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nvidia GTX260 vs 220..?

J

JYeager11

Gawd
Joined
Nov 15, 2006
Messages
563
I was looking to get an Asus GTX260, but they're b/o everywhere in North America (I am a loyal customer, and partial to both Asus and nVidia).

I am now hesitating between getting the 260 from another company (EVGA for instance) or buying a 220 instead.

Money is not an issue. The price difference is absolutely NOT a factor, here. If *anything* would be a factor, it's heat & noise.

Usage would be DAW editing, hi-res Photoshop editing, and very hi-res/hi-color video playback.

I know everyone's first reaction will tend to be "you don't need a 260" but again, let's pretend there's no price difference, as that is absolutely NOT a concern for me in this particular equation.

If I could pick up an Asus GTX260, I'd do it right now. But given how they're all b/o with no ETA, how seriously should I consider the 220?
 
You shouldn't get a 220, and just get an EVGA/BFG 260, they have great support in the US.
 
If you can't find an Asus, EVGA or BFG are both good companies to buy from. My EVGA GTX260 was a wonderful card.

Offtopic, but it's refreshing to see someone else who is a big Asus fan. I thought I might have been the only one.
 
Well, given how all Asus GTX260's are b/o with no ETA in North America, I'd say we're not the only ones who are loyal to the company. ;-)

Is there a site out there that reviews different manufacturers of the same card? I don't want to read how the GTX260 stacks up against the ATI 5870... I want to read about how Asus' 260 stacks up against EVGA's 260 (or XFX', or someone else's, etc).

It might not be in performance (because it's the same nvidia 260 core) but there are assuredly differences elsewhere, such as materials, heat emission, fan noise, and software.

That would really help me make up my mind on this subject.

PS: I'm in Canada, so support in the U.S. is irrelevant to me. :)
 
why would you buy an old 2xx series when you can get a new 3xx series 315??
the gtx 315 is what you should be getting, thats what i have my eye on,
 
The same card from different companies will perform the same, and are often the same on power consumption, noise, and materials. The only difference is the sticker on the cooler. There are few cards that use a custom cooler, but there aren't any real comparisons between them and normal cards. The fact is, most of these cards are made by a completely different company than the one you buy from. I believe Flextronics is the main manufacture.
 
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JYeager said:
Well, given how all Asus GTX260's are b/o with no ETA in North America, I'd say we're not the only ones who are loyal to the company. ;-)
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Love ASUS cards myself, but I must point out that the GTX 260s are pretty much being phased out as it is.

I'd go for the 220 in your position. It's a cooler-running card and its desktop/2D features are more promising.
 
tricky0502 said:
why would you buy an old 2xx series when you can get a new 3xx series 315??
the gtx 315 is what you should be getting, thats what i have my eye on,
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GTX 315 ??? :confused:

How can you recommend and/or have your eye on a GPU that isn't being produced and/or isn't available?

My understanding is that any/all benchmarks for the GT/GTX 300 series leaked/released were faked.
 
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Then he could just get a 220 right now... instead of waiting until the 3 series comes out.
 
friend'scatdied said:
I'd go for the 220 in your position. It's a cooler-running card and its desktop/2D features are more promising.
Click to expand...

What desktop/2D features does the 220 have that the 260 doesn't..?

I'm buying my machine in the next week. What's the ETA on the 315?
 
JYeager said:
What desktop/2D features does the 220 have that the 260 doesn't..?
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Worded it wrong, but it has the built-in DSP for 8-channel LPCM output. Also has 4th gen PureVideo technology, probably more as well. It's just a significantly newer card than the 260 is.
 
Angus66 said:
Wow - Nvidia is re-badging the 210/220 cards already?

That didn't take long...
Click to expand...

They have shareholder to please, and nothing pleases them more than re-branding old tech to confuse consumers into buying old tech at a higher price. They've done a hell of a job with it over past couple of years.
 
I would go with the 220 or a low end Quadro. Anything with a 260 chip is overkill and not likely to last nearly as long as a lower end power efficient model.
 
kac77 said:
I would go with the 220 or a low end Quadro. Anything with a 260 chip is overkill and not likely to last nearly as long as a lower end power efficient model.
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A lower power chip won't last longer than one that require more, especially when it won't be asked to work a full load often. In fact, the higher, more expensive chips go through more Q.A.
 
SicKlown42012 said:
A lower power chip won't last longer than one that require more, especially when it won't be asked to work a full load often. In fact, the higher, more expensive chips go through more Q.A.
Click to expand...

That's precisely why I listed a "Quadro" as a possibility, considering money was no object. The workstation cards would have gone through considerably more QA than the desktop counterpart. Not to mention the 220 was originally an OEM part which was originally designed for Dell / HP, boxes. I think it's a pretty safe bet that a 220 has been tested pretty throughly considering the number of units that are sold off it and the original intent of the model.

