Downgrading GPU for power consumption or energy savings

[gaidensensei]

I realized that nowadays I rarely game on the 8800GTS G92, and now it's been like a year or two that I have played a game that required intense gpu power.

Thus, I thought about removing the G92 and replacing it with something energy efficient and noise friendly that's down the line, probably something without a fan if possible.

A few questions I am pondering is, will doing this affect any of my other system configurations? Is there a current card in the ati/nvidia lineup that meets this?

I also use:

• Dual monitor setup
• Photoshop in 64bit (not too extensively, just now and then photo fixing/etc)
• Object Dock / random Aero schemes and stuff
• 5-10 tabs open on somewhat flash-based sites (not sure if this is gpu-relevant)

 

[cbn]

http://www.nordichardware.com/news,10368.html

However, I am sure any of the regular HD5770s/HD5750s (with fans) would be pretty quiet too. 40nm cards should use less energy than 65nm (all things being equal)

 

[happy medium]

I suggest this 75$ AR gt240.
Uses 60 watts loaded.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814127466

 

[Yuriman]

I believe the 5750 is the lowest power usage 40nm card, I've read that it has new idle power saving features which allow it to draw less than 18w.

Alternatively, a 4350 would work nicely.

 

[SRoode]

I was about to post a link for the 4350. If you don't game, then for $32 it's a great little card (no fan as well, and HDMI input).

 

[happy medium]

I believe the 5750 is the lowest power usage 40nm card, I've read that it has new idle power saving features which allow it to draw less than 18w.

Alternatively, a 4350 would work nicely.

No, the gt240 has the lowest power draw of any 40nm card.
It also cost half as much as a 5750.

At the op's resolution it can still play any modern game also.

 

[dualsmp]

I'd recommend a 4670. Should be low powered for everyday use, can accelerate Flash content with Adobe Flash 10.1 beta drivers, and powerful enough for 98% of games if you decide to fire one up once and awhile. They also come in a few passive flavors if your concerned about noise.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-314-_-Product

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-171-_-Product

 

[dguy6789]

4670 and 4650 use less power than any 5700. The 4670 is the best compromise when it comes to performance and power consumption. 4650 uses the least amount of power, even less than the lowest end GT220, but it is a lot slower than the 4670.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.p...k=view&id=198&Itemid=72&limit=1&limitstart=11

 

[cbn]

No, the gt240 has the lowest power draw of any 40nm card.
It also cost half as much as a 5750.

At the op's resolution it can still play any modern game also.

I keep forgetting HD57xx is so expensive, but isn't the GDDR5 version of GT240 still around $100.

 

[happy medium]

I keep forgetting HD57xx is so expensive, but isn't the GDDR5 version of GT240 still around $100.

75$ar at newegg shipped

 

[frostedflakes]

Xbit Labs is a great site for checking out GPU power consumption. They have a really slick setup that not only measures power through the external power connectors, but the PCI-E slot as well. Most other sites just measure power from the wall, which is really, really unsophisticated in comparison.

HD 5750, HD 4670, and GT 240 would all be good choices IMO, as they all underclock/undervolt at idle and use 10w or less. The GT 240 actually uses a meager 6.3w at idle, which is pretty impressive.

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/video/display/gf-gt240-1gb_4.html

And if you're looking at ATI cards, something to keep in mind is that different brands have different implementation of ATI PowerPlay, so idle power will vary. Silent PC Review has some threads on this in their video card forum, so make sure you're aware of which cards have poor PowerPlay implementation before you buy. I don't know if this is an issue with nVidia cards as well, but it might be worth looking into as well.

 

[dualsmp]

The GT 240 or HD 4670 look to be the best choice for the OP since games are a lower priority. Idle both of them are 6.3w and 5.3w respectfully (stock). If games were a higher priority the 5750 looks to be a nice compromise.

The GT 240 GDDR3 is on the same level as the HD 4670 on Tom's hierarchy chart. The GT 240 with GDDR5 is one step above HD 4670.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-310-5970,2491-7.html

 

[Schmide]

Have you thought about down clocking it as far as you can? I bet you could shave off bunch of watts.

