How long will my GPU last?

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
Glenifir

Glenifir

Reputable
Aug 24, 2014
32
0
4,530
I want high-ultra graphics 60fps and once I get to the point where I need to turn the settings to medium/low to get 60 fps in games that are reasonably demanding (bf4/witcher2) I think I'll probably upgrade my rig to whatever is going.

here is my rig - http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/user/glenifir/saved/gjddnQ

I bought the 780, I know the 760 or the 770 is the better offer for my gaming needs RIGHT NOW but in the future when that extra gig of v-ram comes in handy I'm thinking it's not such a bad deal.

How many FPS will I lose on average when trying to play big games like bf4 on max settings 1080p. I'm thinking about 10fps a year so hypothetically when bf5 hits the market (2 years after bf4, It'll run 20 frames slower than bf4 on my rig) which means I should be running things at my standard after 3-4 years? and if the hardware keeps up It could be good for 6 years if i turn it all down to medium?

I feel like I'm being way too optimistic here lol, I bet the drop is more like 15-20fps drop per year which halves the longevity of my cards for fps at least.

do you think the 3gigs of v-ram will come in handy and really separate 2gig cards from 3gig cards in a year or two from now? I don't plan on going sli ever, and I plan on doing as much overclocking as I need to when my system isn't running things at 60fps.

thanks. :)
 
Sort by date Sort by votes
IInuyasha74

IInuyasha74

Splendid
May 1, 2013
6,333
18
27,965
xSamaru is correct that you will need a more powerful PSU for the system.

As for performance, it will be good even longer than 3 years. A few years ago, that would of been correct around 2010, but right now AMD and Nvidia are turning their focus to lower power consumption while maintaning performance so as to better target and get more power GPUs into the mobile world. As a result, while faster GPUs will come out for the desktops, they will be very slowly. Chances are 4 years is a better bet, with an extra 2 years if you will play with medium settings.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Glenifir

Glenifir

Reputable
Aug 24, 2014
32
0
4,530


cool cool. The 550w should be fine. I think a lot of people go overkill on the wattage but my system shouldn't be pulling more than 420 watts max if everything is running at full power.

that psu isn't actually the one i've bought, I got a V550S from coolermaster, made by enhance electronics. It's a very decent PSU though not quite as good as the Seasonic one I've put on my list. I did that because the PSU wouldn't show up in pc part picker.

it's gold rated so 550x.9= 495watts which is the wattage it will be able to supply to my pc. PSUs work best at 60-80% capacity (I think) so 495x.75=371watts which will be about the max my pc will use when it's balls to the wall gaming.

here are a couple videos backing this up... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiWThqgFfI4 and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajiN9aVOv4A

:D
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
xSamaru

xSamaru

Reputable
May 20, 2014
504
2
5,065


Well i see that math is your strong side.im just saying i dont think that will be enough you can try it but if youll get random restarts black screens crashes bad working gpu youll know what is the problem.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
IInuyasha74

IInuyasha74

Splendid
May 1, 2013
6,333
18
27,965
Yea we are just more saying better safe than sorry.
http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/geforce_gtx_780_review,9.html

Guru3d agrees that a 550w PSU works for a single card with any CPU, but adding more components ever would need a faster GPU if you ever wanted a series of HDDs, sound cards, other stuff etc. It will probably work with what you have, just better be safe than sorry, but if you believe all is well then its fine :)
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Solution
Glenifir

Glenifir

Reputable
Aug 24, 2014
32
0
4,530


I might just send the PSU back if it's free P&P and get a 600-650watt PSU from Seasonic just to be safe. I've factored in PSU wattage depreciation and power needs for an overclock and I've had mixed responses. I guess it's because it starts with a 5 and not a 6. If it was 600watts bronze I bet I wouldn't be getting as much hasstle, even though by my understanding 550 gold provides the same amount 600x.8=480watts 550x.9=495watts. It's basic maths but I'm s**t at physics and could be getting it all wrong.

guess i'll realize when I die in a fiery explosion or not :L
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
xSamaru

xSamaru

Reputable
May 20, 2014
504
2
5,065


thats wise:)
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Glenifir

Glenifir

Reputable
Aug 24, 2014
32
0
4,530


ahh, I think everyone is probably a bit too paranoid about PSU wattage, I know I am in spite of my purchase :L what works for me is that I'm using a pretty efficient GPU, The PSU is very good quality, I'm not going to overclock much and I'm not overclocking until it's all going to be redundant anyway and most importantly (I think) the calculations work out fine.

