So i guess i must keep this PC as it is and save a few money to build a new one in the near future.
Thank you all for the responses
You can always buy a new GPU today ( 660 or 770 ), use it in your current PC and then when you build a new one put it in there. Just pop the old 260 back into the old PC when you need.
That is what I would do. As either a 660 or a 770 would be a significant upgrade to a 260. You will be able to notice a big difference in your current PC.
And this could kill your PC for any number of issues with minimal gains overall.
How exactly could this kill his PC?
There is always a chance you could damage a PC anytime you open the case. But with a little care swapping out a GPU is nothing to worry about. Over the years I have swapped GPUs and other hardware, rebuilt PCs out of old parts, or just added new hardware ( SSDs, RAM) ect. and never KIlled a PC.
Looking at the rest of his system specs putting in a 660 or a 770 should not KILL his PC. Unless he just has no clue how to change hardware in a system. And going from a GPU released in 2008 ( 260 ) to a more modern GPU will see more than minimal gains.
Well for one the GPU is a few generations removed from the motherboard so when the motherboard was designed the shape and heat output of the GPU he is gonna get was either uncommon or unheard of which in turn could lead to him having the same issue as me when I popped in a 6950 on my old rig: Even with proper ventilation the GPU fried the southbridge on the motherboard and even with the 6950 his generation of CPUs won't gain much performance boost from the new GPU as it will force the CPU somewhat ( I got maybe 5-10 FPS more on demanding games with the GPU upgrade back then, he will be able to play newer games on higher settings but that will cause heating issues ).
That sounds more like poor ventilation on the case which led to an over heating issue for the entire PC. Looking at the load temps for these cards they all run pretty much the same. Power draw may be a bit more on one or the other but thats about it.
Its not like a 260 was a cool card to run under load. He wont see a huge bump in FPS with his current CPU, but 10+ fps can make a big difference in playability of a game, especially when going from 25fps to 35 or 40 fps.
I guess we can just agree to disagree. It is his system and money after all.
Good day
Sounds like you have issues comprehending that ventilation does not mean shit when the parts are in close proximity or even touching. The only way to say for certain he won't have issues is with mineral oil bath cooling and that's like scratching an itch with a bazooka.
As for a 10FPS jump... not really, most online games you can play even with 10-15 FPS, christ I had a colleague in Uni that played World of Tanks with 5 FPS and the tragic thing is he was a better than average player even with that.
Originally posted by Ridelynn
Originally posted by Dihoru Well for one the GPU is a few generations removed from the motherboard so when the motherboard was designed the shape and heat output of the GPU he is gonna get was either uncommon or unheard of which in turn could lead to him having the same issue as me when I popped in a 6950 on my old rig: Even with proper ventilation the GPU fried the southbridge on the motherboard and even with the 6950 his generation of CPUs won't gain much performance boost from the new GPU as it will force the CPU somewhat ( I got maybe 5-10 FPS more on demanding games with the GPU upgrade back then, he will be able to play newer games on higher settings but that will cause heating issues ).
Going with jdnewell on this one: new video card will make a marked difference, even with his current CPU - that is a valid upgrade option. And no, video cards (that comply with standards and are not malfunctioning) will not fry motherboards. Your issue was something else, I won't speculate as to what, but it wasn't because you paired a new video card with an older motherboard.
Not because of the generational gap between them but because their designs didn't sync up properly and just for reference sake: motherboard was a Gigabyte board and the GPU was, still is as it is in use in my current desktop back home, a Radeon Sapphire 6950. In the case of the latter it still being in active use is case and proof on the quality and as for the former well it had a 8800 GT in it prior to the 6950 and that ran about 5-10 degrees celsius hotter than the 6950.
If you were a dumbass and installed a GPU that was sitting on top of and touching something on your motherboard that caused it to KILL your PC then that is on you.
The rest of us would have probably seen that and decided against it, and saved ourselves from killing the PC.
The dimensions on a 260 and a 660 for example are not that different, not so much that it would easily cause something like what you had happen.
Your mishaps in PC building does not change the fact that upgrading his GPU IS a viable option to upgrade. Just because your college buddy was uber playing a game at 5 fps means nothing. The rest of the world actually prefers to play at a decent frame rate. Upgrading his GPU will help the OP with that. As others in this post will agree with.
