16 replies to this topic

[SpeedCrazy]

Looking for a cheapish upgrade on my GTX 260's. Might be running into some PC directed cash in a few days.

I want something reasonably power efficient, i think anything recent has to be more efficient that these pigs im running, and something that i can get for 100-140 bucks. Not adverse to buying used so any suggestions are welcome. I will order from newegg or amazon US.

 

It will be folding 24/7 so reliably, cool and efficient are big musts. But as i said before anything in this range will likely be cooler and more efficient than my current cards.

 

So far i have been looking at this "GeForce GTX 650 1GB 128-bit GDDR5" which is currently going for 94 on the egg.

Or there is a 640 for 80 free shipping on amazon.

Plenty of options, i just need advice on what will get me the best PPD per dollar in this range.

Thanks guys.

[ivangela]

I hear AMD cards fold like crap, so steer away? (or buy one so you never catch me, lol)

[WARDOZERX]

I would definitely say the best bang for the buck would be the GT 640. Same shader count as the GTX 650 but DDR3 instead of GDDR5 and lower overall power consumption means it won't cost you as much to fold in the long run and you should also get lower temps.

[SpeedCrazy]

I would definitely say the best bang for the buck would be the GT 640. Same shader count as the GTX 650 but DDR3 instead of GDDR5 and lower overall power consumption means it won't cost you as much to fold in the long run and you should also get lower temps.

It does look enticing, one question though. I know it doesn't support SLI but does that mean i couldn't down the road add another and fold on them both?

[Locutus]

 

I would definitely say the best bang for the buck would be the GT 640. Same shader count as the GTX 650 but DDR3 instead of GDDR5 and lower overall power consumption means it won't cost you as much to fold in the long run and you should also get lower temps.

It does look enticing, one question though. I know it doesn't support SLI but does that mean i couldn't down the road add another and fold on them both?

 

SLI is not necessary for folding.

[SpeedCrazy]

 

 

I would definitely say the best bang for the buck would be the GT 640. Same shader count as the GTX 650 but DDR3 instead of GDDR5 and lower overall power consumption means it won't cost you as much to fold in the long run and you should also get lower temps.

It does look enticing, one question though. I know it doesn't support SLI but does that mean i couldn't down the road add another and fold on them both?

 

SLI is not necessary for folding.

 

I knew that, i don't even own an SLI bridge anymore. I just didn't know if they would play nice.

 

@WARDOZER the gt640 does look good but it doesn't appear to be very good folder.

[WARDOZERX]

Well, the GT 640 is running 158mhz slower than the GTX 650 but that can be fixed with OverClocking which should help make up for the difference in PPD. Also, the GT 640 does support Sli, it just doesn't need an Sli bridge. I'm surprised that after the 6600's people haven't caught onto this as Nvidia has never needed an Sli bridge for it's low end cards to run in Sli.

[ccokeman]

Anything Fermi based is awesome. Currently I run 2 GTX 580s at stock speeds.

[WARDOZERX]

Fermi does appear to fold better but uses a deal more power which translates to more heat. The GT 640 barely loses to the GTS 450 but thats at stock clocks and with a way lower power draw. Crank the GT 640 up from it's 900mhz to the GTX 650's 1058mhz and you'll be getting higher than GTS 450 performance with less power and no annoying Pci-E 6-pin cable cluttering up your case innards plus it's single slot versus dual slot.

 

Of course for gaming, the GT 640 sucks big time, OC'd or not as it loses to the HD 6670.

Edited by WARDOZERX, 14 March 2013 - 06:17 PM.

[SpeedCrazy]

Well, the GT 640 is running 158mhz slower than the GTX 650 but that can be fixed with OverClocking which should help make up for the difference in PPD. Also, the GT 640 does support Sli, it just doesn't need an Sli bridge. I'm surprised that after the 6600's people haven't caught onto this as Nvidia has never needed an Sli bridge for it's low end cards to run in Sli.

Overclocking for folding impacts long term stability. I ran one of my gtx250s oc for about a year and a half folding 24/7 and it just about died, after baking it runs my monitor and light games but stress it and it artifacts. I would rather this card last a long time.

 

Anything Fermi based is awesome. Currently I run 2 GTX 580s at stock speeds.

Thats what i've hear, that 640 isn't fermi i don't think. What are the low end fermi cards?

[WARDOZERX]

Low end Fermi comparable to the price range you are in are the GTS 450 followed by the GTX 460/560.

 

Again, the GTS 450 does fold better than a GT 640 but at closing in on 2x the power consumption. The GTX 460/560 use 2x Pci-E 6-pins and use a great deal more power than a GT 640.

 

The GTX 650 will fold better than a GTS 450 but the GTX 460/560 fold better than even the GTX 650Ti. Again, pick your poison carefully because any of the Fermi based cards will use more power, run hotter and require more cables dangling around inside your case but if you are already using a GTX 260 this may not be an issue for you.

 

After surfing around, it looks like even a GT 640 will net you higher PPD than your GTX 260 while using a tiny fraction of the power so if you want to kill 2 birds with one stone, I enforce my opinion about going with the GT 640.

Edited by WARDOZERX, 14 March 2013 - 06:33 PM.

[cjloki]

I hear AMD cards fold like crap, so steer away? (or buy one so you never catch me, lol)

...he's right, mine don't come close to this rinky dink gt520, and it's minimalistic at best...im certain that the nvidia line is where it's at for folding...