Sara LynnI can handle myself.Registered Userregular
After some more researching on cards and power supplies, I've got my eyes on these two items. If anyone has any experiences with either of these, or opinions, let me know! They seem perfect for my price range and needs, so I hope they're reputable.
After some more researching on cards and power supplies, I've got my eyes on these two items. If anyone has any experiences with either of these, or opinions, let me know! They seem perfect for my price range and needs, so I hope they're reputable.
For roughly the same price as the Antec Basiq, there are several better choices. Unfortunately, the Antec Neo Eco 520 is currently out of stock. But the Corsair CX600 would be a good choice, especially if you get the MIR (I just successfully get an MIR from Corsair, unlike Gigabyte who have both not given me the MIR and haven't responded to any emails). The XFX Pro550 is also an incredible value if the MIR comes through (and still a really solid value even without it). The best PSU around this price-point is probably the Antec Neo Eco 620. And if modular is really important to you, I'd probably spend the extra $10 for the OCZ ModXStream Pro 600. If you buy the OCZ before tomorrow, there's a promo code erasing that extra $10 plus a pretty attractive $25 MIR.
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Donovan PuppyfuckerA dagger in the dark isworth a thousand swords in the morningRegistered Userregular
I find this very hard to believe. A single card more powerful than tri-SLI 580s? The performance jump from 5XX series to 7XX series would have to be staggering for that to be true.
Donovan Puppyfucker on
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Sara LynnI can handle myself.Registered Userregular
After some more researching on cards and power supplies, I've got my eyes on these two items. If anyone has any experiences with either of these, or opinions, let me know! They seem perfect for my price range and needs, so I hope they're reputable.
For roughly the same price as the Antec Basiq, there are several better choices. Unfortunately, the Antec Neo Eco 520 is currently out of stock. But the Corsair CX600 would be a good choice, especially if you get the MIR (I just successfully get an MIR from Corsair, unlike Gigabyte who have both not given me the MIR and haven't responded to any emails). The XFX Pro550 is also an incredible value if the MIR comes through (and still a really solid value even without it). The best PSU around this price-point is probably the Antec Neo Eco 620. And if modular is really important to you, I'd probably spend the extra $10 for the OCZ ModXStream Pro 600. If you buy the OCZ before tomorrow, there's a promo code erasing that extra $10 plus a pretty attractive $25 MIR.
Thanks a lot! I think I'm going to go with the Antec Neo Eco 620. The graphics card I'm pretty confident about, so I think these will be my final decisions.
I just remembered that you wanted this for an upgrade to a pre-built, right? Before you buy anything, you'll want to take a look at your current case and PSU. Alot of times, pre-builts will be in tiny little cases that may cause issues trying to fit a descrete GPU. They may also use wierd PSU geometry, with could mean an issue fitting a standard PSU.
I'm not saying these are definitely issues for you, but you should definitely double check before making any purchases.
I find this very hard to believe. A single card more powerful than tri-SLI 580s? The performance jump from 5XX series to 7XX series would have to be staggering for that to be true.
It's not that hard to believe. Doesn't SLI/Crossfire have the problem of diminishing returns? How powerful is a tri-SLI 580 vs a single 580?
When people unite together, they become stronger than the sum of their parts.
Don't assume bad intentions over neglect and misunderstanding.
I think the figure for first-generation (which is what, 200 series?) was generally considered to be 25% for the first added card, I'm not sure what the second runs. So at the very least it's probably 140% more powerful (although I'd be surprised if that wasn't more like 200% with current generation hardware/software).
Also, one board doesn't mean one GPU. Given the performance they're talking about here, that seems like an important distinction.
I find this very hard to believe. A single card more powerful than tri-SLI 580s? The performance jump from 5XX series to 7XX series would have to be staggering for that to be true.
It's not that hard to believe. Doesn't SLI/Crossfire have the problem of diminishing returns? How powerful is a tri-SLI 580 vs a single 580?
This is a lot better than it used to be. It's still not a 100% performance increase per card added, but it's nowhere near as bad as it used to be.
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minor incidentexpert in a dying fieldnjRegistered Userregular
I find this very hard to believe. A single card more powerful than tri-SLI 580s? The performance jump from 5XX series to 7XX series would have to be staggering for that to be true.
It's not that hard to believe. Doesn't SLI/Crossfire have the problem of diminishing returns? How powerful is a tri-SLI 580 vs a single 580?
Crossfire is very efficient. Having never run SLI, I can only assume it is similar, but with Crossfire, on most games, you'll retain 70-90% of your horsepower. For example, a game that runs at 50fps with one 6950 will most likely run at around 75-90fps with two 6950s in Crossfire under identical circumstances.
This does depend on the game, of course. There are a handful that really such with Crossfire, giving barely a 20% increase in fps, if that.