People put new GPUs in older systems all the time, its not like there has been a huge change in GPU dimensions.
Dimensions GTX 660 Ti - length 9.5 inches, Height 4.376. Width - Dual slot, released 2012
So in 4 years that example shows a decrease of 1 inch in length and the same height, both dual slot.
Now tell me how a card that is actually shorter, the same width and height can cause him to kill his PC? Actually it should be an easier fit than his old one.
And just for reference YOU went from a single slot 8800 GT to a dual slot 6950. On a motherboard that was designed ONLY to support a single slot GPU. So yeah that might explain why you had trouble. The OP will have no such problems .
I have an Asus P5QC MB / Intel Q9400 quad core / Evga GTX 260 / G. Skill 8GB 1333 DDR3 / Coolermaster 700W PSU / 1 TB HDD.
You've got a strange computer, as the Core 2 Quad didn't get DDR3 support until right about the time it was made obsolete by the launch of the Phenom II X4. (It was already slower than the Core i7 even before that, but that was much more expensive.)
Exactly which power supply is that? Cooler Master makes a variety of power supplies, which range from decent and worth keeping to junk that is a danger to fry everything. I want the exact model.
One option would be to get a new video card now, and plan on keeping the video card when you mostly replace the computer later.
Comments
Sounds like you have issues comprehending that ventilation does not mean shit when the parts are in close proximity or even touching. The only way to say for certain he won't have issues is with mineral oil bath cooling and that's like scratching an itch with a bazooka.
As for a 10FPS jump... not really, most online games you can play even with 10-15 FPS, christ I had a colleague in Uni that played World of Tanks with 5 FPS and the tragic thing is he was a better than average player even with that.
Not because of the generational gap between them but because their designs didn't sync up properly and just for reference sake: motherboard was a Gigabyte board and the GPU was, still is as it is in use in my current desktop back home, a Radeon Sapphire 6950. In the case of the latter it still being in active use is case and proof on the quality and as for the former well it had a 8800 GT in it prior to the 6950 and that ran about 5-10 degrees celsius hotter than the 6950.
I have no problem comprehending anything.
If you were a dumbass and installed a GPU that was sitting on top of and touching something on your motherboard that caused it to KILL your PC then that is on you.
The rest of us would have probably seen that and decided against it, and saved ourselves from killing the PC.
The dimensions on a 260 and a 660 for example are not that different, not so much that it would easily cause something like what you had happen.
Your mishaps in PC building does not change the fact that upgrading his GPU IS a viable option to upgrade. Just because your college buddy was uber playing a game at 5 fps means nothing. The rest of the world actually prefers to play at a decent frame rate. Upgrading his GPU will help the OP with that. As others in this post will agree with.
People put new GPUs in older systems all the time, its not like there has been a huge change in GPU dimensions.
Straight from the Nvidia website.
Dimensions gtx 260 - Length 10.5 inches, Height 4.376 inches, Width - dual slot, Released 2008
Dimensions GTX 660 Ti - length 9.5 inches, Height 4.376. Width - Dual slot, released 2012
So in 4 years that example shows a decrease of 1 inch in length and the same height, both dual slot.
Now tell me how a card that is actually shorter, the same width and height can cause him to kill his PC? Actually it should be an easier fit than his old one.
And just for reference YOU went from a single slot 8800 GT to a dual slot 6950. On a motherboard that was designed ONLY to support a single slot GPU. So yeah that might explain why you had trouble. The OP will have no such problems .
Its ok guys, no need to argue
I m listening all suggestions anyway and i thank you for that.
I think that after reading all of you, i ll go for a 660gtx for about 170 Euro. Its an upgrade from mine 260gtx and almost half the price of a 770gtx.
I ll do my job decently for some more time and after summer i ll buy a whole new PC, hoping nvidia 8xx series will be out in the market by then.
You've got a strange computer, as the Core 2 Quad didn't get DDR3 support until right about the time it was made obsolete by the launch of the Phenom II X4. (It was already slower than the Core i7 even before that, but that was much more expensive.)
Exactly which power supply is that? Cooler Master makes a variety of power supplies, which range from decent and worth keeping to junk that is a danger to fry everything. I want the exact model.
One option would be to get a new video card now, and plan on keeping the video card when you mostly replace the computer later.