GTX 480 help

[iamnewhere]

So i am ordering my system tomorrow and need some answers if you have them. I want a gtx 480 but im not sure which company to order it from (PNY, Zotac, EVGA). Which company manufactures the best card in temperature/performance/reliabilty? Also is the heat issue overblown or is it really an "issue" if you have 3 120mm fans venting your system. also i am not getting 2 460's so please don't tell me to get them. Thank you ahead of time for your help.

 

[iamnewhere]

anyone?

 

[Dane Bouwer]

EVGA for me, that would be my choice!

what everyone doesn't realise about cooling a system, the air must have a constant flow (opening the side panel of the case isn't gonna help with heat!) ensure that there is a constant flow of air from one side of the chassis to the next, and putting the fans accordingly. remember, two fans working effectively with the correct air flow, can work better that 4 fans just blowing air!!

but enjoy the card, i hope you'll be enjoying a bit of 3D!

 

[iamnewhere]

anyone else have any opinions

 

[Dane Bouwer]

cough cough....what?

 

[iamnewhere]

no, I value your opinion, im just trying to gather as many opinions as possible.

 

[namelessonez]

Hey Dane, here I am again, promoting MSI! Do me a favour and tell 'em, will ya? Lol...kidding

To the OP:
Dane has a good suggestion with EVGA. They give a lifetime warranty. However, MSI's 3 year warranty ain't bad either when it comes to that!

Also, will you still have this card beyond 3 years? If yes, the definitely go for the EVGA. If not, consider the MSI.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127502

Here's the EVGA one:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130552

At the end of it, what are you looking at?
1. Chipset: same
2. Cooling: MSI>EVGA
3. Noise: MSI is quieter in comparison, even with the fan at 100%
4. Price: EVGA>MSI (though by a hair! But I guess it's more the price for the lifetime warranty.)

Both will serve your purpose, but make sure you've done your own research on the cooling and noise levels in comparison.

I for one, like MSI coz fortunately, in all my years of experience, I've never had to look at their warranty.

 

[Dane Bouwer]

oh yeah, well if we talking about all brands in general, consider Asus, MSI (good choice), Inno 3D:

PNY<Zotac<Gigabyte<EVGA<XFX<Asus<MSI<Inno 3D

thats my personal ratio from experience and what I look in for a Card!

the price, funny enough resembles the same ratio, so you do pay for quality!!

@ namelessonez :nice choices though, great looking cards!

 

[namelessonez]

@Dane:
Thanks man, I thought so too.

@ the OP:
Asus and XFX are good ones in the race too. But all in all, it depends on what you've read from user reviews.

 

[hardware specialists]

So i am ordering my system tomorrow and need some answers if you have them. I want a gtx 480 but im not sure which company to order it from (PNY, Zotac, EVGA). Which company manufactures the best card in temperature/performance/reliabilty? Also is the heat issue overblown or is it really an "issue" if you have 3 120mm fans venting your system. also i am not getting 2 460's so please don't tell me to get them. Thank you ahead of time for your help.

3 120s is hardly cooling. why on earth would you go with that card, im curious. ati is a better price/performance ratio and they run cooler and comsume less power. why you do anything else??? just curious , not bashing nvidea just wondering why people would spend money with nvidea

 

[17seconds]

The Zotac AMP! card is the only one with a Zalman 3000 custom cooling solution that results in ~15c lower temps at load. The others are basically reference type models.

For my Asus GTX480, I have been pleasantly surprised that the reported noise and heat are not that bad. The card throttles to 50 mhz core at 2D/idle at around 50c and 44% fan. When playing games, it does get to 91c, but never higher, and the fan never goes above 75%, even when overclocked. Plus, the card just destroys any game at full maxed out settings with PhysX and great DirectX 11 performance.

I know that the newer bios lowered temperatures, but I am starting to think, if its possible, that the recent driver release also provided a fix for the fans. It was definitely louder when I first got it than it is now.

 

[iamnewhere]

Best answer selected by iamnewhere.

 

[17seconds]

Thanks for my first "Best Answer". Someday, I will be an Apprentice like you.

 

[Mousemonkey]

This topic has been closed by Mousemonkey