 

[gaidensensei]

Interesting discussions, thanks for much of the suggestions. It does seem to follow that the smaller the nm process (referring to newer models), the less heat dissipation is involved.

Have you thought about down clocking it as far as you can? I bet you could shave off bunch of watts.

I have never thought of this, but is this possible? I'm guessing I'm going to have to be using RivaTuner or something of that extent?

 

[dualsmp]

Another thing to consider is how long you plan on keeping your current rig. Going by this chart the 8800 GTS uses approx 56-57w idle. So you will save ~50w if you go with GT 240 or 4670. Not sure where you live, but .10 cents is about the average per kwh in the US. So.. ((50w x 24h x 365days) /1000kwh) * .10 cents per kwh= $43.80 saved per year.

That's with your PC on 24 hours a day for one year. So in 2 years you will have recouped your investment with your PC on 24 hours a day if you paid around $85 for the video card. If you only keep your PC on 50% of that, your looking at a payoff of approx 4 years. If you use your PC even less than 50% it might not be worth upgrading.

 

[edplayer]

maybe factor in the resale value of his current card?

and OP, I totally agree with your sig. I hate it when people erase their asking prices from old threads.

 

[Cattykit]

http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.p...k=view&id=198&Itemid=72&limit=1&limitstart=11

http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.p...k=view&id=422&Itemid=72&limit=1&limitstart=11

"At idle, the ASUS ENGT240 GDDR3 uses a mere 9W of power, while under full load, I measured only a 41 watt usage, which is significantly below NVIDIA's rated 69 watts maximum."

 

[wrbt]

Come on man any of those low power cards is fine, spending time making a decision on a 7 vs. 12 watt idle draw is just silly. Skip eating out for lunch a couple times a year and cll it even.

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

The GT 240 or HD 4670 look to be the best choice for the OP since games are a lower priority. Idle both of them are 6.3w and 5.3w respectfully (stock). If games were a higher priority the 5750 looks to be a nice compromise.

The GT 240 GDDR3 is on the same level as the HD 4670 on Tom's hierarchy chart. The GT 240 with GDDR5 is one step above HD 4670.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-310-5970,2491-7.html

this^ or this below

Sapphire Radeon HD 4670 GDDR4​

9 W​

70 W​

 

[evolucion8]

The HD 4670 is the right balance of performance and power consumption, the GT240 consumes slighly more in 3D and its slighly slower, the GT220 is considerably slower. The HD 4670 is just between 5% and 20% slower than your current card.

 

[Cookie Monster]

Im not sure if this has been fixed yet but when using dual monitor setups, most video cards lose their power saving features. They resort into running 3d clocks even when left idle.

 

[frostedflakes]

It seems to depend on the card. My Sapphire 4670 underclocks to 165MHz with a single monitor connected, but 200MHz with two monitors. This is just GPU clock, I haven't really paid attention to memory clock, or voltage on the GPU or mem. I think for some cards, though, dual monitor completely breaks power savings.

 

[Bl0cks]

Interesting read. I've been using my onboard graphics trying to keep power consumption down. Looks like it is not worth it just getting by with onboard.

 

[gaidensensei]

It seems to depend on the card. My Sapphire 4670 underclocks to 165MHz with a single monitor connected, but 200MHz with two monitors. This is just GPU clock, I haven't really paid attention to memory clock, or voltage on the GPU or mem. I think for some cards, though, dual monitor completely breaks power savings.

If you mind, could I bother you in regards to what is this ATI Powerplay aspect specifically important for? What makes it significant?

I am still trying to read through the 17 page discussion on 4670's, in the meantime I have my eye on a 1gb DDR3 MSI 4670 w/ fan - this is the 'cheapest' I discovered at the moment.

Thanks dualsmp for extensive calculations and info as well.

Bl0cks, I have a similar setup as yours.. A Q6600 at stock and 4gb of ram.