gtx470 on pci-e1.0
Hi all,

I just noticed that my old computer has pci-e1.0 (gigabyte n650sli-ds4l), so much for expandability? The actual question is if it's worth it to limp along with this and buy a 470gtx to run 3D vision? I'm hesitating as the alternative would be to cut my losses and move to a ps3 (and a arm board for linux use). If I would start buying a new computer, it's really horribly expensive and it'd mostly be used just for gaming. I'm not sure if it's worth the investment. But 3D vision has a lot more going for it and I already have the Viewsonic fuhzion screen with the glasses. PS3 games didn't seem that impressive and the amount of S-3D titles is limited.
Hi all,



I just noticed that my old computer has pci-e1.0 (gigabyte n650sli-ds4l), so much for expandability? The actual question is if it's worth it to limp along with this and buy a 470gtx to run 3D vision? I'm hesitating as the alternative would be to cut my losses and move to a ps3 (and a arm board for linux use). If I would start buying a new computer, it's really horribly expensive and it'd mostly be used just for gaming. I'm not sure if it's worth the investment. But 3D vision has a lot more going for it and I already have the Viewsonic fuhzion screen with the glasses. PS3 games didn't seem that impressive and the amount of S-3D titles is limited.

#1
Posted 12/10/2010 02:18 PM   
[quote name='klikklak' date='10 December 2010 - 08:18 AM' timestamp='1291990724' post='1158893']
Hi all,

I just noticed that my old computer has pci-e1.0 (gigabyte n650sli-ds4l), so much for expandability? The actual question is if it's worth it to limp along with this and buy a 470gtx to run 3D vision? I'm hesitating as the alternative would be to cut my losses and move to a ps3 (and a arm board for linux use). If I would start buying a new computer, it's really horribly expensive and it'd mostly be used just for gaming. I'm not sure if it's worth the investment. But 3D vision has a lot more going for it and I already have the Viewsonic fuhzion screen with the glasses. PS3 games didn't seem that impressive and the amount of S-3D titles is limited.
[/quote]

Is it a PCI-E 1.0 X16 slot? If so, it'll be equivalent to a PCI-E 2.0 X8, in which case you'll be fine (about ~2-3 fps difference). If it's not a X16, forget it. Also, what kind of CPU do you have?

The only cards that I know that take a big performance hit on the PCI-E 1.0 X16 or PCI-E 2.0 X8 bandwidth are the dual gpu cards like the GTX 295. The bus at that speed doesn't have enough bandwidth for optimal performance for SLI on a single card, but it handles a single gpu just fine. And standard SLI is also fine at 1.0 x16 or 2.0 x8.
[quote name='klikklak' date='10 December 2010 - 08:18 AM' timestamp='1291990724' post='1158893']

Hi all,



I just noticed that my old computer has pci-e1.0 (gigabyte n650sli-ds4l), so much for expandability? The actual question is if it's worth it to limp along with this and buy a 470gtx to run 3D vision? I'm hesitating as the alternative would be to cut my losses and move to a ps3 (and a arm board for linux use). If I would start buying a new computer, it's really horribly expensive and it'd mostly be used just for gaming. I'm not sure if it's worth the investment. But 3D vision has a lot more going for it and I already have the Viewsonic fuhzion screen with the glasses. PS3 games didn't seem that impressive and the amount of S-3D titles is limited.





Is it a PCI-E 1.0 X16 slot? If so, it'll be equivalent to a PCI-E 2.0 X8, in which case you'll be fine (about ~2-3 fps difference). If it's not a X16, forget it. Also, what kind of CPU do you have?



The only cards that I know that take a big performance hit on the PCI-E 1.0 X16 or PCI-E 2.0 X8 bandwidth are the dual gpu cards like the GTX 295. The bus at that speed doesn't have enough bandwidth for optimal performance for SLI on a single card, but it handles a single gpu just fine. And standard SLI is also fine at 1.0 x16 or 2.0 x8.

#2
Posted 12/10/2010 02:29 PM   
[quote name='photios' date='10 December 2010 - 02:29 PM' timestamp='1291991351' post='1158896']
Is it a PCI-E 1.0 X16 slot? If so, it'll be equivalent to a PCI-E 2.0 X8, in which case you'll be fine (about ~2-3 fps difference). If it's not a X16, forget it. Also, what kind of CPU do you have?

