Alternative to ATI HD 5670

[Mark]

Hi,
I'm just sending a faulty ATI HD5670 card back. Since these cards are
now hard to get I suspect they will refund rather than replace.
Therefore I will be looking for a replacement. I need something of
equivalent spec. since I play games. However I don't want a card that
draws 100s of Watts since I don't have a huge PSU (400W) and want a
cool & quiet card.

I know there are plenty of HD5670s on ebay but I'm not paying more for
a secondhand one than I paid for a new one (£60).

Any ideas? No newegg links please, since I am in the UK.
--
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(='.'=) Due to the amount of spam posted via googlegroups and
(")_(") their inaction to the problem. I am blocking some articles
posted from there. If you wish your postings to be seen by
everyone you will need use a different method of posting.

 

[DCA]

Hi,
I'm just sending a faulty ATI HD5670 card back. Since these cards are
now hard to get I suspect they will refund rather than replace.
Therefore I will be looking for a replacement. I need something of
equivalent spec. since I play games. However I don't want a card that
draws 100s of Watts since I don't have a huge PSU (400W) and want a
cool& quiet card.

I know there are plenty of HD5670s on ebay but I'm not paying more for
a secondhand one than I paid for a new one (£60).

Any ideas? No newegg links please, since I am in the UK.

Would you like an MSI NX8800GTS 320Gb.
It worked fine in my Dell Dimension which had a 375W PSU
Yours for £40 with high efficiency after-market variable fan (external
controller).
David

 

[DCA]

Would you like an MSI NX8800GTS 320Gb.
It worked fine in my Dell Dimension which had a 375W PSU
Yours for £40 with high efficiency after-market variable fan (external
controller).
David

looking at the speed comparisons - they both excel in different areas
but overall the 8800 seems to win.
http://0845.com/t9J

 

[Paul]

Hi,
I'm just sending a faulty ATI HD5670 card back. Since these cards are
now hard to get I suspect they will refund rather than replace.
Therefore I will be looking for a replacement. I need something of
equivalent spec. since I play games. However I don't want a card that
draws 100s of Watts since I don't have a huge PSU (400W) and want a
cool & quiet card.

I know there are plenty of HD5670s on ebay but I'm not paying more for
a secondhand one than I paid for a new one (£60).

Any ideas? No newegg links please, since I am in the UK.

The used video card market is distorted to some degree, by Bitcoin
mining. ATI cards are good for Bitcoin (GPGPU) mining, while
Nvidia ones aren't (dollar for dollar).

Using the "Crysis Warhead" chart from this page, the HD5670 is 28.7W.
And to me, that would suggest the card has no PCI Express connector on the
end of the card. That's how you spot a low-power card. Cards up to 50W
or so, can draw all their power from the slot. (Designers tend to limit
to about 4.x amps at 12V from the 12V pins in the PCI Express slot, so
in round numbers, it's in the low 50's watt range.)

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/graphics/display/gpu-power-consumption-2010_3.html#sect0

As a very rough selection metric, you can use the video card memory
bandwidth as a measure of card "class". I'd be using this, to get
into the right ballpark with respect to power. The dollar figure
should also help narrow it down.

http://www.gpureview.com/videocards.php

Your HD 5670 is 64GB/sec and $99.

The HD 6670 (GDDR5 memory version, not GDDR3) is 64GB/sec and $99.

This HD 6670 with GDDR5 memory, doesn't have a PCI Express power
connector on the end of it, so it's going to be in the 50-55W range
or so max. Xbitlabs is letting me down here - I can't find a power
measurement for some of the newer cards. So I have to rely on connector
configuration as a power estimate. The GPUreview power numbers listed,
are usually on the high side. Xbitlabs makes actual measurements on a
modified motherboard with current shunts.

http://images17.newegg.com/is/image/newegg/14-161-375-Z03?$S640W$

You can compare that card, to the one you own, with the GPUreview
comparison feature. The 5670 and 6670 are pretty close in terms
of shader processors, so they're the same class.

http://www.gpureview.com/show_cards.php?card1=654&card2=623

The next card up, is an HD 6750. Pricewise, you can find some
for a bit more than $99. You can see in the picture though, that
the card has a 2x3 PCI Express connector on the end. Which means
the card is starting to head out of the 50W range.

http://images17.newegg.com/is/image/newegg/14-150-572-Z03?$S640W$

I can also find an example of a HD 6750 (with passive cooling),
where the end power connector is missing. Implying the card is
on the border of 50W. If you use a card like this with passive
cooler, it's generally a good idea to place an 80mm case fan next
to the fins, to ensure a long life and good stability.

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/graphics/display/radeon-hd-6770-silent_5.html

So those are some ideas.

Happy hunting,
Paul

 

[Mark]

looking at the speed comparisons - they both excel in different areas
but overall the 8800 seems to win.
http://0845.com/t9J

Strange. That article says the opposite to me. The ATI wins in all
the benchmarks and the 8800 can only match the 5670 on memory
bandwidth. The Nvidia also uses up more than twice the power.

