is a 480 worth it ?

with the new line of cards from nvidia do you think the gtx 480 will drop to like $100-$150 ? and for the price just to sli a few maybe to beat anything new ?

I'm not an expert on GPUs, but a friend of mine is. Rumors he's read floating around show the midrange Kepler cards (660 ti or whatever) being roughly 10% more powerful than a 580. I'm not sure how much better a 580 is than a 480 but I would absolutely wait until official benchmarks are released on Kepler chips before you decide. It would be silly to get a pair of old cards IF a similarly priced new card will be as effective, not to mention that you can in turn SLI this new card in a few years for cheap.

I'm not an expert on GPUs, but a friend of mine is. Rumors he's read floating around show the midrange Kepler cards (660 ti or whatever) being roughly 10% more powerful than a 580. I'm not sure how much better a 580 is than a 480 but I would absolutely wait until official benchmarks are released on Kepler chips before you decide. It would be silly to get a pair of old cards IF a similarly priced new card will be as effective, not to mention that you can in turn SLI this new card in a few years for cheap.

Bruin1986

[QUOTE="Bruin1986"]

I'm not an expert on GPUs, but a friend of mine is. Rumors he's read floating around show the midrange Kepler cards (660 ti or whatever) being roughly 10% more powerful than a 580. I'm not sure how much better a 580 is than a 480 but I would absolutely wait until official benchmarks are released on Kepler chips before you decide. It would be silly to get a pair of old cards IF a similarly priced new card will be as effective, not to mention that you can in turn SLI this new card in a few years for cheap.

ionusX

On a side note though, the 660Ti will likely not launch with the initial Kepler line-up and will take a few more months to hit stores.

[QUOTE="Bruin1986"]

I'm not an expert on GPUs, but a friend of mine is. Rumors he's read floating around show the midrange Kepler cards (660 ti or whatever) being roughly 10% more powerful than a 580. I'm not sure how much better a 580 is than a 480 but I would absolutely wait until official benchmarks are released on Kepler chips before you decide. It would be silly to get a pair of old cards IF a similarly priced new card will be as effective, not to mention that you can in turn SLI this new card in a few years for cheap.

ionusX

I remember on Overclockers.co.uk when they had Asus GTX480s for £180 new

Simple. No it isn't. Go Fermi or go with AMD's offerings. The 480 would be considered paperweight unless you got it for FREE.Elann2008

Simple. No it isn't. Go Fermi or go with AMD's offerings. The 480 would be considered paperweight unless you got it for FREE.Elann2008

[QUOTE="ionusX"]

[QUOTE="Bruin1986"]

I'm not an expert on GPUs, but a friend of mine is. Rumors he's read floating around show the midrange Kepler cards (660 ti or whatever) being roughly 10% more powerful than a 580. I'm not sure how much better a 580 is than a 480 but I would absolutely wait until official benchmarks are released on Kepler chips before you decide. It would be silly to get a pair of old cards IF a similarly priced new card will be as effective, not to mention that you can in turn SLI this new card in a few years for cheap.

C_Rule

no it would make sense.. 570 tiny bit better than 480 >AND> 670ti tiny bit better than 580

actualy i beleive that. its actually rather logical expecially since gk104 = gtx 670 ti

The 480 is a great card - anyone who says otherwise is an idiot.

The 480 is a great card - anyone who says otherwise is an idiot.

Postmortem123

[QUOTE="Postmortem123"]

The 480 is a great card - anyone who says otherwise is an idiot.

ionusX

[QUOTE="Postmortem123"]

The 480 is a great card - anyone who says otherwise is an idiot.

ionusX

All blower fans are noisy, and the 580 only runs about 5C cooler ^_^

[QUOTE="ionusX"]

[QUOTE="Postmortem123"]

The 480 is a great card - anyone who says otherwise is an idiot.