The only cards that I know that take a big performance hit on the PCI-E 1.0 X16 or PCI-E 2.0 X8 bandwidth are the dual gpu cards like the GTX 295. The bus at that speed doesn't have enough bandwidth for optimal performance for SLI on a single card, but it handles a single gpu just fine. And standard SLI is also fine at 1.0 x16 or 2.0 x8.
[/quote]

I have both a 8x and a 16x slot. So the 16x slot is enough? Wonderful, thank you very much. I guess I won't be returning my amazon purchases :) But damn, a new pc with sli is expensive nowadays. Since I can cut expenses by not upgrading before fall (except for the GFX card), I should be fine for now. Again, thank you very much :) The CPU I have is a e5200. Running at stock 2.5ghz, but I suppose I could try overclocking it when the need arises.
[quote name='photios' date='10 December 2010 - 02:29 PM' timestamp='1291991351' post='1158896']

Is it a PCI-E 1.0 X16 slot? If so, it'll be equivalent to a PCI-E 2.0 X8, in which case you'll be fine (about ~2-3 fps difference). If it's not a X16, forget it. Also, what kind of CPU do you have?



The only cards that I know that take a big performance hit on the PCI-E 1.0 X16 or PCI-E 2.0 X8 bandwidth are the dual gpu cards like the GTX 295. The bus at that speed doesn't have enough bandwidth for optimal performance for SLI on a single card, but it handles a single gpu just fine. And standard SLI is also fine at 1.0 x16 or 2.0 x8.





I have both a 8x and a 16x slot. So the 16x slot is enough? Wonderful, thank you very much. I guess I won't be returning my amazon purchases :) But damn, a new pc with sli is expensive nowadays. Since I can cut expenses by not upgrading before fall (except for the GFX card), I should be fine for now. Again, thank you very much :) The CPU I have is a e5200. Running at stock 2.5ghz, but I suppose I could try overclocking it when the need arises.

#3
Posted 12/10/2010 02:37 PM   
[quote name='klikklak' date='10 December 2010 - 08:37 AM' timestamp='1291991866' post='1158898']
I have both a 8x and a 16x slot. So the 16x slot is enough? Wonderful, thank you very much. I guess I won't be returning my amazon purchases :) But damn, a new pc with sli is expensive nowadays. Since I can cut expenses by not upgrading before fall (except for the GFX card), I should be fine for now. Again, thank you very much :) The CPU I have is a e5200. Running at stock 2.5ghz, but I suppose I could try overclocking it when the need arises.
[/quote]

Yes, your 1.0 X16 is enough, but please pay attention to this:

1.0 X16 = 2.0 X8
1.0 X8 = 2.0 X4

So, forget about SLI with your motherboard, it isn't possible.

You will definitely want to overclock your cpu, in fact I would get a new cpu. What motherboard do you have?

My brother has a Core 2 Duo E6600 stock 2.4 GHz (but has twice the cache that yours has and runs at a higher bus than yours), we have it overclocked very STABLE at 3.55 GHz, 4 Mb ram, and a GTX 470. He has stellar performance in 1080P 2D and 720P 3D (and sometimes 1080P 3D depending on the game).
[quote name='klikklak' date='10 December 2010 - 08:37 AM' timestamp='1291991866' post='1158898']

I have both a 8x and a 16x slot. So the 16x slot is enough? Wonderful, thank you very much. I guess I won't be returning my amazon purchases :) But damn, a new pc with sli is expensive nowadays. Since I can cut expenses by not upgrading before fall (except for the GFX card), I should be fine for now. Again, thank you very much :) The CPU I have is a e5200. Running at stock 2.5ghz, but I suppose I could try overclocking it when the need arises.





Yes, your 1.0 X16 is enough, but please pay attention to this:



1.0 X16 = 2.0 X8

1.0 X8 = 2.0 X4



So, forget about SLI with your motherboard, it isn't possible.



You will definitely want to overclock your cpu, in fact I would get a new cpu. What motherboard do you have?



