GTX 480 EVGA $209 free shipping at newegg

This deal is so tempting but it's 5 days away from the gtx 670 release ...

Quote from Darchtech : This deal is so tempting but it's 5 days away from the gtx 670 release ...

It'll be 2x the price for anywhere from 20-40% more performance.
If you can swing the bill, I would definitely get the 670.

That said, I have 2 480s in my PC right now... they're amazing cards.

I've considered this card - HARD - for a while now. While it is a strong performer, I have ultimately decided it is not a good deal when a 7850 can be had for a mere $10 more (after $20 rebate). I'm not going to get into the difference between ATI and Nvidia (I'm strongly biased towards Nvidia) or EVGA vs HIS (HA!) but I do want to share my thoughts on the cards themselves for any other prospective buyers. One caveat - if you're going for a multi-card setup you should DEFINITELY choose Nvidia/SLI, so if you pick up a couple of $100 460's you'll exceed the raw horsepower of the 480 with a few compromises.

First, the 480 and 7850 perform similarly out of the box, as a 480 is roughly equivalent to a 570; the 7850 is within about 5% of the latter as it is theoretically analogous to the 560 Ti 448. However, the 480 is hands down the most power hungry single Fermi card produced (easy to find the figures, JFGI) whereas the 7850, conversely, is one of the most efficient cards on the market. The inevitable byproduct of the 480's Asian Buffet style power consumption is a hefty amount of waste heat. Owners say "it's not bad, my 9800 or 280 was much hotter!" or that the thermal impact is "overstated." These are observations and opinions they are certainly qualified and entitled to make. However, the 480 is just as frequently referred to as a space heater. My thought - why even risk it when better alternatives exist?

Overclocking is where gamers truly seek to maximize value, and with only a single exception there is simply no competition between the 7850 and the 480. Bottom line - if you want to OC the 480 you MUST invest in an alternate cooling solution, another $50 minimum (modded Kuhler/Corsair radiator) up to...who knows how much for a copper waterblock and a loop. Now, if you're already running water then the 480 could be a consideration, though you're still forking out more on your power bill each year (estimates range from as low as $8 upwards of $50, depending on usage, costs, etc). The 7850, in conjunction with the Asus overclock utility, generally has massive OC headroom and achieves it on air with a single 6-pin connection from your PSU. And speaking of, this is where the 7850 shines. Granted, some cards are better clockers than other, but 1050 core is essentially a given, with most users reporting a completely stable range between 1100-1200 being the norm. At those levels you're pushing up to or past a(n admittedly stock) 580 for less upfront cost and using less power.

The 480, while alluring, is a dinosaur of a card. The 7850 is 28nm goodness at the same price point that, with the right software, can OC like a beast while staying cooler, quieter and, uhm, greener...? If you just can't stomach AMD cards (and I can't blame you if that's the case) I would pray for a price cut on a 570 or 580 and get one of those instead of a 480. Good luck finding a Kepler - sad to say it but they're de facto vaporware at the moment...hope this post has provided some food for thought for others on the fence out there.

we dont even know if the kepler cards will be released on may 10,2012 yet. There was rumors on the release and then additional news that the those cards wont be released till Q3 2012 of this year. So in all honesty, most people are not gonna OC their gfx cards. With this card, there will be no need to do that until the newer games that are gfx intensive will be released. THis card can handle all if not most games in full settings.

Quote from psyctto : It'll be 2x the price for anywhere from 20-40% more performance. If you can swing the bill, I would definitely get the 670. That said, I have 2 480s in my PC right now... they're amazing cards.

670 is going to have 1344 cuda cores....should be a very nice upgrade in performance (somewhere closer to 50%).

Quote from misterfoxy : So in all honesty, most people are not gonna OC their gfx cards.

A lie, even in "all honesty," is still a lie... People who buy enthusiast level hardware tend to have enthusiast leanings. The $10 difference to get either an HD 7850 or a GTX 560 Ti 448 completely makes the 480 a bad decision. The lack of OC options without an aftermarket cooling solution is just the final nail in the coffin.

Anyway, the Rumor Mill has 670 paper launch in May, actual release in June after Computex. Their midrange card (not counting the GTX 680) is still MIA, so you are spending $400+ for entry to Kepler, period. And that's if you can actually find one in stock. Or wait til November.

I dislike ATI but the 7850 at $220 AR is essentially the midrange champion for now and a much better buy than either the Ti 448 or 480 based on price/performance/potential/efficiency.

Quote from toolio20 : A lie, even in "all honesty," is still a lie... People who buy enthusiast level hardware tend to have enthusiast leanings. The $10 difference to get either an HD 7850 or a GTX 560 Ti 448 completely makes the 480 a bad decision. The lack of OC options without an aftermarket cooling solution is just the final nail in the coffin. Anyway, the Rumor Mill has 670 paper launch in May, actual release in June after Computex. Their midrange card (not counting the GTX 680) is still MIA, so you are spending $400+ for entry to Kepler, period. And that's if you can actually find one in stock. Or wait til November. I dislike ATI but the 7850 at $220 AR is essentially the midrange champion for now and a much better buy than either the Ti 448 or 480 based on price/performance/potential/efficiency.

You are absolutely right this card runs very hot however if there arent going to be overclocking this is a great budget card for those who arent plann

A few reasons why I purchased this card.
1. Every review on newegg was positive for single monitor.
2. My case is large, with 5 fans and I will not be overclocking.
3. I have a powersupply that will run this card.
4. The performance this card gives on 1920 x 1200 resolutions will play all current games on high
5. This has a little bit more memory than the 570
6. I was affraid of all the display driver errors I read people experiencing on the 560 ti
7. If I don't like it because it is too hungry and too loud and too hot, I can just upgrade to the 670 I was waiting for.
8. I have been eyballing the gtx 680 every day and twice I had one in my cart and almost pulled the trigger....but the 500 dollars would have almost doubled my pc build cost....so I didnt, but I know that I will soon if I didnt get a new card.
9. I am comming from a 9800 gt that I paid 60 dollars for....so this should be a healthy upgrade.
10. I wont do ati because of bad driver experience. So a 7850 was out of the question, and that I read about some questionable image quality on the 7850 ...cant remember where I read it but it scared me.

So, if I don't like it I will upgrade to the gtx 670 in a couple months. But till then, diablo 3 should be handled on high, no problems.

Currently using a GTX 260. This thing blows it out of the water. Considering upgrading now but was thinking of waiting for the new releases this month (or next) to see if there are more price drops.

http://www.hwcompare.com/8793/gef...e-gtx-480/

Noob question, I'm coming from a 8600gts so I've been out of the loop for a while. But how does the upgrade work? Do you go through newegg? Or evga? I'm very interested in this since it makes coming up with the money alot easier down the road

Thanks in advanced!

Quote from dep3che : Noob question, I'm coming from a 8600gts so I've been out of the loop for a while. But how does the upgrade work? Do you go through newegg? Or evga? I'm very interested in this since it makes coming up with the money alot easier down the road Thanks in advanced!

The upgrade works like this with evga....if your card only has a 3 year warranty you have to go to evga site and turn that into a lifetime warranty (if it has a lifetime warranty(suffix is A1 or AR ect.) then you dont have to do this step.) Turning a 3 year into a lifetime or ten year warranty, I forget what they call it, cost money depending on what the card currently retails for at the evga store, I think if it retails for 300 it will cost you 15 dollars. Once you do this and upload your purchase reciept/ invoice to evga website (you have to register for thier site as well) then you have 90 days from the date of the purchase to upgrade to a card on the upgrade list.
1. You have to upgrade so a 480 has to go to a 570 or 580 or 670 or 680
2. You pay the difference from what that card retails at to what you paid for your card. so in this case if I were to upgrade from a 480 to a 680 at this price, I would pay 499-209= $290. In other words You get full price you paid for the card back, but you have to do it within 90 days and you have to pick a card on their list (they usually don't list overclocked or hydros, just standard cards usually).
3. You pay to ship your card to them and their card to you....when they tell you they have a card ready for you. (somewhere in the 90 day period you pick a card on the list, tell them you are ready and you are put in a que.....then when they have your card , you ship, they ship back and your done.)

some negatives...1. you will be without a card for a few days, depends on shipping time.
2.You will be out shipping cost, both to and from.
3. You have to save original box and all items in it (except stickers and stuff like that)
4. You are obviously paying full retail for the new card, but with the 680 there are no deals to be had anyway.
6. The lifetime warranty on your card vanishes with it, and you get whatever warranty the card you upgraded to has....you can choose to pay to extend it.
5. Only USA

Thats it....its a nice program to protect those with buyers remorse....like this situation...."Dang they were right, the 480 sounds like an airplane landing, I wish I had waited for the 670."....now you dont have to wish....get rid of the airport and enjoy the new card....hopefully.

Terrific deal on a terrific card. Bought (1).

Any good deals on waterblocks for this?