Scott Mueller's Upgrading and Repairing PCs Forum

Scott,
Do you have a preference when it comes to driver support from manufacturers using the NVIDIA chipset? I was looking at some GTX 770 cards from GIGABYTE, PNY, and EVGA. I know drivers can always be obtained from NVIDIA directly, but I wanted to know of if you have a preference for any of these brands (or another)?

Evan

Even with cards using the same chipset there can be variations in clocking, memory, cooling, and the type of display interface connections available. I don't have any specfic brand preferences, instead I just look for the best combination of features and of course pricing and any available deals or offers. I don't consider the different mfr. driver support as I recommend getting the latest drivers direct from NVIDIA. Scott.

Given all the other specs being the same do you think it is worth spending an extra $50 to get a 4GB GDDR3 version over a 2GB GDDR3 version? Also, do you think the roughly $90 difference between the GTX 760 and GTX 770 is worth it?

Evan

If I was into the absolute latest games I'd spend the money for the 770 vs. more RAM on a 760. Scott.

What about spending an extra $50 on more RAM in the 770?

Evan, this may help http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gam ... ,3107.html

At the end is a list of cards. (Well on the site at least!!)

In general I don't think the extra RAM on a video card is worthwhile. Scott.

David, thanks for the link. Hopefully it will help others as well.

Evan

Would running a current high end game on multiple monitors at a max resolution be the arguing point for more RAM?

Evan

It's possible, but I'd want to see tests showing any appreciable difference before I spent the money. Scott.

What wattage power supply would you recommend for a system with GTX770, single HDD, DVD drive, with a single case fan?

What about if two more HDDs and an SSD were added?

Evan

I would go 650W at a minimum, or 750W if you were running multiple 3.5" HDDs in a RAID configuration. SSDs or 2.5" laptop HDDs don't draw any appreciable power. Scott.

How are these two?
Evan

Or do you have a specific manufacturer you are recommending currently?

Evan

You can see my power supply recommendation criteria here. I currently recommend both PC Power & Cooling and Corsair power supplies. Both of those companies feature high quality single-rail designs which are primarly manufactured by Seasonic. Others that meet my recommendation criteria should also be excellent choices. Scott.

Here is the spec page for the Rosewill PSU. Looks good to me.

Evan

It looks good to me as well. I've had good results with Rosewill branded products in the past. Scott.

Alright. I picked up a MSI GTX 770. Now I just need to figure out if I want a PSU with a modular design or not.

Evan

I was looking at these 5 PSU models. The one I linked to before is the 80 PLUS GOLD certified one, all the rest are BRONZE certified. Do you still recommend the GOLD over the others?

Evan

Actually I just recommend *any* 80 PLUS certification. That being said it takes a higher level of design and engineering to achieve the 80 PLUS Gold or Platinum certifications, and I believe that may pay off with greater performance and reliability in the long run. Scott.

I ended up going with a Seasonic SS-760XP2. Should work well for my needs.

Evan