Help with Graphics card

Ok..


I am looking for a new graphics card to replace my 9500 GT (FANLESS)


Here are the important things to consider

1. it needs to be fanless I havent bought a fanned card in 5 years and none of the fanless cards ive had have ever died... every fanned card ive ever had died after a year of continuous usage.

2. It needs to be ATI.. I know I have the Nvidia 9500 GT... but the problem is that my MSI k9a2 platnium Motherboard only supports CROSSFIRE and NOT SLI.... I originally bought 2 9500 GTs and found out later that it wasnt an SLI supported board (it wasnt listed on newegg as not supporting SLI it said it supported both and i had to message newegg to change the listing after i talked to the representatives at MSI)

3. It needs to be 1 GB of ram.. 128 Bit is fine.. prefer 256 but I dont think there is a fanless 256 bit card out

4. IT NEEDS to support open GL OBVIOUSLY


I looked at the Powercolor HD 5750 but it doesnt support open GL

I believe all graphics cards support OpenGL.......as least I've never heard of one that doen't. The problem with ATI is that for whatever reason they have chosen not to direct much attention to OpenGL..........which means all modern ATI cards are going to have some issues that nVidia does not until they change their thoughts on that graphics engine. They appear to changing lately though.

no peggy some of the cards including nvidia cards but mostly ATI cards.. dont have open GL listed as supported.. here is an example.

from newegg listing


3D API
DirectX DirectX 10
OpenGL OpenGL 2.0


and then the card i was looking at

3D API
DirectX DirectX 10.1


no open GL listed as a 3D API.... probably because it doesnt work on that card. or has serious problems.

again im asking for a recommendation and not a commentary on what I said.

Get the card......it has OpenGL 3.2 support.

http://techwiki.hardwarecanucks.com/product/0MTE1MzU4/PowerColor-HD-5750/

You'll likely encounter some issues with SL due to what my "commentary" was about. But if you want that card it DOES support OpenGL...........the latest version of OpenGL in fact.

so you think 2 HD 5750's crossfired is a good route to go then?


Ill be having to upgrade my power supply from a 550W to a 700W

I don't do Crossfire or SLI.........I have no idea. I know from the reviews I read that the card is entry level card that is optimized for DirectX 11............personally I would steer clear of it. But, you're impressed and no review had a bad thing to say about it.

well most reviews said it was a low to mid range gaming card..


And to be honest my 9500GT is considered a low to mid ranged gaming card... I find that funny considering I have only met 2 people in the game running a better card than me.. one with a 9800GT and one with a 9800GTX

There are plenty of people using much higher end cards than you. Mine is a 9800GTX+. Take a look in the Resident Answers section for a thread started by Suezanne Baskerville titled "List your specs from the "About SL" under the help menu" or something similar. You'll see a wide range of both low end and high end cards people use.

The model numbering system nVidia uses can be confusing. The first number is the series (or how recent the card is) the second number is the important number.....it tells you where in that series the card falls in performance. A 9500 card is mid range. A 9800 card is high end (there is no 9900 that I know of). nVidia recently started over with their numbering system but it's basically the same except that they started numbering using 3 digits instead of 4 but the same system applies.

Do you have applications other than SL you'll be using?

For SL, I think you'd probably be better off with a single Nvidia 9800GT (the highest end fanless Nvidia card I'm aware of) than anything from ATI. The benefit to SL from a Crossfire (or SLI) configuration probably isn't cost effective.

If SL isn't your primary application, and you're running stuff that does benefit from Crossfire, go for it, but prepare for issues with SL. Try one of Boy Lane's viewers if the LL viewer gives you too much grief.

Here's everything on Newegg that meets your specs: http://tinyurl.com/y85wqwm

I'll second Milla's recommendation. A single 9800 GT will pretty much max out Second Life at the moment. Crossfire and SLI are dodgy at best, and people have reported everything from a moderate gain in performance to a loss of performance. Or bite the bullet, get a fanned card, and run a GTX 260. It's a decent price and will handle SL very well.

I find nothing confusing about nvidia's model number system... or ATI's for that matter... AND PEGGY I WASNT BRAGGING ABOUT A FRIGGING 9500GT... Im sure if i go to a message board thread about listing your specs someone is going to have a frigging Nvidia 300 alreadyor 350 or whatever the best thing is... there are people like that... I was talking about people ive met in the game and asked about their specs...




Wow . listing this is going to be well.. difficult... lets just say AT THE MOMENT SL is my primary application but I have so many games on my computer.. and plan on having so many more in the future.. just upgrading to the 9800GT is not really anything special... and yes its the highest nvidia card that is fanless... NOW... there is something to be noted here.. if you are a real techie.. and you know how to do this you can take the fan off of a lot of video cards and install a sick huge heat sink.. but i prefer not to tamper with something like that. A list of games ive played in the last six months

Star trek online (beta) - full version in 2 weeks
Empire: Total War 9800GTX will only run that on medium settings
IL2- Sturmovik (a flight simulator if you know anything about them.. graphic intensive is an understatement)

Also again.. i can plop 1 Nvidia card in but whats the point of upgrading 1 series the 9500GT suits me fine for now but i like to think of the future.




yes thats what ive found also at newegg.. the question really comes down to do i want the 5750 or the 4670 .. Powercoler has a 5750 that is DDR5 and I've really been looking into that but newegg hasnt carried it yet.

Ive always found it funny that crossfire and SLI Dont work or are dodgy on modern programs.. I can understand if the program is 2 or more years old (like SL) but on modern games even SLI or crossfire can really cause you some headaches..

I feel like im wasting 3 pciex16 slots by only having one graphics card... on the other hand I feel like Do i want to deal with the compatibility headaches of having crossfire.

I'll get a fanned card if Nvidia or ATI warranty the fan up to 2 years .. bad experiences with those bearings on the fans and I dont trust them.

I wasn't even thinking that you were bragging on your card. I wasn't bragging either. I have a 2 (or I should say 3, since the model was not new when I purchased it) year old off the shelf Lenovo Desktop.............a mid to high performance business machine at the time it was manufactured. By no stretch is it what anyone would call a high end gaming computer........just a solid, run of the mill, off the shelf machine (I did put a larger power supply in it so I could put the card I wanted in it......that's the extent of any after market upgrading). Your statement sounded to me like you thought a 9500 nVidia card was a high performance card........many people misunderstand nVidia's model numbering system. I did.

By the way, there is nothing wrong with your card........it will run SL quite well at high settings. I know several with the exact same card who report the same performance as I have with the same settings.

Yesterday must have been a bad day for me........you're not the only one that thought I was saying something I was not intending to say. I'll apologize because I know I can come across a little "meaner" than a really am.

If you go with the ATI options, the 5000 series is listed as fully supporting OpenGL 3.2 (but that will depend on ATI writing a good OpenGL driver) and DX11. Of the GTX 260/280 cards, Gigabyte offers a 3 year warranty, and EVGA offer a limited lifetime warranty. Both are good brands.