GTX960 vs 950 for HTPC use

[Charlie98]

Want to retire my old GTX560Ti in the HTPC, have been waiting for the GTX950 to come out just to see what it hit the street with... but not really impressed.

As far as strictly HTPC use, no gaming, streaming video and Netflix (et al) through HDMI to the TV, am I going to see any difference between the 950 vs the 960? I think the 950 has DX12.1, but other than that, I don't see any reason to spend the same amount of money (or more...) for a lesser card.

What I'm looking at:

EVGA GTX950 FTW, $170 (AR) with backplate,

or

EVGA GTX960 FTW, $155 (refurb) with backplate(?)

I wouldn't normally spring for the FTW card, but it was within a few $ of the SC/SSC cards, and comes with the $20 backplate, making it the better deal. Yes, my case will handle the 10.1" card.

This card will be the last card I buy before upgrading, perhaps, to 4K (or whatever actually emerges) in 3-4 years, for the HTPC.

 

[LTC8K6]

950 and 960 are the same DX12 level.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127844&cm_re=gtx960-_-14-127-844-_-Product

$159 after rebate plus a free game.

But really a cheaper GTX750 will be fine for a HTPC.

 

[Charlie98]

950 and 960 are the same DX12 level.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127844&cm_re=gtx960-_-14-127-844-_-Product

$159 after rebate plus a free game.

But really a cheaper GTX750 will be fine for a HTPC.

A 750 was real high on the list for a while... til the 9-series came out.

I thought one of the advantages to the 9-series is the ability to handle the h.265 codec.

 

[poofyhairguy]

I thought one of the advantages to the 9-series is the ability to handle the h.265 codec.

You are correct. The 960 has a MUCH better decoder than the 750. Best in the business actually, I wish my 970 had the 960 decoder.

I would jump on a 960. Maybe not the FTW one though, you don't need the large stock overclock and it doesn't come with MGS5. Even if you don't want MGS5 (which will probably be Game of the Year) you could sell the code to make the deal even sweeter. Plus refurb GPUs are risky.

Here is a 960 WITH a backplate for $160 AR with MGSV:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...-cables-_-na-_-na&Item=N82E16814121913&cm_sp=

What I like about that GPU for HTPC use is that 99% of the time the fans won't spin and it will be silent.

 

[Shehriazad]

That ASUS 960 with backplate is actually the one in my U2 cube. It was small enough to fit...is quiet enough...if you're looking for a 960 version, I can highly recommend that one.

Backplate + Small + Silent = Win.


If you don't need as much power but still want the codec...feel free to grab a 950....if you don't give a damn about that codec...take a 750/Ti...especially since those also exist as passively cooled versions. Unless you plan on doing heavy gaming..none of these should make a huge difference.

750 Ti can handle games like Warframe or LoL maxed out no biggie. GTX 960 can play anything in 1080P at very nice settings...you're barely going to have to turn down anything except on things like AA(Let's not mention those disgraceful ports with horrible performance xD)....950 will be between that somewhere. All 3 sport 2Gigs of Vram...so they're all pretty limited in that aspect unless you really want to dish out more for 4 gigs...in which case you might as well go for a stronger card altogether.

 

[Charlie98]

You are correct. The 960 has a MUCH better decoder than the 750. Best in the business actually, I wish my 970 had the 960 decoder.

I would jump on a 960. Maybe not the FTW one though, you don't need the large stock overclock and it doesn't come with MGS5. Even if you don't want MGS5 (which will probably be Game of the Year) you could sell the code to make the deal even sweeter. Plus refurb GPUs are risky.

Here is a 960 WITH a backplate for $160 AR with MGSV:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...-cables-_-na-_-na&Item=N82E16814121913&cm_sp=

What I like about that GPU for HTPC use is that 99% of the time the fans won't spin and it will be silent.

Meh, game codes don't interest me... I don't really have time to play what I already have; but I see the point in reselling. I just won't hinge my purchase on whether or not it has a game. Silent fans aren't that big of a deal, either, my HTPC is in a Define Mini... a very quiet case that easily tames the jet turbine of the current 560Ti 448. An EVGA with ACX cooler would be a no-brainer, and, yes, I'm an EVGA fanboi. :$ I've never bought a refurb, but the reviews were decent for the EVGA ones.

As far as the FTW version, as I say, it includes what would be a $20 backplate... otherwise a plain-vanilla version would work, let alone a SC/SSC. I'd take the backplate over a game code, however, all else being equal.

I do have a question about the h.265 codec and playback, but I'll post that in HTPC.

750 Ti can handle games like Warframe or LoL maxed out no biggie. GTX 960 can play anything in 1080P at very nice settings...

No, no gaming...

 

[cholley]

if your 560 is working, wait a couple of weeks for prices to stabilize
the 950 price is stupid, the MSI 960 @ newegg for $160AR is the one right now, but i think others will follow suit or shove that 950 down to $130 or so

 

[Charlie98]

if your 560 is working, wait a couple of weeks for prices to stabilize
the 950 price is stupid, the MSI 960 @ newegg for $160AR is the one right now, but i think others will follow suit or shove that 950 down to $130 or so

I (supposedly) have a buyer for the 560, so just making plans. I might stick the 760 (currently in the desktop, largely unneeded) in the HTPC for now until the prices do come down on the 950's. I agree... $130-150 is a better price bracket for the 950's, not $160+...

