Graphics card broke down (GTX580) - suggest similar or can I upgrade?

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dhpii

dhpii

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My ASUS GeForce GTX 580 DirectCU II broke down and I need to replace it, however, I cannot find the same card for a reasonable price. My questions are:

Can you suggest a similar graphics card or maybe even a better one to replace it?

I'm not sure what my machine is capable of running - my specs are listed below:

  • - Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z68A-D3H-B3 (*)
    - i7-2700K @ 3.4 GHz
    - 8 GB Kingston Hyper X @ 1600 MHz (9905403-199.A00LF 4GB x2)
    - ASUS GeForce GTX 580 DirectCUII (R.I.P.)
    - Western Digital WD5000AAKX (500 GB SATA, 16 MB cache)
    - Sony Optiarc AD-5260S
    - PSU HEC-700TA-2W1, 700 Watt
(*)Intel Z68/rev.1.0/Socket1155/PCI-E2.0x16/ATX/4 DDR3 2-CH/HD Audio/GbE LAN/2 SATA 6Gb/s/2 USB3.0

Would it be able to run e.g. an Asus GeForce GTX750Ti 2GB PCI-E or Asus GeForce GTX960 2GB STRIX OC PCI-E?


Thanks in advance!
 
Solution
coozie7
My top pick for your uses would be a 2Gb GTX960, there's no advantage with the 4GB card at 1080 rez unless you want to use higher AA settings or plan on playing games that demand a lot of memory, it sips power, either of the cards you list will be virtually silent and it has all those nice Nvidia extras like PhysX, DSR, adaptive Vsync, shadowplay and a almost bewildering range of anti aliasing options.

Next choice would be the GTX970, advantages are as above but with far more power at its disposal it'll run more demanding games with ease at beautifully high settings.

Last is the R9 290X, it's nearly as fast as the GTX970 (in some games a little faster) and, from your list (just?) within budget, the Direct CU II cooler got good reviews...
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M0j0jojo

M0j0jojo

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Your system could run any card you wish, but how broad is your budget? Don't go for a 750 Ti or 960, they are not that good. If I were you I would look for a second hand GTX 780.
 
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L

littleleo

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So what is your budget for the new VGA card?
 
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dhpii

dhpii

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I am not sure what my PSU power is - is there a way to check it? The only thing I could find physically on the unit was a S/N: H1105019285.

Budget-wise I would say my max. is around $220.
 
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dhpii

dhpii

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I think the case - a Cooler Master HAF similar to this one: http://www.techspot.com/articles-info/165/images/Image_00.jpg - was born with the PSU.

The PC was originally bought from a professional place and I have a hard time believing it is <500 W.

Yes, around $220 USD :)

Which card(s) did you refer to by "970/290x"?

 
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dhpii

dhpii

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In Denmark (where I will buy the card from) the R9 280x varies from $256-297 USD depending on brand.

Are any better than the rest from: MSI, Club 3D, XFX, Sapphire VAPOR, Gigabyte (all of the 3 GB)?

EDIT:
Would this be a good buy?
Asus Radeon R9 290X 4GB DirectCU II HDMI, DisplayPort, 2xDVI

2290 DKK ~ $334 USD
 
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coozie7

coozie7

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There should be a label stuck to the PSU, post its rated power and also the Amps on the +12v line or lines but since the CUII needed dual 8 pin PCI-E leads to run I doubt the installed unit is rated at 500Watts, more likely 700 or more.

I'd look at either a GTX960 or R9 280 as replacements, The GTX960 is a bit quicker and allegedly better DX12 support, but is probably more expensive, the R9 280 has more memory and is likely to be cheaper.

The R9 290X Direct CUII is a fine card but produces a lot of heat, more even that the now dead GTX580, it scored well for noise and temperatures in reviews but if you can find the non 'X' version it'll be just a little slower, use less power and should be less expensive.

If you're looking to up the budget also look at the GTX970, I have no Danish links so can't check prices but it's a bit faster than the R9 290X and produces much less heat and noise, but I suspect it'll be too expensive fro now.
 
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cst1992

cst1992

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Not that good, if you have the GTX 970 from any brand selling similar to that price. The 970 is faster.
The 290x is not a bad card though - and if the 970 is $400 or more, then go for the 290x.
 
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dhpii

dhpii

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Thanks for the walkthrough.

I have found this card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB (PCI-Express 3.0, Witcher 3 (digital voucher)) for $379 USD which closes in on the price of 290x.

