Which One? 480/560/448/7850 (Templated)

[lOl_lol_lOl]

System Specifications
[Processor/CPU ] : Intel Core i5-2500K @ 3.3 Ghz (but regularly do 4.5)
[Current GPU ] : Nvidia 9500 GT (dead 6950)
[Display Resolution ] : 1920 x 1080
[PSU specs ] : Cooler Master Silent Pro Gold 800W - http://www.coolermaster.com/product.php?product_id=6659
[Case specs ] : Cooler Master 690 II - Excellent Airflow

Purchase Details
[Budget ] : $250, Buying in Canada
[Preferences ] : Nvidia, need to gain experience in CUDA so i need it at home
[Crossfire/SLI ] : None
[Products reviewed] : GTX 480 powerful/CUDA/Immense value right now at NCIX
[Intended usage ] : Tons of games (BF3, MW3, NFS, Crysis 2) and CUDA learning
[Detail level ] : Highest detail possible @ 1080p
[Overclocking ] : Light overclocking (I am a noob at this).

Additional Notes
- The best IMO for my current situation would be the 480 (CUDA, 1080p gaming, value)
- My Mobo is a Sabertooth p67, which has a notorious history of incompatibility issues with several video cards. Is it possible it will 'kill' the new video card? Because the 6950 I received with it arrived dead.
- The 6950 was purchased from Superbiz at April 2011. Sapphire have a 2 year warranty. Is it possible to obtain a replacement now? I couln't send it to the US, because of high shipping rates.


Forgot the 480 link:
http://ncix.com/products/?sku=68760&vpn=015-P3-1480-KR&manufacture=eVGA&promoid=1067

 

[RavenSEAL]

GTX 560 ti 448 should be just as fast (If not faster in certain games thanks to driver optimization) as a GTX 480 while consuming less power and producing less heat.

That'd be the way to go in my opinion.

 

[BallaTheFeared]

I'd probably get the Ti 448 over the 480, cheaper too. GF100 and GF110 are virtually the same, there are no driver optimizations. The only real difference is the FP16 performance is much stronger on GF110, which is limited to just a few titles, such as Vantage.

http://ncix.com/products/?sku=66832&vpn=GV%2DN560448%2D13I&manufacture=Gigabyte&promoid=1259

7850 would be my pick but it's $260 for the cheapest.

Dunno about your question, I'd contact Sapphire support in Canada and ask them.

 

[aaksheytalwar]

7850 without a shadow of doubt. Stock vs stock it is about equal or slightly faster than 560 Ti 448. But once both are overclocked, 7850 comes close to a stock 7950 or oced 580 or oced 7870, almost at least.

So once overclocked, 7850 beats the 560 Ti 448 with cooler temps and less power.

Another thread in the forum is exclusively on this, check that out as well

 

[RavenSEAL]

7850 without a shadow of doubt. Stock vs stock it is about equal or slightly faster than 560 Ti 448. But once both are overclocked, 7850 comes close to a stock 7950 or oced 580 or oced 7870, almost at least.

So once overclocked, 7850 beats the 560 Ti 448 with cooler temps and less power.

Another thread in the forum is exclusively on this, check that out as well

Make sure you read the template, he specifically says he needs CUDA.

 

[Arzachel]

Yes, you should be able to replace your 6950, contact the retailer to find out if the RMA goes through them or through Sapphire. Also, you shouldn't have to pay shipping fees iirc.

If you can't replace your old card, I'd go for a 7850, overclock it and use the 9500 you have for CUDA.

 

[BallaTheFeared]

7850 is out of his budget and isn't worth $60 more than the 448, sorry

 

[lOl_lol_lOl]

Thanks very much for the replies, after a bit of research (480's history) I see the 448 is the best option. But I have a few questions:

- Is the Gigabyte windforce the best brand?
- Is the VRAM going to hurt in the long term?
- But from a CUDA perspective, will it provide the same perf as a 480?

I will also contact sapphire about 6950. Thanks again.

 

[bigsnyder]

nvrmnd

 

[BD231]

Yeah I really can't recomend the 448, that seems like a waste considering the added vram you can get going 480 or 7850.

Go 480 or 7850, both are better for overclocking and the added memory/shader cores will last you a lot longer.

 

[Arzachel]

7850 is out of his budget and isn't worth $60 more than the 448, sorry

If the difference is $60+ then I'd agree, but it's usually closer to 30-40, so the 7850 is a no brainer. It's simply superior in every metric.

 

[Ken g6]

I vote 7850 as well: You should probably learn OpenCL instead of CUDA anyway, as it works on both platforms. And optimization for the 7850 is much more logical than the previous generation.

 

[Arzachel]

I vote 7850 as well: You should probably learn OpenCL instead of CUDA anyway, as it works on both platforms. And optimization for the 7850 is much more logical than the previous generation.

Logic doesn't put food on the table, CUDA has more demand if you're looking for a job.

 

[Jaydip]

Thanks very much for the replies, after a bit of research (480's history) I see the 448 is the best option. But I have a few questions:

- Is the Gigabyte windforce the best brand?
- Is the VRAM going to hurt in the long term?
- But from a CUDA perspective, will it provide the same perf as a 480?

