Which GPU & PSU would you recommend for my specific rigs and unique computing needs?

[soarwitheagles]

Hi guys!

Ok, I have a couple of questions and was hoping I could glean some good advice from friends here....

Both of my present rigs are listed in my signature below.

I no longer do any intense gaming [simply have other priorities and a wife that helps me choose more important aspects of life], so I do not need the best of the best GPU's.

I presently have a 460 GTX and a 450 GTX and I am considering upgrading my GPU's [and yes, I know, perhaps this is total overkill dude].

I like to upgrade in every area of computer components for a couple of reasons:

1. Extreme addiction to speed [not methamphetamine, but, rather fast rigs] because I utterly hate wasting time due to slow CPU, GPU, RAM, etc.
2. Resale value of the entire rig each time I upgrade to a new machine every 6-12 months [note: most of the components I receive are much lower than wholesale prices or free after selling lots of items].

I would like to know if bigger cards will use more power at idle and low end usage than lower end cards.

Here are some of the "leftovers" I have at the moment:

XFX 6870
XFX 6770
XFX 240 GT
Galaxy 460 GTX 1 GB
Galaxy 220 GT
Gigabyte HD 6450 512MB
Gigabyte HD 4650
EVGA 210
MSI R5450
MSI N520GT

All of these cards are still brand new, sealed in the box, and sitting on my workshop desk doing absolutely nothing.

I would like to make the best choice for each of my present rigs, keeping in mind energy conservation without sacrificing speed in any way, shape or form. My GPU needs are minimal.

Here are my computer usage types for the GPU:

Occasional video rendering
HD Movies
HD TV
Internet surfing

Ok, ball is in your court!

Which GPU would you recommend for my specific rigs and unique computing needs?

Can you help me make an educated decision?

Thanks,

Soar




edit:
Hi again!

Ok, I am presently using an XFX 650 and an XFX 850 in each of my rigs and they are working just fine.

I have a new OCZ 850 Watt gold, and a new OCZ 1000 Watt gold, and a new Cougar SX 700.

Of these 5 units, which would your recommend for me to use and why?

Thanks,

Soar

 

[Roark]

If your computers are working fine as is then I'm not sure you need to tweak anything, they seem fine for what you're using them for.
But, if you want to max your capabilities with what you have...

Your sig says you have 2x GTX 460s, one in each rig, I'd take the one out of one build and SLi it in the other.
The Intel build is x16/x4 (as long as you aren't using a PCIe x1 slot) so it may bottleneck a little.
But, while the AMD build should run x16/x8 or x8/x8, you may need a hack to run SLi on it.

Whichever build you take the 460 out of I'd put the 6870 in.
Then put the 850w PSU in whichever build has the SLi, and 650w in the build with the 6870.

If you're worried about efficiency swap the XFX 850w for the OCZ 850w Gold, whichever build is running SLi.

But, like I said, if its working well as is, probably not worth the effort to swap everything around.
Your best bet is to probably sell all those unopened components, then use the $ to take the wife out to a fancy dinner

 

[soarwitheagles]

Roark,

Thanks for the nice reply. My wife will really like your suggestion!

Soar

 

[patonb]

Yha I'm in the same thinking area too. 6870 and swap to the gold psus.

 

[soarwitheagles]

Yha I'm in the same thinking area too. 6870 and swap to the gold psus.

Ok,

Thanks guys!

Soar