MIT).

3) These 2 screens are everything you need to know:
http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleid=2185&page=5

First screenshot - Set everything to Auto, except for:

CPU Clock Ratio - Leave at 9x
CPU Host Clock Control - Enabled
CPU Host Frequency (how fast your FSB is) - Set to 333 to start
PCI Express Frequency - set to 100
CIA 2 - leave at disabled
System Memory Multiplier - set to 2.0 (that's the lowest you can go I believe). You can later readjust it to get maximum speed closest to DDR2-800 (specs for your ram)
Set Performance Enhancement to Standard

Second screenshot - Set everything to Auto, except for:

System voltage control - manual
DDR2 overvoltage control - stock is 1.8V I believe. Set this to +0.1V for conservative reasons (you can always lower it once you are done with memory).
PCIe- overvoltage - Auto
FSB overvoltage - +0.1V
MCH overvoltage - +0.1v
cpu voltage control - 1.40V.

Basically once your board boots at 3.0ghz (333 FSB x 9), just run Orthos for stree testing:
http://files.extremeoverclocking.com/file.php?f=200
10-12 hours should be enough.

use CPU-Z to monitor your cpu voltage: http://www.cpuid.com/cpuz.php
You cpu voltage may be 1.40V in the BIOS but under stress, it may dip to 1.32-1.34 (this is normal).

and you can use Hardware monitor for cpu temps: http://www.cpuid.com/hwmonitor.php

Your ram will be running at DDR2-666 if you set FSB to 333 at 2.0 Ram ratio. To get to 3.4ghz, you'll need 378 FSB x 9 multi and a voltage of 1.40 or greater. Check your temperatures. You may settle at 3.2ghz. Just find the optimal voltage vs. temperatures vs. cpu speed.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Holy crap! Thanks for the detailed info! I'll definitely try all of this and give you my results.

 

[masterbm]

Yeah my 8600 just stopped working . I am looking at getting 5770 well I don't game all the time on the box. It would be nice to have the ablitiy when freinds come over. t

 

[whattaguy]

Here I found the screenshots of the BIOS and we'll go from here>

1) Update your bios to the latest version using Gigabyte @ BIOS:
http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Support/Motherboard/Utility_Model.aspx?ProductID=2638&ver=

2) Upon booting into the BIOS - Cntrl+Alt+Delete press Cntrl+F1 to unlock Motherboard Intelligent Tweaker (MIT).

3) These 2 screens are everything you need to know:
http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleid=2185&page=5

First screenshot - Set everything to Auto, except for:

CPU Clock Ratio - Leave at 9x
CPU Host Clock Control - Enabled
CPU Host Frequency (how fast your FSB is) - Set to 333 to start
PCI Express Frequency - set to 100
CIA 2 - leave at disabled
System Memory Multiplier - set to 2.0 (that's the lowest you can go I believe). You can later readjust it to get maximum speed closest to DDR2-800 (specs for your ram)
Set Performance Enhancement to Standard

Second screenshot - Set everything to Auto, except for:

System voltage control - manual
DDR2 overvoltage control - stock is 1.8V I believe. Set this to +0.1V for conservative reasons (you can always lower it once you are done with memory).
PCIe- overvoltage - Auto
FSB overvoltage - +0.1V
MCH overvoltage - +0.1v
cpu voltage control - 1.40V.

Basically once your board boots at 3.0ghz (333 FSB x 9), just run Orthos for stree testing:
http://files.extremeoverclocking.com/file.php?f=200
10-12 hours should be enough.

use CPU-Z to monitor your cpu voltage: http://www.cpuid.com/cpuz.php
You cpu voltage may be 1.40V in the BIOS but under stress, it may dip to 1.32-1.34 (this is normal).

and you can use Hardware monitor for cpu temps: http://www.cpuid.com/hwmonitor.php

Your ram will be running at DDR2-666 if you set FSB to 333 at 2.0 Ram ratio. To get to 3.4ghz, you'll need 378 FSB x 9 multi and a voltage of 1.40 or greater. Check your temperatures. You may settle at 3.2ghz. Just find the optimal voltage vs. temperatures vs. cpu speed.

Let me know if you have any questions.

My temps were at about 60C.

Is that high? low? ok?

Thanks.

 

[zagood]

My temps were at about 60C.

Is that high? low? ok?

Thanks.

Is that your load or idle temperature? If that's your load temperature, that's pretty good. If that's your idle temperature, it's high.

 

[whattaguy]

Is that your load or idle temperature? If that's your load temperature, that's pretty good. If that's your idle temperature, it's high.

my idle is around 40C.

60C...maybe a little higher was after running a stress test for about 20 hrs.

 

[blanketyblank]

Yeh 5770 is best value. If you need an NV card for linux or something I'd go for a 9800GTX+. I've seen them cheaper (around $80) than GTS 250 (about $110), and they have pretty much identical performance.

 

[zagood]

my idle is around 40C.

60C...maybe a little higher was after running a stress test for about 20 hrs.

Yeah, good temps for a mildly overclocked 45nm quad.

Now go buy a 5770.

 

[RussianSensation]

zagood, Q6600 is 65nm. 60*C is a decent temperature for a 3.0ghz overclock. Mine was 62-65*C at 3.4ghz with a G0 stepping chip (CPU-Z should tell you that).

If you are only running 3.0ghz, then you can likely lower the voltage to 1.375V. Once you find stability, keep backing down the cpu voltage to find the lowest required voltage that keeps the system stable.

 

[whattaguy]

zagood, Q6600 is 65nm. 60*C is a decent temperature for a 3.0ghz overclock. Mine was 62-65*C at 3.4ghz with a G0 stepping chip (CPU-Z should tell you that).

If you are only running 3.0ghz, then you can likely lower the voltage to 1.375V. Once you find stability, keep backing down the cpu voltage to find the lowest required voltage that keeps the system stable.

actually, i just checked the report again, and it was in the 67-69C temperature area. Is that something to worry about?

 

[betasub]

No. But try Russian's suggestion to run with a slightly lower voltage. Assuming this doesn't upset stability, CPU temp should be a few degrees cooler.

 

[RussianSensation]

Keep in mind that hardly any program will stress the CPU as much as Orthos/OCCT/Prime95 do. So under 100% load, you should see about 3-4*C lower temperatures under real world conditions.

However, it is still preferable to use stress testing software: If the system passes them, there is a greater chance that it will maintain stability for every day load.

 

[whattaguy]

Thanks all. I lowered my voltage to 1.375, and everything's a few degrees cooler. I'm leaning towards the 5770 as well.