please help me choose a gtx 260

[triscross]

i have wanted a gtx 260 since i got a 24" monitor my 8800gs just dos'nt seem to do the job and now the prices have dropped i am going to get one
my choices are
1 Inno3D GTX260 192 SP @ £134.99
2 EVGA GTX 260 192 SP @ £139.15 this has better 10 Year Warranty and Mirrors Edge game
3 BFG GTX 260 OC Maxcore @ £176.94 this is a bit more than i would like to spend and i like to oc myself

i would like opinions on if the 55nm 216 sp is really worth the extra cash

thanks tris

[Pob255]

Depends what you do with it, I'm guessing gaming as your 8800gs cannot cope.

as to which make
Basic rule is cheapest vs cooling vs warranty
As most gtx260 use the stock cooler we can remove cooling from the list.

So down to price vs warranty
of the 3 options,
EVGA great warranty & service & only £5 more than the cheapest
BFG great warranty and service
Inno3D cheapest, standard 1 year warranty

So from thoes choises: EVGA

Is the 55nm 216sp worth the extra?
Depends, what's the price?
as the older 192sp is now EOL you may be able to get one for a real bargin.

[Fraz]

1 Inno3D GTX260 192 SP @ £134.99

I have this one - bought it last year when it was about £190. I have a 30" monitor and it runs everything that I've thrown at it just fine (with the one exception of crysis, where I just cropped my monitor resolution to 1920*1200).

One thing to bear in mind is that these cards are *large*. I had real worries about getting it into my case at all - I had to slightly bend part of the drive cage in order to get it slotted in (then the drive cage went back to it's previous position), and I don't have a small chassis.

[Pob255]

One thing to bear in mind is that these cards are *large*. I had real worries about getting it into my case at all - I had to slightly bend part of the drive cage in order to get it slotted in (then the drive cage went back to it's previous position), and I don't have a small chassis.

That's very true these cards are long, esp with slightly older cases.
Another thing to consider is power, they will use more than the 8800gs, so you'd need to check your psu can handle it as well.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Scan have this 216 shader GTX260 for around £152:

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/896MB...lus-FREE-Vouch

It is an XFX one.

Novatech does the same card for £161 but with two games:

http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/s...tml?XFX-GTX265

[triscross]

my psu is a antec tp 550w it is single rail and it has 40a +5 and 36a +12
from looking in my case "lian li pc 60" i dont think it will fit lol
if my psu is up to the job i think it will fit if i relocate my hdds

[matadorluis]

I just saw the scan deal, I guess is the 65nm? If it is the 55nm I'll but it (overclocks better)

[matadorluis]

my psu is a antec tp 550w it is single rail and it has 40a +5 and 36a +12
from looking in my case "lian li pc 60" i dont think it will fit lol
if my psu is up to the job i think it will fit if i relocate my hdds

your PSU should be fine

[TAKTAK]

I just saw the scan deal, I guess is the 65nm? If it is the 55nm I'll but it (overclocks better)

Yes and No...

Yes, it produces less heat (given the same cooler)...
Yes it clocks higher (in theory)

BUT, they hacked off a chunk of the cooler to go with it





If you gave it the same cooling, then yes, it would outperform the 65nm part (thermally)... but due to the HS chopdown, it runs hotter than it's 65nm counterparts...
which could cause unforeseen issues due to heat, elsewhere in the system...

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Yes and No...

Yes, it produces less heat (given the same cooler)...
Yes it clocks higher (in theory)

BUT, they hacked off a chunk of the cooler to go with it





If you gave it the same cooling, then yes, it would outperform the 65nm part (thermally)... but due to the HS chopdown, it runs hotter than it's 65nm counterparts...
which could cause unforeseen issues due to heat, elsewhere in the system...

Also adding to that the PCB is less complex(and cheaper) for the 55nm version. Hence overclocking headroom is about the same IIRC.

[triscross]

after thinking about this all week I've fallen in love with the gainward GeForce GTX260 "Golden Sample"
it has better cooling, a higher clock and a good price . could this be the one

thankyou for all the help

[nekromantik]

Yeah I was thinking about the XFX 216 core version too but the Scan price has gone up so Novatech is cheaper then Scan at the moment. The 192 core zotac is £130 though. I dont really want the old 192 core version as if the 216 is £30 more then its worth it I think as its pre OCed too.

[triscross]

Yeah I was thinking about the XFX 216 core version too but the Scan price has gone up so Novatech is cheaper then Scan at the moment. The 192 core zotac is £130 though. I dont really want the old 192 core version as if the 216 is £30 more then its worth it I think as its pre OCed too.

the gainward GeForce GTX260 "Golden Sample" 216 is £150 Novatech and it clocks higher than the BFG GeForce GTX 260 OC Maxcore

[nekromantik]

has gainward got good warrenty and customer service?
I am intrested in EVGA cause of thier 10 year warrenty.

[triscross]

i bought the gainward GeForce GTX260 "Golden Sample" and wow i am impressed, i just need to sort out the fan profiles rivatuner now

[cmndr_andi]

The 216 cores really are worth the extra cash. The 216 is directly between the original 192 version and the 240 core gtx 280/285 in terms of core. The cores are clocked lower than the gtx 280/285, but I have seen gtx 260 216s such as the BFG gtx 260 Maxcore OCX match gtx 280 performance levels. This is provided by the increase in cores and the refining of the manufacturing process.