Now, I've never looked too deeply into 3-way Crossfire, so the returns there may be more of the diminishing variety.
minor incident on
Ah, it stinks, it sucks, it's anthropologically unjust
I believe sli still scales a bit worse than cfx. The bigger question with that demo is are they actually running identical settings on both tests, and have they made any under the hood performance tweaks to the demo?
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WulfDisciple of TzeentchThe Void... (New Jersey)Registered Userregular
Why not just get another 6970 since they will be trying to clear inventory
See, that sounds all well and good, but I have yet to find any that are actually discounted a single bit from the price they were, and I need it to be right around 1.5" thick, or it will not fit on my motherboard.
Edit: Of course after I said that, I found one that fits the bill for $330 and then I can do the MIR for another $20 off. Lulz
I decided to just get: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150563 for now and later, after I've tested out the performance on the 6870, upgrade the motherboard and cpu and buy a second 6870 to Crossfire. Too many other expenses popping up to justify spending $600 right now. Blech. Sometimes I hate being a responsible adult.
The RPG Bestiary - Dangerous foes and legendary monsters for D&D 4th Edition
Okay so i've overcome a fever and more insanity at work to finally finish the last bits of my build, and wrap up leak testing. It's only been what, a month since I started getting components in? Yeah yeah more like slow of the bear. Anyway here we go!
(oh yeah @Minor Incident)
Here's what we're going to be building today.
Do you think I have enough fans?
For me the most nerve wracking part of the experience was ripping the stock coolers off stuff. I'm always afraid I'm gonna bust a mosfet or something and trash a few hundred bucks worth of hardware.
Motherboard before, stock cooling.
Motherboard after, EK VRM block and XSPC Raystorm CPU block.
GPUs before, ref cooling(leafblower loud when running the cards flat out)
GPUs after, EK copper/acetal full cover blocks.
Leak testing? Who bothers with that nonsense? Oh I guess I'd better
And here we go, the finished product!
And a shot of it in the dark
Noise isn't entirely silent, but easily fades into the background if any other audio is going on. Certainly miles ahead of the decibel level the ref 7970 coolers were putting out when running a full load.
CPU temps are on average about 10c lower than they were on my d14, which is a pretty respectable temp drop. The real winners on temps are the GPUs though, which are a solid 30c lower under full load after a few hours of battlefield 3. All in all I'm very pleased.
My only disappointment was I ended up having to put that sexy tube rez in the rear chamber out of sight. The fit was just too tight all around to make it work out up front though. If you look at the clearance between the bottom GPU and the bottom rad you can see there's basically no clearance at all. I think the plugs are actually resting on the top of the fan.
I had a bit more leeway up top but it was still no good without turning my tubing into a mess, and there's so much going on in this build already that filling/bleeding/draining are enough of a pain.
e: handgimp you got that switch 810 right? You know it's a great case for water, eh eh?
WulfDisciple of TzeentchThe Void... (New Jersey)Registered Userregular
That is a beauty of a set-up there Bear.
When my second card comes in, I'm going to take a picture of my box. I would appreciate any tips on how to route the cables, since apparently when it comes to building I have no problems, but routing? I think my mother was a rats nest.
Bear, you should just setup a shop and do this for people. That is a work of art.
Honestly, if doing custom builds could be decently profitable I'd be all over this. Hell I'd almost do it at cost just because it's so much fun if I wasn't concerned about having the funds to cover anything that fails.
That is a beauty of a set-up there Bear.
When my second card comes in, I'm going to take a picture of my box. I would appreciate any tips on how to route the cables, since apparently when it comes to building I have no problems, but routing? I think my mother was a rats nest.
Specifics are going to depend on your case and PSU. A nice case with lots of holes for routing stuff behind the motherboard along with a modular PSU will go a long long way.
My in general advice though is just take your time, and have a massive heap of zip ties.
Delayed since I've been spending too much on water gear. I'll probably end up dropping another set in there in a month or three if I start working on video stuff as the weather/light improves. Or maybe I'll just do another build instead, I have been wanting a little portable box to drag around for LAN stuff!
Day of the Bear on
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minor incidentexpert in a dying fieldnjRegistered Userregular
Goddamn, bear. That's glorious. Too bad you couldn't fit the reservoir up front, but it looks amazing without it in sight. I love the bigass white case so much.
Ah, it stinks, it sucks, it's anthropologically unjust
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WulfDisciple of TzeentchThe Void... (New Jersey)Registered Userregular
Bah, so both places that claimed they had the card were actually out of stock, so I suppose I will be waiting to see if the prices actually drop when the 78XX series comes out.
Everyone needs a little Chaos!
