Geforce 260-285 upgrade input

[dagoo7]

I purchased an Alienware computer about 18 months ago with an 8800 GTX card. It seems like the card has gone bad prematurely and if I need to replace it, I would like to upgrade. I was wondering about the Geforce 260 gtx and 285 gtx. Couple questions

1. Can my computer handle it. Its an alienware Intel Core2 Duo CPU E6850 @ 3.00GHz. Not entirely sure about the power supply but it was standard option at that time (18 months ago) w/ liquid cooling system.

2. If so, which 200 series is recommended for single card setup. Was looking at the 260 gtx and 280 gtx, but not sure what the difference is in performance or really clear on price differential.

Any input appreciated.

 

[hunter315]

What resolution do you play at?

You need to check your PSU because the GTX285 pulls a ton of power and some PSUs cant take it, post the combined amperage for the 12 volt rails please.

I generally recommend against the GTX280 or GTX285 in favor of the GTX275 which pulls less power, runs cooler, and performs very similarly to the other two for significantly less.

 

[dagoo7]

I am almost positive it was the standard 525W PSU option for alienware, however don't know much more about it and as you can tell I am pretty clueless with this stuff. Is there an easy way to get more info on the PSU? Is 525W gonna be too lightweight for a 275?

Edit: I still have an older non-ws monitor so I usually run 1280x1024 or a slightly lower 4:3 ratio depending on the game

 

[FallenSniper]

I would stay away from the 280/285. Any reason you aren't looking at Ati cards? Maybe a 4870?

 

[dagoo7]

I just have no experience with ATIs, have always had an Nvidia. Not averse to other options just dont know much about them. Would a 525W PSU be sufficient for a 4870?

 

[hunter315]

Well with your resolution i wouldnt suggest anything higher than a 4870 or GTX260, i can play all games at high at that resolution with my 4850, you PSU would be plenty for a GTX260 or a 4870.

What chipset does your motherboard have? The chipset determines which brand will provide you with the best upgrade option or if it doesnt matter.

 

[Robert Elinzerbitz]

I am almost positive it was the standard 525W PSU option for alienware, however don't know much more about it and as you can tell I am pretty clueless with this stuff. Is there an easy way to get more info on the PSU? Is 525W gonna be too lightweight for a 275?

Edit: I still have an older non-ws monitor so I usually run 1280x1024 or a slightly lower 4:3 ratio depending on the game

Your PSU is a tiny bit questionable for the 285, which slurps power, and it's way too much for a 1024.
Experience tells me that a 275 will handle Crysis on Very High with 4x AA on a 1050 monitor with around 30 FPS average, so, I'm sure you'll be alright, although your PSU might be pushed around a little.

I agree with the other guys that your best option is to stick with a GTX 260, which will deliver great performance anyways. But you could also get a 4870 or a 4890 like FallenSniper recommended, as those are great cards as well.

 

[dagoo7]

Great thanks for the info. Does it matter from a PSU or significantly from a performance perspective if I go with an 896 or 1792mb version?

Edit: Did a little research and since I don't plan on using ultra-high resolutions, I am just gonna go with the 896mb. Thanks again for the info.

 

[Robert Elinzerbitz]

Great thanks for the info. Does it matter from a PSU or significantly from a performance perspective if I go with an 896 or 1792mb version?

Edit: Did a little research and since I don't plan on using ultra-high resolutions, I am just gonna go with the 896mb. Thanks again for the info.

The 1792 MB version is not enough of a difference to justify the cost...if it was $10 more, sure, but it's not.

The performance difference is in the single digit %'s if you get the higher memory version, and only if you are gaming at 1600 resolution, which the 275 is probably not going to handle well at high settings for most modern games anyways.

And the PSU wattage draw due to memory is minimal for the "low" and "high" versions of a card, a few watts at most.

 

[coozie7]

The GTX260 would be a good choice, similar power draw to the 8800GTX but with slightly better performance, more than enough for a 1280x1024 monitor.
Before making a purchase, take a look here:

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1421792.

Yes, it does work, but not for everyone, but if the card is dead and out of warranty (it is. is n't it?) what do you have to lose?
Google 'reflowing' for why it works