Thanks for the offer, David, but I don't really think the 8800 is for
me (and I wouldn't really want to pay more than £30 for a secondhand
card). The game I am playing now also demands at least 0.5GB of video
memory.
--
(\__/) M.
(='.'=) Due to the amount of spam posted via googlegroups and
(")_(") their inaction to the problem. I am blocking some articles
posted from there. If you wish your postings to be seen by
everyone you will need use a different method of posting.

 

[Mark]

The used video card market is distorted to some degree, by Bitcoin
mining. ATI cards are good for Bitcoin (GPGPU) mining, while
Nvidia ones aren't (dollar for dollar).

I know very little about bitcoins and what connection they have with
GPUs.

Using the "Crysis Warhead" chart from this page, the HD5670 is 28.7W.
And to me, that would suggest the card has no PCI Express connector on the
end of the card. That's how you spot a low-power card. Cards up to 50W
or so, can draw all their power from the slot. (Designers tend to limit
to about 4.x amps at 12V from the 12V pins in the PCI Express slot, so
in round numbers, it's in the low 50's watt range.)

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/graphics/display/gpu-power-consumption-2010_3.html#sect0

You're correct that the HD5670 does not have an additional power
connector and it's essential that the replacement also does not need
one. However estimates for the actual power consumption of this card
vary greatly. hwcompare.com claims it draws 61W.

As a very rough selection metric, you can use the video card memory
bandwidth as a measure of card "class". I'd be using this, to get
into the right ballpark with respect to power. The dollar figure
should also help narrow it down.

http://www.gpureview.com/videocards.php

Your HD 5670 is 64GB/sec and $99.

The HD 6670 (GDDR5 memory version, not GDDR3) is 64GB/sec and $99.

This HD 6670 with GDDR5 memory, doesn't have a PCI Express power
connector on the end of it, so it's going to be in the 50-55W range
or so max. Xbitlabs is letting me down here - I can't find a power
measurement for some of the newer cards. So I have to rely on connector
configuration as a power estimate. The GPUreview power numbers listed,
are usually on the high side. Xbitlabs makes actual measurements on a
modified motherboard with current shunts.

http://images17.newegg.com/is/image/newegg/14-161-375-Z03?$S640W$

Oh No. a newegg link ;-)

You can compare that card, to the one you own, with the GPUreview
comparison feature. The 5670 and 6670 are pretty close in terms
of shader processors, so they're the same class.

http://www.gpureview.com/show_cards.php?card1=654&card2=623

The next card up, is an HD 6750. Pricewise, you can find some
for a bit more than $99. You can see in the picture though, that
the card has a 2x3 PCI Express connector on the end. Which means
the card is starting to head out of the 50W range.

http://images17.newegg.com/is/image/newegg/14-150-572-Z03?$S640W$

And another.

I can also find an example of a HD 6750 (with passive cooling),
where the end power connector is missing. Implying the card is
on the border of 50W. If you use a card like this with passive
cooler, it's generally a good idea to place an 80mm case fan next
to the fins, to ensure a long life and good stability.

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/graphics/display/radeon-hd-6770-silent_5.html

So those are some ideas.

Happy hunting,
Paul

--
(\__/) M.
(='.'=) Due to the amount of spam posted via googlegroups and
(")_(") their inaction to the problem. I am blocking some articles
posted from there. If you wish your postings to be seen by
everyone you will need use a different method of posting.

 

[Paul]

And another.

Images don't grow on trees, and neither does time. These
are image links, to provide a picture to show what a product
looks like.

My intention in providing a picture, is so you know what to look
for. In this picture, the 2x3 PCI Express connector in the upper
right hand corner, is the thing I'm looking at.

http://images17.newegg.com/is/image/newegg/14-150-572-Z03?$S640W$

On the passive cooled version of the same class of video card,
the power connector is missing. These are the things you look for
when shopping. When the manufacturer says "61W" and you see the
connector missing like in this one, you know the actual power is
~50W or less (and it could be quite a bit less, as when you find
an actual Xbitlabs measured value while gaming). The ~50W limit
is based on the PCI Express slot current capacity of the 12V contacts.
While it's rated for more current than that, safe design practice
(protection against current hogging), limits how much can be used
without the risk of burning something.

http://www.xbitlabs.com/images/graphics/radeon-hd-6770-silent/49_pc_pw_big.jpg

Sometimes, even the manufacturer doesn't provide as many pictures
as you find on Newegg. And I'm not going to spend the rest of the
morning, looking for a blurry cellphone picture from Ebay.

Many Internet commerce sites, sell product sight unseen,
even neglecting to provide anything in the way of specifications.
When a site comes along which offers specifications, reviews,
and pictures, you tend to use it.

Paul

 

[Mark]

Images don't grow on trees, and neither does time. These
are image links, to provide a picture to show what a product
looks like.

No offense intended. Obviously you failed to spot the ";-)"

My intention in providing a picture, is so you know what to look
for. In this picture, the 2x3 PCI Express connector in the upper
right hand corner, is the thing I'm looking at.

http://images17.newegg.com/is/image/newegg/14-150-572-Z03?$S640W$

Yes. Thanks.

