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what nVidia card for roughly £100+ 2nd hand?

B@Th*nG said:
You say there are no problem's with running a single 7850, are there problems running them in xfire?
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Well there are issues with both SLI and XF for some people, especially in the early driver days but I don't see those threads so much now, just thought I'd mention it since you said you wanted to stick to Nvidia, but there are really no problems with going ATI.
 
HankScorpio said:
Well there are issues with both SLI and XF for some people, especially in the early driver days but I don't see those threads so much now, just thought I'd mention it since you said you wanted to stick to Nvidia, but there are really no problems with going ATI.
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fair enough, it just stuck out for me that's all

B@
 
Would just like to say that I went with the msi 7850 in the end, albeit a 2nd hand one off eBay. I think I paid over the odds at 127 squid delivered but I was getting a bit desperate being completely PC less - but feel free to mock at willhehe. Msi apparently use the serial number for warranty check so it does come with warranty remaining.

Thanks for your help

B@
 
Just go for a second hand 480 in the MM. Will set you back approx £100. The power issue is silly, it'll cost maybe 10p a week extra and if you want to go SLI or xfire you'll need a new PSU anyway regardless of the card you choose. People over exaggerate the power/heat issue. There is no issue, they only run a couple of degrees hotter then the ATI offering of that generation. 480s consuming massive amounts of power & putting out lots of heat was an argument ATI fanboys used to say back 2 years ago when they came out, that's all. Take those points with a huge grain of salt. Obviously a newer card will use less power but will you notice that when playing all your games?

The 480 is more powerful then the 7850, so why spend more for less?
 
I've done the research and the 7850 will run in xfire on my psu and the 480 won't, the actual power consumption economy wise isn't a problem. It is a shame to spend a bit more if it is slower, but i can clock it nicely i hope so it'll take up some of the slack. Its one of those top quality antec psu's too so it would be a shame to have to change it.

B@
 
B@Th*nG said:
Would just like to say that I went with the msi 7850 in the end, albeit a 2nd hand one off eBay. I think I paid over the odds at 127 squid delivered but I was getting a bit desperate being completely PC less - but feel free to mock at willhehe. Msi apparently use the serial number for warranty check so it does come with warranty remaining.

Thanks for your help

B@
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You didn't pay over the (eBay) odds. I've been tracking eBay prices for the better part of a month now.

7850s are selling for £150 delivered on average. That's only a £20 saving on a brand new card.

7870s are going for £190+ (basically same as brand new).

There is no logic to buying on eBay. Most of the time you pay the same 2nd hand as you would for a new card, if you're buying cards from the latest generation.
 
GPUs on ebay have always been stupid money, people get so caught up in a bidding war they forget they could get it brand new with full warranty for the same/less. Even old cards hold their value, people bidding £200+ for really old cards like a 5970.
 
Defy Belief said:
GPUs on ebay have always been stupid money, people get so caught up in a bidding war they forget they could get it brand new with full warranty for the same/less. Even old cards hold their value, people bidding £200+ for really old cards like a 5970.
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I remember when I had a 8800GTS 320MB and the 8800GT (512MB) was due to be released. I pre-ordered the 8800GT & sold my 8800GTS on eBay for about £30 more even though the GT was more powerful. Gotta love ebay sometimes :)
 
no_1_dave said:
I wouldn't trust one of those power usage websites.
There's no way I'd put 2 graphics cards through a 650W PSU
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I know its hardly fool proof but if i meticulously put in my computers details, making sure i actually overstate the features on the PC a bit, with the dual 7850's it comes out with a minimum PSU of 532W and a recommended PSU of 582W. With the dual 480's it comes out with a minimum of 782W and a recommended PSU of 832W!!

whatever you say one of those systems has a chance of working on my current PSU and the other one definitely doesn't.

/edit. infact, having just done one with just a SINGLE 480 it comes out with a minimum PSU of 583 and a recommended of 633W! that's worse than 2 7850's; can that even be right?

FoxEye said:
You didn't pay over the (eBay) odds. I've been tracking eBay prices for the better part of a month now.

7850s are selling for £150 delivered on average. That's only a £20 saving on a brand new card.

7870s are going for £190+ (basically same as brand new).

There is no logic to buying on eBay. Most of the time you pay the same 2nd hand as you would for a new card, if you're buying cards from the latest generation.
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i feel better for the price i paid then in which case. if i had more time i'd definitely have used the members market, but after watching it for nearly a week and none had come up i just had to bite the bullet when a not-exorbitantly priced one came up on the bay.

B@
 
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B@Th*nG said:
I know its hardly fool proof but if i meticulously put in my computers details, making sure i actually overstate the features on the PC a bit, with the dual 7850's it comes out with a minimum PSU of 532W and a recommended PSU of 582W. With the dual 480's it comes out with a minimum of 782W and a recommended PSU of 832W!!

whatever you say one of those systems has a chance of working on my current PSU and the other one definitely doesn't.

/edit. infact, having just done one with just a SINGLE 480 it comes out with a minimum PSU of 583 and a recommended of 633W! that's worse than 2 7850's; can that even be right?

B@
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No, it's not right but it's not far off.
7850 is 135W max and 480 is 250W max (these are according to various PSU checking sites), so 2 7850s would be a little more. I'm still not sure if I trust those figures though. You maybe safe putting 2 through the 650W PSU, I just wouldn't want to risk it myself lol :D
 
no_1_dave said:
No, it's not right but it's not far off.
7850 is 135W max and 480 is 250W max (these are according to various PSU checking sites), so 2 7850s would be a little more. I'm still not sure if I trust those figures though. You maybe safe putting 2 through the 650W PSU, I just wouldn't want to risk it myself lol :D
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A decent 650W with high rated 12v rail output should be ok for dual-card that only uses one PCI-E 6pin (the 7850 for example). But for dual-card that uses two PCI-E 6 pin, I wouldn't push my luck, as even if the PSU could handle it, under near max load or 90% stress/load the PSU's fan will be spinning up to such a speed that you'd thought the fan noise is trying to murder your hearing :p I myself tried a Q6600 overclocked 3.6GHz with my 5850 on a Corsair CX400 (a quality Seasonic unit)...and despite PSU got what it takes to handle the system, the fan noise was SO loud that even using headphone couldn't completely block it out :p
 
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Agree with Marine. A 650W should in theory be fine but with a spike you could run close and personally I wouldn't do it. My own SLI readings with my overclocked system are about 250W in Prime and 450-500W in BF3.
 
Yeah normally a PSU running at close to its max rating will be hot, loud, and a lot less efficient than one running at 50-70% of capacity.
 
A good 650 watt psu would be rated at continous output, so I personally wouldnt be worried about slight spikes of demand on a quality psu at periodic 90% load unless the unit was getting on in years.



On the topic of 480 or 7850, personally I think its silly not to include the power requirements in your considerations if your in the position of having to place a relatively tight budget. If your gaming a lot it adds up fast (im assuming your footing the bill also, and if your not , it is a bit cheeky to say the least).
 
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