47 replies to this topic

[marshalade]

Umbre, on January 15 2013 - 02:56 PM, said:

I use my computer for map design, musical composition, video production/recording, gaming and I'd like it to perform several of these functions all at once.

If you think I could utilize some other hardware to achieve this, please let me know. I'm only basing my interest in the 690 because I've heard a lot of people praising it.

The ability to run those programs simultaneously and seamlessly is a function of the amount of RAM you have, the clock speed of your RAM, and the clock speed of your processor. A 690 will honestly not allow you to do any of this better. If you want my advice and intend on buying a new GPU, get a gtx 670. That's the absolute best bang for your buck in higher-end video cards right now. With the money you save, buy some 1886 mhz RAM and an aftermarket CPU cooler to overclock to higher speeds. Go with liquid for better performance and limited mobility or air for solid performance and the ability to move your rig. Then again, you never mentioned what i7 you have so I don't know if you have a locked multiplier.

[nullface]

I have to disagree with most people on page one about the PSU. IF his 700W is a good quality one, it should do fine unless he runs a massive overclock and 12 HDD's. The 650W estimate on the GTX690 does take a lot of extra hardware into account, after all, it's an enthusiast/gamer card.

[marshalade]

nullface, on January 15 2013 - 03:46 PM, said:

I have to disagree with most people on page one about the PSU. IF his 700W is a good quality one, it should do fine unless he runs a massive overclock and 12 HDD's. The 650W estimate on the GTX690 does take a lot of extra hardware into account, after all, it's an enthusiast/gamer card.

I have to disagree with you on that, and advise Umbre to utilize the "better safe than sorry" methodology. The 690 will draw more that 400W, on it's own, at load. You need a new PSU with that card.

Edited by marshalade, January 15 2013 - 04:36 PM.

[ArnieF4440]

marshalade, on January 15 2013 - 03:36 PM, said:

Umbre, on January 15 2013 - 02:56 PM, said:

I use my computer for map design, musical composition, video production/recording, gaming and I'd like it to perform several of these functions all at once.

If you think I could utilize some other hardware to achieve this, please let me know. I'm only basing my interest in the 690 because I've heard a lot of people praising it.

The ability to run those programs simultaneously and seamlessly is a function of the amount of RAM you have, the clock speed of your RAM, and the clock speed of your processor. A 690 will honestly not allow you to do any of this better. If you want my advice and intend on buying a new GPU, get a gtx 670. That's the absolute best bang for your buck in higher-end video cards right now. With the money you save, buy some 1886 mhz RAM and an aftermarket CPU cooler to overclock to higher speeds. Go with liquid for better performance and limited mobility or air for solid performance and the ability to move your rig. Then again, you never mentioned what i7 you have so I don't know if you have a locked multiplier.

+1, that about sums it up. Video processing, etc. is usually CPU bound and isn't usually GPU hardware accelerated, only some things like video playback (with H264 codec for example) are hardware accelerated and they only use maybe 10%-20% of your GPU. You're better off doing what marshalade says in this case. Plus a nice OC will get you a performance boost in your GPU because of a reduced bottleneck. And also if you get another 6970, its more worth it ATM. But I'm now a +1 for Nvidia cards, I feel they're much more reliable in terms of driver support, and they've been outperforming their AMD equivalents recently. Fermi (400 series) was a nuclear (... well heat producing) disaster though, lol

marshalade, on January 15 2013 - 04:35 PM, said:

nullface, on January 15 2013 - 03:46 PM, said:

I have to disagree with most people on page one about the PSU. IF his 700W is a good quality one, it should do fine unless he runs a massive overclock and 12 HDD's. The 650W estimate on the GTX690 does take a lot of extra hardware into account, after all, it's an enthusiast/gamer card.

I have to disagree with you on that, and advise Umbre to utilize the "better safe than sorry" methodology. The 690 will draw more that 400W, on it's own, at load. You need a new PSU with that card.

+1 ... safe than sorry is your best friend with PSU's, a good PSU should last you years and keep your components running well. Without a good one, you can get issues, and it is the 'heart of the computer' ... BTW, its 350W @ 100% utilisation according to the reviews.
I think its the ATX specification for graphics cards power draw that says the maximum a card should draw is 400W from the PSU. But cards like some of the extreme Asus cards (MARS_) have drawn more power.

Edited by ArnieF4440, January 15 2013 - 05:22 PM.

[SS396]

@marshalade

Not everyone on here is a computer nerd with experience building a computer from separate pieces   I'd say a there are more users that just buy a preassembled system than have the ability or want to assemble their own.

Have a little more respect, she asked for help and suggestions, no need to be all condescending because she didn't know all of the exact details of her computer.

My suggestion about a bigger power supply was a "just in case" scenario, I mean hell if you have 1000 bucks to blow on a crazy graphics card, whats another 199 bucks for safe measure.

*Wonders if the light bulb will flick on*    

[OddaC]

For video editing and music production, you'll find that having a strong CPU and plenty of speedy RAM will be far more beneficial than a new GPU. I fear that you maybe going for something you don't really need with the 690. Hell, I'm wanting of a 670 and I'm second guessing THAT because I don't play a lot of particularly intensive games.

[marshalade]

SS396, on January 15 2013 - 10:26 PM, said:

@marshalade

Not everyone on here is a computer nerd with experience building a computer from separate pieces   I'd say a there are more users that just buy a preassembled system than have the ability or want to assemble their own.

Have a little more respect, she asked for help and suggestions, no need to be all condescending because she didn't know all of the exact details of her computer.

I learned almost all of what I know about components in the week leading up to the purchase of mine. Still, my point stands. You use it, rely on it, and are going to upgrade it. Why not spend a few hours on the internet learning about it_

The issue of my behavior is further complicated because Umbre is my clanmate. I speak to her in mumble once every few days and have an idea of her level of general knowledge, so I was disappointed the she didn't know what she was doing. In essence, I expected more.

[R33F3R]

Umbre, on January 15 2013 - 02:56 PM, said:

I use my computer for map design, musical composition, video production/recording, gaming and I'd like it to perform several of these functions all at once.

If you think I could utilize some other hardware to achieve this, please let me know. I'm only basing my interest in the 690 because I've heard a lot of people praising it.

Its praised because its the most expensive consumer card sold by nvidia and the best sold on the market. How much will it be worth in 5 years I wonder_

[Umbre]

Well, thanks for all the advice. As for longevity, would I not be able to get another 690 in the future, and basically bring my system on par with whatever happens to be the next "best" _

[ArnieF4440]

Umbre, on January 17 2013 - 03:16 AM, said:

Well, thanks for all the advice. As for longevity, would I not be able to get another 690 in the future, and basically bring my system on par with whatever happens to be the next "best" _

the PC components lifecycle is reallly short ... within about 6 months - 1 year, there will be another generation of GPU's with better specs etc, and the manufacturers will stop selling the older series. With something like the 690, which is for the "uber" enthusiast grade of users, they will not be very easy to find if at all.

Check out the Graphics card section of: http://www.pccasegear.com/
The current gen of AMD GPUs (just as an example) is the 7000 series, prior, the 6000s, and before that the 5000s. Now, you cannot find anything that is high range in the 5000 series, only low grade cards.

If you wanna upgrade now, and do so in the future, choose a mid to high range card which isn't too high like the 670. You will most likely be able to get that in a years time. But, if you get the 690 or an equivalent dual card setup, it'll be able to compete with atleast 2 generations of GPU's pretty well. I know this because I used to have a Sapphire Radeon 5970HD (the 5000 series dual GPU beast) and it was still kicking ... until its eventual demise a few months ago

Edited by ArnieF4440, January 17 2013 - 03:33 AM.

[Umbre]

Just out of curiosity, am I the only one using a 6970 but can only run the game on minimum settings and STILL getting less than 60 fps_

[ArnieF4440]

Umbre, on January 17 2013 - 03:40 AM, said:

Just out of curiosity, am I the only one using a 6970 but can only run the game on minimum settings and STILL getting less than 60 fps_

Might be a driver problem ... thinking realistically, a 6970 should 60FPS the game. Have you got physX enabled/got physX drivers installed_

[Umbre]

I do not have physX enabled.

[ArnieF4440]

CCC 12.10_ I'd be really surprised if you're getting that low performance on a 6970 ... its supposed to be the best of the 6000 series, lol

But then again, AMD drivers are notorious for being dodgy

Edited by ArnieF4440, January 17 2013 - 05:31 AM.

[tamazomby]

$1000 video card, holy fuzzy bunny fuzzy bunny!

[Azihayya]

I bought a 650 Ti for $150 and it plays Hawken at maximum settings, with an i7 core and 8G of RAM, and I can record footage using FRAPS without ( I don't think ) any loss of frame-rate. Watch out for those higher end cards, because they can be either loud or very hot.

[ArnieF4440]

Azihayya, on January 17 2013 - 07:55 PM, said:

I bought a 650 Ti for $150 and it plays Hawken at maximum settings, with an i7 core and 8G of RAM, and I can record footage using FRAPS without ( I don't think ) any loss of frame-rate. Watch out for those higher end cards, because they can be either loud or very hot.

2x660TI's here, they aren't very loud or hot at all ... it would have been the case for Nvidia with the 400 series (Fermi), but that was 3 years ago, lol. The 600 series have done really well, and are outperforming their AMD equivalents by 20% depending on the test. BTW, loss of FPS is usually associated with the storage medium (HDD/SSD)

Edited by ArnieF4440, January 17 2013 - 08:55 PM.

[D20Face]

How hot is your PC running currently_

Make sure you have proper cooling. Never underestimate the power of a good fan. I wouldn't get new parts without making sure you can cool them. It sounds like you're likely using a stock PC, so you'll probably need another fan.

Fans are cheap too. $20 will get you an amazing fan if you don't mind loudness.

Edited by D20Face, January 17 2013 - 09:15 PM.

[Umbre]

My PC can't seem to run any hotter than 73 degrees, even with my GPU overclocked and operating at 100%

[LoneSyndal]

Try checking out RadeonPro.