MSI GTX 480 399.99 @ EGG

Best price I've seen on new ones, just be prepared they run much too hot. With stock clocks and stock turbine @ 100% mine would hold at 81c in OCCT -- if I dropped fan to 75% the temps went up to 89c. Unacceptable.

Needed aftermarket cooling bad but I knew that going in and was prepared. With aftermarket AC AXP @ 100% (near silent) overclocked temps max @ 66c using same OCCT length. A drop of 15c under load, despite 100mhz core overclock and ~150mhz memory (done without voltage modification). The noise and temp reductions are phenomenal, and it makes the 480 into what it should have been at launch = the GTX 400 series world beater.

Aftermarket or water cooling is really mandatory to fully enjoy a 480, and if you're keen to find the single card strangler, this might be the one once the price drops a bit more. With reasonable overclocks you'll get 95% of a GTX 580 yet run very cold and quiet.

The aftermarket install is not for the faint of heart, however.

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1563379&page=3
 
The cards are designed to run that hot. People fuss too much over how much heat the GPU produces. It is given how highend of a product the 480 is.
 
xBanzai89 said:
The cards are designed to run that hot. People fuss too much over how much heat the GPU produces. It is given how highend of a product the 480 is.
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This is a foolish and ignorant assumption. Even basic engineering research will show you how wrong you are.
 
Power usage aside, $365 for +/-10% less performance than a $500 GTX 580 is a great deal.
 
Mr. K6 said:
Considering 5870's are going for ~$220, no thanks.
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Ahhh yes, the inevitable I can get an ATI XXXX for $XXXX reply. I was just posting a decent deal for a specific card. We've all seen the comparisons, thanks.
 
Vegas P11 said:
Ahhh yes, the inevitable I can get an ATI XXXX for $XXXX reply. I was just posting a decent deal for a specific card. We've all seen the comparisons, thanks.
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Some haven't and that's why I posted it. Way to take video cards personally :rolleyes:
 
requiem99 said:
This is a foolish and ignorant assumption. Even basic engineering research will show you how wrong you are.
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And opinions from one person are worthless... Especially when they are not even close to being accurate. Too hot for you does not mean too hot for someone else. And the GTX480 was engineered to deal with running that hot for years.

I have dual GTX480s and I have zero issue with how hot they run. I also run the fans on automatic, and if you are gaming and have any sound on, the sound from the cards is a moot point...
 
The issue is not necessarily that the cards run hot; it's that they run loud. To deny this is simply to expose your own problems with hearing loss, to put the matter bluntly. Running a pair of even GTX 470s on air - at 8 feet distance - was borderline obnoxious.
 
My 480 is very quiet when not gaming and when the fans speed up during gaming, I cannot really hear it unless I listen for it / volume is very low. I'd say this is pretty hot if you're in the market for one of these
 
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dbphelps said:
And opinions from one person are worthless... Especially when they are not even close to being accurate. Too hot for you does not mean too hot for someone else. And the GTX480 was engineered to deal with running that hot for years.

I have dual GTX480s and I have zero issue with how hot they run. I also run the fans on automatic, and if you are gaming and have any sound on, the sound from the cards is a moot point...
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The real arguement against buying one of these is this.

http://www.hardocp.com/article/2010/10/26/msi_n480gtx_lightning_video_card_review/9
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102883

You could run 5870 for $215 AR or buy one of these for $365 AR. You could buy 5870 CF for $430 AR or one of these for $365 AR. And 5870 CF would consume around as much power as one of these. A card that puts out far greater heat, uses 140 more watts, and costs 75% more for at most a 20% performance advantage is irrelevant.
 
This is the wrong place for this discussion and it isn't even a discussion that needs to take place.
 
OK price. Lowest I've seen so far on one of these but I think the performance to dollar just isn't there with 5870s going for close to $200 now. Just can't see who would want one of these. If I wanted the best I'd get a 580GTX or wait for 69xx. If I want performance/$ or performance/watt I'm looking at ATIs 58xx/68xx or the 460GTX/maybe 470GTX. Now if this was priced closer to $300 I think it would be an interesting option...
 
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