The Fermi Thread - Part 3

[dertimaushh]

I do not play often but i like fast single Gpus in case i do. Since years i really liked Nvidia but the power consumption is an absolute no go for me.

Well lets wait for some more reviews.

[Motiv]

I do not play often but i like fast single Gpus in case i do. Since years i really liked Nvidia but the power consumption is an absolute no go for me.

Well lets wait for some more reviews.

150W more than a 5870 is an absolute joke, no matter how you look at it. That's some serious heat it's going to be putting out, and an expensive way to play games.

[RSC]

150W more than a 5870 is an absolute joke, no matter how you look at it. That's some serious heat it's going to be putting out, and an expensive way to play games.

Anyone who drops $400/500 for a graphics card couldn't care less about power consumption...

[GoldenTiger]

Anyone who drops $400/500 for a graphics card couldn't care less about power consumption...

Yeah, it's honestly a complete non-factor to me.

[Toysoldier]

Yeah, it's honestly a complete non-factor to me.

Going from a HD4870x2 to a HD5870 there was a noticeable drop in Kilowatts being used in my house, since my PC runs 24/7. So the drop in idle/total power consumption does mean a lot. The drop in kilowatts reflects on the amount of money I have to pay for electricity, so I would say it's something of a factor unless you have unlimited money to burn.

If you crunch/fold or whatever 24/7 then the difference in power-usage will amount to a LOT of money between a system running a 480 and a 5870. So maybe it's not a factor for you but for some it's a huge factor.

[Yvese]

Anyone who drops $400/500 for a graphics card couldn't care less about power consumption...

That's a foolish thing to say. Anyone buying a $4-500 card is most likely OCing it. Power consumption is important for OCing since it lets you know how much headroom you have. That's a lot of heat and power.

[Manicdan]

Anyone who drops $400/500 for a graphics card couldn't care less about power consumption...

it adds up fast for people who are paying 15c+ per KWH, i saved alot switching from a 2900 to 4850, performance wasnt that different, but since im keeping it over a year, its like a free upgrade.

for simple math
200W difference under load, 15 hours a week, 4 weeks per month at 15c per KWH, thats 1.8$
add in 50W difference under idle, 40 hours a week, 4 weeks per month at 15c per KWH, 1.2$

so 3$ per month, if u keep the card a year u can save 36$. since the average is like 12c per KWH in america some people really dont need to care, but others who are seeing 20c per KWH, its very worth it to notice. keep in mind too, if u OC the crap out of a 5850, u might as well buy the 5870 and leave it at stock since u can shave off the difference in price by the cost in power.

point is, no need to say its never worth it, with some people paying double for electricity than others, it really is a case by case basis.

[pentium777]

150W more than a 5870 is an absolute joke, no matter how you look at it. That's some serious heat it's going to be putting out, and an expensive way to play games.

150W extra so if I game at 100% GPU speed 24/7 for a month my electric bill will increase $4-$5..... So realistically I'm looking at 0.25-0.50 increase per month. I think I have this covered.

[Manicdan]

150W extra so if I game at 100% GPU speed 24/7 for a month my electric bill will increase $4-$5..... So realistically I'm looking at 0.25-0.50 increase per month. I think I have this covered.

i did the math a few pages back, its alot more than you think if your gaming 24/7. try 15$ a month