Postmortem123

All blower fans are noisy, and the 580 only runs about 5C cooler ^_^

[QUOTE="Postmortem123"]

[QUOTE="ionusX"] okay it scarfs power, stock fan is noisy as a ---- and the heat it generates can cook an egg in 2 hours

ferret-gamer

All blower fans are noisy, and the 580 only runs about 5C cooler ^_^

It also costs twice as much :P

[QUOTE="Postmortem123"]

The 480 is a great card - anyone who says otherwise is an idiot.

ionusX

but yet when i had the stock hsf on it highest temps i saw were 70c? let alone now with my WC i barley gover over 45c on load yea... i'm pretty sure it can cook an egg :roll:

[QUOTE="Postmortem123"]

The 480 is a great card - anyone who says otherwise is an idiot.

ionusX

Simple. No it isn't. Go Fermi or go with AMD's offerings. The 480 would be considered paperweight unless you got it for FREE.Elann2008

This might qualify as one of the most ill-informed posts i've ever seen. Not only is a GTX 480 a fermi card, but it's actually very powerful. The drawbacks were big power consumption, heat, and a fairly loud cooler. Still, it's on par with a GTX 570 or AMD 6970, so a very strong GPU.

So, I think the only 100% agreed upon, logical response would be to simply wait 2 months (if you can spare it!), actually see how well Kepler performs from legitimate tests, and see what corresponding price drops the older card series have. Then decide...

[QUOTE="C_Rule"][QUOTE="ionusX"] more like 670.. 660 will probbably be somewhere near the 570/480

ionusX

no it would make sense.. 570 tiny bit better than 480 >AND> 670ti tiny bit better than 580

actualy i beleive that. its actually rather logical expecially since gk104 = gtx 670 ti

A GTX 660 can be as fast as a GTX 580. then a GTX 670 will be 7970 range or faster and GTX 680 will be much faster then 7970.

[QUOTE="ionusX"]

[QUOTE="C_Rule"] They would mean 6XX will be no better than 5XX (570 is a tiny bit better than 480). I doubt that will be the case.04dcarraher

no it would make sense.. 570 tiny bit better than 480 >AND> 670ti tiny bit better than 580

actualy i beleive that. its actually rather logical expecially since gk104 = gtx 670 ti

A GTX 660 can be as fast as a GTX 580. then a GTX 670 will be 7970 range or faster and GTX 680 will be much faster then 7970.

I agree with your overall logic. However, I'm pretty sure that all Fermis were 40nm. The GTX 470 and 480 certainly were.

[QUOTE="04dcarraher"]

[QUOTE="ionusX"]

no it would make sense.. 570 tiny bit better than 480 >AND> 670ti tiny bit better than 580

actualy i beleive that. its actually rather logical expecially since gk104 = gtx 670 ti

hartsickdiscipl

A GTX 660 can be as fast as a GTX 580. then a GTX 670 will be 7970 range or faster and GTX 680 will be much faster then 7970.

I agree with your overall logic. However, I'm pretty sure that all Fermis were 40nm. The GTX 470 and 480 certainly were.

If you can find a used card for $200 or less then yeah it would be a great buy. The card overclock great too. It does get hot, but its nothing the card cant handle. The card actually outperforms many mind and highend cards out there, but it has its drawbacks like using a lot of power and not having the best of coolers, and the fact that its no longer in production doesn't help. But if you can find it for $200 or less its not a bad card to have.

i heard those newer versions of the 480 were improved, but the older versions were a complete JOKE. They need a nuclear power plant by itself just to power one of those cards, not to mention the heat put out, you'd be fine even in the dead of winter.

i heard those newer versions of the 480 were improved, but the older versions were a complete JOKE. They need a nuclear power plant by itself just to power one of those cards, not to mention the heat put out, you'd be fine even in the dead of winter.

blaznwiipspman1

If the TC has the case cooling and the power needed and he can get a GTX 480 cheap go for it.

