- Joined
- Nov 14, 2006
- Location
- Warsaw/Poland
Hi!
Here's the facts:
1. My computer is an e8600 CPU (lapped, mid-range aftermarked cooler, box-shaped, low-profile) with an Asus P5Q-E mobo, 8 GB (4X2 GB) DDR2 @ 800 MHz (A-DATA Vitesta), Samsung F1 HDD (probably a low-rotating SATA2 drive), OCZ ZS 650 Watt PSU (46A/550W on the 12V line according to specs; seems to be an unsplit line, as in there's no 12V1 and 12V2, just 12V).
2. My graphics card was a GTX 460 (the Gigabyte version with twin fans) that seems to have sustained some damage during a reset after system crash. I've reverted to a Radeon 4850 with Accelero + 12 cm fan.
3. Stability wasn't perfect on the nVidia, but crashes requiring a reset were extremely rare. It was mostly lag and stuttering until the graphics driver recovered. By contrast, the ATI driver usually can't be relied on to recover. (In the past, I had different results with different driver releases, from either manufacturer, including near-complete stability and/or recoverability with the Radeon.)
4. There are definitely some problems with the power grid in my apartment. It's an old installation, and older devices (without all the protections) had much more problems before.
5. My PC case is a big black iron oven from Chieftec. It's so cool and the airflow is so big that you can't put your feet next to it when typing or you'll end up with a cold. Temps are usually quite good. But I still suspect the cooling inside the case is bad, for some reason. It's a midi tower, therefore an Accelero heatsink with a normal 12 cm fan on it means the fan is like 5 cm/2'' above case floor (currently set to exhaust, am thinking about flipping it to intake).
6. I have a low-profile PCI-E soundcard very close above the GFX card, preventing exhaust air from the CPU cooler from whipping the GFX card on its back (or at least with regard to a large part of the surface).
So far I've been led to think that temps, air flow and electricity problems are the root of my occasional problems with GFX crashes (and more so on the ATI 4850 than the nVidia 460). Hence I'm tempted by the GTX 960's relatively low power requirements. However, I'm put off by its 128 bit bus and some other such problems, as well as the fact that the slightly cheaper Radeon R280X is actually faster (but hogs more power).
I'm also tempted by the GFX 750ti's even lower power requirements and its 60W TDP (yup). But I don't actuallym fully know what TDP really means for me here. But I'm put off by the fact that it costs only a little less than the 960 or 280.
Old (and used) ATI 7950 and 7970 cards can be had for relatively great prices here.
Here = Poland, so can't rely on price proportions from the US market. Things are really different here (as well as much more expensive in general).
The 960 is the most expensive of all listed, but a used 960 can be had for just about the same price as (or a little more than) a used 280X, 7900 series etc., which are all similarly priced. 750ti and R270 cards tend to be a little less expensive (up to 33% in the most extreme cases) and are similarly priced to each other.
Curiously, used GTX570 cards seem to be only a little more expensive than used GTX460 cards and a lot more powerful. But also a lot more power-consuming, which is another big concern for me.
... And I'm kinda reluctant to buy old tech like that, but at the same time I know I'm not gonna be playing DX11 games on this rig (DX10 is challenging enough as it is). Shaders, support, whatever.
I don't have any preference for ATI or nVidia. My priority is no crashes from the card and no awful vibrations from the cooler. Silent operation when not actually gaming would be great; silent gaming would be even better.
Can't upgrade the PC any further. Can't replace it right now, as I have some urgent expenses with higher priority this year and the next.
I also have a second 4850 card (Gainward, reference-style cooler), but Crossfire gave me BSODs right away in 2012 or 2013, when I last tried; should I try again?. Could be a bit of a problem fitting all the cards in and especially with the Accelero and big fan.
Usage background: As a translator by occupation, I work with some heavy-duty text editors but no video or graphics. Games I play tend to be 2012–2013 releases like Starcraft 2, Shogun 2, Crusader Kings 2. Might want to play some newer strategies or RPGs though. It would be very important for me to avoid crashing when playing ladder/ranked games in Starcraft or anything else multiplayer with a ranking, and to avoid frequent system resets.
