New GPU!

JokkeJokke Bergen, Norway Icrontian
edited April 2011 in Hardware
Hi!

Since my current GPU (XFX GeForce GTX280 1MB) is now most likely dead, I'm gonna buy a new one.
My computer currently has a Asus P6T Deluxe version 1 motherboard, with Intel i7 965 3.20ghz processor, 12GB OCZ gold ram and a corsair TX850W PSU.

I'm thinking maybe a GeForce GTX 590 3GB will be a nice upgrade from the old one. Any objections? This is a gaming rig, used for folding as well. Money is not an issue.
I think my current PSU will handle it without problems, but please let me know if any of you think otherwise. However, I'm wondering if the producer of the card will have any impact on performance. Currently, that card is sold by four manufacturers in Norway; ZOTAC, Gainward, MSI and ASUS. Will buying it from ASUS be "better" since my mobo is manufactured by ASUS?

Comments

  • ButtersButters CA Icrontian
    edited April 2011
    Fire! Fire! heh heh heh heh

    (beavis and butthead reference)
  • fatcatfatcat Mizzou Icrontian
    edited April 2011
    don't the GTX590's catch on fire or something?...

    I absolutely love AMD GPU's right now, and if you're gonna spend that cash, I would go 6950 crossfire (flashed to 6970), 6970 crossfire, or get a 6990.

    your PSU should be fine
  • TushonTushon I'm scared, Coach Alexandria, VA Icrontian
    edited April 2011
    The fire stuff was all related to 267.xx drivers, issue has since been resolved.

    In theory, the producer wouldn't affect performance. The issue is that different manufacturers may put on aftermarket heat sinks which could affect performance (especially since you are folding). I tend towards mainstream manufacturers (so, MSI or Asus on that list) but some people may know more about ZOTAC or Gainward. I know Sapphire is held in good regard by some around here. Asus mobo and Asus video card has no effect on performance.

    Relevant:
    GTX590 vs 6990
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited April 2011
    I may be a little biased, but the reviewers agree: The 6990 is faster than the 590, and consumes less power. It's also vastly more overclockable.
  • TushonTushon I'm scared, Coach Alexandria, VA Icrontian
    edited April 2011
    That is what I was reading while googling around.
  • RootWyrmRootWyrm Icrontian
    edited April 2011
    Tushon wrote:
    The fire stuff was all related to 267.xx drivers, issue has since been resolved.

    No, the issue remains, because it's a hardware defect due to a major design error. That's just the fact of the matter. The "fix" is nothing more than reducing performance (drastically in many cases) by forcibly reducing clocks and voltage and stating that any overclocking or overvolting would void warranty. Then passing the buck to manufacturer's and refusing to accept responsibility.

    It's the equivalent of selling you a car that can go 100MPH, then recalling it to limit it to 80MPH because the wheels fall off at 99MPH. Then stating that it's the fault of the people who manufactured the wheels to their exact specifications.
  • _k_k P-Town, Texas Icrontian
    edited April 2011
    RootWyrm wrote:
    then recalling it to limit it to 80MPH because the wheels fall off at 99MPH. Then stating that it's the fault of the people who manufactured the wheels to their exact specifications.

    Ford much.
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited April 2011
    RootWyrm is right. The 270.xx drivers that "fixed" the problem with exploding cards actually implemented a reduction in clockspeeds, and lowered the overclock cap. The software didn't fix anything, it just worked around the problem by kneecapping functionality.
  • RootWyrmRootWyrm Icrontian
    edited April 2011
    Thrax wrote:
    RootWyrm is right. The 270.xx drivers that "fixed" the problem with exploding cards actually implemented a reduction in clockspeeds, and lowered the overclock cap. The software didn't fix anything, it just worked around the problem by kneecapping functionality.

