Looking for new GPU :(

[Eudaimonium]

Be aware that your CPU may limit what a GTX560 can manage.

6 months ago I upgraded from a GTX285 to a GTX670, but found that my overclocked q6600 couldn't keep the GPU supplied at higher settings. Trying to use higher video quality on BF3 just resulted in my CPU usage going from 85% to 100% nonstop during matches.


Now with the same GPU and a i7-3820 I gained 30+fps and cpu usage is at 50% or less.

From above:

Also, I'm trying to think ahead as much as possible with this - GTX560 is indeed a powerful card, like you say... maybe even too powerful for my Athlon 7750 processor, but that means that in 2-3 years, when I'm upgrading my rig alltogether, I can keep this 560 as I assume it'll still hold it's own then.

Thanks for the advice, people!

EDIT,
@Gillza, the only thing I'm supporting are kickass 4 people vs 4 Sorian AI Adaptive 3 hour long LAN matches. I don't give much crap about singleplayer campaign.

 

[gillza]

From above:


@Gillza, the only thing I'm supporting are kickass 4 people vs 4 Sorian AI Adaptive 3 hour long LAN matches. I don't give much crap about singleplayer campaign.

Well I'm sure you've seen this:
PLANETARY ANNIHILATION: NEXT GENERATION RTS
I used to play a lot against that AI with peeps. A lot of fun, and the best and most random comments you will ever hear people make while playing hehe.


In any case, good luck with future GPU purchase!

 

[Eudaimonium]

No I have not seen it.

I'll look through it. Looks grand-scale.

Thanks!

 

[Hiemal]

Eud, have you tried reflowing the board in an oven?

I've gotten a few disfunctional graphics cards from a computer repair shop... Their symptoms were extremely similar to how your card is behaving.

I had one that didn't even output anything... in the oven, 500 degrees, pull out plug in and ...surprise, the card worked fine.

However, if you do decide to go this route you need to take off the electrolytic caps on the graphics card, otherwise you'll pop them due to the electrolyte inside boiling. Everything else is made to be heated so, go for it. You don't have anything to lose at this point anyway.

You basically just heat up the oven, get a cookie sheet, wrap any plastic parts in foil, and then wait about ... 10-20 minutes, or at least until you smell solder, and then turn off the oven, pull it out and then wait for it to cool down.

 

[Eudaimonium]

Eud, have you tried reflowing the board in an oven?

I've gotten a few disfunctional graphics cards from a computer repair shop... Their symptoms were extremely similar to how your card is behaving.

I had one that didn't even output anything... in the oven, 500 degrees, pull out plug in and ...surprise, the card worked fine.

However, if you do decide to go this route you need to take off the electrolytic caps on the graphics card, otherwise you'll pop them due to the electrolyte inside boiling. Everything else is made to be heated so, go for it. You don't have anything to lose at this point anyway.

You basically just heat up the oven, get a cookie sheet, wrap any plastic parts in foil, and then wait about ... 10-20 minutes, or at least until you smell solder, and then turn off the oven, pull it out and then wait for it to cool down.

That rooks risky as hell.

Also, there are a lot of big caps under the hood, not sure if electrolythic or that "solid state" stuff.

Well heck, I already took that as an excuse to buy a new one anyway. Once the new one arrives, then I'll mess around with cooking a GPU in an oven.

God, what I get myself talked into...

 

[jeffreythe00]

^do it . You will probably have to wait at least 2 weeks for shipping from the US to Croatia anyway.

 

[Bionic-Badger]

If you want a 560 and want to save a few bucks you could just as well buy a 460 and overclock it to the same level. nVidia usually just rebags its GPUs with a little more power at that price point (like what they did with the 8000 -> 9000 series, as with many others).

 

[Hiemal]

It's not risky at all, actually. How do you think they get the GPU and all those SMD components on the board in the first place?

Reflow!

The reason that may fix it, is when the GPU is in use, and heats up and cools down the solder balls underneath the GPU may form microscopic cracks, which over time can prevent the GPU from working properly..

Reflow the board and the cracks go away!

 

[Bionic-Badger]

That's how people repair those XBox360s and that ring of death: the processor runs so hot that it causes the solder to reflow. However, that's the secret to getting it to work again too: make it hot, it reflows back into position, then put a better heatsink that prevents that next time.

 

[InfinitusEquitas]

If you want a 560 and want to save a few bucks you could just as well buy a 460 and overclock it to the same level. nVidia usually just rebags its GPUs with a little more power at that price point (like what they did with the 8000 -> 9000 series, as with many others).

