[colecampbell666]

Be related to the fact that my GPU fan fell out? I assume that overheating would decrease performance, and I'm not about to spend 20$ on a fan when it would be worth more than the card, I just want to know if that would be the problem.

[Mars]

My framerate goes to hell once my card starts hitting 70°C, I have no doubt your card is overheating.

[Polpolion]

I'm not about to spend 20$ on a fan when it would be worth more than the card

The 9550 isn't that bad.

[colecampbell666]

Well it's been overheating for weeks (possibly months) so chances are it's damaged.

[CP5670]

Overheating can reduce performance in some rare situations, but what games are you having "framerate issues" in? If it's anything from the last five years, it's just because that card is so slow.

I'm not about to spend 20$ on a fan when it would be worth more than the card

The 9550 isn't that bad.

He's right, actually. I was going to sell my old 7800GT a few weeks ago, a card at least 6x as fast, but it would only fetch me around $25 on ebay at this point. I figured I might as well hang on to it as a backup card.

[Polpolion]

@CP: You're selling a used 7800GT on eBay. AFAIK everything is inherently cheaper on eBay because the demand for old or used things from a possible unreliable source is lower than that of a newer or retail item from a more reliable source. It is possible that you may be right, but eBay is no accurate means of measuring the worthiness of a card beyond a pure theoretical economic standpoint.

BTW: I still think I'm right.

[Mars]

Hmm... next time I have $500 lying around I should try to put a machine together from eBay and see if it works.

[FUBAR-BDHR]

Get a cheap fan and screw it to the heat sync if you don't want to spend $20.  If your like me you have dozens of used ones laying around. 

[CP5670]

@CP: You're selling a used 7800GT on eBay. AFAIK everything is inherently cheaper on eBay because the demand for old or used things from a possible unreliable source is lower than that of a newer or retail item from a more reliable source. It is possible that you may be right, but eBay is no accurate means of measuring the worthiness of a card beyond a pure theoretical economic standpoint.

BTW: I still think I'm right.

That doesn't indicate anything. Some stores have extra (limited) stock of old hardware that can take years to fully run out, and they essentially rely on the occasional ignorant buyers to finish it up over time. With hardware this old, ebay and similar sites are far better indicators of what most people are willing to pay.

In any case, the prices on used and new hardware only differ slightly when you look at items in the lowest price ranges. Even if you consider new 7800GTs, nobody who knows what they're buying would pay more than $35 for one, given the prices of current cards.

[Al Tarket]

not just cheap and unreliable, but ebay buyers and known for not testing their items and no warranty in any graphics card. which means you dont know if it works, i never bought anything off ebay before, however i will only use ebay as a last resort.

it might be more expensive but the warranty is just as important as the amount of money you pay out, if it breaks down you can get it refunded or changed, where as you pay for 200 dollar item without warranty it doesn't work when you open it you cant do a thing about it. you lost 200 dollars and a dead green board with plastic and solder.

i card can work without a fan, but when that happens you will get more power to the card even if its small, however when it starts overheating, it has no choice but to slow down to avoid melting or having problems later. it would be a good idea to get a new card or a cheap solution fan even if your card is just as expensive these days as the cheap fan solution. go get a better card is my recommendation, i have seen 8600 gt and 2900xt for around 20-50 dollars.

[Mars]

My 8600GTS has been nothing but joy for months now.

[colecampbell666]

Is my card damaged? I assume hat they have an auto-slowdown/shutoff to prevent overheating, which is what is causing my slowness.

[colecampbell666]

SO I'm gonna eBay a new card, and the 850 PRO looks good, but I only have a 250w PSU.

OK. It uses more power than the total of my PSU. 257 watts. Guess I'd better just go without gaming for a few months until I can scratch together some money.

[MP-Ryan]

Cole;

ATI Radeon cards are, in general, overclocking champs.  Even if you overheat them they generally perform back to their usual standard when clocked back down.  What this means for you is that the card itself is probably not damaged, but when it heats up with intense performance it will slow right down until your games look like they are frame-by-frame.

In fact, all graphics cards do this when they overheat.  Chances are you haven't done any reversible damage to the card (if you had, you'd be seeing major artefacts beyond simple framerate issues), but if you want it to actually perform properly again you're going to need a new fan.  That said, you can probably order a generic one for cheap and it'll do the job just fine.  I'm assuming the 9500's fan is similar to the 9800 and 9500 and should therefore be mounted as a HS/fan combo directly over the GPU.  If that's the case, you're going to want to grab some Arctic Silver paste when you replace it.

[FUBAR-BDHR]

In fact, all graphics cards do this when they overheat.   

Not all.  My 9800 Pro shuts the system down if it starts to overheat.  Can't even boot if the fan isn't working.  I think at least one of my other ATI cards does the same thing. 

[colecampbell666]

Cole;

ATI Radeon cards are, in general, overclocking champs.  Even if you overheat them they generally perform back to their usual standard when clocked back down.  What this means for you is that the card itself is probably not damaged, but when it heats up with intense performance it will slow right down until your games look like they are frame-by-frame.

In fact, all graphics cards do this when they overheat.  Chances are you haven't done any reversible damage to the card (if you had, you'd be seeing major artefacts beyond simple framerate issues), but if you want it to actually perform properly again you're going to need a new fan.  That said, you can probably order a generic one for cheap and it'll do the job just fine.  I'm assuming the 9500's fan is similar to the 9800 and 9500 and should therefore be mounted as a HS/fan combo directly over the GPU.  If that's the case, you're going to want to grab some Arctic Silver paste when you replace it.

Thanks. I looked around for a fan, but no eBay, as "ZOMG CUSTOMS DOUBLES THE PRICE!!!". SO, it goes to PCMedic, good luck with getting a fan.

[MP-Ryan]

Cole;

ATI Radeon cards are, in general, overclocking champs.  Even if you overheat them they generally perform back to their usual standard when clocked back down.  What this means for you is that the card itself is probably not damaged, but when it heats up with intense performance it will slow right down until your games look like they are frame-by-frame.

In fact, all graphics cards do this when they overheat.  Chances are you haven't done any reversible damage to the card (if you had, you'd be seeing major artefacts beyond simple framerate issues), but if you want it to actually perform properly again you're going to need a new fan.  That said, you can probably order a generic one for cheap and it'll do the job just fine.  I'm assuming the 9500's fan is similar to the 9800 and 9500 and should therefore be mounted as a HS/fan combo directly over the GPU.  If that's the case, you're going to want to grab some Arctic Silver paste when you replace it.

Thanks. I looked around for a fan, but no eBay, as "ZOMG CUSTOMS DOUBLES THE PRICE!!!". SO, it goes to PCMedic, good luck with getting a fan.

Eh?  All you pay in Customs fees is the GST.  Brokerage fees and shipping are what increase the price.

[colecampbell666]

Well my parents got PO'd because they had to pay 20$ extra for a processor, it turned out DOA, and the company wouldn't give us a refund. I emailed them, and they kept avoiding it, until finally I demanded a refund. They bargained on me being stupid "Look! It's been in PayPal for months!" Date of transaction: August 5^th.

[Dark RevenantX]

My 4870 can stand temps up to 90C before it starts getting wonky.

[MP-Ryan]

Well my parents got PO'd because they had to pay 20$ extra for a processor, it turned out DOA, and the company wouldn't give us a refund. I emailed them, and they kept avoiding it, until finally I demanded a refund. They bargained on me being stupid "Look! It's been in PayPal for months!" Date of transaction: August 5^th.

...all of which has nothing to do with Customs.

=)