Ready to order, which of these 260's?

L

leh18621

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Jun 18, 2008
Messages
1,082
I had decided, but then went on vacation and just in a few days prices have dropped a little. I have it narrowed down to these two and I am ready to order today:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150310

or

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130374

Pros of XFX: slightly lower price $329 (no mail-in-rebate), comes with CoD4 which I wanted to buy anyways, double life time warranty, higher memory clock, but lower core and shader clock.

Pros of EVGA: Higher core and shader clock, but lower memory clock, will be $345 after a $30 mail in rebate, life time warranty, FTW edition which means it is a hand picked card by EVGA and could possibly OC higher and run cooler, and comes with EVGA's Precision OC Software.

I don't to buy a vanilla card simply because I am afraid to OC with Riva Tuner ever since I burned out the last card I tried to OC. So, between these two, is one the better choice over the other card?
 
If I were you I would get a 4870 , unless you have a SLI motherboard.
 
EVGA, because it has a step up program. For all you know, 3 months for now you could step up to the 280 for free or minimal cost.
 
I don't really like any of the ATI companies as far as after-the-sale support so I would rather stick with EVGA.
 
sethk said:
EVGA, because it has a step up program. For all you know, 3 months for now you could step up to the 280 for free or minimal cost.
Click to expand...


That's a good point I never thought of. By the way, regarding XFX and the double life time warranty, does that make it easier selling the XFX cards used whenever I eventually sell it?
 
leh18621 said:
That's a good point I never thought of. By the way, regarding XFX and the double life time warranty, does that make it easier selling the XFX cards used whenever I eventually sell it?
Click to expand...

That's the idea. The guy you sell it to has a full lifetime warranty and you don't have to worry about the card being bad if the buyer has a problem.

Plus, I think XFX cards are a little better than most, just my bias I guess. I've now bought 7 XFX cards in te last two years and only had to RMA one back to the retailer. The three I have now are working flawlessly. Solid, not over heating and crushing all games thrown at them. Just fricking fun!
 
Just make sure you read the step-up program details/FAQ. You'll need to register your cards within 30 days and keep the original boxes/packaging.
 
Krenum said:
Visiontek has a lifetime warranty.
Click to expand...

I can't say from personal experience, but I have read that trying to get VisionTek on the phone and getting an RMA if needed is just about impossible. Besides, at the prices of the 260 and 4870 are at now they really are even for the vanilla cards.

As to my original question, let's throw out EVGA's Step-Up and XFX's Double life time warranty for a minute. As far as the quality of the cards themselves, is there really any difference between the two as far as quality? Will one perform better than the other? If the FTW card really is a hand picked card, could it possibly run cooler than the XXX card or is that just wild speculation?
 
leh18621 said:
I can't say from personal experience, but I have read that trying to get VisionTek on the phone and getting an RMA if needed is just about impossible. Besides, at the prices of the 260 and 4870 are at now they really are even for the vanilla cards.

As to my original question, let's throw out EVGA's Step-Up and XFX's Double life time warranty for a minute. As far as the quality of the cards themselves, is there really any difference between the two as far as quality? Will one perform better than the other? If the FTW card really is a hand picked card, could it possibly run cooler than the XXX card or is that just wild speculation?
Click to expand...

The FTW edition is the highest OC from the factory. (Well, highest aircooled OC) They are binned to the different OCs. You've got a better chance of a higher OC with a FTW edition than you do with a stock card.
 
I might sit tight for a few more days, although I have decided on the EVGA FTW card. The FTW card already is selling for $329 on zipzoomfly.com (although it is out of stock). I order from newegg so hopefully I will see a price drop soon on the FTW card.
 
but the 4870 is faster, so logic would dictate for price and performance that the 4870 is the better choice.... then again, who here uses logic anyway:rolleyes:
 
Krenum said:
but the 4870 is faster, so logic would dictate for price and performance that the 4870 is the better choice.... then again, who here uses logic anyway:rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Not fast enough to warrant purchasing it over a cheaper/same price GTX 260. Plus its not always faster than the 260 anyway.
 
Krenum said:
but the 4870 is faster, so logic would dictate for price and performance that the 4870 is the better choice.... then again, who here uses logic anyway:rolleyes:
Click to expand...