    Ayup. The "BIOS fix" is more of the same; it forcibly downclocks the core from the advertised specifications and forcibly reduces voltages from defaults. Which makes me wonder how it is that nobody's sued 'em for deceptive advertising and misleading labeling. Absolutely no GTX590 actually runs at the originally advertised clock speeds or voltages.
  • JokkeJokke Bergen, Norway Icrontian
    edited April 2011
    Wow, I guess this is gonna make me sound like a n00b, but... What's the difference between AMD and nVidia? Is it like comparing AMD and Intel in processors? Different Chipsets? And, well, I'm kinda out of the loop hardware wise, but doesn't nVidia crush AMD in terms of performance? Or was that before? If I buy AMD in the same priceclass as nVidia, will I get the same performance?
  • primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' Boopin Detroit, MI Icrontian
    edited April 2011
    As far as the performance part, right now AMD is faster than NVIDIA. If you buy AMD at the same price as NVIDIA, you will get a faster card.
  • JokkeJokke Bergen, Norway Icrontian
    edited April 2011
    All right then! XFX Radeon HD 6990 4GB it is! Quick question though: The website I'm buying from says the card requires PCI Express 2.1 x16. My motherboards website says it's only PCI Express 2.0 x16? Will it work? Does it matter?
  • TushonTushon I'm scared, Coach Alexandria, VA Icrontian
    edited April 2011
    Thanks for the info RootWyrm. I only did super surface research and that was what I came across. That's what I get for trusting the internet!

    As far as whether you can run it or not, I don't think so (at least not at full load) ... but would happily be shown to be incorrect. Maybe dual 6970s (since that is all the 6990 is) would be a better bet.

    "breaks the 300W PCIe 2.0 specification by 150 watts" <-- came from elsewhere but says it succinctly

    Source

    Those specs recommend a 1200W, minimum 1000W. Fun times for new hardware!
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited April 2011
    It will work fine. Any PCIe version works with any other PCIe version.

    To give you a recap:
    AMD was universally faster than NVIDIA at every price point between September 2009 and April 2010. The Radeon HD 5870, for example, was faster than NVIDIA's dual-GPU GTX 295, and it featured DX11, which NVIDIA did not have in any of their products until the April 2010 intro of the GTX 480.

    When the GTX 480 came out, NVIDIA was about 10% faster than AMD at a given pricepoint, but the cards consumed about 25% more power and were very expensive.

    Fast-forward to today, and it's AMD's Radeon HD 6000 Series vs. the GeForce GTX 500 Series. This is a very back-and-forth generation, but the 6990 is a clear winner in terms of performance, overclocking and heat output.

    TL;DR: NVIDIA hasn't "crushed" anyone in GPUs since the days of the 8800 GTS/GTX.
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited April 2011
    Tushon wrote:

    "breaks the 300W PCIe 2.0 specification by 150 watts" <-- came from elsewhere but says it succinctly

    Source

    Only breaks the PCI-SIG's 375W barrier (75W slot+150W 8-pin+150W 8-pin) if you flip the switch to activate 450W mode (which increases clockspeeds and voltage to full 2x6970 configuration). Otherwise the card is capped firmly at 300W with PowerTune.

    The diagram below shows what happens to a GPU's clockspeed when it's NOT designed with a power tech like PowerTune. The grey bars show a clockspeed cap around 650MHz, which you'll note is where the GTX 590 more or less falls. But because PowerTune optimizes the clockspeed in real-time with respect to the ASIC power draw, it's more or less running at maximum (and much higher) clockspeeds at all times.

    PowerTune also prevents the GPU from just plain being throttled into a low power state, which is what all NV cards and all older AMD cards do when faced with high power draw.
    powertune.jpg
  • TushonTushon I'm scared, Coach Alexandria, VA Icrontian
    edited April 2011
    Again, thanks!
  • JokkeJokke Bergen, Norway Icrontian
    edited April 2011
    Makes sense, my last card was the AGP ATI Powercolor Radeon 9800 pro, with 128mb:p.
    I checked with http://www.antec.outervision.com/ and it says that my "new" system, with the 6970 (the 6990 wasn't in their list) will draw roughly 770W. I now have 850W, which means I think I'm within limits.
  • TushonTushon I'm scared, Coach Alexandria, VA Icrontian
    edited April 2011
    Right, because the 6990 = 2x downclocked (with the ability to restore clocks) 6970s. If the calculator says you are okay with dual 6970s, I would think you could do it.
  • jedihobbitjedihobbit Central Virginia, USA New
    edited April 2011
    As this is turning into an interesting and "informative" thread can anyone tell me if stanford or amd has done anything to take advantage of all this available power??? Not up to date but the last time I checked nvidia was the way to go for folding...........:confused:
  • TushonTushon I'm scared, Coach Alexandria, VA Icrontian
    edited April 2011
    jedihobbit wrote:
    As this is turning into an interesting and "informative" thread can anyone tell me if stanford or amd has done anything to take advantage of all this available power??? Not up to date but the last time I checked nvidia was the way to go for folding...........:confused:
    http://icrontic.com/forum/showthread.php?p=782019

    mixed successes
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