Solved Upgrade: EVGA 450 GTS to EVGA 740 GT

[Deviancy]

I mentioned in another thread how I was getting random flickering green pixels on my screen, always in the same place, I was also getting 2 black dots trailing behind the mouse pointer. To try and resolve the issue I first uninstalled the pre-existing Nvidia drivers using DDU and CCleaner and then I installed the latest (December 14th) Nvidia drivers. Doing so got rid of the two black dots trailing behind the mouse pointer but not the intermittent green pixels. The intermittent green pixels do not show up in screenshots but anytime I'm on a dark screen I can see them flickering, there's about 3-4 on the right side and 4-5 on the left side.

After trying the driver issue I then ordered a new DVI cable which seemed to solve the issue, for like four days. Well that was a few months ago and I finally caved this week and ordered a new BenQ monitor, and I gotta say, I loved the picture quality but the intermittent green pixels were still there so I returned the monitor.

I posted my PSU voltage specs on the other thread if anyone wants to check them out, a few have already said they are within spec so all I can think of now is that it is the GPU. To be fair, I am noticing green and red lines on the left edge or top of the screen whenever I play TMNT: Mutants in Manhattan or Transformers: Devastation. I don't notice the issue with Skyrim but I play Skyrim in Windows mode with a mod that makes it look like full screen mode (I do this because I get C+ errors if I play the game in true full screen mode for whatever reason).

In short, I think its time for a new GPU but I'm on a super tight budget so I can't afford a 750 GTX but I can afford the EVGA 740 GT with 2 DDR5 gigs of ram. I'm just curious if its a significant upgrade from the 450 GTS or just a marginal upgrade. The 450 GTS only has one gig of DDR3 memory so memory wise it is an upgrade but when it comes to the other specs, lets just say I'm not a GPU expert. I'm not a hardcore gamer, like I said, I play Skyrim without the high def mod and games like TMNT: Mutants in Manhattan and Saints Row IV. I just want to still be able to be able to play those games still, get a slight upgrade, and get rid of those damn flickering green pixels.

This is the GPU I'm currently looking at..

EVGA GeForce GT 740 02G-P4-3747-KR 2GB 128-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 Video Card - Newegg.com

I'm an EVGA guy since the current 450 GTS is an EVGA and it worked solid for 5 years without any issues until coincidentally, the plumber knocked out the power when running some pipe cleaner, think it may have spiked the GPU. Back in the day I used to go with PNY but their cards would last me a year before the fans started to go bad, and then I tried ASUS and MSI and they lasted about two years.

I have a little time to kill before ordering since I have to wait until the refund clears on the monitor before I can order the GPU so I figured I'd ask here, and I'll probably call the techs who built this PC five years back what they recommend as well. Any help would really be appreciated since like I said, I'm on an uber tight budget and still have car issues to fix. Plus, I'm hoping to build a new PC at the end of spring or summer so shelling out a lot for a pricey GPU wouldn't be worth it since if I do go that route, this PC will become the "backup" pc. I usually have a back up but the last back up died 2-3 years ago thanks to another PC shop forgetting to apply thermal paste to the CPU.

 

[ICIT2LOL]

Ok mate now the card looks pretty good to me and a good price too. As I am not a great expert I might just ask for some help on this one but I do think the DDR5 upgrade will make all the difference.

 

[Mellon Head]

It's a good step up from your current card with the larger number of CUDA cores and better GRAM. The 740 you linked should be a solid card.

I know that you're on a tight budget, but if you can find $15, you might want to take a look at this one:

EVGA GeForce GT 740 Superclocked DirectX 12 (feature level 11_0) 04G-P4-2744-KR 4GB 128-Bit DDR3 PCI Express 3.0 Video Card - Newegg.com

With 4 GB of GDDR5, you'll get a little bit better performance out of it (you might even be able to run Skyrim with the hi-def mod). It might run a little bit warmer because of the smaller heatsink, but the difference in performance will be worth it, IMHO.

 

[Deviancy]

It's a good step up from your current card with the larger number of CUDA cores and better GRAM. The 740 you linked should be a solid card.

That's good to hear, I just hope it fixes the issue I'm having with the blinking green pixels. As I said, I already wiped the nvidia drivers, tried a different dvi cable, tried a different dvi cable port, and tried another monitor, so I'd assume that just leaves the GPU.

As for the one you recommended, New Egg was the only retailer offering the card for cheap and they're out of stock, the other retailers want 30-40 more for the card.

I'm not too upset, I'm already kind of going over budget by spending 100 for the 740, if I decide to get the 740 this week. I still have to wait until my refund from Walmart goes back into my account. And like I said, my two biggest concerns would be getting rid of the flickering green pixels and having a GPU that runs the games I currently run. I'd say Saints Row IV is the most demanding game I play system wise, it tends to heat up my I5 to around 62c, while TMNT: Mutants in Manhattan tends to max out at around 45c and Skyrim is roughly the same.