Not exactly the case here. There is a 10% - 30% performance increase from the 460 to 560.

That said, I'm able to overclock my 460 to match the performance of a stock 470/560 easily.

 

[Bionic-Badger]

Not exactly the case here. There is a 10% - 30% performance increase from the 460 to 560.

That said, I'm able to overclock my 460 to match the performance of a stock 470/560 easily.

A lot of that comes from it just being clocked higher by default. I read one review where they matched clock frequencies and the 560 was only about 10% faster which really isn't a huge deal for a "generation" later. That's still rebag territory in my book and seems more like a side-grade. That's why I'm thinking he should just save a few bucks and go for the 460 again if he's going to opt for a 560 anyway.

 

[Eudaimonium]

^do it . You will probably have to wait at least 2 weeks for shipping from the US to Croatia anyway.

No problems. College is starting, won't be doing a terrible amount of gaming anyway.

It's a good thing it died at the end of the vacation, at least.

If you want a 560 and want to save a few bucks you could just as well buy a 460 and overclock it to the same level. nVidia usually just rebags its GPUs with a little more power at that price point (like what they did with the 8000 -> 9000 series, as with many others).

Nope, no serious overclocking. That's my rule.

My greatest clock quest was getting my processor from 2.7 GHz to 2.9 GHz. That's it.

If I were to ever "boost" anything, I'd get a newest revision of my motherboard which would enable me to unlock extra cores in my processor. My current board is M52l-S3p (Gigabyte), but revision 1.

If I were to get rev. 2.1 or higher, I'd be able to unlock it... but for now, it works, I'm happy.

It's not risky at all, actually. How do you think they get the GPU and all those SMD components on the board in the first place?

Reflow!

The reason that may fix it, is when the GPU is in use, and heats up and cools down the solder balls underneath the GPU may form microscopic cracks, which over time can prevent the GPU from working properly..

Reflow the board and the cracks go away!

I am well aware of how reflow works, and the theory behind DIY reflow repairs.

I just never thought I'd need to do it myself one day...

Well, as soon as the new GPU clears, then I won't have nothing to lose. For now, I need this PC at least somewhat operational.

It maintains minimum functionality, but that's enough to play music from my laptop, and provide it shared internet connection.

If I ever get the 260 fixed via reflow, that's just an additional bonus.
I'd either sell it, or use it in this PC once I get new one, which will have the transplanted 560.

Thank you, people!

 

[InfinitusEquitas]

A lot of that comes from it just being clocked higher by default. I read one review where they matched clock frequencies and the 560 was only about 10% faster which really isn't a huge deal for a "generation" later. That's still rebag territory in my book and seems more like a side-grade. That's why I'm thinking he should just save a few bucks and go for the 460 again if he's going to opt for a 560 anyway.

I see your point. In terms of performance that may well be the case, but IMO the rebag does make a difference, it is progress. Maybe not revolutionary, but rather evolutionary, as electronics go. Lower power consumption, less heat, smaller size, etc, these are all steps forward that you do end up seeing, and benefiting from.

 

[Bionic-Badger]

I see your point. In terms of performance that may well be the case, but IMO the rebag does make a difference, it is progress. Maybe not revolutionary, but rather evolutionary, as electronics go. Lower power consumption, less heat, smaller size, etc, these are all steps forward that you do end up seeing, and benefiting from.

That is true. I wasn't counting those aspects, and they could even help the evolutionary upgrade push further than the older one too.

 

[InfinitusEquitas]

they could even help the evolutionary upgrade push further than the older one too.

Unfortunately probably not as much of a case for this now

Overclocking with higher end GPUs, CPUs, and even ram, has become almost common place, so now they try to push the reference products as hard as they can to begin with.

I imagine a whole lot more binning also goes on, than it used to. The downside of this kind of progress.

 

[Eudaimonium]

I wouldn't really worry about progress in computation technology

GTX560 I'm buying,
1.9 billion transistors on 330 square milimeters area.

Produces 7.80 GFLOPs od pure computational power in single-point precision float per one watt of current consumption, equalling 1.08 Tera FLOPs of performance.

GTX680 Kepler core, latest nVidia's chip, produces what, 18 GFLOPs per Watt, totalling 3.7 TFLOPS of performance. 23 nanometers wide transistors - 5 years back we throught we couldn't get down to 23 nanomters at least until 2015.

I cannot possible imagine GTX780 that's supposed to be out next year.