The OP never asked your opinion on the 4870. I can think of lots of reason to choose the 260 over the 4870.... like CUDA, or Nvidia buying off game developers to make games that run better on thier hardware.
 
I went to bed last night and decided to sleep on it. I woke up at 7:30am and decided to just go ahead and pull the trigger. I ordered the EVGA 260 FTW and I can't even begin to tell you how pumped I am. I have never owned a current high end video, ever. The closest I ever had was a 9800Pro which was a hand-me-down card when it was three years old. I have been waiting to buy a good video card for what seems like an eternity.

I checked my newegg order status and it says that is has shipped so I should receive it tommorow. I went out today and bought Crysis so I will have something to push the card to see what it can do!
 
leh18621 said:
I went to bed last night and decided to sleep on it. I woke up at 7:30am and decided to just go ahead and pull the trigger. I ordered the EVGA 260 FTW and I can't even begin to tell you how pumped I am. I have never owned a current high end video, ever. The closest I ever had was a 9800Pro which was a hand-me-down card when it was three years old. I have been waiting to buy a good video card for what seems like an eternity.

I checked my newegg order status and it says that is has shipped so I should receive it tommorow. I went out today and bought Crysis so I will have something to push the card to see what it can do!
Click to expand...

Congratulations - I am sure you will enjoy.
 
leh18621 said:
I might sit tight for a few more days, although I have decided on the EVGA FTW card. The FTW card already is selling for $329 on zipzoomfly.com (although it is out of stock). I order from newegg so hopefully I will see a price drop soon on the FTW card.
Click to expand...

I've been watching that.. something tells me that's their "out of stock" sale and will go back up once they get some in.. Pisses me off. I've had it on "notify me" ever since the price change. I notice the slower EVGA GTX 260 cards on ZZF are still the normal price (and still in stock).
 
leh18621 said:
I went to bed last night and decided to sleep on it. I woke up at 7:30am and decided to just go ahead and pull the trigger. I ordered the EVGA 260 FTW and I can't even begin to tell you how pumped I am. I have never owned a current high end video, ever. The closest I ever had was a 9800Pro which was a hand-me-down card when it was three years old. I have been waiting to buy a good video card for what seems like an eternity.

I checked my newegg order status and it says that is has shipped so I should receive it tommorow. I went out today and bought Crysis so I will have something to push the card to see what it can do!
Click to expand...
Excellent choice, I was about to give the EVGA FTW card my vote. Crysis runs very smooth on these cards, let us know how well the card performs for you:cool:
 
DerComissar said:
Excellent choice, I was about to give the EVGA FTW card my vote. Crysis runs very smooth on these cards, let us know how well the card performs for you:cool:
Click to expand...

I will let you know. So far I have installed the 260 today, install the drivers and EVGA Precision software (and played with it a little bit), and ran the built in test in the WiC demo. Granted it is only the demo's benchmark so I don't know if the full version will run better when I eventually get that game. So far after multiple run throughs of the WiC demo I got a minimum fps of 16 and an average fps of 38 (1680x1050, 4xAA 16xAF, maxed settings in DX10).

I am already loving this card and can't wait to benchmark a few games and 3dMark06 and Vantage. I will say that the people who say this card is loud are either extremly picky, or crazy. I put the fan at 90% and although I can hear it, it really isn't that loud. At 40% fan my idle temp is 54c, at 60% fan my idle temp is 48c, and running the card at full load for 5 minutes (running the WiC benchmark over and over and over etc) at 80% fan my load temp was 79c. That tells me (I think) that I didn't get one of the cards with that overheats. Over on the EVGA forum some people where complaining about their cards going to 105c with 100% fan after 5 minutes under load, fortunately my card isn't doing that.

I am not going to OC it tonight but I am very curious as to how well it does.
 
I should also add something to the temps I just wrote about. What impresses me about the temps is that I really don't have a super great case as far as air flow. I am using a prebuilt HP computer (d4890y) that I got free from work and have been upgrading myself. The case itself is a nice size case, but it only has one outake fan and no intake fan. So with that said, that is why I am impressed with these temps as compared to temps I have seen in reviews saying the 260 is around 85c under load. I wonder if it is because it is a FTW "hand picked" card.
 
leh18621 said:
I might sit tight for a few more days, although I have decided on the EVGA FTW card. The FTW card already is selling for $329 on zipzoomfly.com (although it is out of stock). I order from newegg so hopefully I will see a price drop soon on the FTW card.
Click to expand...

