Reputation Points Thread - Page 7252  

Hey, slackers lol

Back from shopping. Picked up a standard 1GB eVGA GTX 460, an OCZ stealth 500w PSU, two falafel sandwiches, and a 4-pack of Guinness.

Let the night begin...

lol

Wow... nobody home, I guess lol

Well, the install was quite the ordeal:

Disconnecting the old PSU was a pain, given the small HTPC case I'm working with. Of course, after having it half connected, I then realized the 4-pin MB plug would not reach. This meant having to disconnect and flip the PSU over (fan is on the bottom doing nothing now, but at least the case was smart enough to have screw holes for both orientations).

The next problem I came across was the limited connections (that'll teach me for buying a cheap $45 PSU). The biggest drawback was that the Antec PSU that came with the case had an extra little plug for the LCD display. The new PSU doesn't have it, meaning no LCD, and no remote operation

The PSU also only had one PCIE connector meaning another cable (supplied) to get the 2nd. After much weaving and tucking (and finding that the power cable for the sound card is waaaaay too loose), I got everything installed. The GPU went in easily (after I removed the second bracket - never have owned a two-slot GPU before). lol

The moment of truth and I turned the sucker on. Luckily no beeps. Guess I must have connected everything properly. After 5 minutes of spinning, Win 7 came on, in ugly 800x600 mode (I neglected to remove any drivers or tuning software from my old card). A little chugging, and Win 7 needed a restart... just as I was about to reinstall the driver. One restart later, and lo and behold, all my icons were back in place on my 1920x1080 screen, with the GTX 460 using my existing (and up to date) nvidia driver. Even MSI afterburner found the card and clock speeds without a problem. Turns out, I got the slightly overclocked version (720mhz on the core).

The GPU is nice and cool and quiet. It's idling at around 45C... a far cry from the 60C my 8800GT was idling at. I can't hear the fan at all. I'll try out some games, and then I may overclock this sucker

So, aside from the PSU being a bit of a bust, it was a worthwhile upgrade. It will give me a longer lifetime on this PC.

And something else weird: The GTX460 is using the HDMI output, which apparently also allows sound over HDMI. What's really weird is that I have a Xonar DX pumping optical 5.1 DD to my receiver, and yet Skype is using the HDMI audio output to the TV... simultaneously. I am currently playing 5.1 DD live music through my receiver, while playing Skype sounds through the TV. And I didn't even set anything up that way! Not that I'm complaining; that's a pretty cool feature, meaning I will hear my Skype calls clearly.

Good late evening, DRT. We had a nice Mexican dinner. A short visit with dad at the nursing home.

I could not post this afternoon. My Internet was knocked out by thunderstorms this morning.

It will be TGIF for me in 2 hours and 20 minutes. Enjoy your long weekend and have a good trip.

I take one sandwich and 2 of your Guinness

Pics? I would love to see your project in DTF So the upgrade was worth it?

Mother Nature always has the last laugh

Have a great (long) weekend Dave. And enjoy the upcoming trip

Uh, no. I don't take pictures of computer upgrades. That's pretty boring lol

...but maybe I will take one of the finished system (the case is still open, after all).

Yes, the upgrade was worth it. I'm not convinced about the PSU, though. Maybe my 430W would have done the trick (it says 17A on each 12V rail, while the 500W has 18A on each). I should have done research on it, but it was last minute, and I went with the sales reps word. I think I got the last 1GB EVGA 460GTX card in Toronto lol

And I found out it wasn't a superclock version, it's just that EVGA has a bios out for the card (already included on this one), that bumps the stock speed from 675 to 720mhz.

I played some games last night, and never got above 70C (my 8800GT would hit over 80C). The best part is how silent it is. Perfect for my HTPC.

500W is minimum I would go with nowadays. You like to be on the thin line

I just read that nVidia is putting out a GTX420 card, what the heck that they are thinking?

Good morning, DRT. Busy today. More time spent at the assisted living center. Trying to get
the laundry situation handled.

I have not been keeping up with the specs on anything lately. I will look at the info you guys are posting.

3g was still working. I just did not have time to pull the Ipad out.

Some new info from him there would be cool.

A quick pic:

You can see that I have little room to work with, and that the PSU is upside down, in order for the cable(s) to reach. The GPU fits nicely, however.

It's not the wattage that matters. Tests on systems show that most single-GPU gaming systems barely break the 300W mark. It's the amps you need to watch.

I could see a GTX420. They need to replace all their other 400 series as well, with the new smaller, more efficient chip (currently only found in the 460).

No chance, he thought that it was so boring - the project that was

This is a very informative observation Garb

So your next upgrade is a case?