Video card dying? Question for the techies

TheElectrician wrote:

It's no Demon-build PC, but some of us have small children and a budget.

Awesome

That is one of the best rigs possible and faster than my 990X Alienware with the GTX 460 in SLI. When you get the funds, you can buy another GTX 560 Ti and run them in SLI. The multi gpu micro stutter problem with the 560s don't enter into the picture until you start running 2560x1600 type resolutions.

If you don't mind, how much did you pay for your video card? I've been looking at the 560 Ti 1GB, 560 Ti 2gb, 560 Ti 448, 570, and 580 video cards and I cannot make up my mind. For price considerations, I have eliminated the 570 and 580.

As to "Demon-build", Demon gave up building his own when the eyes couldn't see the pins, even with a magnifying glass!!!!

I paid 240 for the 560 ti. I believe there was also a rebate. I almost always rely on Newegg, but Micro Center's prices were better across the board. After much research, I couldn't justify the extra 60-70 bucks on the 448 cores as the benchmarks weren't that much better.

If I was going that route, I'd have just gotten the 570. My goal was to build a system that would be optimal for a good while. My philosophy with tech purchases in general is to buy the absolute best you can afford.

This is my 3rd build, and the best to date.

TheElectrician wrote:

I paid 240 for the 560 ti. I believe there was also a rebate. I almost always rely on Newegg, but Micro Center's prices were better across the board. After much research, I couldn't justify the extra 60-70 bucks on the 448 cores as the benchmarks weren't that much better.

I agree and went the same route, buying the MSI 560 Ti. Another reason I turned thumbs down on the 448 was due to the possibility of not being able to get the second card for SLI when I have the money saved up.

I do not know how much longer I will be able to play online since I am getting up there in years, so I have to also plan for the day that I can no longer see/hear/move as well as I do now.

if i did that there would be no forgiveness it would be funeral for me

.

and demon as long as arthritis does not cripple your hands you got many years of play left in you my friend.

I'm going to go with the same card but will have to wait after Christmas due to other commitments and unexpected expenses (sigh).

And Demon, I can't play the fast-twitching games as well as I used to, so I favor the slower RPG-style games now.

TheElectrician wrote:

Can't wait to get the rig up and running!Cheers!

Well, don't keep us in suspense..... are you up and running?

Indeed I am. Everything went pretty smoothly. It was a bit sad giving up my beloved windows XP, but windows 7 is great.

Let me just say that the new rig is FAST, fast, fast. I love it. Runs everything I throw at it without a hitch so far. CPU stays very cool with the aftermarket fan. Case fans are nearly silent.

I still have much tweaking to do, but so far I couldn't be happier.

As I said before, you now have one of the best rigs possible. When you can, get that 2nd video card and really see how fast you can go.

I have another question if someone has any input.

What is the value of adding a SSD to your setup? I was looking at possibly buying one, but I don't know the true benefit/value of having one at this point.

At this stage, it seems more almost more like an unnecessary novelty. Not to mention the prices are a bit high for my liking.

Anyhow, what is the advantage of having one of these drives integrated into your system? Is the cost/benefit worth it at this point?

TheElectrician wrote:

I have another question if someone has any input.

What is the value of adding a SSD to your setup? I was looking at possibly buying one, but I don't know the true benefit/value of having one at this point.

At this stage, it seems more almost more like an unnecessary novelty. Not to mention the prices are a bit high for my liking.

Anyhow, what is the advantage of having one of these drives integrated into your system? Is the cost/benefit worth it at this point?

The SSDs are extremely fast, even faster that the 10K rpm raptors. You will load from a cold boot to destop within 10 seconds or less. As to speed while playing games, not so much. Most folks who have SSDs usualy load OS and other "C" drive only programs on the drive and all other programs on the the "D" drive etc.

For example, I have 7.9 score across the board in the Windows experience index and with the 300Gb raptor, I get just a 5.9 score. Change the raptor to a SSD and it will be 7.9.

If you do not care how long it takes to open a folder, then you do not need the faster hard drive. If you do a lot of work on the pc, files/folders/internet/etc, then you might want to consider getting at least an 80 Gb or better.

The other bennies of SSD is heat and noise. There are none...and since there are no moving parts, it's shock tolerant while in use....hence good for laptops. Power consumption too is a plus as it doesn't require 12v to power a step motor and spindle.

Downside, beyond the price per gig, must run current OS with TRIM. So if you still rock XP, your out of the running.

There are many makers these days. I would recommend if you do get one, select one with a SanForce controller.

Flak Monkey wrote:

The other bennies of SSD is heat and noise. There are none...and since there are no moving parts, it's shock tolerant while in use....hence good for laptops. Power consumption too is a plus as it doesn't require 12v to power a step motor and spindle.

Downside, beyond the price per gig, must run current OS with TRIM. So if you still rock XP, your out of the running.

There are many makers these days. I would recommend if you do get one, select one with a SanForce controller.

One more reason I didn't convert to the SSD while upgrading my pc--hate the "trim" situation. To me, using a small 10K Raptor (I have a 320GB) for the "C drive" stuff is not that much slower and no need for more software/forceware to run.

Good call Flak--forgot to mention the heat/shock/power part.