Jason Moyer on 11/7/2010 at 17:39
Well, to give a specific example, at the same resolutions, aliasing in games (which is of course more noticeable in older games), in particular "swimminess" which isn't something really reproducable in a screenshot, is much worse on my 8800GT at 4x FSAA (basically the highest playable setting in most games) than it was on my x1950 with no FSAA enabled.
Sulphur on 11/7/2010 at 18:15
You're going to have to define 'swimminess' for me, and what game you're using as a reference point on both cards. Older games like Thief et al. that use old versions of DirectX tend to behave differently on different cards due to drivers not fully supporting older feature sets (see: Thief fog).
If what I infer from the term is correct, you're talking about perceived murkiness in the distance? If that's what you mean, it has more to do with textures and the filtering used and less with AA.
Koki on 11/7/2010 at 19:45
Quote Posted by Sulphur
Huh? Quality differences have been negligible between nvidia and ATI for years now.
hardware or software wise?
Zygoptera on 11/7/2010 at 23:21
I considered that and would have tried if I had some spare thermal paste, but overall it isn't that big a deal as I'll just move up upgrading the rest of the computer (it'll basically be a complete replacement by that point) a few months as funds allow.
So yeah, thanks for the comments everyone, going for the 5770. My monitor is the last thing I'll upgrade as I'll probably just go for a dual use TV; and it's only 1440x900 so anything else is probably overkill at this point.
TBE on 12/7/2010 at 10:14
Most of the solder that electronics use now doesn't melt at that 385 F temperature. I'd highly recommend any reconsider using that oven method. You'll end up with more melting plastics and PCB than solder.
You'll need about 422 F / 217 C oven. The oven method page also warns about the toxic lead and tin fumes that come off your baked item. You don't want this stuff in your oven.
Check with your video card manufacturer for a return. I had a BFG video card that was about 3 1/2 years old, and I returned it for a "new" one. It was refurbished, but it was good.
Everything you ever wanted to know about ->>(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solder) Solder.
Zygoptera on 12/7/2010 at 22:40
I'm in a pretty good position for trying reflowing- I've got a workshop/ shed with an old oven (waiting to be dumped, but it does work) and good ventilation, plus good gloves and gasmask since I do chemical spraying.
I really doubt I'll get anything warranty wise, unfortunately. The card is just shy of 4 years old and nearly two years out of warranty. I'm also pretty sure Palit doesn't have an official NZ redistributor but is independently imported, which complicates further.
Al_B on 13/7/2010 at 19:49
As TBE said, I think you'll probably have more problems with components melting than worrying about toxic fumes (although I still wouldn't like to do it in a oven used for food!). That website recommended baking your card for eight minutes which is far longer than a commercial reflow oven would do at that temperature. Over here in Europe products have needed to use lead-free solders for the last four years most (all?) of which have a higher melting point than older lead / tin alloys.
I don't want to be too discouraging - if you've nothing to lose and a spare oven then it may be worth a shot.
Zygoptera on 13/7/2010 at 22:32
If I do it it would be in the nature of a scientific experiment- I ordered a 5770 two days ago so fixing the old card is purely incidental at this point.
