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Life span of GPU?

craigxt22

craigxt22

craigxt22

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Joined
23 Dec 2009
Posts
302
Hi guys,

I want to get into PC gaming. I have an ideal PC, just need a graphics card.

I was wondering how long a graphics card will actually last until the games are no longer be compatible with it? Lets assume I'm referring to a £150 - £200 card.

Cheers
 
craigxt22 said:
Hi guys,

I want to get into PC gaming. I have an ideal PC, just need a graphics card.

I was wondering how long a graphics card will actually last until the games are no longer be compatible with it? Lets assume I'm referring to a £150 - £200 card.

Cheers
Click to expand...

I'd say 3/4 years.

Something like the GTX 560 will last a good few years due to its OC ability.
 
craigxt22 said:
I was wondering how long a graphics card will actually last until the games are no longer be compatible with it? Lets assume I'm referring to a £150 - £200 card.

Cheers
Click to expand...
I be more worryed about how long it be before the card not fast enough to play the lastest released games :p
 
I tend to upgrade gfx cards every 18 months or so. Usually go for a £200 budget and sell my old card for £75-100 to cover part of the upgrade.

Of course, it depends how bothered you are about having all the settings turned up in games. If you're prepared to turn things down slightly after a while, something like a GTX480 should see you comfortably gaming away for two-and-a-half to three years, I'd say. Plenty of people around with HD4870s that are over 2 years old still gaming happily. I was one of them until December...

Edit: Yeah, what chaparral said, too. That's how I read the OP question initially, actually.
 
Depends what settings or performance you demand but to give you an idea (although it was much more expensive than the budget you mentioned), in 2008 I bought a 4870X2. It's only very recently that I found that it wasn't quite meeting the grade for my requirements. So I'd agree with the above that generally speaking a decent card would last most people about two years, some a little less, some a little more.
 
Depends on your resolution.

For me, I have a 1440x900 screen, and am willing to turn down settings as time goes by. My 3 1/2 year old 2900xt is still working fine, and can still play any game thrown at it so far. I went overkill on purpose at the time, so I wouldn't have to spend money now.

If you have a higher resolution screen, you'll have to upgrade more often.
 
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This question can only be answered by yourself as its you who decides what level of detail you want to play games at. I myself hate to play any game at low detail. I prefer high so have to upgrade atleast every 2 years. If you are a console gamer though low to medium may be acceptable to you and you could get an extra year or 2.
 
put it this way, i am looking to get a sandybridge with a GTX560

i will be gaming at a res of no higher than 1080p and will actually be 768p in the 1st instance.

I FULLY expect this pc to be great for games for the next 3 years. most pc games are console ports anyway, and are held back as such so i personally do not expect a huge jump in needed tech till the next gen of consoles launch**

**just my thoughts am not looking to start a flame war :).
 
Ive had my 3870 for 4 yrs now and it still runs the latest game smooth, med to high detail in 1600x1200. But about 3 times last month Ive had this happen, so I guess its giving up the ghost.............

dscf09006340011.jpg
 
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Eeek that's different.

Try giving it a spring clean, removing the cooler and applying some fresh cooling paste. It might extend it's life a bit?
 
I applied fresh paste a few months ago, as the temp was way high, but its back down to norm temps now and a blast it out with air evey 2-3months, so its been well looked after.
 
Phil2008 said:
I applied fresh paste a few months ago, as the temp was way high, but its back down to norm temps now and a blast it out with air evey 2-3months, so its been well looked after.
Click to expand...

Give it the "Hansel and Gretel" treatment!!!!!. (Once it dies of course)
 
You should normally get 2-3 years of good use out of a high end graphics card, after which it will begin to struggle. However, if the current trend continues, in that Sony et. MS won't refresh their console line-up, and we will still be getting the same old, crappy, tired console ports then God knows how long a good gpu might last you, maybe even a decade :D
 
Phil2008 said:
Ive had my 3870 for 4 yrs now and it still runs the latest game smooth, med to high detail in 1600x1200. But about 3 times last month Ive had this happen, so I guess its giving up the ghost.............

image.
Click to expand...

Funny, mine has been doing that latley, 2/3 year old 4850 - But to the OP, most modern cards are more than capable of running anything with decent levels for a few years, christ even my 4850 still does ok for its age, but the 2-3 year thing for actually dieing seems to be cropping up :(
 
craigxt22 said:
Hi guys,
I was wondering how long a graphics card will actually last until the games are no longer be compatible with it? Lets assume I'm referring to a £150 - £200 card.
Click to expand...

It depends in part on the type of games you play and the resolution you run at, and most importantly the quality settings you demand.
You will be able to play many games in the highest settings now. If you are willing to drop to medium settings, which still look pretty good in most games, that card will easily last you 5 years.
Alternatively, if you need the highest settings, it will last 2-3 years, but you will be able to sell it second hand to help fun your next card. A few people sell cards every 1-2 years, buy the next model, and fund it because on this time scale, decent graphic cards hold their value quite well. So the upgrade cost isn't as much as you might think.
 
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