Here's the facts:
1. My computer is an e8600 CPU (lapped, mid-range aftermarked cooler, box-shaped, low-profile) with an Asus P5Q-E mobo, 8 GB (4X2 GB) DDR2 @ 800 MHz (A-DATA Vitesta), Samsung F1 HDD (probably a low-rotating SATA2 drive), OCZ ZS 650 Watt PSU (46A/550W on the 12V line according to specs; seems to be an unsplit line, as in there's no 12V1 and 12V2, just 12V).
2. My graphics card was a GTX 460 (the Gigabyte version with twin fans) that seems to have sustained some damage during a reset after system crash. I've reverted to a Radeon 4850 with Accelero + 12 cm fan.
3. Stability wasn't perfect on the nVidia, but crashes requiring a reset were extremely rare. It was mostly lag and stuttering until the graphics driver recovered. By contrast, the ATI driver usually can't be relied on to recover. (In the past, I had different results with different driver releases, from either manufacturer, including near-complete stability and/or recoverability with the Radeon.)
4. There are definitely some problems with the power grid in my apartment. It's an old installation, and older devices (without all the protections) had much more problems before.
5. My PC case is a big black iron oven from Chieftec. It's so cool and the airflow is so big that you can't put your feet next to it when typing or you'll end up with a cold. Temps are usually quite good. But I still suspect the cooling inside the case is bad, for some reason. It's a midi tower, therefore an Accelero heatsink with a normal 12 cm fan on it means the fan is like 5 cm/2'' above case floor (currently set to exhaust, am thinking about flipping it to intake).
6. I have a low-profile PCI-E soundcard very close above the GFX card, preventing exhaust air from the CPU cooler from whipping the GFX card on its back (or at least with regard to a large part of the surface).
So far I've been led to think that temps, air flow and electricity problems are the root of my occasional problems with GFX crashes (and more so on the ATI 4850 than the nVidia 460). Hence I'm tempted by the GTX 960's relatively low power requirements. However, I'm put off by its 128 bit bus and some other such problems, as well as the fact that the slightly cheaper Radeon R280X is actually faster (but hogs more power).
I'm also tempted by the GFX 750ti's even lower power requirements and its 60W TDP (yup). But I don't actuallym fully know what TDP really means for me here. But I'm put off by the fact that it costs only a little less than the 960 or 280.
Old (and used) ATI 7950 and 7970 cards can be had for relatively great prices here.
Here = Poland, so can't rely on price proportions from the US market. Things are really different here (as well as much more expensive in general).
The 960 is the most expensive of all listed, but a used 960 can be had for just about the same price as (or a little more than) a used 280X, 7900 series etc., which are all similarly priced. 750ti and R270 cards tend to be a little less expensive (up to 33% in the most extreme cases) and are similarly priced to each other.
Curiously, used GTX570 cards seem to be only a little more expensive than used GTX460 cards and a lot more powerful. But also a lot more power-consuming, which is another big concern for me.
... And I'm kinda reluctant to buy old tech like that, but at the same time I know I'm not gonna be playing DX11 games on this rig (DX10 is challenging enough as it is). Shaders, support, whatever.
I don't have any preference for ATI or nVidia. My priority is no crashes from the card and no awful vibrations from the cooler. Silent operation when not actually gaming would be great; silent gaming would be even better.
Can't upgrade the PC any further. Can't replace it right now, as I have some urgent expenses with higher priority this year and the next.
I also have a second 4850 card (Gainward, reference-style cooler), but Crossfire gave me BSODs right away in 2012 or 2013, when I last tried; should I try again?. Could be a bit of a problem fitting all the cards in and especially with the Accelero and big fan.
Usage background: As a translator by occupation, I work with some heavy-duty text editors but no video or graphics. Games I play tend to be 2012–2013 releases like Starcraft 2, Shogun 2, Crusader Kings 2. Might want to play some newer strategies or RPGs though. It would be very important for me to avoid crashing when playing ladder/ranked games in Starcraft or anything else multiplayer with a ranking, and to avoid frequent system resets.
