Graphics choice.......

[pethar]

Hi

Following some very useful feedback in a previous thread, I'm reviewing my GPU options within a currently evolving spec (below) for a new power PC for photo and video editing etc.

Choices are:

768MB Nvidia GeForce GTX460 GDDR5 DX11
1GB Nvidia GeForce GTX460 GDDR5 DX11
1GB ATI Radeon HD5770 DX11

Grateful for opinions on which would be best for my non-gaming use. Would the 1GB Nvidia be overkill, and could I therefore save myself a few quid?


Spec as it is currently:

COOLERMASTER CM690 MKII ADVANCED CASE + 2 FRONT USB
Intel® Core™i7-870 Quad Core (2.93GHz, 8MB Cache) + Turbo Boost
ASUS® P7P55D-E: USB 3.0, SATA 6.0GB/s, CrossFireX™ SUPPORT
8GB KINGSTON HYPER-X GENESIS DUAL-DDR3 1600MHz, X.M.P (4 x 2GB KIT)
1GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX460 GDDR5 PCI EXPRESS - DirectX® 11
1TB WD CAVIAR GREEN WD10EARS, SATA 3 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
INTERNAL 52 IN 1 CARD READER (READS XD, MS, CF, SD, etc)
CORSAIR 650W PSU (TX650) 80+ ULTRA QUIET (£76)
SUPER QUIET 22dBA TRIPLE COPPER HEATPIPE CPU COOLER (£19)
Sound Card Sound Blaster® Audigy™ SE (£25)
ONBOARD 10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
6 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL (MIN 2 FRONT PORTS) AS STANDARD
Genuine Windows 7 Professional 64 Bit - inc DVD & Licence (£108)
FREE Microsoft® Office Starter 2010 (Limited functionality Word & Excel)
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) (£5)
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Standard Build - Approximately 9 to 12 working days
Price £1,100.00

[Meds]

Hello again!

I'd opt for the 768MB GTX460, in my opinion it's not worth paying £40 or thereabouts for an extra 256MB Video Memory as it's not going to make a huge performance difference. Especially if you're not going to be hammering it day in day out with intense 3D apps.

[pethar]

Thanks Meds.

Good honest response! And saves a few quid to boot!

[Sleinous]

Yep i'd go with Meds on this too. Although, what is a shame is that motherboard is Crossfire supporting, and not SLI, as (if I remember correctly) it only has 1x PCIe x16 lane and 1x PCIe x16 lane that operates at x4 speed or something.

Maybe, use the extra to upgrade the mobo to an SLI capable one, therefore, later on you could add a second GTX 460 :)

Just some more food for thought!

[Gishank]

I recall one of the PCSpecualist lot stating SLi only improves performence in games that support it and as his intention isn't gaming it would be a waste of cash.

[Sleinous]

Oh yes, you're right, he's not gaming. But he is video editing and I couldve sworn there were editors out there that made of 2+ GPUs

[Meds]

I recall one of the PCSpecualist lot stating SLi only improves performence in games that support it and as his intention isn't gaming it would be a waste of cash.

Spot on :)

[Gorman]

Oh yes, you're right, he's not gaming. But he is video editing and I couldve sworn there were editors out there that made of 2+ GPUs

Yes and no, it would benefit in that there was 2 cuda cards to use if the program supports cuda. But thats not SLI, thats having two cards.

[pethar]

Thanks for all the feedback.

Reading the views expressed, I'm sweinging towards the GTX460 768MB version, as it seesm to win most peoples votes over the alternatives, such as the ATI 5770, which on the face of it have more 'grunt' but actually are not necessarily the best options.

As I've stated before, I'm not a gamer, and although photo and video editing is my main usage, my current 7 year old pc is groaning not really due to the GPU (although that's a ATI 9800 128MB unit) but more the CPU, which is a 2.8gHz P4 HT.

Thanks again.