Based on what his needs are (and not knowing the CPU/motherboard): video/audio editing and Photoshop you would be hard pressed to even max out a 220. The suggestion also is fitting since we don't know if he/she is working with a custom built box or an OEM computer. Dell especially has not been known to use the best power supplies and throwing a 260 in a Dell is asking for grief when it doesn't need to be that way. Hence the recommendation of a model that should fit within the power envelope of a Dell machine.
 
WTF was lost in translation here folks? You all do realize he said GTX 260 which has 216 SP's or GT220, yet ppl are recommending GT220/315 that only has 48 SP's? WTF ARE YOU DOING?????????????? :selfslap:
 
SnowBeast said:
WTF was lost in translation here folks? You all do realize he said GTX 260 which has 216 SP's or GT220, yet ppl are recommending GT220/315 that only has 48 SP's? WTF ARE YOU DOING?????????????? :selfslap:
Click to expand...

315>260!!!
 
SnowBeast said:
WTF was lost in translation here folks? You all do realize he said GTX 260 which has 216 SP's or GT220, yet ppl are recommending GT220/315 that only has 48 SP's? WTF ARE YOU DOING?????????????? :selfslap:
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So the EVGA 260 Core 216, then..? :)
 
I know nothing about the 260 or 220 but I would imagine the higher number wins here. I can't see why NVIDIA would make a better card and give it a lower number when the last I checked their cards went from 260 -> 275 -> 285 -> 295
 
SnowBeast said:
WTF was lost in translation here folks? You all do realize he said GTX 260 which has 216 SP's or GT220, yet ppl are recommending GT220/315 that only has 48 SP's? WTF ARE YOU DOING?????????????? :selfslap:
Click to expand...

Maybe to you! This brother ain't gaming.
 
Zepher said:
Why not a 57xx or 58xx series ATI card?
Click to expand...
Let me guess. ATI fan?

All benchmarks have the two companies performing similarly well, especially since the Core 216 update on the nvidia side. As a past nvidia client, why fix what isn't broken?

Wouldn't I be facing the same issues with ATI as I do nvidia? (Is this card overkill, is that card out of stock, etc.)

Plus, I was told CUDA would help me as a Photoshop user.

I don't believe in switching brands simply "because". Give me a reason, one that won't be met by an equal amount of people disagreeing with you, and I'll do it. But I see no irrefutable evidence that ATI is superior to nvidia.
 
JYeager said:
I don't believe in switching brands simply "because". Give me a reason, one that won't be met by an equal amount of people disagreeing with you, and I'll do it. But I see no irrefutable evidence that ATI is superior to nvidia.
Click to expand...

I'd tell you to go check out any review for the 5870/5970 where nvidia cards get absolutely SLAUGHTERED, but you're not gaming. I don't really know about CUDA in photoshop. A quick google search shows that some sort of CUDA plug in acceleration exists, but I didn't read/understand any further than that. I'd just get the 220 if you have no need to run games.
 
JYeager said:
Let me guess. ATI fan?

All benchmarks have the two companies performing similarly well, especially since the Core 216 update on the nvidia side. As a past nvidia client, why fix what isn't broken?

Wouldn't I be facing the same issues with ATI as I do nvidia? (Is this card overkill, is that card out of stock, etc.)

Plus, I was told CUDA would help me as a Photoshop user.

I don't believe in switching brands simply "because". Give me a reason, one that won't be met by an equal amount of people disagreeing with you, and I'll do it. But I see no irrefutable evidence that ATI is superior to nvidia.
Click to expand...

How about price/performance? For the price of a GTX 285, you could get a 5870 which is much, much faster. And it uses less power to boot. Yeah, PhysX is cool in the couple of AAA titles that use it (Batman AA, Mirror's Edge, Cryostasis), but it isn't used in the majority of games.
 
Mr. Bluntman said:
How about price/performance? For the price of a GTX 285, you could get a 5870 which is much, much faster. And it uses less power to boot. Yeah, PhysX is cool in the couple of AAA titles that use it (Batman AA, Mirror's Edge, Cryostasis), but it isn't used in the majority of games.
Click to expand...

But he's not gaming.
 
JYeager said:
Let me guess. ATI fan?

All benchmarks have the two companies performing similarly well, especially since the Core 216 update on the nvidia side. As a past nvidia client, why fix what isn't broken?

Wouldn't I be facing the same issues with ATI as I do nvidia? (Is this card overkill, is that card out of stock, etc.)

Plus, I was told CUDA would help me as a Photoshop user.

I don't believe in switching brands simply "because". Give me a reason, one that won't be met by an equal amount of people disagreeing with you, and I'll do it. But I see no irrefutable evidence that ATI is superior to nvidia.
Click to expand...

I like both ATI and Nvidia, my last 3 cards have been Nvidia, 9800GT, GTX 260, and a GTX 285. I am currently using dual screens but the new ATI cards with the Triple Screen support looks pretty cool, without the need of having an additional card. I know video editing is a bit easier with 2 screens, maybe even better with 3, so perhaps Audio Editing would benefit from triples as well.

What type of High Res Photoshop work are you doing?
 