[QUOTE="blaznwiipspman1"]

i heard those newer versions of the 480 were improved, but the older versions were a complete JOKE. They need a nuclear power plant by itself just to power one of those cards, not to mention the heat put out, you'd be fine even in the dead of winter.

04dcarraher

If the TC has the case cooling and the power needed and he can get a GTX 480 cheap go for it.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-480,2585-15.html

450 watts at load just for itself...temperatures almost at 100 deg celsius, so ionusx wasnt exaggerating at all....you could possibly boil an egg using the 480 gtx.

[QUOTE="04dcarraher"]

[QUOTE="blaznwiipspman1"]

i heard those newer versions of the 480 were improved, but the older versions were a complete JOKE. They need a nuclear power plant by itself just to power one of those cards, not to mention the heat put out, you'd be fine even in the dead of winter.

blaznwiipspman1

If the TC has the case cooling and the power needed and he can get a GTX 480 cheap go for it.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-480,2585-15.html

450 watts at load just for itself...temperatures almost at 100 deg celsius, so ionusx wasnt exaggerating at all....you could possibly boil an egg using the 480 gtx.

[QUOTE="blaznwiipspman1"]

[QUOTE="04dcarraher"] The GTX 480's have a 250w TDP while the GTX 570 has a 219w TDP and GTX 580 has a 244w TDP. Not realy needing a nuclear power plant the 7970 which is has a 210w TDP also.....

If the TC has the case cooling and the power needed and he can get a GTX 480 cheap go for it.

C_Rule

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-480,2585-15.html

450 watts at load just for itself...temperatures almost at 100 deg celsius, so ionusx wasnt exaggerating at all....you could possibly boil an egg using the 480 gtx.

Exactly, its not using 450w all by itself :roll: pci-e slot + 6 pin +8 pin equals max output of 300w, the TDP of a GTX 480 is 250w.

[QUOTE="04dcarraher"]

[QUOTE="blaznwiipspman1"]

i heard those newer versions of the 480 were improved, but the older versions were a complete JOKE. They need a nuclear power plant by itself just to power one of those cards, not to mention the heat put out, you'd be fine even in the dead of winter.

blaznwiipspman1

If the TC has the case cooling and the power needed and he can get a GTX 480 cheap go for it.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-480,2585-15.html

450 watts at load just for itself...temperatures almost at 100 deg celsius, so ionusx wasnt exaggerating at all....you could possibly boil an egg using the 480 gtx.

450 watts is the full system draw, not just the GPU.

[QUOTE="04dcarraher"]

[QUOTE="blaznwiipspman1"]

i heard those newer versions of the 480 were improved, but the older versions were a complete JOKE. They need a nuclear power plant by itself just to power one of those cards, not to mention the heat put out, you'd be fine even in the dead of winter.

blaznwiipspman1

If the TC has the case cooling and the power needed and he can get a GTX 480 cheap go for it.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-480,2585-15.html

450 watts at load just for itself...temperatures almost at 100 deg celsius, so ionusx wasnt exaggerating at all....you could possibly boil an egg using the 480 gtx.

[QUOTE="blaznwiipspman1"]

[QUOTE="04dcarraher"] The GTX 480's have a 250w TDP while the GTX 570 has a 219w TDP and GTX 580 has a 244w TDP. Not realy needing a nuclear power plant the 7970 which is has a 210w TDP also.....

If the TC has the case cooling and the power needed and he can get a GTX 480 cheap go for it.

V4LENT1NE

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-480,2585-15.html

450 watts at load just for itself...temperatures almost at 100 deg celsius, so ionusx wasnt exaggerating at all....you could possibly boil an egg using the 480 gtx.

lol the nvidia fanboys are all out in full force. I admit that i was mistaken with that 450 watts power usage for itself bit, but regardless compared to anything else its a horrific number.

