Recent content by dougoftheabaci

Yes and no. There are 'reference' and 'non-reference' graphics cards, but they all use the exact same GPU. The changes a vendor can make range from just upgrading caps and overclocking, to a custom cooler, to an entirely custom PCB (as in the case of the 980 STRIX from ASUS) or anywhere in...

If you've overclocked it yourself then yeah, your overclocked card will likely beat a non-overclocked card. But not a 780ti with an aftermarket overclock. You'd need a 980 for that. Unless you're doing some voodoo with liquid nitrogen. :P

970 and 980 both SLI and overclock like champs. The 980 is the only one that will do better than the 780ti, though.

Is it only Safari that has the flicker issue?

I think he's talking about a rumored 4K iMac. Given that the 980m was released today and it's more than capable of pushing 4K (iMacs use mobile GPUs) it wouldn't surprise me. If that happens that means Maxwell support in OS X, which would be pretty exciting.

Just as a sort of piggy-back, I'm going to be getting a 980 when they ship in October, I was hoping I could disable the card and just use the integrated GPU from my i5 but now it sounds like that's not a thing? If not I might just set my system to boot to Windows and just wait out the storm. I...

OK, that's kind of awesome. But yeah... Case Labs... Think that's my next build.

I was always under the impression that Case Labs had heavier cases, but cross-checking some sizes I stand corrected! Even the Merlin SM8 (more directly comparable to the R4) is only 20 lbs or so. Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaant...

I feel your pain. Though without the wheels Case Labs cases weigh more than any Fractal case owing to being solid aluminum construction (and not thin sheets, either). That being said, you might want to get a caddy. Until recently I used this guy with my R4 build, though it now finds itself...

So are NZXT (http://www.nzxt.com/page/reseller_continent/europe) and Case Labs will ship to Europe, it'll just cost a small fortune.

Aesthetics is 100% subjective but if you prefer a more minimalist aesthetic then checkout Fractal Design and NZXT. Specific models include the NZXT H440, NZXT S350, NZXT H640, Fractal Design R4 and Fractal Design XL 2. That covers $70 to $200 or so. The suggestion of Case Labs is a great one as...

There's a CUDA plugin for Maya that takes full advantage of Nvidia GPU's. So while not necessary they're pretty nice to have for rendering.

If they don't Gigabyte might. Always worth asking.

No, you can do your job with a 660. You can just do it faster with a 760. For comparison, a 760 is close to the 670 in terms of real-world performance. But we're talking about cutting a few seconds off things here and there. When I freelanced and needed to make these sorts of decisions, I did...

Get the 760. The 770 really starts to push into the 1200p and 1440p gaming resolutions where the 760 is more than enough at 1080p. If you want to go overboard or future-proof then sure, go for the 770. Either way you should both GPU's require 600+ watt PSU's. I'd say either jump to one of BQ's...