Humanoid Posted October 27, 2010 Share Posted October 27, 2010 (edited) On numbers alone I wouldn't upgrade for anything less than +50% performance, but for a lot of people it's not the only metric for evaluating an upgrade. There's noise, heat, power consumption, exclusive features (e.g. Eyefinity, 3D, PhysX, audio bitstreaming) or even something like one's favourite game having issues with a particular chip. I upgraded my X1950XT to an 8800GT not for performance but because the fan on the former was starting to wear out and click. Of course, those better financially resourced than myself could probably justify any performance upgrade on that criteria alone. Aside from coolers, card vendors might differentiate on software bundle (free games), included accessories (probably not so common these days), warranty length/tranferability, PCB colour (for people with windowed cases), packaging (there was a card recently that came in a large novelty rifle plastic case) and of course, price. There are also the factory overclocked variants, although this tends to be more obvious a decision than the aforementioned. Edited October 27, 2010 by Humanoid L I E S T R O N GL I V E W R O N G Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Slinky Posted October 27, 2010 Share Posted October 27, 2010 I see, thanks. I guess I'm just not enough pro to care much more than the noise level. I always replace the cooler with a third party cooler to cut the noise down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkreku Posted October 27, 2010 Share Posted October 27, 2010 I just need something new and shiny to spend my cash on. Swedes, go to: Spel2, for the latest game reviews in swedish! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkreku Posted December 1, 2010 Share Posted December 1, 2010 OK, it is now December and the 6970 is nowhere to be seen. I AM DISAPPOINT Swedes, go to: Spel2, for the latest game reviews in swedish! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Humanoid Posted December 1, 2010 Share Posted December 1, 2010 It's not until the 13th now, apparently Texas Instruments screwed up a shipment and there's a big parts shortage. L I E S T R O N GL I V E W R O N G Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morgoth Posted December 3, 2010 Share Posted December 3, 2010 OK, it is now December and the 6970 is nowhere to be seen. I AM DISAPPOINT Name me one game that needs such horsepower to run properly. Hell, even Crysis 2 will run better than Crysis 1, and Rage even runs with 60 fps on a 360. I have no need to upgrade anytime soon. Rain makes everything better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spider Posted December 3, 2010 Share Posted December 3, 2010 Metro 2033 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkreku Posted December 3, 2010 Share Posted December 3, 2010 Bah, who cares. Why do girls buy make-up? Why do you buy candy? Why do people buy luxury items in general? I just want the latest shiny for no logical reason. Swedes, go to: Spel2, for the latest game reviews in swedish! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Humanoid Posted December 3, 2010 Share Posted December 3, 2010 (edited) No graphics card in the world can run Battlecruiser 3000AD well. Edited December 3, 2010 by Humanoid L I E S T R O N GL I V E W R O N G Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morgoth Posted December 3, 2010 Share Posted December 3, 2010 Bah, who cares. Why do girls buy make-up? Why do you buy candy? Why do people buy luxury items in general? I just want the latest shiny for no logical reason. Well, whatever floats your boat. Usually when I can't think of anything to waste my money on I save it. Because you never know how ****ty the future can be. Rain makes everything better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oblarg Posted December 4, 2010 Share Posted December 4, 2010 I am still using my 8800 gts g92. It still rocks. "The universe is a yawning chasm, filled with emptiness and the puerile meanderings of sentience..." - Ulyaoth "It is all that is left unsaid upon which tragedies are built." - Kreia "I thought this forum was for Speculation & Discussion, not Speculation & Calling People Trolls." - lord of flies Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkreku Posted December 4, 2010 Share Posted December 4, 2010 Usually when I can't think of anything to waste my money on I save it. Because you never know how ****ty the future can be. I earn enough to both buy useless shinies and save. Good times. Swedes, go to: Spel2, for the latest game reviews in swedish! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gorth Posted December 5, 2010 Author Share Posted December 5, 2010 Dialing the number for Skatteverket... My very noisy and constantly crashing ATI card is getting on my nerves. I seriously considered the EVGA GTX580 1536MB FTW 015-P3-1589-KR Hydro Copper 2 for a while. That is, until I discovered that Swifttech makes the water cooling block it comes with. Then I wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole. “He who joyfully marches to music in rank and file has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would surely suffice.” - Albert Einstein Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mkreku Posted December 15, 2010 Share Posted December 15, 2010 http://www.nordichardware.se/testlabb/25-g...tstart=#content It's a review of 6970 and 6950.. but in Swedish. I'm now undecided if I'm going to upgrade. I was hoping for a bigger difference between my 5870 and the 6970. I mean, the 6970 is faster and my 5870 is slacking.. but compared to Nvidia they're not doing so good. The 6970 is equal to the GTX570. AMD has no competitor for the GTX580 yet. Maybe I should wait for the 6990? Decisions. Swedes, go to: Spel2, for the latest game reviews in swedish! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Humanoid Posted December 15, 2010 Share Posted December 15, 2010 6950 Crossfire might be turn out to be the best value high end solution - costs about 20% more than a single GTX580 but 50-70% faster. That'd be the upper bound of the 6990 I imagine, depending on how much they end up having to cut it down to fit in the 300W envelope. L I E S T R O N GL I V E W R O N G Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyCrimson Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 Since I prefer a single GPU, the 580 is making me drool. But $500...blech. Maybe it'll drop to $400 by summer/years end when I really want to upgrade from the 275. Not that the 275 is giving me any issues, still runs everything like a champ. I just want new toys. “Things are as they are. Looking out into the universe at night, we make no comparisons between right and wrong stars, nor between well and badly arranged constellations.” – Alan Watts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deadly_Nightshade Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 At the moment my budget-minded 5770 with the slaved 9800 GT is enough to run anything I've needed it to, so I'll likely stick with that until I need to upgrade to something else. "Geez. It's like we lost some sort of bet and ended up saddled with a bunch of terrible new posters on this forum." -Hurlshot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Humanoid Posted March 25, 2011 Share Posted March 25, 2011 So, nVidia launch the GTX590 to attempt to smoke AMD ....and end up taking it a bit too literally. With some mild overclocking/overvolting within the protection parameters, several review sites, using a mix of samples and retail boards have reported their test cards blowing up - indeed one tester had both his cards independently fail. Thermal imaging of the card in a closed case have shown the PCB heating up in excess of 110 L I E S T R O N GL I V E W R O N G Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walsingham Posted March 25, 2011 Share Posted March 25, 2011 So, nVidia launch the GTX590 to attempt to smoke AMD ....and end up taking it a bit too literally. With some mild overclocking/overvolting within the protection parameters, several review sites, using a mix of samples and retail boards have reported their test cards blowing up - indeed one tester had both his cards independently fail. Thermal imaging of the card in a closed case have shown the PCB heating up in excess of 110 "It wasn't lies. It was just... bull****"." -Elwood Blues tarna's dead; processing... complete. Disappointed by Universe. RIP Hades/Sand/etc. Here's hoping your next alt has a harp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gorth Posted March 26, 2011 Author Share Posted March 26, 2011 Watercooling is the way to go. So many nuclear reactors can't be wrong “He who joyfully marches to music in rank and file has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would surely suffice.” - Albert Einstein Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Humanoid Posted March 26, 2011 Share Posted March 26, 2011 So, nVidia launch the GTX590 to attempt to smoke AMD ....and end up taking it a bit too literally. With some mild overclocking/overvolting within the protection parameters, several review sites, using a mix of samples and retail boards have reported their test cards blowing up - indeed one tester had both his cards independently fail. Thermal imaging of the card in a closed case have shown the PCB heating up in excess of 110 L I E S T R O N GL I V E W R O N G Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walsingham Posted March 27, 2011 Share Posted March 27, 2011 So, nVidia launch the GTX590 to attempt to smoke AMD ....and end up taking it a bit too literally. With some mild overclocking/overvolting within the protection parameters, several review sites, using a mix of samples and retail boards have reported their test cards blowing up - indeed one tester had both his cards independently fail. Thermal imaging of the card in a closed case have shown the PCB heating up in excess of 110 "It wasn't lies. It was just... bull****"." -Elwood Blues tarna's dead; processing... complete. Disappointed by Universe. RIP Hades/Sand/etc. Here's hoping your next alt has a harp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gorgon Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 I have been getting sporatic blue screens with my HD 4500 (i think) older model anyway, but much worse than that, the fan has started howling something awful every time I go into full 3D, starting a game etc, it makes no perceptible noise with light activity, browsing, watching movies etc. My attempts to clean it out have all failed. What's the consensus on the best value if you were buying right now ?. Things like power consumption are a concern. I rarely ever turn my computer off. Na na na na na na ... greg358 from Darksouls 3 PVP is a CHEATER. That is all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gorgon Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 HD 4800. I remember now. Na na na na na na ... greg358 from Darksouls 3 PVP is a CHEATER. That is all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Humanoid Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 At increasing price points I feel the best options for the time being are: GTX460 1GB (not the SE model), HD6850/70, HD6950 (2GB useful for resolutions over 1080p). L I E S T R O N GL I V E W R O N G Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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