Geforce 9800 GT eco vs normal

[silverion]

I purchased two XFX Geforce 9800 GT from Newegg but recieved eco versions (without a power outlet) instead. Apparently this is a pretty common occurrence as there's a total of 9 verisons of the Geforce 9800 GT available from XFX. I think this is a little crazy.

Anyway, to correct this mistake I'm going to have to shell out another 10 dollars in shipping fees to get both replaced with non eco versions. This brings the cost up to a GTS 250, which is extremely disappointing =/. I know, I should have got the GTS 250.

I wanted to know what the performance difference between a single eco 9800 GT and a normal 9800 GT. Technically, the memory clock on the eco verison is 400MHz slower (1400 compared to 1800). The core clock is also 50Mhz slower (550 from 600). How does this translate in games? Are we talking about a single digit frame rate difference / hundreds of points in futuremark, or double digit differences / thousands of points in futuremark?

I ask because these are Christmas presents for my kids and I really am at a lose as to whether I should pay the money to get what I ordered. It seems like a monumental waste if the difference is minimal. Neither of my kids are overlocking enthusiasts, so at least that's one potential problem out of the way with the eco cards. On the other hand I purchased two awesome power supplies anticipating meatier cards =/, those are sort of wasted at this point.

Another question - realistically, how much more powerful is a GTS 250? Thank you for your time.

 

[jyjjy]

It shouldn't be a huge difference, roughly 5-10% I would think so yeah, single digit frame rate difference. Ocing would actually be a decent idea. From what I've heard those cards should easily get back up to at least the stock 9800GT levels.
As to whether you should've gotten(or should get) the GTS 250 instead it mainly depends on what resolution will be used.

 

[shubham1401]

Umm.....I also have a 9800GT Eco(From Zotac).
These cards don't have 6 pin connector.

So if you OC these cards they might need more power than what PCIe slot can actually give.

What can be the consequences in this case?

 

[jyjjy]

The consequences would be the system crashing and knowing you've OCed too far.

 

[silverion]

Umm.....I also have a 9800GT Eco(From Zotac).
These cards don't have 6 pin connector.

So if you OC these cards they might need more power than what PCIe slot can actually give.

What can be the consequences in this case?

Best case scenario is what jyjjy said, system crashes; not a huge problem, just underclock until you find a sweet spot.

However, other things can happen. Stability issues of all kinds (not just crashes) and graphical artifacts might occur. Your GPU can overheat to dangerous levels, causing minor to major damage to either the videocard and maybe the motherboard. The PSU may also short on you, which can damage it or any other piece of hardware in your system. Depending on your card provider, you may also void your warranty.

Regardless, the lifespan of your videocard will be shorten to some degree. Usually nothing major so long as you're not stretching the limits.

The possibility of any of this happening right off the bat? Probably very unlikely. It's only with repeated overclocking, repeated crashes, and with poor circulation and cooling that you see these results. Usually the computer hard crashes before any major damage occurs.

 

[jyjjy]

What you are describing is what happens if you OC a card too high and it overheats. That is an entirely different situation from OCing a card and it not being able to get enough power. Most of the things you mentioned are almost literally impossible as a result of a card not getting enough power. For example how would a card not getting enough power cause it to overheat? How would a PCIe slot not being able to give a card enough power short out your PSU? Why would it shorten the lifespan of the card?
If the card can't get enough power it will shut down. If it is on the border of the limit then there may be some stability issues in that when it needs more power it will shut down rather than right away but that's about it. The equivalent would be running a card that has a PCIe power connector without it plugged in. It's not going to hurt your computer. Either the card wont work at all or it will fail and crash the system when asked to do something graphic intensive.