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ShogunHair long; money long; me and broke wizards we don't get alongRegistered Userregular
Grain of salt and whatnot aside I'm betting those dates and prices are pretty close. I've never paid more than $250 for a video card before, but seeing as I need to rebuild this thing I'm seriously tempted.
New video card arrived today. In less then ten minutes I had the old out, the new in, and was playing Rift to test it out. Works great. I'm getting 35+ fps out in the adventuring areas and 20 fps in Meridian at max settings.
The RPG Bestiary - Dangerous foes and legendary monsters for D&D 4th Edition
Like pretty much all the other kepler leaks that one isn't based on anything solid. Nvidia's done a really good job of not releasing anything yet and the internet has obliged by whipping up a froth of it's own rumors.
I'd be very surprised if the 680 doesn't outperform the 7970 but any claims for actual real world performance can more or less be ignored right now. We just don't know enough and there's been far far too many completely unsubstantiated rumors to discern what, if anything, is based on fact.
Like pretty much all the other kepler leaks that one isn't based on anything solid. Nvidia's done a really good job of not releasing anything yet and the internet has obliged by whipping up a froth of it's own rumors.
I'd be very surprised if the 680 doesn't outperform the 7970 but any claims for actual real world performance can more or less be ignored right now. We just don't know enough and there's been far far too many completely unsubstantiated rumors to discern what, if anything, is based on fact.
So I have a decision point approaching... With the Diablo 3 release date of May 15 now have a deadline for when I need to have a new computer.
I actually am waiting though on a couple different things still though before making a decision:
Apple to refresh their iMac and Mac Pro lines.
Ivy Bridge to be released.
Kepler video cards to be released.
Hopefully all three of those things happen before May 15 so I can decide whether to buy a new Apple computer or build a new Windows computer or both.
Nintendo ID: Incindium
PSN: IncindiumX
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GnomeTankWhat the what?Portland, OregonRegistered Userregular
I highly doubt the Mac refresh happens before May 15th, but who knows. I'm also pretty sure Ivy Bridge won't be in full retail swing by then either...but Kepler should be.
I would just build a Sandy Bridge system now honestly. Sandy Bridge is so good, you would be hard pressed to convince me that waiting for Ivy Bridge is actually going to net you that much.
Ivy bridge will gain about 5% maybe 10% performance increase over sandy bridge, a reduce in heat output, and a way better built-in gpu. But sand bridge is already a fairly cool chip, and you won't be using that gpu for any gaming build. Waiting for Ivy to be released probably isn't worth it if you need a computer now.
I'll echo everyone else in saying just get the sandybridge. If there were hard dates for ivy it might be worth waiting but there aren't. Sandy is a kickass architecture with a long life ahead still
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GnomeTankWhat the what?Portland, OregonRegistered Userregular
That's what I would do. Start putting together an LGA1155 Sandy Bridge system (I can already tell you we are all going to recommend the i5-2500, so just go that route), and by the time you piece meal order the parts, Kepler should be out.
Posts
newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=17-371-016&SortField=0&SummaryType=0&Pagesize=10&PurchaseMark=&SelectedRating=-1&VideoOnlyMark=False&VendorMark=&IsFeedbackTab=true&Page=6#scrollFullInfo
newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=14-102-908&SortField=0&SummaryType=0&Pagesize=10&PurchaseMark=&SelectedRating=-1&VideoOnlyMark=False&VendorMark=&IsFeedbackTab=true&Page=8#scrollFullInfo
I wouldn't really be that surprised. I keep hearing about midrange cards but haven't seen anything concrete about pricing or any detailed specs yet.
For roughly the same price as the Antec Basiq, there are several better choices. Unfortunately, the Antec Neo Eco 520 is currently out of stock. But the Corsair CX600 would be a good choice, especially if you get the MIR (I just successfully get an MIR from Corsair, unlike Gigabyte who have both not given me the MIR and haven't responded to any emails). The XFX Pro550 is also an incredible value if the MIR comes through (and still a really solid value even without it). The best PSU around this price-point is probably the Antec Neo Eco 620. And if modular is really important to you, I'd probably spend the extra $10 for the OCZ ModXStream Pro 600. If you buy the OCZ before tomorrow, there's a promo code erasing that extra $10 plus a pretty attractive $25 MIR.
I find this very hard to believe. A single card more powerful than tri-SLI 580s? The performance jump from 5XX series to 7XX series would have to be staggering for that to be true.
Thanks a lot! I think I'm going to go with the Antec Neo Eco 620. The graphics card I'm pretty confident about, so I think these will be my final decisions.
Thanks thread!
I just remembered that you wanted this for an upgrade to a pre-built, right? Before you buy anything, you'll want to take a look at your current case and PSU. Alot of times, pre-builts will be in tiny little cases that may cause issues trying to fit a descrete GPU. They may also use wierd PSU geometry, with could mean an issue fitting a standard PSU.
