I'm not complaining. I've never knocked BFG, in this thread or anywhere else. I'm just stating a fact. I have a better single GPU and worse performance than I had before with SLi. Hence the thread title.
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How much of an ungrateful barsteward should I be?
- Thread starter WJA96
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I'm not complaining. I've never knocked BFG, in this thread or anywhere else. I'm just stating a fact. I have a better single GPU and worse performance than I had before with SLi. Hence the thread title.
It's a basis for comparing two graphics systems, and it's a valid comparison tool in this case because everything else in the system is identical.
No games on that system, just CUDA enabled distributed computing.
No, you can't because it uses two versions of CUDA drivers on the two different cards. It can be done with two VMs though, but the latest DC projects use SLi for (in the case of two 8800GTXs) 256 cores in parallel.
Using what client set? If you think about it, the current F@H client doesn't run SLi so I can't be running that can I, and someone who's pushing 5M points combined is highly likely to be on the beta programme wouldn't you say?
I have so far refrained from being blunt and asking people if they have read the original post, but it doesn't ask for advise on setting up my system - it asks a simple question - should I complain to BFG about the fact that my system is slower overall or not?
I think I've had about 3 responses, the rest have largely been people telling me about what they would do and asking what games I play.
Just to reiterate -
1. I know I got a superb upgrade from the RMA
2. I'm not using it for games
3. The system is, for what I am using it for, provably slower with the GTX 280 than two 8800 GTX's in SLi
4. The question is, and was, should I go back to BFG and ask for anything else?
No, but I would pay a good price for it.
OK, I appreciate what you are saying - the problem is that for what I'm using it for, the out and out clock speed is less important than the number of cores available for parallel computing. And then you have to factor in the very nice fact that the BFG H2OC is not just factory overclocked (675MHz I believe), it's heavily overclocked, so I might get another 25-50MHz out of it, or I might not.
I'm more interested in whether you think it's reasonable for me to go back to BFG and ask for another 8800GTX instead?
I see the dilemna, but I think you got a pretty good result from BFG
I know I got a superb deal from BFG. I also suspect strongly that if I contact them and ask they will tell me to send the other 8800GTX back and they'll swap that one out for a GTX 280 as well, the question is should I do it?
Personally, I'd sell both cards and use the proceeds towards a soon to be released H2O version of the GTX295, or two cheap GTX260's (assuming blocks can be sourced for them)
If you look up the thread a trio of 295's is coming soon, and I have a Tri-SLI GTX 280 system already. This system was just for messing with, and now it's a little bit slower than it was. I'm 99% in the be grateful and sit tight camp, but 1% of me is saying, "but it's slower!" and wants to be an ungrateful barsteward.
The only thing that has driven me to annoyance in this thread is the number of people commenting who patently haven't read the thread and keep trotting out the same old stuff about games and how they would make a bit of money out of it.
BFG, EVGA and other companies offering very long term warranties do seem to be relying on the fact that most customers getting a significant upgrade as an RMA return will be delighted and not query the fact that BFG don't carry stocks of EOL parts. I'm one of those users who spent over £1000 on top end parts 18 months ago and I generally buy BFG or EVGA because they have the best warranty available.
I haven't spoken to BFG because 99% of me is saying it would just be downright ungrateful to do so. I actually have no doubt at all that if I contacted BFG and explained they would send me a second GTX280 H2OC but that just seems to be an abuse of their excellent RMA service. On the other hand, they probably factor this sort of thing into the original purchase cost, so maybe I will give it a shot
Sadly not. DC is all about the number of shaders/cores and two 8800GTXs beat a single GTX280 by quite some margin especially with the new beta clients that allow two cards to run together as one super-card.
I didn't ask for feedback. I didn't ask what comparison program I should use. I didn't ask how much could I get for whatever card. I didn't ask about the performance differential. I asked should I contact BFG and explain the issue?
What I got was a few intelligent posts answering the query and a lot of dubious advice from people who made a lot of erroneous assumptions and made suggestions based on what they would do if I was a gamer with little or no money and a fear of the size of my electricity bill. The latter posts annoyed me somewhat, but largely because I had to keep typing the same stuff over and over again.