My brother has a Core 2 Duo E6600 stock 2.4 GHz (but has twice the cache that yours has and runs at a higher bus than yours), we have it overclocked very STABLE at 3.55 GHz, 4 Mb ram, and a GTX 470. He has stellar performance in 1080P 2D and 720P 3D (and sometimes 1080P 3D depending on the game).

#4
Posted 12/10/2010 02:51 PM   
I don't think there's any point in getting a new CPU for this board. It's an old and cheap gigabyte n650sli-ds4l. Hardly top of the line. Also if I'm not wrong E5200's overclock nicely, so I should be able to get 3ghz, I already have a non-stock/akasa cooler. I'll just get the gtx470 and hope that I can run most older games. As far as I know many games are console ports so they should be lighter on the specs. I'm not a big fps person so framerates aren't so relevant. I just wish Civ5 and Dragon age run in S3D with this system.
I don't think there's any point in getting a new CPU for this board. It's an old and cheap gigabyte n650sli-ds4l. Hardly top of the line. Also if I'm not wrong E5200's overclock nicely, so I should be able to get 3ghz, I already have a non-stock/akasa cooler. I'll just get the gtx470 and hope that I can run most older games. As far as I know many games are console ports so they should be lighter on the specs. I'm not a big fps person so framerates aren't so relevant. I just wish Civ5 and Dragon age run in S3D with this system.

#5
Posted 12/10/2010 03:11 PM   
[quote name='klikklak' date='10 December 2010 - 09:11 AM' timestamp='1291993899' post='1158918']
I don't think there's any point in getting a new CPU for this board. It's an old and cheap gigabyte n650sli-ds4l. Hardly top of the line. Also if I'm not wrong E5200's overclock nicely, so I should be able to get 3ghz, I already have a non-stock/akasa cooler. I'll just get the gtx470 and hope that I can run most older games. As far as I know many games are console ports so they should be lighter on the specs. I'm not a big fps person so framerates aren't so relevant. I just wish Civ5 and Dragon age run in S3D with this system.
[/quote]
IF you can get to 3.0 GHz, you'll still be able to play just about every game out there at moderate to high detail in 2D and middle of the road in 3D, and for RTS/RPG's you'll be fine all the way around.

As a way of comparison, I have a 7900 GTX SLI system as my second rig that can handle the Call of Duties 4/5/6/7 EASILY mid-to-high detail (and still looks better than Xbox 360 and PS3, PS3 uses a 7950 GT equivalent). I keep this one for playing older games in stereoe 3D OpenGL and Directx 8 on back.

I looked at the CPU support list for your board and I would just overclock what you got UNLESS you could get an E6850 for very cheap on ebay or something. The older quad's that are supported by your board (Q6600 and Q6700) are quite pricey now since they are out of production.

I think you're best upgrade path would be keeping your 470 and overclocking your current setup and do a motherboard/cpu/ram upgrade in the future.
[quote name='klikklak' date='10 December 2010 - 09:11 AM' timestamp='1291993899' post='1158918']

I don't think there's any point in getting a new CPU for this board. It's an old and cheap gigabyte n650sli-ds4l. Hardly top of the line. Also if I'm not wrong E5200's overclock nicely, so I should be able to get 3ghz, I already have a non-stock/akasa cooler. I'll just get the gtx470 and hope that I can run most older games. As far as I know many games are console ports so they should be lighter on the specs. I'm not a big fps person so framerates aren't so relevant. I just wish Civ5 and Dragon age run in S3D with this system.



IF you can get to 3.0 GHz, you'll still be able to play just about every game out there at moderate to high detail in 2D and middle of the road in 3D, and for RTS/RPG's you'll be fine all the way around.



As a way of comparison, I have a 7900 GTX SLI system as my second rig that can handle the Call of Duties 4/5/6/7 EASILY mid-to-high detail (and still looks better than Xbox 360 and PS3, PS3 uses a 7950 GT equivalent). I keep this one for playing older games in stereoe 3D OpenGL and Directx 8 on back.



I looked at the CPU support list for your board and I would just overclock what you got UNLESS you could get an E6850 for very cheap on ebay or something. The older quad's that are supported by your board (Q6600 and Q6700) are quite pricey now since they are out of production.