I'm not saying these are definitely issues for you, but you should definitely double check before making any purchases.
It's not that hard to believe. Doesn't SLI/Crossfire have the problem of diminishing returns? How powerful is a tri-SLI 580 vs a single 580?
Don't assume bad intentions over neglect and misunderstanding.
Also, one board doesn't mean one GPU. Given the performance they're talking about here, that seems like an important distinction.
just make it CHEAP! the gaming world will be better for it
This is a lot better than it used to be. It's still not a 100% performance increase per card added, but it's nowhere near as bad as it used to be.
Crossfire is very efficient. Having never run SLI, I can only assume it is similar, but with Crossfire, on most games, you'll retain 70-90% of your horsepower. For example, a game that runs at 50fps with one 6950 will most likely run at around 75-90fps with two 6950s in Crossfire under identical circumstances.
This does depend on the game, of course. There are a handful that really such with Crossfire, giving barely a 20% increase in fps, if that.
Now, I've never looked too deeply into 3-way Crossfire, so the returns there may be more of the diminishing variety.
See, that sounds all well and good, but I have yet to find any that are actually discounted a single bit from the price they were, and I need it to be right around 1.5" thick, or it will not fit on my motherboard.
Edit: Of course after I said that, I found one that fits the bill for $330 and then I can do the MIR for another $20 off. Lulz
(oh yeah @Minor Incident)
Here's what we're going to be building today.
Do you think I have enough fans?
For me the most nerve wracking part of the experience was ripping the stock coolers off stuff. I'm always afraid I'm gonna bust a mosfet or something and trash a few hundred bucks worth of hardware.
Motherboard before, stock cooling.
Motherboard after, EK VRM block and XSPC Raystorm CPU block.
GPUs before, ref cooling(leafblower loud when running the cards flat out)
GPUs after, EK copper/acetal full cover blocks.
Leak testing? Who bothers with that nonsense? Oh I guess I'd better
And here we go, the finished product!
And a shot of it in the dark
Noise isn't entirely silent, but easily fades into the background if any other audio is going on. Certainly miles ahead of the decibel level the ref 7970 coolers were putting out when running a full load.
CPU temps are on average about 10c lower than they were on my d14, which is a pretty respectable temp drop. The real winners on temps are the GPUs though, which are a solid 30c lower under full load after a few hours of battlefield 3. All in all I'm very pleased.
I had a bit more leeway up top but it was still no good without turning my tubing into a mess, and there's so much going on in this build already that filling/bleeding/draining are enough of a pain.
e: handgimp you got that switch 810 right? You know it's a great case for water, eh eh?
Yeah, but I'm probably not going to build a new rig till around Christmas.
So, uh, where's the rest of your RAM? Hmm?
Nope.
four
When my second card comes in, I'm going to take a picture of my box. I would appreciate any tips on how to route the cables, since apparently when it comes to building I have no problems, but routing? I think my mother was a rats nest.
Honestly, if doing custom builds could be decently profitable I'd be all over this. Hell I'd almost do it at cost just because it's so much fun if I wasn't concerned about having the funds to cover anything that fails.
This build was way way too much fun.
Specifics are going to depend on your case and PSU. A nice case with lots of holes for routing stuff behind the motherboard along with a modular PSU will go a long long way.
My in general advice though is just take your time, and have a massive heap of zip ties.
Delayed since I've been spending too much on water gear. I'll probably end up dropping another set in there in a month or three if I start working on video stuff as the weather/light improves. Or maybe I'll just do another build instead, I have been wanting a little portable box to drag around for LAN stuff!
http://www.tomshardware.com/news/Nvidia-Kepler-GPU-GeForce-600-Series,14642.html
Grain of salt and whatnot aside I'm betting those dates and prices are pretty close. I've never paid more than $250 for a video card before, but seeing as I need to rebuild this thing I'm seriously tempted.
Shogun Streams Vidya
I'd be very surprised if the 680 doesn't outperform the 7970 but any claims for actual real world performance can more or less be ignored right now. We just don't know enough and there's been far far too many completely unsubstantiated rumors to discern what, if anything, is based on fact.
DotB, is this your first time on the internets?
I actually am waiting though on a couple different things still though before making a decision:
Apple to refresh their iMac and Mac Pro lines.
Ivy Bridge to be released.
Kepler video cards to be released.
Hopefully all three of those things happen before May 15 so I can decide whether to buy a new Apple computer or build a new Windows computer or both.
Nintendo ID: Incindium
PSN: IncindiumX
I would just build a Sandy Bridge system now honestly. Sandy Bridge is so good, you would be hard pressed to convince me that waiting for Ivy Bridge is actually going to net you that much.
Shogun Streams Vidya