[QUOTE="V4LENT1NE"][QUOTE="blaznwiipspman1"]

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-480,2585-15.html

450 watts at load just for itself...temperatures almost at 100 deg celsius, so ionusx wasnt exaggerating at all....you could possibly boil an egg using the 480 gtx.

blaznwiipspman1

lol the nvidia fanboys are all out in full force. I admit that i was mistaken with that 450 watts power usage for itself bit, but regardless compared to anything else its a horrific number.

[QUOTE="blaznwiipspman1"]

[QUOTE="V4LENT1NE"] Move along now nothing to see here, just blazin whipping up crap to bash Nvidia again.04dcarraher

lol the nvidia fanboys are all out in full force. I admit that i was mistaken with that 450 watts power usage for itself bit, but regardless compared to anything else its a horrific number.

62 watts is not that big?? Thats a 25% difference....like i said, the 480 gtx holds the RECORD for being the card with worst performance per watt and like you said there are plenty of cards that have better performance per watt, so no i don't think a 480 is worth it, unless hes getting it for a really good deal. A good deal would be the 480 gtx being cheaper than the 570 gtx by enough to cover the cost of the extra electrical power usage and dim sum since its a card from an older series. $200-$230 would be a decent deal and unless he can get it for that i wouldn't even bother with it.

25% power difference for an average of 20% faster performance for 5870 vs GTX 480... Thats not like OMG event like what your making it out to be . Your complaining about power usage...... that's your only bashing tool for this card...... if its only $200-230 its a good deal? come on..... Now if its new anything around $250-$280 is perfect and if its used then it should be at or below the $200 mark. A GTX 480 and GTX 570 are close performance wise so anything under $300 for a brand new GTX 480 is just fine.

25% power difference for an average of 20% faster performance for 5870 vs GTX 480... Thats not like OMG event like what your making it out to be . Your complaining about power usage...... that's your only bashing tool for this card...... if its only $200-230 its a good deal? come on..... Now if its new anything around $250-$280 is perfect and if its used then it should be at or below the $200 mark. A GTX 480 and GTX 570 are close performance wise so anything under $300 for a brand new GTX 480 is just fine.

04dcarraher

a 7970 uses 30 percent less power but is 150 percent faster. a 570 uses the same electricity but is 30 percent faster. like i said the 480 is a joke.

570 uses the same electricity but is 30 percent faster.

blaznwiipspman1

[QUOTE="blaznwiipspman1"]

570 uses the same electricity but is 30 percent faster.

C_Rule

[QUOTE="Elann2008"]Simple. No it isn't. Go Fermi or go with AMD's offerings. The 480 would be considered paperweight unless you got it for FREE.hartsickdiscipl

This might qualify as one of the most ill-informed posts i've ever seen. Not only is a GTX 480 a fermi card, but it's actually very powerful. The drawbacks were big power consumption, heat, and a fairly loud cooler. Still, it's on par with a GTX 570 or AMD 6970, so a very strong GPU.

Didnt I say this about Blazin a while ago? He just spews trash about Nvidia, go check the Nvidia driver thread on the same page he takes another jab at them there. This has been happening for ages I am suprised no one has noticed it sooner...V4LENT1NE

Who on this forum really cares about power draw? Almost everyone here has 500w+ PSUs.

Who on this forum really cares about power draw? Almost everyone here has 500w+ PSUs.

kraken2109

Who on this forum really cares about power draw? Almost everyone here has 500w+ PSUs.

kraken2109

Didnt I say this about Blazin a while ago? He just spews trash about Nvidia, go check the Nvidia driver thread on the same page he takes another jab at them there. This has been happening for ages I am suprised no one has noticed it sooner...V4LENT1NE

I didn't even know who he was before this thread.

But yeah, talking unjustified trash is bad.

@ OP 480's are awesome, but I personally wouldn't SLi them. I'd much rather just get a single GPU then.

A ton of power draw is fine when it is nvidia but it is a travesty on an AMD CPU