Step Up: Vanilla GTX 260 ----> GTX 260 Core 216 55nm?

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retardude48

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Well, as the title says, should I upgrade to the new GTX 260? I think I will see some benefits from the 192SP going up to the 216SP but other than that nothing much. What do you guys think?

Note: Cost will only be for shipping only ($7.80)

Step up to the GTX 285 will cost $117.81. But I dont need the additional firepower....but I'll consider it.

I am a casual gamer playing at 1680x1050 playing TF2, Insurgency, COD WaW, Crysis (Warhead), and future graphic intensive FPS games.
 
retardude48 said:
Well, as the title says, should I upgrade to the new GTX 260? I think I will see some benefits from the 192SP going up to the 216SP but other than that nothing much. What do you guys think?

Note: Cost will only be for shipping only ($7.80)

Step up to the GTX 285 will cost $117.81. But I dont need the additional firepower....but I'll consider it.

I am a casual gamer playing at 1680x1050 playing TF2, Insurgency, COD WaW, Crysis (Warhead), and future graphic intensive FPS games.
Click to expand...

I am currently waiting for my 260 55nm from EVGA. I am in the same boat as you, all I need to pay was shipping, so I thought why not. I could use more power driving my 30in.

Chris
 
Don't you also have to pay shipping to them, plus shipping back?

I noticed EVGA raised prices of the 55 nm cards - the base one was $259 a couple weeks ago.
 
Hmmm, very interesting. Im not sure bout this but im pretty sure they cross ship. If anyone knows, please post.
 
$259 is what I paid for my step-up. How much is it now? Just curious...
Varmint said:
Don't you also have to pay shipping to them, plus shipping back?

I noticed EVGA raised prices of the 55 nm cards - the base one was $259 a couple weeks ago.
Click to expand...
 
retardude48 said:
Hmmm, very interesting. Im not sure bout this but im pretty sure they cross ship. If anyone knows, please post.
Click to expand...

They don't cross ship - you pay shipping to them, and back. Their shipping charge is low, like $6, but shipping to them is probably $10-12.

Price keeps changing though - now it's $275, but they just added a $20 rebate and Mirror's Edge coupon.
 
Correct on the shipping charges.

Also what about the $20 rebate......are you allowed to send it in even after new step up?
 
To play devil's advocate, I'd recommend not stepping up if you upgrade infrequently. The stepped up card (the 55nm) gets downgraded to just a 2 year warranty instead of "lifetime," which might matter if you're the type who does not upgrade often.

If you think you'll get rid of the card within 2 years, then it's a pretty good deal since the 55nm sells for about 260$ and the 192 core version used to be around 220$ when it was still in stock.
 
I'm in the same boat, but I'm going for the 285. I was tempted to go to the 295, but I figure its not necessary for me right now since I don't play many PC games anyway. Vanilla 260 (192sp) to 55nm 260 (216sp) is a great deal for like $20.
 
a123456 said:
To play devil's advocate, I'd recommend not stepping up if you upgrade infrequently. The stepped up card (the 55nm) gets downgraded to just a 2 year warranty instead of "lifetime," which might matter if you're the type who does not upgrade often.

If you think you'll get rid of the card within 2 years, then it's a pretty good deal since the 55nm sells for about 260$ and the 192 core version used to be around 220$ when it was still in stock.
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Hmmm......very interesting information you bring up. Can anyone confirm this? I'll go and check out the evga forums and report back.
 
I looked into the warranty of the step up card and the people have been saying that it has a lifetime warranty once registered.

a123456 can you explain where you got your information from?
 
a123456 said:
To play devil's advocate, I'd recommend not stepping up if you upgrade infrequently. The stepped up card (the 55nm) gets downgraded to just a 2 year warranty instead of "lifetime," which might matter if you're the type who does not upgrade often.

If you think you'll get rid of the card within 2 years, then it's a pretty good deal since the 55nm sells for about 260$ and the 192 core version used to be around 220$ when it was still in stock.
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I think it's lifetime warranty on step up cards. I think "AX" includes the AR cards in the US market.

On or after Jun 22, 2005 - Limited Lifetime Warranty for products ending in AX, all other part numbers will be covered under 1+1 Warranty
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Varmint said:
I think it's lifetime warranty on step up cards. I think "AX" includes the AR cards in the US market.
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Yea, your right.

Q: What is the warranty period after Step-Up?
A:Your new warranty will depend on the date of the invoice of your Step-Up card:

* Before Jan 1, 2005 - standard one year warranty
* On or after Jan 1, 2005 and before Jun 22, 2005 - 1+1 Warranty (standard one year + one year with registration)
* On or after Jun 22, 2005 - Limited Lifetime Warranty for products ending in AX, all other part numbers will be covered under 1+1 Warranty

Does my gtx 260 apply to the 3rd statement?
 
AR means basically US retail - it doesn't cover a lot of OEM cards put in PCs built by 3rd parties.
 
