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Card died, need some advice...

F

footballcoach

n00b
Joined
Oct 30, 2009
Messages
48
Hello,

So, it looks like my son's 8800 GTS is bad. So, I need to order a new card, but am wondering about what the best bang for buck will be. Here are the two working cards and the failed one (3 machines) that we have in the house:

HD 5850 1GB
Asus Maximus Formula III
8GB RAM
Intel i5-750@3.7GHz

8800 GTX 768MB
Abit IP35 Pro
4GB RAM
Intel e6850 @ 3.0GHz

(Failed) 8800 GTS 640MB
Intel "BadAxe2" D975XBX2
2GB RAM
Intel e6600 @ 2.4GHz.

I am thinking about giving my youngest son the 8800GTX, giving my older son the HD5850, and getting an upgrade for my system. However, it doesn't look like there is much of a sweet spot above the 5850. Sure, maybe a 6950 or 7900 series, but from what I can tell the 6000 series offers little performance gain over the 5850 I already have and the 7900 series are $300+.

Any opinions on which way you would go if you had the two cards above and needed a 3rd? I don't mind swapping the cards around to different machines, but I want to spend money on something worthwhile considering the other cards we have. Thanks [H]!!
 
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Knowing the specs of the system you plan on installing the card in will help people with their recommendations.....spending money on a card that your current system cant utilize would be a waste unless your planing on upgrading the rest of the system in the near future
 
Honestly, I'll probably just grab a cheap used 5770 @ $60-80 to replace the 8800 GTS, unless you really want to spend quite a bit of money on something that's a noticeable upgrade over the 5850. With the e6600 and 2GB of RAM, I would say that the video card is *not* a bottle neck, and anything stronger would be a waste of money. (Also, the 5770 is a bit more powerful than the 8800GTX, so if you want the older child to have the faster card... give him the 5770 and send the GTX to the slower PC)

Bonus, the 5770 is way more efficient than the 8800.


Edit: Just in case somebody comes in and says the 8800 GTX > 5770, I went from an EVGA 8800 Ultra SC to a single standard 5770 and noticed the difference in speed. (Not to mention noise and heat)
 
Thanks, I think I want to get a new card (just because it's easier and faster).

What about something like below? I don't think this is as powerful as my 5850, but would it be a decent upgrade for the 8800 GTX PC or should I put it on the PC where the card died?

AMD Radeon HD 6670 2048MB GDDR3 PCIe 2.1 Video Card
$89.99

Thanks again
 
footballcoach said:
Thanks, I think I want to get a new card (just because it's easier and faster).

What about something like below? I don't think this is as powerful as my 5850, but would it be a decent upgrade for the 8800 GTX PC or should I put it on the PC where the card died?

AMD Radeon HD 6670 2048MB GDDR3 PCIe 2.1 Video Card
$89.99

Thanks again
Click to expand...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131454

6750 1GB, $80 + $7 shipping

Faster and cheaper. Less VRAM, but if that PC is running an E6600 I imagine you're not running some insane resolution - so 1GB will be totally fine.


Edit: Or a 6770 for $90 after MIR:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121474

*IF* you don't mind MIRs. I don't like them, but some people don't mind.



Edit #2: 6670 is a little below an 8800GTS, and 6750 is a little faster than an 8800 GTX. (Both AMD cards are *WAY* more power efficient though)
 
footballcoach said:
Thanks, I think I want to get a new card (just because it's easier and faster).

What about something like below? I don't think this is as powerful as my 5850, but would it be a decent upgrade for the 8800 GTX PC or should I put it on the PC where the card died?

AMD Radeon HD 6670 2048MB GDDR3 PCIe 2.1 Video Card
$89.99

Thanks again
Click to expand...

Its pointless to buy such a low end 2gb card. The card will run out of muscle way before vram comes into play.
 
Thanks for all the great advice. I appreciate it a lot.

If the 6670 is faster than the 8800 GTX I think I will go with the 6670 on the Abit IP35 Pro board since my older son runs native @ 1680x1050.

Then move the 8800GTX to the Intel D975XBX2 since I believe he was running 1440x900.

BTW, I have 600W power supplies in both of those systems.
 
footballcoach said:
Thanks for all the great advice. I appreciate it a lot.

If the 6670 is faster than the 8800 GTX I think I will go with the 6670 on the Abit IP35 Pro board since my older son runs native @ 1680x1050.

Then move the 8800GTX to the Intel D975XBX2 since I believe he was running 1440x900.

BTW, I have 600W power supplies in both of those systems.
Click to expand...

6670 is a little slower than the GTX, but it's faster than the GTS 640/320. If it was a 512 GTS, then the 6670 is MARGINALLY slower than the 512 GTS. But certainly slower than the GTX. It's still a fantastic card for 1440x900.
 
If you are married make sure the wife doesn't see you doing this and clean the oven afterwards so your food doesn't smell like solder.
Click to expand...

I think I will just spend the $100 and avoid the issue altogether. Going on 20 years this August. I've learned that it's best to pick my battles. :)
 
footballcoach said:
I think I will just spend the $100 and avoid the issue altogether. Going on 20 years this August. I've learned that it's best to pick my battles. :)
Click to expand...

I baked my 8800 Ultra when it went bad and got another two years out of it, before I sold it for a sizable amount. I wouldn't pass up on baking.

At the least, sell it to somebody "as is" and say it may be bakeable. You might get $25 for it. :)


Edit: If you're getting a 6670, don't spend $100. Spend $75, then get a $25 MIR (from my earlier post).
 
Have you tried cooking the PCBs in your oven? Both of my XFX 8800 GTXs died two months ago (two weeks apart), and I resurrected each by baking them. It's worth a shot if they're deemed toast.

*edit* The first card that died had the exact same symptoms during POST upon startup as you describe. Red or blue vertical lines (mine also exhibited distorted text during the mobo and POST screens.
 
Yeah, I think I will try the baking thing if eVGA does not honor the warranty. Seems like a lot of people have good luck with it.
 
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