 

[ThrashZone]

Hi,
Heck I'd go for a gtx 750ti
Amazon.com: EVGA GeForce GTX 750Ti with G-SYNC Support 2GB GDDR5 128bit, Dual-Link, DVI-I, HDMI, DP Graphics Card (02G-P4-3751-KR): Computers & Accessories

Although newegg only has a refurbished
EVGA 02G-P4-3753-RX GeForce GTX 750 Ti Superclocked 2GB 128-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 Video Card Certified Refurbished-Newegg.com

 

[Mellon Head]

As for the one you recommended, New Egg was the only retailer offering the card for cheap and they're out of stock, the other retailers want 30-40 more for the card.

Yeah, that's interesting. When I looked and suggested that card, Newegg had it in stock and it was $116.95 USD. Now it's sold by an Asian company for $50 more. Unfortunate.

 

[Mellon Head]

Hi,
Heck I'd go for a gtx 750ti
Amazon.com: EVGA GeForce GTX 750Ti with G-SYNC Support 2GB GDDR5 128bit, Dual-Link, DVI-I, HDMI, DP Graphics Card (02G-P4-3751-KR): Computers & Accessories

Hey everybody! Look at the price in Canada:

EVGA GeForce GTX 750 Ti with G-SYNC Support 2GB GDDR5 128 Bit, Dual-Link, DVI-I, HDMI, DP Graphics Card (02G-P4-3751-KR): Amazon.ca: Computers & Tablets

Don't you just feel lucky now? I don't know why there is such a price disparity between Amazon.com and Amazon.ca. Computer parts are right out to lunch when it comes to pricing at Amazon in Canada. And it's not just the difference in the dollar. Some of their prices are nothing short of gouging.

[/end of rant]

Back on topic:

@ Deviancy:

The card that Thrash linked is better than the one that I linked. If you can find the money in your budget, it's worth considering.

 

[ICIT2LOL]

Yes mate I would go with what Thrash Zone has linked and I don't know much about MSI stuff only that they do a lot of gaming machines and devices and this is exceptional value
MSI GeForce GTX 750 Ti DirectX 12 N750 Ti-1GD5/OC 1GB 128-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 Video Card - Newegg.com but again I am no expert like the others.

 

[ThrashZone]

Yes mate I would go with what Thrash Zone has linked and I don't know much about MSI stuff only that they do a lot of gaming machines and devices and this is exceptional value
MSI GeForce GTX 750 Ti DirectX 12 N750 Ti-1GD5/OC 1GB 128-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 Video Card - Newegg.com but again I am no expert like the others.

Hi,
Interesting the one you posted has a recommended power supply of 400w
It's actually new and cheaper from evga's website too
EVGA - Products - EVGA GeForce GTX 750 Ti - 02G-P4-3751-KR

EVGA - Product Specs - EVGA GeForce GTX 750 Ti
The one I posted recommends a 300w minimum :/
The one I posted is a 2gb card the msi is a 1gb :/

 

[ICIT2LOL]

Yep mate I saw that too about the 1GB shame really but I ws thinking of the OP's budget more than anything.

Thing is I really don't know much more about graphics cards apart form the amount of memory and bandwidth or MSI stuff for that matter. Myself I like the Asus cards but mine are just the bog standard GTX 650 and 650 Ti in the deskies.

Having said that folks in the US are spoiled for choice buying from sites such as Newegg as prices out here are in general much more than what Newegg and Amazon quote. We actually have a Newegg site but the shipping is a killer form the US and Amazon well just don't have a site here.

 

[ThrashZone]

Hi,
Yea that is messed up :mad2:
Possibly it might change with Brexit is now a reality
No more EU crapola

 

[ICIT2LOL]

Yep well not wanting to get too far off topic that's ok for the UK folks but I cannot understand why Amazon does not have a site out here, because I reckon it would do well because of the lack of sites with realistic prices.

 

[Deviancy]

Yep well not wanting to get too far off topic that's ok for the UK folks but I cannot understand why Amazon does not have a site out here, because I reckon it would do well because of the lack of sites with realistic prices.

Bezos' will most likely start opening more sites in other countries sooner rather than later, he's just focusing on US domination at the moment. He's putting more warehouses across the US to speed up shipping and he's invested a lot in new robotics for the warehouses to speed things up, and then on top of that he's still trying to get his drone plans off the ground (no pun intended). He's more concerned about domination than profit at the moment, in fact from what I've heard he's not worth as much as many would think since he sinks so much of what is made back into the business and on top of that, a lot of the items sold on Amazon are just slightly above cost.

As for GPU's, I just was hit with another car issue, so now I really have to go cheap when it comes to fixing this green pixel issue. Since I already tried a new monitor and a new dvi cable, I figured the smart thing to do is to get that 740 GT but I probably waited too long and the sale is probably over.