I ask EVGA before I step up to 260 55nm. It is lifetime warranty as long as you register the card. I dont forsee an upgrade for a while, so lifetime warranty is a deal breaker for me.
Chris
retardude48 said:
I looked into the warranty of the step up card and the people have been saying that it has a lifetime warranty once registered.

a123456 can you explain where you got your information from?
Click to expand...
 
I was really torn and I had my GTX 285 in que at eVGA but I decided I couldn't justify spending that much more for a few more FPS when I could start paying off some debt, so I've changed my trade up to the 55nm 216 as well. $10 is all I owe in shipping, so why not for a cooler/better OC card
 
Freezebyte said:
I was really torn and I had my GTX 285 in que at eVGA but I decided I couldn't justify spending that much more for a few more FPS when I could start paying off some debt, so I've changed my trade up to the 55nm 216 as well. $10 is all I owe in shipping, so why not for a cooler/better OC card
Click to expand...

I've read a number of reviews which say that the 55nm version does not cool as well under load, because the cooler itself is smaller:

http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/foru...superclocked-edition-video-card-review-8.html

but they do also say it runs a bit quieter...
 
I got a good overclocker, so stepping up my 192 to the Core216 seemed like a risky idea. I always use 4xAA or more when the game allows (yeah I'm looking at you GTA4), and the extra shaders don't help there. I'm quite happy with the core at 783 (was 756 before I upped the voltage from 1.06v to the correct 1.12v - my card does not switch between 2D and 3D modes).
 
If you want to compare some 3dmark vantage scores as to what a new GTX260 C216 55nm does:

Default clocks (576/1242/999) GPU scores:

Performance: 9173
Extreme: 4406

Clocked to 692/1476/1188: (can probably squeeze out a lot more if i set the fan to 75%+ rather than auto and start tweaking voltages)

Peformance: 10955 (this is ~450 points more than a GTX280 does at stock speeds)
Extreme: 5354

Check what your current 260 manages, and you might have less of a dilemma. If you basically score the same, it's pretty easy to decide. (and make sure you set Vsync to force off in nvidia control panel for 3dmark ;))
 
rincewind said:
I'm quite happy with the core at 783 (was 756 before I upped the voltage from 1.06v to the correct 1.12v - my card does not switch between 2D and 3D modes).
Click to expand...

Is there a reliable way to measure voltage that accurately?
 
Xeanor said:
If you want to compare some 3dmark vantage scores as to what a new GTX260 C216 55nm does:

Default clocks (576/1242/999) GPU scores:

Performance: 9173
Extreme: 4406

Clocked to 692/1476/1188: (can probably squeeze out a lot more if i set the fan to 75%+ rather than auto and start tweaking voltages)

Peformance: 10955 (this is ~450 points more than a GTX280 does at stock speeds)
Extreme: 5354

Check what your current 260 manages, and you might have less of a dilemma. If you basically score the same, it's pretty easy to decide. (and make sure you set Vsync to force off in nvidia control panel for 3dmark ;))
Click to expand...

What were the setting that you used?. A screenshot would help since there are so many options. Thanks.
 
retardude48 said:
What were the setting that you used?. A screenshot would help since there are so many options. Thanks.
Click to expand...

I've changed absolutely nothing. I only selected "Performance" or "Extreme" in 3dmark and changed the vsync in the nvidia control panel to "force off". That's it. The settings in 3dmark were all default for each specific preset.
 
Xeanor said:
I've changed absolutely nothing. I only selected "Performance" or "Extreme" in 3dmark and changed the vsync in the nvidia control panel to "force off". That's it. The settings in 3dmark were all default for each specific preset.
Click to expand...

Alright, just got done with the testing. I turned off Vsync through the control panel. Also, I could not get the extreme preset since I dont display at 1920x1080. So, I only did the performance preset with and w/o overclocking my GPU.

Here are the results:

STOCK



OVERCLOCKED: 735/1584/1246




Now, I'm not sure whether or not I should step up to the GTX 260 216SP 55nm. The 55nm will have better OC potential and that is the kicker that will make or break this decision. I am looking to overvolt the GPU just a bit to get some better results. But, I am not going to mess around with that right now since I have 4 days left on my step up and I dont want anything to go wrong if I do decide to step up. Based on the results and future OCing, do you guys think I should step up? It should cost me around $30 for the step up including shipping both ways.

Also, I am not throwing out the possibility to step up to the GTX 285, which will cost me ~$140 for the step up process. But, I am NOT seriously considering it just for a few more FPS where I can just put that money to SLI.
 
Well, according to 3DMark and judging from your scores and mine, the C216 55nm one is 8% faster at stock speeds. (of course, this is because of the 216SP vs. 192SP)

If you think that's worth the bucks, go for it. Personally, I would.
 
Nearly the same clock speeds, just the memory is different, I really cannot get the memory any higher it seems:

vantage5qx8.jpg
 
Based on FPS alone, its hard to justify $30 for a few more FPS in games.

Hmm.....I am still undecided. Well, I got 2 days to make my mind up :confused:
 
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