I don't buy my own hardware, my company buys my hardware and I use it in my work. As a perk, I get to play with it and use all the unused processor cycles for distributed computing projects. My electricity bill is also covered and within reason I can spend what I like on hardware. So I have an air conditioned room with about 7 PCs in it, nothing older or slower than a Q6600 in an X48 motherboard. They primarily run SAP 24/7 for client testing, but the graphics cards aren't used in that, so they can be used for distributed computing projects. I can tell you to within 50 points per day how much slower the GTX280 is vs the two 8800GTX in SLi and it's almost exactly 2000 points (15,000 vs. 13000) I know that because my statistics dropped by that much when I installed the card vs. what I was getting with the two good 8800GTXs previously.
Now, I'm going to e-mail BFG and ask them what they can do to help me out.
So what changed? Carry on dancing is what I say.
It's slower. That's what changed.
Because (and it's about the 5th time I've typed this) it's a perfectly reasonable method of demonstrating the speed differential between two graphics subsystems.
Well, if you think about it, they are offering a 10-year warranty and you would imagine they must have some sort of strategy for dealing with this sort of thing.
If they refunded the RRP of the card, I'd be dancing all night! - Over £500 at the time, and I didn't ask for sympathy, as the thread title suggests.
And I agree that I seriously over-rated the ability of OcUK forum members to read, comprehend and post in a constructive way, but you live and learn.
Yes, and I think when the next generation of SLi arrives it wil support mixed cards, so that will help.
You've always came across as one of the more intelligent posters on here, WJA96, so I can't for the life of me work out why you've made this thread.Think yourself lucky for pity's sake, with the recession worsening each day, there is people out there who are struggling to even pay their bills, let alone the luxury of 1 gtx 280, I guess you must live in a different world to most of us though, what with your company paying for your electricity as well as your hardware, your 4 gtx 280's, 7 computers (in a air con room!) kitted with no less than a q6600 (spits) and a x48 mobo, plans for 3 way gtx 295's... I mean, I wouldn't be suprised if you had a partridge in a pair tree stashed in your air con room, or at least had plans for one.
Seriously though, get a grip.
Even before the recession there were people struggling to pay their bills. There were always homeless people. There will always be successful people and businesses and less successful people and businesses. There will always be envious losers sitting in council houses sponging off the state. If I had a business need for a partridge then then I would have two, one for when the primary partridge was off for repair, or it was sleeping. Luckily for me, I don't need a partridge. I'd have to clean out the cages...
For the English language pedants among us, jealousy<>envy
I have contacted BFG asking about swapping out the GTX280 for an 8800GTX and I have not yet received a reply. I'd be a liar if I said I'm not secretly hoping they'll offer me another GTX 280 or a pair of GTX 260's but I would be quite happy with an 8800GTX.
I have contacted BFG asking about swapping out the GTX280 for an 8800GTX and I have not yet received a reply. I'd be a liar if I said I'm not secretly hoping they'll offer me another GTX 280 or a pair of GTX 260's but I would be quite happy with an 8800GTX.
Me too. I need the ppd.
But isn't that a faster card than the one you sent back?
3dmark is a game
How much does it matter to actual games, and to the games that don't support SLI ? I'd personally rather lose 10% in games that supported SLi perfectly and gain like 50% in all the remaining stuff.
And someone else who hasn't read the thread
I agree. I REALLY lucked out.
They just don't have any unfortunately. So they sent me the best replacement they could. You really can't fault BFG.
I have asked BFG and it looks like I'm stuck with my current cards. Unfortunately the water-block on the 280 is in a place that won't allow the pipes to easily line up with the ones on the 8800, so I can't use them together, but I've found another GTX 280 H2OC, so I'm getting that (getting one essentially for free means the cards together are quite reasonably priced individually
) and the 8800GTX will have to soldier on alone in another system all by itself. I can only guess what they'll send me when that one diesTo close this out from my point of view, I'm deliriously happy with the service I've had from BFG and I really wouldn't ever buy anything else again. They did their best for me, and while my overall system was a little slower, at least they came through as best they could. 10/10 for BFG! and 0/10 for me being grateful