Help me choose.

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  1. Posts : 173
    Windows 7 Ultimate x64
       #1

    Help me choose.


    Okey I thought I had finished my build and was ready for buying, but then my mate comes to me and says I should get a nvidia 480 SLI build, and I found one and saved about 500$ from the radeon 5970 build.
    So what should I choose?

    I've seen reviews of the 480 SLI being very noisy..and I don't want my system to sound like a car

    But they also perform way better than a single 5970 in action, and they are cheaper. So what would you have done?


    I still want a Radeon build, cause the cards are more stabil and don't make so much sound. And I mean, who would really need more than a 5970? So if someone doesn't make a good argument for why I should choose nvidia I will go for the radeon build :)
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  2. Posts : 2,606
    Windows 7 Pro X64 SP1
       #2

    Why not read the reviews? Here's one:

    NVIDIA’s GeForce GTX 480 and GTX 470: 6 Months Late, Was It Worth the Wait? - AnandTech :: Your Source for Hardware Analysis and News

    The comparison does not include quad Crossfire (two 5970s).

    When tested with Furmark, the total system power with a 5970 was 465W; with a single 480, 479W. With two 480s in SLI, that went to 851W. Sacre merde! that suggests tha a fully-loaded 480 eats 282W. (The spec limit for power through the PCI-E slot, 6 pin PCI-E power connector, and 8 pin PCI-E power connector is 300W.)

    My single 480's fan gets loud when it's fully loaded with Furmark. From the above review, it should be about as loud as a single 5970.
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  3. Posts : 173
    Windows 7 Ultimate x64
    Thread Starter
       #3

    Hmm yes. They eat a lot of power. It's hard to choose.

    Okey. Have now chosen the 5970. Topic can be closed.
    Last edited by hawkin90; 25 Jul 2010 at 22:16.
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  4. Posts : 140
    Windows 7 Home Premium 64bit
       #4

    If you browse around a common issue with the 5970 is the gpu "throttling back" (also know this first hand as I attempted to solve this issue on a close friends build)... ATI claims it is a heat issue to protect the cards.. but I've seen it done in low temps. After you receive your card run a benchmark test and if the GPU's start to throttle back have it RMA'd for a new one.

    On a side note: Happens most often when the GPU hits 90%.. it'll drop to 70% then back to 90%.. and the chain will keep going.
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  5. Posts : 173
    Windows 7 Ultimate x64
    Thread Starter
       #5

    Dude u'r scaring me
    I would actually prefer a 480 SLI setup, but they are so noisy and power consuming..
    The PSU with the SLI 480 is a 1200w Chieftec super series. Is this a good enough psu to run them?
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  6. Posts : 2,528
    Windows 7 x64 Ultimate
       #6

    Hmm my 480 isn't noisey at all. But can confirm that they run very warm and do need power.

    I always wondered if SLIed 470s wouldn't actually be quite a bit better than a single 480. Maybe a decent alternative to SLIed 480s power wise (and cost wise!)
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  7. Posts : 276
    HP Win7 Pro x64 | Custom Win7 Pro x64
       #7

    Since you haven't mentioned anything specific to extreme power requirements, I'll assume you're not a hardcore enthusiast looking only to score the highest in benchmarks, but rather a mainstream to enthusiast gamer.

    Be that the case, a 5970 is more than enough, in most cases it's overkill. It's a great card, and far more reasonable than two 480's in SLI, which IMO is ridiculous unless you absolutely must have multiple display's -and- Cuda/Physx.

    I have a XFX 5970BE in my other rig and it's more than enough for 3 displays and any game on the market, I would go with the 5970 in your case. Also the electricity wasted over time with two 480's would make even the most wasteful person feel guilty..

    Do you need multiple displays? If not and you want a great ATI build I would even consider a 5870, they're plenty powerful, cheaper, and aren't so bad on the environment (power).
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  8. Posts : 173
    Windows 7 Ultimate x64
    Thread Starter
       #8

    And again people have different opinions about the cards. Man, this is going to be a pain.
    Some people say the 5970 has bad drivers and that they are bottlenecked and all that stuff and some people bless them higher than the sky.

    Just theoreticly: Will the chieftain 1200w be enough for a SLI 480 setup?
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  9. Posts : 2,528
    Windows 7 x64 Ultimate
       #9

    Heh should be, but just check that it has multiple 12V rails (you should have one for each card) and that the amp rating of each rail is enough for the 480. The PSU specs will say all that.
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  10. Posts : 173
    Windows 7 Ultimate x64
    Thread Starter
       #10

    Here is the PSU specs:

    4 x +12V Rails is included :)


    • Model: CFT-1200G-DF
    • PSU Type: ATX 12V 2.3/EPS 12V 2.91
    • Maximum Power 1200W
    • 2 x Fans
    • PFC: Active
    • Connectors:
      • 1 x 24Pin
      • 4 x +12V Rails
      • PCI-E Connectors: 2 x 6 Pin, 2 x 8 Pin

    • SLI / Crossfire Ready
    • Modular: Yes
    • Efficiency: > 80%
    • Energy-Efficient: 80 PLUS Certified
    • Over Voltage Protection: Yes
    • Input Voltage: 100 - 240 V
    • Input Frequency Range: 50/60 Hz
    • Input Current: 15A/7A
    • Output: +3.3V@30A,+5V@30A,+12V1@20A,+12V2@20A, +12V3@25A,+12V4@25A,-12V@0.8A,+5VSB@6.0A
    • Approvals: cUL, FCC, CE, CB
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