I'll probably go for a SSD and a 2tb hard drive. No sound card or wifi card or anything like that. obviously no sli LOL. It should be fine. SHOULD BE. knowing my luck the pc will just melt, literally. :L
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
IInuyasha74

IInuyasha74

Splendid
May 1, 2013
6,333
18
27,965
Just noticed something (also just woke up from a nap so if I'm way wrong I'm sorry) but it looks like you are figuring the PSU is capable of only like 495w. If so you are calculating the "efficiency" wrong. What the efficiency is reffering to is power wasted in addition to power used. So the PSU has been tested by Seasonic to be able to put out a total of 550w (possibly more, the German Tomshardware had a 300w Platinum Efficiency unit that was putting out nearly 500w) to the computer. So, if it is lets say 80% efficient, it will pull 660w of power from the wall at full load, 110w will be dispersed as heat from waste and the remainder will flow into the various hardware pieces.

Now yours is a Gold rated model, so the efficiency is probably better than that, and the efficiency goes up and down at various load levels typically being the most efficient when under about 75% load, and slowly becoming less efficient as that goes up or down.

SO your PSU might be able to handle all things fine. In honest it probably should be able to. Just those extra 50w makes some of us feel safer. Though we could caculate your system voltage again extra high. Purposefully counting more voltage per part than it really uses:
CPU: 130w
GPU: ?w
ODD: 15w
HDD: 15w
SSD: 15w
MBO: 25w
FAN: 5x5=25w + CPUFAN= 35w total
RAM: Number of sticks times 10w = 40w max

Calculating your RAM at nearly double the true power usage, and SSD at much higher power usage, your CPU as roughly what an Sandy Bridge i7-2600k would be and other things listed, the total system power usage is 275w. CPU voltage probably higher after overclocking so more power.

Guru 3D subjectively determined the 780 power usage at 231w, adding that with your total you get 506w. So even in a worst case scenario you technically have 44w of power ontop with all of these parts running at full speed.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Glenifir

Glenifir

Reputable
Aug 24, 2014
32
0
4,530


Ahhh! Fantastic news for me then! if your right then I'm in a much better position than I previously thought. I've been trying to figure out how to build a reliable pc for like 2 weeks straight... no sleep for me :p Currently trying to figure out if I need a voltage regulator and a surge protector >_< I feel like I'm being drained of money for things I never knew existed but apparently "need" :c
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Glenifir

Glenifir

Reputable
Aug 24, 2014
32
0
4,530


yeah? what about brown outs, dips and spikes? I'm kinda thinking it's all a bit of a scam but most people do recommend them. Maybe it's just the energy in Scotland but my power seems extremely reliable. I know Americans have it a lot worse because of Earthquakes, Tornadoes etc.

I could get a £10 surge protector, a £30 surge protector with a power conditioner (reduces static noise in pc equipment), or a £40 Voltage regulator with a pretty small surge protector. I'm so confused by it all and nobody really has any solid facts on it.

 
Upvote 0 Downvote
IInuyasha74

IInuyasha74

Splendid
May 1, 2013
6,333
18
27,965
I've never used a voltage regulator, neither has my dad or brother. All of us have mid to low level gaming PCs and have for years, and have never once since 2002 had an issue with this.

A surge protector will protect against a spike, since if the spike is big enough to harm the equipment it will blow the fuse and cut power. I don't live in an area with brown outs so I don't know about those.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom