Windows 7: System requirements for NVidia GTX580?

So, my GT230 is getting to become unbearable in that the performance is miserable for almost every single game. I'm looking to upgrade my graphics card, which in the past is a process which never goes well. I've been looking at the NVidia GeForce 500 series, ending up fixating on the 580, which has the right PCI-e specifications for my motherboard (I really don't want to have to change anything more than the PSU and graphics card), which is PCI-e x16 2.0.
The motherboard specifications are here. If I move the TV tuner card up to the top PCI-e x1 slot, there is enough space for the GTX 580, which takes up the space of two PCI faceplates.
I've always been nervous about GPUs as powerful ones always seem to have crazy unspecified cables that don't connect to anything. Scan says the 580 needs "One 6-pin PCI Express power connector or two available hard disk power connectors and one 8-pin PCI Express power connector or two available 6-pin PCI Express power connectors". As I'll be having to buy a new PSU for the card...



(my current one is 500W and is the wrong size for my case, any cheapish and quiet PSU recommendations for a 14cm deep, 8.5CM tall and 15CM across 600W+ PSU would be great)

... I'm assuming some of the connectors will be these 6 pin and 8 pin things? I'm hoping that none of the connectors it requires are motherboard connectors, as if so I'm probably screwed. So, will a PSU come with the 8-pin/2x HDD and 8-pin/2x6-pin power connectors?

Please don't try and talk me out of the 580, I do have demanding visual needs so its extreme power is necessary - be glad I'm not wanting to go for the extravagant 590

Thank you

The auxiliary power connectors required for the 580 are PCI-E (PCI-Express) ones. As far as I know, they are only used for graphics cards. You need one 6 pin and one 8 pin (usually 6+2, which can be used as either 6 or 8).

If you're getting a new PSU, make sure that it has the PCI-E connectors. It's possible to use adapters to go from a couple of Molex connectors (the sort used on IDE hard drives) to a single 6 pin, but that is best avoided.

If you can get a GTX680, I suggest that you consider that. It's a PCI-E 3.0 card, but It's backwards compatible with the older PCI-E standards. (There are relatively few PCI-E 3 systems out there; they've been in the market only since earlier this year.) The 680 is newer, costs about the same as the 580, has generally better performance, and consumes significantly less power. (That's important to me less for "green" considerations than for having less of a thermal load in the PC's case.)

1) ah, I see. I've hunted out this PSU which has two 6-pin PCI-e connectors (which seem to have adapters to make them 8-pin if needed)

2) oh... that would explain a lot, I'd assumed that PCI-e 3.0 cards were only compatible with PCI-e 3.0 motherboards That 680 does look very tempting... the GeForce site says the 680 just needs two 6-pin "supplementary power connectors", does that mean that that PSU would be perfect for that card?

thank you for the info and knowledge, I never would've realized 3.0 was backwards compatible

I would stick with a Power Supply from a reputable manufacturer.....I usually recommend Seasonic, Corsair and Antec. Not saying that there aren't other brands out there that are worth buying, but I have experience with those three. The power supply is one of the most important pieces of hardware in a PC.....a bad one can brick a pc/motherboard/gpu/ram in an instant.

Also, anytime you have a choice between an older generation and newer generation piece.......provided they have similar prices......always go with the new generation stuff. The 680 is a beast and is more efficient than the 580. All new power supplies will have 2x6-pin connectors at the very minimum. Most will have 2 x 6-pin and 2 x 6+2-pin(used for 8 pin graphics cards). I would look for a good 650 Watt with 80+ Bronze or better rating.......you might find 750 watt power supplies on sale for a better price though, because in my opinion, they are more popular. I got my Seasonic Fully Modular X750 Gold for $119 on sale, and that is a great value for what you get.

Here is a really good one for around $100.....Newegg.com - CORSAIR Professional Series HX650 650W ATX12V v2.2 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply. Semi-modular, plenty of connectors and 80+ Gold certified!

I'm unfamiliar with AeroCool PSUs. The one that you link to is spec'd at 50A at +12V, which is encouraging. (Crap PSUs generally are quite weak on the current available at +12V. This one is OK.) Incidentally, it has two 6+2 pin PCI-E power connectors, which can be used as either 6 or 8 pin.

The Strike-X 600w doesn't seem to be a real cheapie, but I second the idea of sticking with the generally-regarded-as-reliable brands. I'm not sure which brad to recommend for the UK. Some UK prices seem to be about the same number of pounds as the price in US dollars - seems dear. This one may be a reasonably good deal:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Antec-Bronze...31&s=computers

thank you both for the PSU recommendations, I've heard of Antec (for PSUs and cases) and Corsair (only for RAM and SSDs) so yeah, I trust them more than that AeroCool place I found.

1 / 2 final questions then:

1) What does the 80+ and Bronze/Gold stuff mean?

2) bobkn, slightly off-topic but I've always wondered , do you know why the middle C in Connecticut silent? As Cincinnati doesn't have silent Cs and it's always confused me.

thanks

The 80+ Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum refers to the different levels of efficiency. How it runs under a very light load, heavy load and how many of the advertised watts it can put out. That's a very generalized explanation, but the best I can do right now as I'm running late for class lol. Do a quick google search for 80+......bronze, silver, gold, etc and I'm sure there is a much better explanation out there. Generally, the higher the rating, the more efficient the power supply(Bronze<Silver<Gold<Platinum)

Kelly

ah, I see, thank you

Biggles, I don't know what your budget is? But now you know PCI-e 3.0 is backwards compatible, if you can't stretch to a 680, the 660ti offers slightly better performance than the older 580 and is very reasonably priced. Or the 670 is a fantastic card for a bit more money and both come with more Vram than the older 580.

Paul.

Ah, thanks for the budget recommendations. Yeah, my budget until the new year is tiny, but I may be able to borrow the money off a rather wealthy friend. I am slightly bemused by the price of the GTX 680 being nearly as much as my definitely higher than mid-range PC , so I'll keep the 670 and 660ti at the forefront of my mind if I find that I'd rather have more affordable but still better visual power right now and hold off getting the future-proof 680 until it makes more financial sense as both the 660ti and 670 suit my current PSU so would save upgrading that for the meantime.