GPU Upgrade time...

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Pansyfaust

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Hey guys, so in about 3 weeks time i'm getting paid for temporary work that i'm doing at my university. Currently i have a Q9550, p5Q, 4gigs ddr2 800, corsair Tx 650w and a 23 inch monitor. I have a 275gtx and i have that itch again...yes you all know it :D. Question is: with which graphics card do i use to scratch that itch. Now i still think my Q9550 has alot of punch left in it, so maybe only later on will i upgrade to SB(once there is more available and less chipset bugs! :p) and i mostly game with my pc, so number crunching or photo shop dont figure. Firstly i will prob have around 3K to spend. Which GPU would you peeps reccomend? Just an added tid bit, the catalyst to my CUD, i can get a gigabyte Gtx 470 SOC for 3.3k...is it worth it?
 
Have a look at Archer's GPU comparison charts: http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthread.php/273502-GPU-Value-Comparisons

I'd go for the HD 6950 at this moment, because you have the possibility of upgrading it to the HD 6970, and even without the BIOS mod you can get pretty much the same performance as the GTX 470.
The GTX 470 SOC @ R3.3k is heavily overpriced - seeing that you can get an Inno3D GTX 470 for ~R2400 or a Gigabyte GTX 470 OC for ~R2650 *
* Gigabyte card is currently out of stock and you'll have to call for availability on the Inno3D.

Depending on the games you play, it might be worth while to like 3.4GHz+, but you'll need a good aftermarket cooler for that.

Your PSU is more than capable to handle any of the high end cards + overclock your CPU.
 
GTX 470 is a good idea but there is actually a couple of new 460's out that treads on it's domain.

The new 6950 and 6970 is good options as well and their prices is not that bad at all. 6950 goes for about R 3200 and the 6970 for R 4000. Compared to the new GTX580 that retails at R 6000+ currently.

Then again it is your money and your choice...
 
AcidT said:
GTX 470 is a good idea but there is actually a couple of new 460's out that treads on it's domain.

The new 6950 and 6970 is good options as well and their prices is not that bad at all. 6950 goes for about R 3200 and the 6970 for R 4000. Compared to the new GTX580 that retails at R 6000+ currently.

Then again it is your money and your choice...
Click to expand...

Can be had for R4719 actually. It also rips pretty much any other card to shreds.
Innovision R4719
http://www.prophecy.co.za/innovision-nvidia-geforce-gtx580-1536mb-384bit-pcie-p-87088.html

Palit R5040
http://www.prophecy.co.za/palit-nvidia-geforce-gtx580-1536mb-gddr5-384bit-pcie-p-87174.html

EVGA R5476
http://www.prophecy.co.za/evga-015p31580er-nvidia-geforce-gtx580-1536mb-pcie-p-86300.html


I am really not fond of ATI but the 6950 is very hard to beat right now, specially considering the high chance of unlocking it to a 6970.
 
mmm i actually just saw the Gigabyte gtx 460 SOC at take2 for 2.2K, only r300 rand more than a reference inno 460 or Club...heard good things about that card! 3k is my limit, so even with the gigabyte SOC 470,it was just my catalyst for this all :) need other funds for living expenses and internet for the rest of the year. Never dealt with wootware. That HIS 6950 does look good as well. What are the chances of unlocking it to a 6970? percentage wise....
 
Pansyfaust said:
mmm i actually just saw the Gigabyte gtx 460 SOC at take2 for 2.2K, only r300 rand more than a reference inno 460 or Club...heard good things about that card! 3k is my limit, so even with the gigabyte SOC 470,it was just my catalyst for this all :) need other funds for living expenses and internet for the rest of the year. Never dealt with wootware. That HIS 6950 does look good as well. What are the chances of unlocking it to a 6970? percentage wise....
Click to expand...

Follow instructions that you know work, don't leave it to chance!
 
The HIS cards are reported 41 / 41 successfully modded... I bought the VTX3D 6950, just waiting to get it later this week and see what it can really do :D

Source
 
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Sorry i should have mentioned that i do have an After market cooler...a gemini 2. Its not bad, better than stock :p. I can put my pc at 3.4ghz nicely, anymore and the heatsink cannot dissipate enough heat.
 
I reckon wait a couple weeks for the 560 Ti (cheaper brands should be only a couple hundred more) to become more readily available, or pull the trigger on the 6950 from Wootware..
 
Well i only do get paid in about 2 weeks. So hopefully the prices will come down across the board...if not then i think i'l purchase a the gtx 460 SOC from take 2(its out of stock now) but maybe in 2 weeks it will be there. And then use the saved cash to purchase a H60 or Noctua d14...my gemini is really showing its age. Nearly 4 years old!
 
I saw the EVGA, but its reference cooler and not as highly clocked as the Gigabyte SOC. And the SOC is only R200 more than the EVGA and its higher clock and from what i've heard a whisper quite cooler even at full tilt. If in 2 weeks time there is no stock of gigabyte gtx 460 SOC i think i'll go with the MSI, read that the cooling is perdy good, and that price is very nice too!! I'm not usually brand specific(except maybe with Asus coz they got the support offices in JHB, who were a pleasure to deal with :)), but i buy products that i know have a good warranty. In the past year(2010) i've had Ram, MB, and recently my graphics card fan on my GTX 275 go out.Luckily all were still in warranty or else i would be out of computers for good, not by my own choice, but finances! So warranty has become as issue with me, and for gigabyte to offer 3 years is appealing! Who deals with EVGA warranty in South Africa?
 
By dealing with warranty for EVGA, do the local suppliers or dealers honour the 10 year warranty?
 
Im not sure but i think those only apply to the US and Europe, seeing as when i asked them if i qualified for the Step up program they said only US and europe, but their problem, they lost the sale to Inno3D because of that
 
In terms of coolers GTX 460, the MSI Hawk has the best cooler, then Gigabyte SOC / Gigabyte OC and then MSI Cyclone - or at least this is from the looks of things.

I doubt that EVGA would honour the 10yr warranty outside the US/EU like DUDE said.
 
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