JYeager said:
Let me guess. ATI fan?

All benchmarks have the two companies performing similarly well, especially since the Core 216 update on the nvidia side. As a past nvidia client, why fix what isn't broken?

Wouldn't I be facing the same issues with ATI as I do nvidia? (Is this card overkill, is that card out of stock, etc.)

Plus, I was told CUDA would help me as a Photoshop user.

I don't believe in switching brands simply "because". Give me a reason, one that won't be met by an equal amount of people disagreeing with you, and I'll do it. But I see no irrefutable evidence that ATI is superior to nvidia.
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/facepalm
And the fanboy idiocy continues.
 
The GTS 250 green edition is a decent card... i modded the fan to run at 5v.

It will manage any rendering stuff and play most games too.
 
...there sure are a lot of people who DON'T read the OP and just suggest whatever they want for themselves, NOT for the OP. Jesus-effing-christ, he doesn't want a gaming card! He doesn't game!

Anyway, OP, you'll be fine with 220, simply because the 260 is way overbuilt and meant for the gaming community.

If you are going to use CUDA enabled programs to accelerate your work, then yes, I recommend the 260.
 
Personally I'd sooner get the GT 240 than the GTX 260 even for CUDA, failing the GT 220 of course. The 260 is old, hot/power-hungry, stupid 65/55nm tech.
 
correct me if im wrong but wouldn't screen real estate > anything else in regards to working on photoshop? if you are using a gtx260 i can understand there being some performance benefit to using CUDA, but the lower class cards don't have many "CUDA" cores or w/e nvidia calls them.

Either way i'd recommend the 5750 to the OP, especially looking at the beast he's trying to make have a 3x 30" setup for maximum productivity.

if he wants to stay with nvidia and hope to get atleast some use out of cuda maybe an older 9800GX2 which has a lot of CUDA cores. Sure it has high idle/load power draws, but if it's increasing productivity i doubt OP would mind..
 
Isn't Photoshop using ATi's Stream for acceleration like nVidia's CUDA? In the end, GTS 220 is the card for you, very little power consumption and good cuda performance. ATi's HD 5750 may consume a little of more power, but is more GPGPU computing oriented (Some plugins may use OpenCL or Stream), has better performance and with Eyefinity, it can give you a boost in productivity.
 
evolucion8 said:
Isn't Photoshop using ATi's Stream for acceleration like nVidia's CUDA? In the end, GTS 220 is the card for you, very little power consumption and good cuda performance. ATi's HD 5750 may consume a little of more power, but is more GPGPU computing oriented (Some plugins may use OpenCL or Stream), has better performance and with Eyefinity, it can give you a boost in productivity.
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Thanks for the info. Questions :

1. What is this I hear about the 220 being a more recent / yet less powerful card than the 260? What exactly is their factual timeline, production-wise?

2. What is GPGPU?

3. Are there ANY drawbacks for the ATI cards that are less of an issue with the 220/260? It could be the size of the card on the mb, power consumption, noise, heat, software, etc.

PS(1): While I don't plan on gaming with this rig, I think a lot of people are underestimating the demands of high-resolution 2D video playback on the video card. Think of having to display 30fps of the highest resolutions and number of colors imaginable, with as little stuttering as possible. 2D video playback and "surfing the web" are two very different usages.

PS(2): Oh, and edifyingkarma? Kindly go **** yourself and stay out of this thread if you've got nothing better to contribute than insults, cuz that's a 2-way street. Thanks. :)
 
JYeager said:
Thanks for the info. Questions :

1. What is this I hear about the 220 being a more recent / yet less powerful card than the 260? What exactly is their factual timeline, production-wise?

2. What is GPGPU?

3. Are there ANY drawbacks for the ATI cards that are less of an issue with the 220/260? It could be the size of the card on the mb, power consumption, noise, heat, software, etc.
Click to expand...

1. The original GTX 260 (65nm, 192SP) was released on 06/26/2008. 216 was released on 09/16/2008, and 55nm on 12/22/2008. The GT 220 was released on superior 40nm tech (with considerably less power, designed as an ultra-budget office/HTPC solution) on 10/12/2009. That's more than a year from the GTX 260 original release.

2. General purpose GPU.. using the GPU for non-GPU task acceleration. NVIDIA Tesla is the epitome of this, and CUDA is a slightly related technology.

3. The ATI cards do not fold nearly as well in distributed computing (Folding@Home). AFAIK, they are better in pretty much every other way at this time. They are a generation ahead, and that is simply not reconcilable.

GT220 will be more than enough for high-res video playback. But a 5750 could do you Eyefinity at 5040*1050 resolution without a hiccup with anything 2D you throw at it..
 
friend'scatdied said:
GT220 will be more than enough for high-res video playback. But a 5750 could do you Eyefinity at 5040*1050 resolution without a hiccup with anything 2D you throw at it..
Click to expand...

Would the 5750 be the equivalent of the 220, the 260, or something in-between?

When was it released?
 
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