9800 GT vs Radeon 5670

[reparadocs]

SO TigerDirect has a 9800 GT for 50$ (512 mb, DDR3, 128 bit) and I am wondering whether I should buy that or if I should pay around 20 bucks more for a 5670 on newegg (128 bit, 512 mb DDR5) or if I should pay 30 bucks more for a 5670 on newegg that is 1 GB DDR5 128 bit....
Is the DX11 support worth it?
If you say I should buy the 5670 please comment on whether I should buy that 512 mb DDR5 (70$), 1gb DDR3 (70$) or 1gb ddr5 (80$ AR)

 

[reparadocs]

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: ASAPBUDGET RANGE: 40$ - 80$

USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: Gaming (Portal 2, Starcraft 2, future games not too demanding), Watching movies,

CURRENT GPU AND POWER SUPPLY: Had a GT 430, RMAd, 500W psu

OTHER RELEVANT SYSTEM SPECS: AMD Athlon II x4 3.2 ghz, 8GB Sniper Ram

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: I am preferential to newegg, but I can deal with others COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: USA

PARTS PREFERENCES: none

OVERCLOCKING: No SLI OR CROSSFIRE: No

MONITOR RESOLUTION: 1280x1024

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS:

 

[purple stain]

The 9800GT is faster than the 5670.The 9800GT is more compareable to the 5770.I would go with the 5770 but if thats out of your price range than the 9800GT is the better choice.The DX11 support for the 5670 isn't really worth it because the 5670 isn't strong enough to provide good frames in DX11.

What is the make/model of your power supply?

 

[reparadocs]

Its a Rosewill 500w
Either this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182044&cm_re=rosewill_500w-_-17-182-044-_-Product
Or this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182076&cm_re=rosewill_500w-_-17-182-076-_-Product

What games are coming out on DX11 that I will miss out on if I choose the 9800 GT?
Also, there is a Radeon 5830 on TigerDirect for 100$, but I am not sure if I want to pay that much...

 

[jyjjy]

The 9800GT is faster than the 5670.

The card in question is one of the newer versions without the PCI-E power connector. Those cards are underclocked from 600mhz to 550 which should bring it down to right around the performance of the HD5670.

 

[purple stain]

Thats not to bad if you have the money I would say go ahead and get it.The 5830 is a powerful card.Better than the 5770 or 9800GT.That card can also handle DX11 pretty moderatly.

Dunno about that PSU.It looks very weak.I wouldn't try putting anything over a 5770 on it that PSU.The 5830 uses way more power than the 5770 so stay away from that unitl you get a new PSU.
Technically speaking your PSU should be able to deliever 350watts on the 12/v rail but the 5830 under load uses about 360watts.So stay away fro mthe 5830 it's a pwoer hog.
Go with the 5770 and you should be able to use your current psu with it.

 

[purple stain]

The card in question is one of the newer versions without the PCI-E power connector. Those cards are underclocked from 600mhz to 550 which should bring it down to right around the performance of the HD5670.

I wasn't aware they starting making new versions of the 9800GT.I thought they were about done with that card.

 

[jyjjy]

They aren't starting, I think those cards have been around for close to 2 years now. They are just "newer" compared to the original version with the connector. There are two different versions of the 9600GT as well but they are clocked the same so in that case the power connector is the only difference.

 

[reparadocs]

So I don't want to spend that much on a card ($100) so between the 70$ 5670 and the 9800 GT, you would reccommend the 9800 GT? Also, What DX11 stuff will I be missing out with the 9800 GT?
On a side note, With a newegg refund, is that store credit, or do they just give back the money?

 

[jaguarskx]

You won't be missing out much on DX11. It's really not a huge jump from DX9 like DX9 was from DX8. DX11 also needs a bit of processing power and the HD 5670 is a bit too weak for that. I would guess you would come to realize that it would not be worth playing DX11 on the HD 5670 due to the performance it.

You will get you money back from Newegg if you return something to them. Less any shipping charges and a possible 15% restocking fee.

Additionally, the HD 5670 is too slow to take advantage of 1GB of VRAM. Benchmarks have shown there is virtually no difference between 512MB and 1GB for that card unless you consider a possible 0.5% to 1% increase in performance to be huge.

 

[reparadocs]

So I have decided to get the 9800 GT, but its OEM... so do I need to buy any cables or anything like that? I heard you need a 6-pin power adapter???

The card in question is one of the newer versions without the PCI-E power connector. Those cards are underclocked from 600mhz to 550 which should bring it down to right around the performance of the HD5670.

So does this mean I need to buy the power connector?
I say this because in a review on TigerDirect about this card it says:

For 49.99 you really cant beat out this card. OEM means its just the card, no cables included. as for size, in my computer case it took up two slots. look in the back of the case and they have the spots where u plug in stuff one on top of the other make sure you have a 6 pin pci-e connector from psu to plug in on the side of card. i didnt notice it at first and all i got was a high pitched whine.

 

[Supermuncher85]

Your PSU should have a dedicated 6 pin VGA cable. I'm assuming your PSU it's not modular, so just open the case and look if you can see a red 6 pin connector. If you do, you shouldn't need to buy an other cable.

Also download the nvidia drivers prior to installing the card.

