pituCaleya Posted June 12, 2008 Share Posted June 12, 2008 Hi everyone, I'm making my "shopping list" and I wanted to include a 7300GS card, I've seen in the HCL it is well supported, and I'm looking for a low power card, but I still want hardware acceleration. Well, the thing is, I'm not going to use 3D games, nor CAD/render/etc., so I thought "any card is good enough", right?. But then, I keep searching and start learning about Quartz Extreme, Quartz 2d, GL, etc. etc., so I'd like to know, do I need a powerful card just to show the desktop, desktop effects, and text applications?. Am I going to notice any performance improvement if I go for a 8600GT (with 43W TDP), or even a 9xxx, compared to a 7300GS??. (I like the 7300GS because it has a 7W idle TDP, and 19W load TDP). Well, thank you very much in advance, and please excuse my english, Regards Antonio Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/110220-lowest-power-but-still-capable-gpu/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarahbau Posted June 12, 2008 Share Posted June 12, 2008 Even the integrated GMA950 graphics in my MacBook are enough to do all the visual effects in the OS. The only time it slows down noticeably is when I try to use a 3D screensaver on dual screens (all the ones that come with it work fine though). The 7300GS should be fine. Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/110220-lowest-power-but-still-capable-gpu/#findComment-781154 Share on other sites More sharing options...
pituCaleya Posted June 14, 2008 Author Share Posted June 14, 2008 Well, thanks a lot. That's great news, I didn't want to put another heating-howling device inside the case, if I'm not going to fully use it. Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/110220-lowest-power-but-still-capable-gpu/#findComment-783121 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purple Puppy Posted June 14, 2008 Share Posted June 14, 2008 But according to the NVIDIA propaganda, a powerful GPU is more important than a powerful CPU: http://www.nvidia.com/object/balancedpc.html So why not get better GPU and a low-power CPU? Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/110220-lowest-power-but-still-capable-gpu/#findComment-783819 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Synaesthesia Posted June 14, 2008 Share Posted June 14, 2008 The 7300gs is perfect. It's the exact balance for this person's needs. Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/110220-lowest-power-but-still-capable-gpu/#findComment-783838 Share on other sites More sharing options...
pituCaleya Posted June 15, 2008 Author Share Posted June 15, 2008 I don't know, but for a development/automated testing/database server system, (which is going to be the main use for this machine), I feel much better putting my money on one or two small WD raptors than on a nvidia 9800. I guess Western Digital must have a similar "off-balance pc configurator" with a different point of view than nvidia's Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/110220-lowest-power-but-still-capable-gpu/#findComment-783867 Share on other sites More sharing options...
vaporATX Posted June 15, 2008 Share Posted June 15, 2008 Hell, you can pick up 8600 GTs for like $60-$70 bucks if you shop around. I wouldn't waste my time with 7 series card unless you can find something really cheap. Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/110220-lowest-power-but-still-capable-gpu/#findComment-783877 Share on other sites More sharing options...
pituCaleya Posted June 15, 2008 Author Share Posted June 15, 2008 Hi, vaporATX, Yes, nowadays there are quite powerful cards for a nice price, (when I bought my silent 7800GT back in the day I paid around 400€ for it), but my point was, if I don't need more GPU processing power, I don't want to put a 100W card in my case, because of the heat, the extra fan, and, ultimately, the added noise. This last thing is pretty important to me, and, besides, less noisy is more mac-esque, isn't it? :-) Thanks for the suggestions, people, Regards Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/110220-lowest-power-but-still-capable-gpu/#findComment-783897 Share on other sites More sharing options...
vaporATX Posted June 15, 2008 Share Posted June 15, 2008 8600 GT only draws about 40-50 watts. Couple that with a cheap Zalman VF700 cooler (18 dbA & about $15 bucks) and you won't even hear it in a closed case. I personally don't trust those passive cards. I had a 7600 GS silent that only lasted about 4 months. Damn thing ran at 80c+ under load. Manufaturer said this was normal... yeah right. Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/110220-lowest-power-but-still-capable-gpu/#findComment-783911 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Synaesthesia Posted June 15, 2008 Share Posted June 15, 2008 I wouldn't waste my time with 7 series card unless you can find something really cheap.@Vapor-ATX, I use a GMA-950 all the time, it's great, except the Core Image performance is slightly low for my taste. The 7300-GS is waaay faster in CI, and all I ever need for my Mac usage. Therefore if it's all the guy needs, then why should he spend more and use more energy than needed? And it IS really cheap. I personally don't trust those passive cards He has already mentioned the card's low TDP (7-19W) so I don't think it's passive version is gonna be a problem Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/110220-lowest-power-but-still-capable-gpu/#findComment-784142 Share on other sites More sharing options...
pituCaleya Posted June 16, 2008 Author Share Posted June 16, 2008 Hi, In the end, I think I'm going to give the 7300GS a try, and if I see it lacks any performance, I'll switch it for the 8600GT. About the passive cards, my Asus Top Silent 7800GT has been working flawlessly for more than two years, and I've used it for gaming, never had a problem, and its temperature reaches 70C tops when stressed. (No OC in the card, though). Thanks everyone for the suggestions, Regards Antonio Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/110220-lowest-power-but-still-capable-gpu/#findComment-786199 Share on other sites More sharing options...
vbetts Posted June 16, 2008 Share Posted June 16, 2008 But according to the NVIDIA propaganda, a powerful GPU is more important than a powerful CPU: http://www.nvidia.com/object/balancedpc.html So why not get better GPU and a low-power CPU? Nvidia also said that the Intel cpu is dead, pc gaming will not be exclusive anymore, and games start on consoles, and are perfected on PCs. =] But try running an 8800GTX or a 9800GTX on a single core P4 or Athlon, and lets see how far that takes us. Link to comment https://www.insanelymac.com/forum/topic/110220-lowest-power-but-still-capable-gpu/#findComment-786236 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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