First of all, we all know this is one powerful card and it's up there with the high-end cards, but before you get too excited about getting this...
MAKE SURE OF THE FOLLOWING:
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1. This card is huge, and I don't mean the days of how high-end AGP cards looked like (it's getting pretty ridiculous - makes cards like the 8800GT size look normal and everything else tiny), so make sure you have at least 9.5 inches diameter of clear space in your case.
* Most importantly, if your SATA ports are directly near, or right underneath, the PCI Express 16 slot -- with the ports facing towards you (looking at it from the front body/face of the motherboard) -- then most likely, this huge card will block your SATA ports! I had to forfeit two SATA ports for this card; I'll have to upgrade to a better motherboard, that is designed for big cards like this, if I want to add more SATA devices.
However, if you already have a really good motherboard, that was actually built with large graphics cards in mind (such as the
EVGA X58 SLI Mainboard, then you shouldn't have a problem, since the SATA ports would then be facing towards the side direction (towards the right of the motherboard) away from the PCI Express slots.
2. Make sure you have enough wattage on your power supply! NVIDIA recommends a minimum of 550W with 38A on the 12+v line. You can probably get away with a good 500W power supply, depending on what other components you have (use a power supply calculator), but it'll be cutting it close.
3. The card requires TWO 6-pin power connectors to be powered. (The GTX 480 requires an 8-pin and a 6-pin) If your power supply only has one 6-pin power, this card comes with two PCI Express 6-Pin to Dual 4-Pin Molex connectors.
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I was a bit worried of claims about the fan being really loud, but I did not find that to be the case.
I'm using EVGA's Precision utility to monitor the card.
When idle, the fan speed stays at 40% and is around 43C stable.
When playing StarCraft 2 (heavy playing/max settings at 1920x1080 - seems to only be using 50% of the GPU power)
the fan speed rises slightly to: 45%
temperatures rise to about: 70-75C (using stock fan and side panel 80mm fan)
The temperatures definitely do get up there. NVIDIA claims this card can still run max to 105C!
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In comparison with the GTX480: (First number is for GTX 470; Second number/higher number is for the GTX480)
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CUDA Cores: 448 vs 480
GPU clockspeed: 607 vs 700 (MHz)
Processor clockspeed: 1215 vs 1401 (MHz)
Memory clock: 1674 vs 1848 (MHz)
Memory size: GDDR5 1280 MB vs 1536 MB
Memory interface 320-bit vs 384-bit
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Considering cost/performance, I would stick with the GTX470 over the 480. I've switched betwen ATI/NVIDIA back and forth, and so far I've ended up with NVIDIA. Mainly, I needed the CUDA cores to take advantage of CS5 Premiere's Mercury Engine (more CUDA cores the better, and at least 756MB memory and above is required to use that engine); it works great after a really simple hack. Also, I like that NVIDIA has better drivers and the card actually scales correctly on my HDTV - my ATI card has a problem with this. Lately, I've been more impressed with NVIDIA's presentation and innovations. The card has a mini-HDMI out, and the package includes a mini-HDMi to HDMI cable, as well as VGA-DVI. The EVGA GTX470 is one nice looking card as well (they have the best skin). EVGA has become one of my favorite manufactures of NVIDIA cards (#1 seller in US), not some generic unknown company, and this card has a lifetime warranty after registering within 30 days or purchase. This card is future proof with DirectX11 with tessellation capabilities.
I bought my GTX 470 in July 2010 and it came with standard brackets. EVGA later released a "High Flow Bracket", which has a little bit more opening, claiming it would reduce up to 5 degrees lower temperature (however, most buyers have claimed less) -- it makes you wonder why they didn't simply make the brackets that way in the first place? (smaller hole - less heat gets out; wider opening - more airflow. Duh?) It's really silly and nothing really amazing when you look at the "High Flow Bracket" design. Although EVGA states the bracket is "free of charge", for buyers registering their product (until the end of August), they still charge $5 to ship a small piece of metal; might as well be saying the bracket is $5 and they'll ship it free! (they actually sell it for $10 and free shipping under their accessories shopping page).
Personally, I think that is a silly "upgrade" and more of a profit gain gimmick by EVGA. Also, this card does not have a backplate (it's not necessary, but it adds a better overall look to the card and safety, by not having the PCB exposed on the other side. Now, it probably would be worth the Free-but-$5 shipping if they included the backplate as well. I believe the GTX 470 SuperClocked Edition comes with the backplate and bracket already installed, but it's an additional accessory that one would have to purchase separately for this standard GTX 470 (EVGA sells it for $19.99 under accessories - no, thanks). If EVGA is listening, they should provide the bracket and backplate to GTX 470 owners free of charge (without ridiculous shipping fees) - now, that would be amazing customer support.