 

[Jubassi]

those are both monster cards and one is bearly came out

 

[Charlie98]

those are both monster cards and one is bearly came out

I wouldn't really consider the 960 or 950 a 'monster' card, at least against the 970 (which I have in my game rig) or the 980, etc, I'm more concerned about the features that support the HTPC role, and the 950 is the leader at the moment. The 950 may be new, but it's a proven platform.

 

[LTC8K6]

those are both monster cards and one is bearly came out

Neither is a monster in performance or size.

The 950 is also available in a mini sized card.

 

[Mushkins]

What I like about that GPU for HTPC use is that 99% of the time the fans won't spin and it will be silent.

Can confirm. I squeezed my EVGA GTX960 in the tiniest HTPC case I could find and even when gaming the whole system is near silent.

 

[alcoholbob]

Yup I got a 4GB 960 Mini ITX card in a Silverstone SG13 HTPC. Great for movies, games, and utterly silent. On the default profile the fan starts at 60C, and only runs at 300rpm even up to 70+C, which makes it effectively silent even during gaming as it never went up above 74C even through a 3dmark firestrike extreme run.

On the desktop it idles around 45-55C depending on flash/youtube load.

 

[Lyfer]

The MSI is a steal at $159 after MIR and makes the GTX 950 a non alternative unless you are getting it at a much lower MSRP price.

 

[jkauff]

Do you have a 4K TV? Or planning to buy one? I know there's not much H.265 content yet, but the GTX 960 will have you better prepared for the future.

 

[Charlie98]

Do you have a 4K TV? Or planning to buy one? I know there's not much H.265 content yet, but the GTX 960 will have you better prepared for the future.

We just replaced our TV this spring, we considered 4K but discarded the idea due to cost and lack of 4K availability and just stuck with 1080. The next TV upgrade cycle is probably 4 years away, there will probably be something new by then, anyway...

 

[Charlie98]

Update: Just ordered the GTX950 FTW, it'll come out to about $125 (AR) and Newegg points applied. In the end, it wound up being only $10 more than the lesser versions and came with the backplate... so the FTW is a win-win!

Can't wait to pull the old 560Ti out...

 

[Headfoot]

The 950/960 are only better at HTPC if you actually use those particular features. If you don't use HEVC or HDMI 2.0 then it makes no difference.

Buying a card now for future content is a terrible idea, generally speaking. You always want to buy after official specs are out and in use otherwise you are the beta tester for non-final specs. Like all the people who bought stuff incompatible with the new HDCP standard are now back to square one.

TBH buying HTPC gear now is premature until 4k BluRay is on the market. That is the next big benchmark for standard compliance.

I'm sure the 950 will be a step up from the 560 Ti regardless

 

[poofyhairguy]

Update: Just ordered the GTX950 FTW, it'll come out to about $125 (AR) and Newegg points applied. In the end, it wound up being only $10 more than the lesser versions and came with the backplate... so the FTW is a win-win!

Can't wait to pull the old 560Ti out...

Congrats! You got it done!

I gave up hope and got a 750 ti last month. I applaud you for holding strong.

 

[Charlie98]

Congrats! You got it done!

I gave up hope and got a 750 ti last month. I applaud you for holding strong.

I just got sick of waiting. I don't think prices will come down significantly in the next 6 months... so why wait? I was temped with the cheap 750Ti prices... but I just wanted H.265. In an ideal world, I would have my GTX760 in the HTPC, and the GTX560 in my desktop... but the 560 has that weird multi monitor/100% issue... and that was a deal breaker.

Buying a card now for future content is a terrible idea, generally speaking. You always want to buy after official specs are out and in use otherwise you are the beta tester for non-final specs. Like all the people who bought stuff incompatible with the new HDCP standard are now back to square one.

I don't buy to future-proof, I just buy to handle whatever situation I'm in now. If you read my OP, we just got a new non-4K TV last year, so that's where I'm at for the next 4-5 years (I don't turn over tech very fast, in most cases. Hell, look at my rigs... all Sandys! ) I'm actually in agreement with you, however... by the time I'm ready to upgrade the whole TV/HTPC thing (probably around 2020 when W7 dies off and I'll have to do something major with the HTPC) something new will probably have emerged, or current 'new' tech will have matured (and, more importantly, standardized...) with a commensurate drop in price. The GTX950 solves a few issues... much cooler, far more efficient, H.265 codec support.

If you don't use HEVC or HDMI 2.0 then it makes no difference.

I'll have to look into that... I don't know if my new TV does HDMI 2.0...

 

[Charlie98]

And here it is, locked and loaded. The fan profile allows me to turn the fans off at lower temps, I'm back down to the single 8-pin connector, and now I get to start fooling with the H.265 presets.

 

[Csx-2011]

edit: nevermind, you made a purchase already