However, the Asus GeForce GTX960 2GB STRIX OC PCI-E is significantly cheaper at $262 USD. (The 4GB is $311 USD).

I'm basically want to play CS:GO and World of Tanks on high settings, so maybe the GTX960 would suffice?
 
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jjb8675309

jjb8675309

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I scored a used 970 for $270 shipped a few weeks back. Id go for that. Assuming that you have ample psu you can get a gtx 680 for ~$150 or less. A 780 can be had for cheap as well. Right now is a great time to buy 2nd hand GPUs from last gen imo. There are some great prices out there.
 
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coozie7

coozie7

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A GTX960 is a little faster than the old GTX580 so if you were happy with the gaming performance of the older card a GTX960 will be a good replacement. The newer card also benefits from a bit more memory and significantly lower power draw, thanks to the far more advanced Maxwell core design.

If you want (or can afford) to upgrade the R9 290X is a very, very powerful card, it stands toe to toe with the GTX970 at the expense of needing more power while producing more heat and a bit more noise. BUT the R9 290 isn't that much slower and can be significantly cheaper while still being a significant upgrade (I have one it's FAST!).

I get the feeling the GTX970 is out of your reach right now, so I'll not suggest you go that way, I'm just not comfortable with suggesting someone gets into debt over computer gaming.

I'd REALLY like you to post details of the powersupply, though.
 
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dhpii

dhpii

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I have a hard time distinguishing between pros and con between ASUS and MSI GTX960 - is it just a personal taste. A test I read showed little difference in temperature (idle and loading), but didn't mention anything about noise.

It's hard to gather info from the power supply, there's only a serial number and a QC control sticker on it. I'll try to look further into it tomorrow.
 
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dhpii

dhpii

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I removed the PSU and discovered the hidden label! My PSU (HEC-700TA-2W1) can deliver 700 Watt.
Details: http://i.imgur.com/XHcjFdt.jpg

Does this mean I could run whatever card I'd like?

Also, which card would you suggest (performance and price-wise)?


  • - ASUS STRIX-GTX960-DC2OC-2GD5: ~264 USD
    - MSI GTX 960 GAMING 2G: ~262 USD

    - ASUS STRIX-GTX960-DC2OC-4GD5: ~312 USD
    - MSI GTX 960 Gaming 4GB: ~312 USD
    - eVGA GeForce GTX 960 4 GB GDDR5 SuperSC: ~322 USD

    - Asus Radeon R9 290X 4GB DirectCU II: ~335 USD

    - eVGA GeForce GTX 970 FTW+ 4GB: ~487 USD (over budget)
    - MSI GTX 970 GAMING 4G: ~438 USD (over budget)
 
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coozie7

coozie7

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My top pick for your uses would be a 2Gb GTX960, there's no advantage with the 4GB card at 1080 rez unless you want to use higher AA settings or plan on playing games that demand a lot of memory, it sips power, either of the cards you list will be virtually silent and it has all those nice Nvidia extras like PhysX, DSR, adaptive Vsync, shadowplay and a almost bewildering range of anti aliasing options.

Next choice would be the GTX970, advantages are as above but with far more power at its disposal it'll run more demanding games with ease at beautifully high settings.

Last is the R9 290X, it's nearly as fast as the GTX970 (in some games a little faster) and, from your list (just?) within budget, the Direct CU II cooler got good reviews for temperature and noise and I think it's a similar size to the sadly deceased GTX580.
The reason it's last is its very high power draw.

Which brings me to the power supply.
HEC are (were) a low end maker/supplier and the R9 290X you linked to has been seen to draw over 400 Watts under extreme loading (under that hellish test known as Furmark) although more normal gaming loads its draw is similar to that of the GTX580.
I don't advise others to take risks so I'll advise you don't go for the R9 290X unless you can upgrade the PSU fairly soon.
On the other hand the GTX960 draws half the power of the GTX580.

If you want more a card with more memory than the GTX960, try the R9 280 or R9 280X, they should be cheaper and both carry 3Gb of memory. The R9 280 is a near enough exact replacement for the GTX580, the R9 280X a little faster.
 
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dhpii

dhpii

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I think this made up my mind, thank you for the thorough explanation and answers. Heck, all the people in this thread have been so helpful. This is a great first time experience with tomshardware.

Anyway. are there any of the three GTX960 2GB; ASUS strix/MSI gaming/eVGA SuperSC, you would--or wouldn't--recommend?
 
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