 

[reparadocs]

Ok...so currently Im running an old X300/X550/x1050...
Should I uninstall the ATI drivers, install nvidia drivers, and then install the card. On top of that....The nvidia driver only installs when it scans your hardware and finds that the card is in your machine...so wouldnt it be impossible to install the drivers prior?

 

[reparadocs]

In addition, I just checked out my mobo. It only had one PCIE spot which isnt a problem...what is a problem is that right next to it is a PCI slot which I don't need, but it is higher than the PCIE slot that the 9800 GT will reside in. Since it is such a wide card, it needs two slots, but it will most probably not have room because of the PCI slot. Is this a problem I should worry about? Is there anyway I can cut it down or take out the PCI slot since I wont need it?

 

[Supermuncher85]

As dg27 said in post of his: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/304643-33-delete-drivers-installing-nvidia

Drive sweeper download: http://www.guru3d.com/category/driversweeper/

But to be clear, the order would be:

1) Run the Windows uninstaller for everything ATI.

2) Run Drivesweeper and the reg option on CCleaner.

3) Replace ATI card with the Nvidia card.

4) Install the pre-downloaded Nvidia drivers.

 

[Supermuncher85]

In addition, I just checked out my mobo. It only had one PCIE spot which isnt a problem...what is a problem is that right next to it is a PCI slot which I don't need, but it is higher than the PCIE slot that the 9800 GT will reside in. Since it is such a wide card, it needs two slots, but it will most probably not have room because of the PCI slot. Is this a problem I should worry about? Is there anyway I can cut it down or take out the PCI slot since I wont need it?

No cutting lol! I've seen people cut an AGP card to fit into a pcie slot. No it shouldn't be a problem at all. The cooler will extend over the PCI slot but it will have been built with that in mind. Meaning the PCI slot should not be in the way of installing the card.

 

[reparadocs]

Ok thanks a lot! Ill be sure to do that when I get my new card...can't wait... 4-7 days approximately tho although Ive heard TigerDirect is faster
Thanks for all your help guys!

 

[jyjjy]

I was looking at this card when I said it is one of the models without the power connector;
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=6460821&CatId=3670
But I guess that $50 price is after rebate so the EVGA card is a better choice. That model does need a power connector however. It also uses more power than the other model. What PSU is in your system exactly? If it already has a 6-pin power connector then you will not need to buy an adapter. If it doesn't then you will but it also means the PSU might not be powerful enough for the card so give us the brand/model.

EDIT: Looking at it further this card seems a bit odd. It does need the power connector but for some reason it is clocked at 525mhz. A standard 9800GT is clocked at 600mhz and even the version without the power connector is usually 550mhz so I have no idea why this one is so low. Also if you scroll down the card only has a 3 month warranty and is provided by someone I never heard of. You may be better off getting that Zotac model I linked above which is clocked higher and has a lifetime warranty from the actual manufacturer.

 

[purple stain]

Yes go with the lifetime warranrty.

Yes the 5830 is the best card out of the ones here but that would mean you have to get a new PSU to run it.

 

[nforce4max]

This is actually very sad, the 9800gt is one of the few cards that I would actually respect and personally own two. Those crippled 9800gt with low clocks and no connector will never live up to the true performance that helped made this card once legendary like the 8800gt. Since it is clocked around 525mhz there could be a chance that It was clocked lower still to reduce power further or they used a 65nm sample and had to limit load consumption. A 55nm green edition loads around 60w at stock while a 55nm version with the connector is around 70w~. 65nm version with the connector loads at 84w typically same as the 3870 and 5770. Overclocked the 65nm cards max out at 105w while the 55nm are slightly less due to lower voltage to the core as well the die shrink.

As you can tell I know the g92 very well.

 

[purple stain]

Actually the 5770 tops out at 105 watts.But the maximum most any user would see is around 80watts.

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/HIS/HD_5770/28.html

 

[reparadocs]

:O I already ordered it last night
Since I already ordered it, should I return it as soon as it arrives?
Or should I just keep it? (Will it go bad after 3 months)
In addition, since it is clocked so low, is it still a good deal???

 

[reparadocs]

Also, I thought EVGA had a lifetime warranty?

 

[jyjjy]

You could check if it has shipped yet. If not you can probably cancel it and go for the other one. If not I wouldn't worry about it too much. It's still a decent deal I guess for only $50. You can try overclocking it up to the standard 600mhz. It will likely work. I have no idea what's up with that warranty to be honest but if it lasts the 3 months it's probably fine. Honestly I've never even had a card go bad on me over the last decade or so but I may be lucky.

 

[reparadocs]

ok just a few questions... I don't want to decrease the lifespan of the card... I don't buy cards frequently and I'll probably use this one for the next 4-5 years
so 1) Are you sure a 3 month warranty will cut it? I dont want it to suddenly stop working in 6 months and then have no options but to buy a new card
2) Doesn't EVGA have a lifetime warranty?
3) What tool should I use to overclock the card?
4) How much should I overclock the card in memory and in the core clock? I don't want to decrease the lifespan, but at the same time I want to overclock it...
5) I saw an akimbo review where the card has a part of the cooler located on the back, whereas this card (through the pics) seems to have no cooling on the back of the card.....Is this a problem?