I will also contact sapphire about 6950. Thanks again.

1.Look for ASUS Direct CU II or MSI TWIN FROZR III.
2.There is no "long term" with video cards but i thought u need it for CUDA.
3.Yes it will,if i remeber correctly they both have the compute capability of 2.0.GTX 480 can have some minor revisions but it won't be a problem.

 

[iCyborg]

Logic doesn't put food on the table, CUDA has more demand if you're looking for a job.

Sure, provided that you have an outlook of 1-3 years and don't mind acquiring a skill that will most likely be obsolete or very limited in scope in some not too distant future.

 

[Jaydip]

Sure, provided that you have an outlook of 1-3 years and don't mind acquiring a skill that will most likely be obsolete or very limited in scope in some not too distant future.

If you are talking about Open CL then sure.Cuda is not going anywhere,also whenever a guy needs help with .net u don't tell him to switch to java or vice versa.

 

[SickBeast]

How is the 7850 $60 more than the Ti 448? Where I live it's actually cheaper.

OP lives in Canada as well.

Hey OP:

http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=13630BD8710&vpn=AX7850%202GBD5-2DH&manufacture=POWERCOLOR

 

[Zebo]

Why dont you RMA? Seems wasteful to buy another card when to have a 6950 under warranty. I'd try it out in another computer and if it doesnt work there send it in.

 

[BoFox]

Why dont you RMA? Seems wasteful to buy another card when to have a 6950 under warranty. I'd try it out in another computer and if it doesnt work there send it in.

That, man! An RMA is definitely worth the shipping, still, if I were to be sane myself.... ARGH!!!!!!! :biggrin:

 

[SickBeast]

I bought my 7850 because I've had enough with the RMA process. I can't be without a computer for up to a month every time something goes wrong. I've been through 3 motherboards and now a graphics card. I've had enough.

 

[iCyborg]

If you are talking about Open CL then sure.Cuda is not going anywhere,also whenever a guy needs help with .net u don't tell him to switch to java or vice versa.

http://www.simplyhired.com/a/jobtrends/trend/q-opencl,cuda,openmp

This graph displays the percentage of jobs with your search terms anywhere in the job listing. Since August 2010, the following has occurred:

Opencl jobs increased 85%
cuda jobs decreased 6%
openmp jobs decreased 27%


Intel's Knigts Corner is supposed to come 2013 and directly compete with Tesla, and it will support OpenCL. AMD's GCN was developed to address compute shortcomings compared to nVidia. You can also use nVidia, or ARM, or Intel/AMD CPUs etc.
With CUDA you have only nVidia GPUs. Of course it won't disappear overnight, but given the trend in the last 1.5 years from the site above, and seeing OpenCL in as much demand as CUDA already, and it being an open standard, I really can't see any rationale for thinking that CUDA is the way to go for the future.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

Send me your 6950, I'll gladly rma it for you.

 

[BallaTheFeared]

[Preferences ] : Nvidia, need to gain experience in CUDA so i need it at home

Getting back to the actual needs of the OP, the 448 vs 480 CUDA wise isn't going to make much of a difference, 1.28GB vs 1.5GB isn't game changing unless you're looking at SLI down the road. In which case the only game I've had any issue with (my cards have 448 cores/1.28GB vram) has been BF3 MP @ 1080p. However the settings I was using would require SLI anyways so I feel it's a moot point.

The benefits of the 448 are it runs noticeably cooler, it has a higher on air OC potential in general, and uses less power.


@ The guy quoting trends, according to your graph CUDA still dominates the market with vastly more jobs. Every month there are more job openings for CUDA than any other programming language, Nvidia cards offer the opportunity to learn both CUDA and OpenCL with one purchase. CUDA is still vastly superior to OpenCL in every metric, from support, to features. Knights Corner will use x86 instructions, that's it's major selling point.

 

[SickBeast]

CUDA and PhysX are very nice features for Nvidia. AMD is forced to compete based on performance.

 

[iCyborg]

@ The guy quoting trends,
1. Every month there are more job openings for CUDA than any other programming language,
2. Nvidia cards offer the opportunity to learn both CUDA and OpenCL with one purchase.
3. CUDA is still vastly superior to OpenCL in every metric, from support, to features.
4. Knights Corner will use x86 instructions, that's it's major selling point.

1. Proof? Especially since it directly contradicts the above graph which says there's approximately the same number of listings. You're also ignoring the obvious trend. I'll skip over the usage of "programming language", these are really frameworks, and we did include languages, any of C#, C++, Java would put Cuda/OpenCL to shame.
2. Nowhere did I mention which brand to buy. If he needs CUDA now for his current work -> buy 560 Ti.
3. It's superior, but 'vastly' is a gross exaggeration. And it's not all metrics/features, how about fall-back to CPU? There are some pros and cons for both.
4. You will still need some way to exploit the very wide SIMD and all those cores. OpenCL is probably the best way to do it since it can also use other devices, mainly GPUs, not just nVidia/AMD, as Intel makes GPUs too.