kumquatq3 Posted May 31, 2006 Share Posted May 31, 2006 My last computer literally sparked and started to smoke...so I'z gotz a shiney new one. THinking of throwign this card in it: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?...N82E16814130283 Thoughts? Other cards to look at (keeping in mind I want to keep it under $200)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cantousent Posted May 31, 2006 Share Posted May 31, 2006 Yeah, get an ATi. Seriously, though, I'm thinking about putting 3rd party heatsinks and fans on all my video cards before I install them. I have an all copper heat sink on all my CPUs and it's worked great at keeping things cool. After this thing with my video card, and still not being sure as to the cause, it might be a good idea to think of the GPU in the same way you think of the CPU. You can probably get a decent cooling solution for that 7600 and still be at your $200 threshold. Frankly, though, if the computer sparked and smoke came out of the case, you might want to invest in a good PSU. hahaha. How's that, replace everything and make the entire case out of copper piping. hahah Fionavar's Holliday Wishes to all members of our online community: Happy Holidays Join the revelry at the Obsidian Plays channel:Obsidian Plays Remembering tarna, Phosphor, Metadigital, and Visceris. Drink mead heartily in the halls of Valhalla, my friends! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kumquatq3 Posted May 31, 2006 Author Share Posted May 31, 2006 No, my old computer died in a puff of smoke (not entirely it's fault...) and I just got a new one THe card listed apparently has an all copper heat sink already Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoneWolf16 Posted May 31, 2006 Share Posted May 31, 2006 http://reviews.cnet.com/Nvidia_GeForce_760...-2.html?tag=nav Benchmarks/review I had thought that some of nature's journeymen had made men and not made them well, for they imitated humanity so abominably. - Book of Counted Sorrows 'Cause I won't know the man that kills me and I don't know these men I kill but we all wind up on the same side 'cause ain't none of us doin' god's will. - Everlast Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StillLife Posted May 31, 2006 Share Posted May 31, 2006 Looks like a good card at a good price to me Kumquat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kumquatq3 Posted May 31, 2006 Author Share Posted May 31, 2006 http://reviews.cnet.com/Nvidia_GeForce_760...-2.html?tag=nav Benchmarks/review <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Thanks and input appreciated stilllife O, I've never had 4 ram slots before (tells you how bad my last comp was) and I know these things vary between boards, but generally can you add 1 stick of RAM and end up with a total of 3 or do you have to expand in pairs? I got a gig and was thinking about adding 512 more Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoneWolf16 Posted May 31, 2006 Share Posted May 31, 2006 You don't have to expand in pairs. To the best of my knowledge. I had thought that some of nature's journeymen had made men and not made them well, for they imitated humanity so abominably. - Book of Counted Sorrows 'Cause I won't know the man that kills me and I don't know these men I kill but we all wind up on the same side 'cause ain't none of us doin' god's will. - Everlast Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bokishi Posted May 31, 2006 Share Posted May 31, 2006 I hear EVGA is a good brand, and nvidia has never let me down. Current 3DMark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fenghuang Posted May 31, 2006 Share Posted May 31, 2006 It's a lot better to expand in pairs though as they sync up more evenly making overclocking and just general operation smoother. RIP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fenghuang Posted May 31, 2006 Share Posted May 31, 2006 That's assuming that the two sticks in the pair are from the same batch by the way. RIP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanschu Posted May 31, 2006 Share Posted May 31, 2006 Expanding in pairs is only really an issue if you have dual channel memory, since it doubles your memory bandwidth (and if you don't have a motherboard that somehow supports an odd number anyways, your computer won't work). I've never heard of an advantage of installing in pairs for any other reason than this though. How would they sync up better or anything like that? I can see if you have a motherboard that supports dual channel memory but still can operate in single channel if necessary. But naturally it will run better because you'll have more memory bandwidth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pidesco Posted May 31, 2006 Share Posted May 31, 2006 Question: As far as I know the 7600GS is exactly the same as a 7600GT except for the lowered core and memory frequencies. Wouldn't that make it very easy (and safe) to overclock the 7600GS to 7600GT performance levels? "My hovercraft is full of eels!" - Hungarian touristI am Dan Quayle of the Romans.I want to tattoo a map of the Netherlands on my nether lands.Heja Sverige!!Everyone should cuffawkle more.The wrench is your friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fenghuang Posted May 31, 2006 Share Posted May 31, 2006 Expanding in pairs is only really an issue if you have dual channel memory, since it doubles your memory bandwidth (and if you don't have a motherboard that somehow supports an odd number anyways, your computer won't work). I've never heard of an advantage of installing in pairs for any other reason than this though. How would they sync up better or anything like that? I can see if you have a motherboard that supports dual channel memory but still can operate in single channel if necessary. But naturally it will run better because you'll have more memory bandwidth. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> http://www.andrew.cmu.edu/user/fma/P4tweakRAM2.htm RIP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanschu Posted May 31, 2006 Share Posted May 31, 2006 Errr, I'm aware of CAS latency settings and whatnot. I don't see anything that comments on increased performance when adding RAM in pairs though. Am I just blind? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fenghuang Posted May 31, 2006 Share Posted May 31, 2006 (edited) Well it's kind of hard to overclock if your [potential] latency and clockspeeds are wildly different in each stick, and the best way to assure they're similar is to buy in pairs. So no, you're not blind, but if you think you might ever want to overclock it's good to buy in pairs. That or I'm stupid and I've misunderstood everything I've ever read about the topic, which is entirely possible. Edited May 31, 2006 by Fenghuang RIP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadowstrider Posted May 31, 2006 Share Posted May 31, 2006 eVGA is among the best GeForce card producers, and the 7600GT is probably the best card for the buck. Plus, that card has some nice combo offers if you want to buy ram. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draikin Posted May 31, 2006 Share Posted May 31, 2006 I have one and I'm happy with it. I just changed the noisy fan for a Zalman VF700-Cu. Unless you're lucky, it's hard to overclock it that much because of the already really high frequency. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angshuman Posted May 31, 2006 Share Posted May 31, 2006 At the moment, Nvidia middle-end products (a.k.a. 7600GT) seem to be a bit superior in performance to their ATi counterparts. You can't go wrong with a 7600GT, and as Eldar mentioned, if you tack on an aftermarket cooler, you're bulletproof. Do get a good PSU. For performance reviews, always use a dedicated hardware website such as extremetech.com, anandtech.com, hardocp.com, or tomshardware.com. Following are the manufacturers from which Nvidia-based cards are typically available in the US, in strict order of my personal preference: 1. BFG (US-based) 2. eVGA (US-based) 3. XFX 4. MSI, ASUS 5. Gigabyte BFG used to be the clear winner but eVGA seems to be fast emerging as the most feature-rich and customer-friendly manufacturer out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kumquatq3 Posted May 31, 2006 Author Share Posted May 31, 2006 I have one and I'm happy with it. I just changed the noisy fan for a Zalman VF700-Cu. Unless you're lucky, it's hard to overclock it that much because of the already really high frequency. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Thanks for advice peeps I have read the fan sounds like a frieght train, I think I'm going to be switching it was the Zalman a good fit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draikin Posted May 31, 2006 Share Posted May 31, 2006 Yes, it doesn't make any sound on 5 Volts, the GPU and DDR are overclocked (+10%) but it's only 35 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanschu Posted May 31, 2006 Share Posted May 31, 2006 Well, owning similar RAM will make overclocking possible. But I'm not sure if you would need to install them in pairs. If you plan on OCing your RAM (which I don't do), you should use similar RAM. But I don't see why you couldn't OC a single 1 GB module just as effectively as 2 512 MB modules. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bokishi Posted June 1, 2006 Share Posted June 1, 2006 (edited) At the moment, Nvidia middle-end products (a.k.a. 7600GT) seem to be a bit superior in performance to their ATi counterparts. You can't go wrong with a 7600GT, and as Eldar mentioned, if you tack on an aftermarket cooler, you're bulletproof. Do get a good PSU. For performance reviews, always use a dedicated hardware website such as extremetech.com, anandtech.com, hardocp.com, or tomshardware.com. Following are the manufacturers from which Nvidia-based cards are typically available in the US, in strict order of my personal preference: 1. BFG (US-based) 2. eVGA (US-based) 3. XFX 4. MSI, ASUS 5. Gigabyte BFG used to be the clear winner but eVGA seems to be fast emerging as the most feature-rich and customer-friendly manufacturer out there. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I prefer BFG myself. evga is a good choice too. Edited June 1, 2006 by Bokishi Current 3DMark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanschu Posted June 1, 2006 Share Posted June 1, 2006 Built by ATI for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metadigital Posted June 1, 2006 Share Posted June 1, 2006 Jimmy, did you determine if the X1900XTX can be used as a master card for CrossFire? OBSCVRVM PER OBSCVRIVS ET IGNOTVM PER IGNOTIVS OPVS ARTIFICEM PROBAT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanschu Posted June 1, 2006 Share Posted June 1, 2006 I didn't look into it, but the box does says Crossfire ready. All I need (according to the box) is another Crossfire card, and a crossfire mobo (which I have). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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