endlesszeal
Senior Member
ps the vantage scores about right for stock gtx280 and overclocked q6600.
watercooled? overclocked? linux? server? folder? what?!
- Thread starter GSRCRXsi
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why do people overclock and water cool, as opposed to just getting a beefier machine to begin with?
honest question
honest question
i bet you guys spend more time working on these machines than actually playing any game.
and unless you are playing 5 instances of these games at the same time i dont see the need for all of this.
and unless you are playing 5 instances of these games at the same time i dont see the need for all of this.
endlesszeal
Senior Member
the people who upgrade every cycle are benchmarkers; like dragging racing, but with LN2. some just like to have all the eye candy turned up on higher res than 1080p. or maybe just the next game that comes out is too taxing and need a significant bump like crysis. this is especially true for graphics card that have a usual life-span of 6-8 months before something new comes out and stomps on it.
and to answer overclocking, its to get more performance for less. example, the newest intel extreme processor i7 965 is (usually are) $1000 and clocked at 3.2ghz. however, you can get a $270 i7 920 chip 2.6ghz and overclock it to 4.0ghz with the two chips being especially the same except a few minor details. but for benchmarkers, they usually get the highest chips because they sometimes overclock even further for the bragging rights. lastly, if your stuff is critical say making a movie for a production company or server, overclocking IS NOT recommended because it can cause data corruptuion.
and to answer overclocking, its to get more performance for less. example, the newest intel extreme processor i7 965 is (usually are) $1000 and clocked at 3.2ghz. however, you can get a $270 i7 920 chip 2.6ghz and overclock it to 4.0ghz with the two chips being especially the same except a few minor details. but for benchmarkers, they usually get the highest chips because they sometimes overclock even further for the bragging rights. lastly, if your stuff is critical say making a movie for a production company or server, overclocking IS NOT recommended because it can cause data corruptuion.
Niiiiiiiiiiice
I don't think I'll bother to watercool any more video cards though... the cost to do so is more than just upgrading to the next higher model.
I don't think I'll bother to watercool any more video cards though... the cost to do so is more than just upgrading to the next higher model.
gtx 280 will future proof me for a while. the stock cooler is less effective and is louder. and decent air coolers take up too much space (slots i mean). which is why i chose to water cool this card. plus i can easily overclock it and not worry about temps. the card idles at 35C and barely touches 45 with load on stock clocks. and for a card that can work at 100C and still be ok (GPUs have higher thermal thresholds) it gives me plently of headroom.
as for the question of building a beefier machine vs. overclock. my quad is clocked at 3.6GHz. which isnt spectacular by any means but its pushing the limits of what this chip can do and still be stable. some of the 45nm chips (quads) can get over 4GHz, but i dont have the need to upgrade at this point. im happy with everything as it is for now. but still at 3.6 GHz, its already outperforming the stock extreme chips that are priced $1000+. so the couple hundred i spent on the water loop is worth it to me.
and above all. i just like tinkering with shit. its the same reason i built my track car even though i could just buy a faster car stock.
mike, the cost to water cool the vid card was cheaper that you think. i think the WB/unisink combo was only like 70 bucks. and on a card where the next best model is only the GTX 295. but thats ~500. i picked up this one used for 275.
as for the question of building a beefier machine vs. overclock. my quad is clocked at 3.6GHz. which isnt spectacular by any means but its pushing the limits of what this chip can do and still be stable. some of the 45nm chips (quads) can get over 4GHz, but i dont have the need to upgrade at this point. im happy with everything as it is for now. but still at 3.6 GHz, its already outperforming the stock extreme chips that are priced $1000+. so the couple hundred i spent on the water loop is worth it to me.
and above all. i just like tinkering with shit. its the same reason i built my track car even though i could just buy a faster car stock.
mike, the cost to water cool the vid card was cheaper that you think. i think the WB/unisink combo was only like 70 bucks. and on a card where the next best model is only the GTX 295. but thats ~500. i picked up this one used for 275.
True- I guess I was thinking about when I bought my 8800GTS early last year. The cost of G92 water blocks was right around $100. Selling the G92 and then spending another $100 on a better card would have yielded more performance than overclocking what I had. That's been my experience with most late model video cards. If you have one of the latest like you do, water cooling is definitely economical. For me, I'm just going to pick up another MSI 8800GTS. I still have more than enough airflow through my case to keep the video cards cool.
endlesszeal
Senior Member
lol it used to be true but if nvidia continues to do what theyve been doing, you have nothing to worry about. the 8800gts 512mb that came out almost 2 years ago is still in product rotation and just being renamed like crazy from the 8800gts -> 9800gtx ->9800gtx+ ->gts250 and is STILL their middle range card. 2 years is ancient for video cards. so i think the gtx260/280 models will be up there for a while longer.
hai guise 
small upgrades
8GB ram now w/ ram cooler
1000w PSU (got a good deal not needed i know)
and tucked a bunch of wires.
i also got rid of the PVR-500 tuner card. ive ditched linux for now as i got frustrated with the nVidia drivers and rebooting to play games was a PITA. for what i am doing the built in MC in Win7 is working fine. i just cant stream live TV over the network (why they havent added that functionality is beyond me) without an extender, oh and you cant use another windows MC PC as an extender, lame.
small upgrades
8GB ram now w/ ram cooler
1000w PSU (got a good deal not needed i know)
and tucked a bunch of wires.
i also got rid of the PVR-500 tuner card. ive ditched linux for now as i got frustrated with the nVidia drivers and rebooting to play games was a PITA. for what i am doing the built in MC in Win7 is working fine. i just cant stream live TV over the network (why they havent added that functionality is beyond me) without an extender, oh and you cant use another windows MC PC as an extender, lame.
kriz
New Member
LOL @ the GeekSquad mouse pad =P
Hmm... Looks like I'm gonna have to post some pics of my setup...
hondasaurus
Member
you ain't got nothing on cardboard! lightweight
