Graphics 560, about to pull the trigger, 2Gb worth the extra?

Discussion in 'Hardware' started by Cleggmeister, 8 Feb 2011.

  1. Throbbi

    Throbbi What's a Dremel?

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    For the sake of £20? Better to have than not have :thumb: That's how i look at it anyway :)
     
  2. Cleggmeister

    Cleggmeister Of reasonable knowledge...

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    Mmmm, my PC is now full of GTX560 goodness!
    First impressions are...

    1) It's no louder than my 8800GT, in fact the system's now a little quieter.
    2) It installed like a dream. Two 6pin PCI connections required, one IDE to 6pin adaptor included with the card (not needed in my case)
    3) It's no longer than my 8800GT, though is twice as "thick" and takes two slots.
    4) Am I imagining it or is my image quality better - sharper, more focussed, more vibrant...
    5) Windows Experience Index went from 6.8 (old card) to 7.8 (new card).

    So, now to fire up some games, will post my findings later...
     
  3. Cleggmeister

    Cleggmeister Of reasonable knowledge...

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    OK, BFBC2 is awesome with all settings to high, 4xMSAA, etc...

    But, why is my sound no coming from my monitor rather than through my soundcard and speakers? Any help gladly received!
     
  4. wyx087

    wyx087 Homeworld 3 is happening!!

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    you probably need to set default speaker back to whatever it was before. i think nvidia installs a HDMI audio driver.

    with 2GB of vRAM, turn up that AA to 32x :D
     
  5. Cleggmeister

    Cleggmeister Of reasonable knowledge...

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    That's exactly what had happened.
    OK, I shall comply with your 32xAA request! :)
     
  6. Cleggmeister

    Cleggmeister Of reasonable knowledge...

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    Yum yum yum yum yum.

    BFBC2 is another game now that all the graphical settings are maxed. Awesome.
    Flight Sim X is lovely too, all details at full and only the tiniest hint of frame skipping. Previously it was unplayable at low-medium settings.

    Very pleased with my purchase. If anyone wants any specifics please let me know.
     
  7. 27trowels

    27trowels What's a Dremel?

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    Have you overclocked the card yet? If so how far have you been able to push it? Also how hot does the card run?
     
  8. Cleggmeister

    Cleggmeister Of reasonable knowledge...

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    Nope, not yet, I've not installed Afterburner either. What I will do is check the temps at stock with core temp then have a muck with over clocking on the weekend.

    TBH this is so much faster than the 8800GT that over clocking isn't really required for me just yet...
     
  9. 27trowels

    27trowels What's a Dremel?

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    Fair enough, I usually leave it a while before the overclock too as it then feels a bit like having a new card but with out having to buy one. Just wanted to know if the 2gb card can reach a similar OC as the 1gb as I have not found any reviews yet.
     
  10. Cleggmeister

    Cleggmeister Of reasonable knowledge...

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    No worries, I will have a shot on the weekend and see how far I can go. What should I use to monitor the temp? Will coretemp do it or do i need something in addition? Lastly, what's a safe, hot and extreme temp for the card?

    Many thanks

    Cleggy.
     
  11. Cleggmeister

    Cleggmeister Of reasonable knowledge...

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    Ignore that last post, coretemp only lets you monitor CPU temperatures so I installed MSI Afterburner. What a great piece of software!

    What I did notice is that the 560's frequencies seem to spool up and down depending on the load it's under. For example, the shader/memory clocks sit nice and low when it's idle, but according to Afterburner they raise quite dramatically when the card is under load. Cool!

    The hottest I've made the card so far is 60degrees. It idles around 30.

    What a great card. I'm sure the 570/80's are even better, but for my needs and in my rig the 560 was a great investment. World In Conflict, Dirt2, F1 2010 and GTA IV all give frame rates around 60 on full detail with max AA.

    Quick question on AA - what's the difference between all the various options, MSAA, CQAA, xxAA, etc...?

    Thanks again,

    Happy Cleggy.
     

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