I am with you, I am waiting for the FTW edition to come back in stock

Also, ZZF has the XFX 260 XXX edition @ 640 for $309
 
chinesepiratefood said:
I am with you, I am waiting for the FTW edition to come back in stock

Also, ZZF has the XFX 260 XXX edition @ 640 for $309
Click to expand...

I almost bought that xfx 260 xxx card for $329 on newegg, I just wanted the Precision EVGA software to give a try. I did think it was a very good buy though on the xfx card.
 
I bought the BFG at Best Buy now that they have a step up program, and the discount Best Buy has on all BFG cards brings it in line with what I'd pay online... (I have to pay tax at NewEgg in NY anyway). So I paid a few extra dollars for some instant gratification.
 
leh18621 said:
I will let you know. So far I have installed the 260 today, install the drivers and EVGA Precision software (and played with it a little bit), and ran the built in test in the WiC demo. Granted it is only the demo's benchmark so I don't know if the full version will run better when I eventually get that game. So far after multiple run throughs of the WiC demo I got a minimum fps of 16 and an average fps of 38 (1680x1050, 4xAA 16xAF, maxed settings in DX10).

I am already loving this card and can't wait to benchmark a few games and 3dMark06 and Vantage. I will say that the people who say this card is loud are either extremly picky, or crazy. I put the fan at 90% and although I can hear it, it really isn't that loud. At 40% fan my idle temp is 54c, at 60% fan my idle temp is 48c, and running the card at full load for 5 minutes (running the WiC benchmark over and over and over etc) at 80% fan my load temp was 79c. That tells me (I think) that I didn't get one of the cards with that overheats. Over on the EVGA forum some people where complaining about their cards going to 105c with 100% fan after 5 minutes under load, fortunately my card isn't doing that.

I am not going to OC it tonight but I am very curious as to how well it does.
Click to expand...
That's great, good benches, you don't hold back on the AA and settings either. You are getting very good temps., obviously not one of the overheating cards, although that seems to have been more of an issue with the 280's. Having said that, my 280 has had no temp. problems either, but it's in a Stacker with 7x120mm fans running. Considering your HP case, that's a cool running card you have. I keep my fan at 100% all the time, I would rather max out the cooling and tolerate the noise:cool:
 
So it won't harm anything by running the fan speed up for long periods of time?
 
leh18621 said:
I almost bought that xfx 260 xxx card for $329 on newegg, I just wanted the Precision EVGA software to give a try. I did think it was a very good buy though on the xfx card.
Click to expand...

I just ordered the EVGA 260 FTW Edition from ZZF, so they are back in stock and still only $329!
 
Here are my clocks: 750/1581/1210.

The disappointing thing is they only raised my min by one fps in the WiC demo. I wonder if that is because WiC is supposedly cpu bound?

What do you all think?
 
I ran some more tests. With the Crysis benchmark, 16880x1050 with High settings and 2xAA:

At default FTW speeds:
20.44 - min
32.68 - avg
45.72 - max

At 695/1465/1150:
24.45 - min
35.35 - avg
50.90 - max
 
leh18621 said:
Here are my clocks: 750/1581/1210.

The disappointing thing is they only raised my min by one fps in the WiC demo. I wonder if that is because WiC is supposedly cpu bound?

What do you all think?
Click to expand...

Thats a 25% OC over stock on the shaders. wow
 
I am keeping them at 695/1465/1150 for now. The card seems to be stable with these, however it seemed fine at 750/1581/1210 also it's just that I feel "safer' with only a mild overclock. Plus, at the 695/1465/1150 Cysis is running really good so I don't really need to overclock any higher right now.

I benchmarked Company of Heroes, 1680x1050, AA enabled, all settings maxed:

At default FTW speeds:
68.3 - min
145.3 - avg
278.0 - max

At 695/1465/1150:
72.9 - min
155.5 - avg
281.7 - max
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top