On the passive cooled version of the same class of video card,
the power connector is missing. These are the things you look for
when shopping. When the manufacturer says "61W" and you see the
connector missing like in this one, you know the actual power is
~50W or less (and it could be quite a bit less, as when you find
an actual Xbitlabs measured value while gaming). The ~50W limit
is based on the PCI Express slot current capacity of the 12V contacts.
While it's rated for more current than that, safe design practice
(protection against current hogging), limits how much can be used
without the risk of burning something.

http://www.xbitlabs.com/images/graphics/radeon-hd-6770-silent/49_pc_pw_big.jpg

Sometimes, even the manufacturer doesn't provide as many pictures
as you find on Newegg. And I'm not going to spend the rest of the
morning, looking for a blurry cellphone picture from Ebay.

I appreciate that. The reasons why I asked for no newegg links was
not just because I can't buy from them but often the same models are
just not available in the UK.

Many Internet commerce sites, sell product sight unseen,
even neglecting to provide anything in the way of specifications.
When a site comes along which offers specifications, reviews,
and pictures, you tend to use it.

See above.
--
(\__/) M.
(='.'=) Due to the amount of spam posted via googlegroups and
(")_(") their inaction to the problem. I am blocking some articles
posted from there. If you wish your postings to be seen by
everyone you will need use a different method of posting.

 

[Mark]

The 6670 is a slightly faster card than the 5670 with essentially the
same technology. Consider stepping up to a 6750/5750 though. You don't
get any more performance for your money because we're still stuck on 40nm.

I guess a 5750 would be equally hard to come by now. And I don't
really need a more powerful GPU anyway - I suspect performance is CPU
limited since I have an older Core2Duo CPU.

Note that 5670s and 6670s come in both DDR3 and DDR5 versions, with a
substantial performance difference between the two.

I suspected this but haven't actually seen any benchmarks looking at
just this. My 5670 has DDR5 but most other cards at the same price
seem to have DDR3.
--
(\__/) M.
(='.'=) Due to the amount of spam posted via googlegroups and
(")_(") their inaction to the problem. I am blocking some articles
posted from there. If you wish your postings to be seen by
everyone you will need use a different method of posting.

 

[DCA]

Strange. That article says the opposite to me. The ATI wins in all
the benchmarks and the 8800 can only match the 5670 on memory
bandwidth. The Nvidia also uses up more than twice the power.

Thanks for the offer, David, but I don't really think the 8800 is for
me (and I wouldn't really want to pay more than £30 for a secondhand
card). The game I am playing now also demands at least 0.5GB of video
memory.

Strange
Bandwidth is almost identical
8800 wins on Texel Rate and Pixel Rate
<quote> The GeForce 8800 GTS (G80) 320MB should be much (approximately
65%) better at full screen anti-aliasing than the Radeon HD 5670, and
also should be capable of handling higher resolutions without slowing
down too much.
Anyway - it is offered - matter for you

 

[Paul]

I suspected this but haven't actually seen any benchmarks looking at
just this. My 5670 has DDR5 but most other cards at the same price
seem to have DDR3.

There is an example review here, a couple GT240, one with DDR3 and
one with GDDR5, and even when antialiasing is disabled, there is
still a difference in frame rate visible.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/2906/5

I've seen up to a factor of 4 difference in memory bandwidth on
retail cards, where the cards continue to use the same model number.
That's also why there can be a spread on prices. Caveat emptor.

Paul

 

[Flasherly]

Any ideas? No newegg links please, since I am in the UK.

The problem with excluding Newegg is a spread on propularity and
consequent value in derterming branch decisions subsequent for
entering the final review and buying process. Intially daunting in
itself, no less, as entry-level rebates are increasingly discounted to
encroach over a sheer multiplicity of offerings upon an exclusive,
costlier tier of former gaming relations. Shouldn't be overall a
problem past research, quite the contrary with a little effort, with
what would be regarded as minimal in a 400W PS setup, applying a
remaining caveat over those game titles concerning your interests for
need then to limit by card type as it will coexist without unduly
stressing your PS. Personally, if I may, where I'd set wattage closer
to practical terms in marketing would be approaching a mean 600watts,
400 being somewhat a handicap to overall shorter limits of lifespan
power supplies are indeed known to exhibit. A bit of a contradiction
in terms over one segment of the market stressing green engineering
whilst the hand is pumping out 1000 watts, no?

 

[Mark]

Strange
Bandwidth is almost identical
8800 wins on Texel Rate and Pixel Rate
<quote> The GeForce 8800 GTS (G80) 320MB should be much (approximately
65%) better at full screen anti-aliasing than the Radeon HD 5670, and
also should be capable of handling higher resolutions without slowing
down too much.
Anyway - it is offered - matter for you

Initially I misread the article. The raw performance figures for the
GF card do look better, but the ATI card gets higher framerates on the
benchmarks.
--
(\__/) M.
(='.'=) Due to the amount of spam posted via googlegroups and
(")_(") their inaction to the problem. I am blocking some articles
posted from there. If you wish your postings to be seen by
everyone you will need use a different method of posting.