I think you're best upgrade path would be keeping your 470 and overclocking your current setup and do a motherboard/cpu/ram upgrade in the future.

#6
Posted 12/10/2010 03:51 PM   
Thanks for your informative replies :) Yes, I think I agree with you. I had a moment of near panic when I realised that the MB just has pci-e1.0 (currently in x8 mode because I still have sli enabled!), but your reply has confirmed that I'll still get a year or half a year of life out this still. And that's good, it's been a rather good workhorse for quite awhile. But I'll do as you suggested and forget about the PS3. I'll think about this again in autumn.
Thanks for your informative replies :) Yes, I think I agree with you. I had a moment of near panic when I realised that the MB just has pci-e1.0 (currently in x8 mode because I still have sli enabled!), but your reply has confirmed that I'll still get a year or half a year of life out this still. And that's good, it's been a rather good workhorse for quite awhile. But I'll do as you suggested and forget about the PS3. I'll think about this again in autumn.

#7
Posted 12/10/2010 05:16 PM   
[quote name='klikklak' date='10 December 2010 - 11:16 AM' timestamp='1292001415' post='1158958']
Thanks for your informative replies :) Yes, I think I agree with you. I had a moment of near panic when I realised that the MB just has pci-e1.0 (currently in x8 mode because I still have sli enabled!), but your reply has confirmed that I'll still get a year or half a year of life out this still. And that's good, it's been a rather good workhorse for quite awhile. But I'll do as you suggested and forget about the PS3. I'll think about this again in autumn.
[/quote]

Console's have a couple of worthwhile exclusives, but the games on PC are better if you have a good comp (and you still do with the GTX 470 added). Plus, I get bored to tears with the console community. It is fairly juvenile.
[quote name='klikklak' date='10 December 2010 - 11:16 AM' timestamp='1292001415' post='1158958']

Thanks for your informative replies :) Yes, I think I agree with you. I had a moment of near panic when I realised that the MB just has pci-e1.0 (currently in x8 mode because I still have sli enabled!), but your reply has confirmed that I'll still get a year or half a year of life out this still. And that's good, it's been a rather good workhorse for quite awhile. But I'll do as you suggested and forget about the PS3. I'll think about this again in autumn.





Console's have a couple of worthwhile exclusives, but the games on PC are better if you have a good comp (and you still do with the GTX 470 added). Plus, I get bored to tears with the console community. It is fairly juvenile.

#8
Posted 12/10/2010 08:30 PM   
Just an update on this. I overclocked to 3.3ghz with the Akasa cooler (3.0ghz with stock), I could still lower the vcore volts and I still need to run mprime for the night to see if this is really stable. Also the pci-e is indeed 1.0 16x and I'm pretty sure I can run Guild Wars or other older games at high even with this 1gb gt220.
Just an update on this. I overclocked to 3.3ghz with the Akasa cooler (3.0ghz with stock), I could still lower the vcore volts and I still need to run mprime for the night to see if this is really stable. Also the pci-e is indeed 1.0 16x and I'm pretty sure I can run Guild Wars or other older games at high even with this 1gb gt220.

#9
Posted 12/11/2010 06:03 PM   
[quote name='klikklak' date='11 December 2010 - 12:03 PM' timestamp='1292090605' post='1159416']
Just an update on this. I overclocked to 3.3ghz with the Akasa cooler (3.0ghz with stock), I could still lower the vcore volts and I still need to run mprime for the night to see if this is really stable. Also the pci-e is indeed 1.0 16x and I'm pretty sure I can run Guild Wars or other older games at high even with this 1gb gt220.
[/quote]

You're going to be in good shape there when you get your gtx470.
[quote name='klikklak' date='11 December 2010 - 12:03 PM' timestamp='1292090605' post='1159416']

Just an update on this. I overclocked to 3.3ghz with the Akasa cooler (3.0ghz with stock), I could still lower the vcore volts and I still need to run mprime for the night to see if this is really stable. Also the pci-e is indeed 1.0 16x and I'm pretty sure I can run Guild Wars or other older games at high even with this 1gb gt220.





You're going to be in good shape there when you get your gtx470.

#10
Posted 12/11/2010 08:22 PM   
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