 

[ICIT2LOL]

Hiyya Dev that is a blow mate and I wish tht I were closer as I could give you a spare card but being tha far away and to the US as well the shipping is exorbitantly expensive.

Guess it is worth a try to get the card and I think most stores if they are any good usually will see the predicament and help out - they can only say no and at best yes

 

[Deviancy]

Guess it is worth a try to get the card and I think most stores if they are any good usually will see the predicament and help out - they can only say no and at best yes

I'm not worried about New Egg's return policy, it isn't bad. One just has to log into their account, request an RMA, print out the self addressed stamp and send the item back.

My two concerns.

1. The 740 won't fix the green pixel issue (its the last thing I have left to try since I already swapped out the monitor, purged and re-installed the drivers, and tried a new DVI cable).

2. The 740 will fix the green pixel issue but open the door to a new issue.

Even if the GPU doesn't fix the green pixels, if it works and I see an improvement over the 450, I'm going to keep it. However, if it doesn't fix the green pixels, I'm out of ideas. I called the tech shop who built the pc, they said they'd have first tried replacing the GPU, then the monitor and then the DVI cable, so I went backwards. However, since the problem first started a few months back, they said it was the GPU. They actually seemed shocked that I was still using the 450 they put in the computer 5 years ago.

 

[Mellon Head]

Since you've tried a new monitor and a new cable, the last thing in the chain is the GPU. That would be the likely culprit, since the only other actors in the system are the CPU and RAM. It's unlikely to be those, as the green pixelation would not be a constant thing, and you would see a lot of crashing and blue screens if it was the CPU or RAM.

Therefore, that leaves us with a suspect GPU. I think it's safe to say that replacing it will most likely fix your issue.

 

[Deviancy]

I just found this card while browsing the net, it supposedly is more powerful than the 750 TI and its cheaper.

Does anyone know anything about the 1050?

Amazon.com: EVGA GeForce GTX 1050 GAMING, 2GB GDDR5, DX12 OSD Support Graphic Card (02G-P4-6150-KR): Computers & Accessories

Actually, forget about the 1050. According to various websites, the GPU isn't suitable for an I5 2300. It seems like the last Nvidia card that is suitable for the I5 2300 was the 7 series, supposedly there's no bottleneck issues. As for the 740 GT, it scores lower on the games I have than the 450 GTS, so I guess I'm going to have to shell out a little extra. I'm not happy about that but I don't want to bottleneck my system with a 1050 (which is only 110) and I don't want to run the games I have at lower settings (which I'd have to do with the 740). Amazon has a 750 TI for $130 which is after tax and that isn't horrible, I'm just a little bummed out I have to shell out 30 more. As for New Egg, they're a little cheaper but their return policy on the 750 TI, and probably on their other GPU's is for replacement only, no refunds.

Total bummer....

 

[joedaman633]

GTX 1050 is a decent card as far as I know, the direct replacement for the 750. Should be considerably better than a GTS450.

The *50 series cards are often a fair bit better than the *40 counterparts as they seem to jump from casual/multimedia to low-midrange gaming. If you're buying an older card like the 750 or 650, then I'd go for a refurb, if you're buying new then just get the 1050!

As for the computer shop that said they'd change the GPU first... nope. In-house troubleshooting they might do it with a known working card, but at home you should always go for the cheapest options first, if it had been the cable at fault and you bought a new GPU you'd be pretty pissed off... plus it's normally easier to get a refund on a cable!

 

[Deviancy]

If it had been the cable at fault and you bought a new GPU you'd be pretty pissed off... plus it's normally easier to get a refund on a cable!

That's a good point. This specific shop has tons of GPU's sitting around that they've tested and know that work.

As for going refurb with the 750, the only retailer I came across that I trust that had refurb 750's is New Egg but I found out today that on gpu's, at least the ones I looked at on their site, they have a strict replacement only return policy. In short, if it isn't the GPU causing the issue, I'd be stuck with a refurb 750. I'd prefer to get the 1050 since its less expensive but the sites I came across didn't have the I5 2300 listed as a CPU it works with. Those same sites did say the 750 will work with the I5 2300.

I still have a few days until two refunds are transferred back to my bank account before I can order a new GPU, so I'm hoping someone can help me figure out if I can run the 1050 with the I5 2300. To be exact, its the I5 2300 2.8 Sandy bridge, but I'm pretty sure it says that in my specs. The other thing I'm curious about is the difference between GPU's that have to be connected to the PSU and those that don't. Do the ones that don't need to be connected to the PSU tax the CPU more?

 

[ThrashZone]

Hi,
I doubt it matters most if not all gpu's are more dependent on wattage of the power supply
That and if you have a pcie slot
Otherwise cpu does not matter.