Replacement for a GTX275

noktek

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Sep 13, 2009
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Hello community!
I am still using my 2009 PC daily and have only made a few hardware changes since then,
now i feel it is time to change the graphic card unit, as i work in the videogame area as a freelance and this implies lot of 3d modelling/sculpting and photoshop. The graphic card i have at the moment is a MSI GTX275 Twinfrozr, which fitted my case kind of by miracle (cant remember exactly, sadly), which makes the size of the graphic card very relevant because i dont want to reassemble my pc in a new bigger case. So i would like to ask, given that the actual bottleneck to my PC is the graphic card (and i think no one will disagree), is there a good option for replacement on the marked at the moment? I would like to note that it is not URGENT, so if there is a new generation coming out that provides real improvement and not simply rebranding of an old architecture, i will wait. I am interested in a "sweet spot" graphic card, best performance around 400$ more or less, single GPU.

Edit: my actual rig:

CPU: Intel Core i7 920 D0 BOX, Quad Core, 2.66 GHz, ...
CU: Noctua CPU-Cooler NH-U12P SE2 - Sockel 1366/1156
MOBO: AsRock X58 Extreme, Intel X58, LGA1366, SLI, CFX
RAM: GeIL EVO ONE 6x2GB Kit, DDR3-1600, CL7-7-7-24@1...
SSD: OCZ SSD Vertex 2 Extended Cap. 120GB, SATA-II, ...
HDD: WD VelociRaptor WD3000HLFS, 10'000rpm, 16MB, 30...
HDD: Samsung HD103SJ, F3, 7200rpm, 32MB, 1TB, SATA-II
DVD: LG GH22NS, 22x DVD±R Brenner, SATA, schwarz
PSU: Corsair CMPSU-850HX, 850W, SLI/CF, ATX2.2/EPS
Case: Cooler Master RC-690-KKN1-GP, inkl. Mesh-Gitter...
GPU: MSI GTX-275 Lightning (GT200b) 1792MB GDDR3, 55...
 
Solution

Romeru

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Jan 11, 2013
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If you're in the US the r9 290 DirectCUII goes for 399$ right now! Much cheaper than a gtx 780 and a little faster.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121842

Then there is the r9 290 tri-x from Sapphire that has a little better cooling, but it costs more.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202080

In general the r9 290 is going down in price and that's probably the best purchase right now for a high-end gpu.
BUT I'm unsure if it will fit. It should fit but I'd like someone else to confirm.
 


Except CUDA cores can seriously help professional work like what the OP is describing.
 

Free2play_noobs

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Now if really need anything for Workstation ,For Faster rendering & Editing ,then my choice will be Quadro K2000 or Fire pro W5000.Now when it comes to OpenCL & CUDA ,then my choice will be Open CL because it is faster than CUDA ( you can see bench marks for Adobe aftereffects ,3Ds max or especially open source tools like Blender)
But if you want anything from Consumer grade then i will choose R9 290 because it has a lot of room for overclocking ,& by OCeing you even can surpass both R9 290x & 780 both stock model & Factory over clocked model .
 

Free2play_noobs

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AMD has better OpenCL solution than Nvidia ,which is also really great for professional works .
 
Solution

noktek

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Thanks everybody for the suggestions!
Alas, what Rationale says is true: the choice for developers is Nvidia 99% of the times.

So, it seems the gtx770 is the best pick at the moment, but generally and vaguely speaking, is there something worth waiting for on the horizon? What about the new 800, worth waiting for, given the presumably high pricetag? I tried to google, but i failed
 

noktek

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researching CUDA and OpenCL right now...
By the way... The programs i dabble in the most are Mudbox, 3dsMax and Blender
Years ago i think for mudbox users Nvidias were the way to go, but as of now i have no idea anymore.
 
Your card is 10.6" long.
Most GTX770 cards will be less than that, so fit should not be a problem.
This EVGA GTX770 superclock is 10" long and fits well within your budget.
It is a considerable jump in graphics capability.
Your PSU is more than adequate.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130921

As to waiting, you will eventually see better price/performance, but probably not until the end of the year.
I would not expect significantly better though. If you have a need now... buy now.
If you wait for the next best thing, you will wait forever.
 


Yes, that'd be worthwhile if you have the money. It helps that EVGA has some of the best customer service, and if you need to send the card back (say it doesn't fit for some reason), you'd get a full refund.