Which of these two video cards would you buy: MSI vs Zotec
mmitchell_houston
Posts: 2,490
I'm looking for an inexpensive card for my secondary (and older) computer. This is an older PC that I use occassionally to render images that might take a few days (I can leave it running without tying up my main machine), or to test configurations and software I don't want on my main box. I'm looking to spend about $100-$150 to upgrade the video card, and this one hits a few of the features I'm looking for:
- NVIDA chipset
- 4 GB memory
- VGA output (so it will work with my keyboard/mouse/monitor switching hardware); I would rather not use an adapter, but I could if I had to
So, I'm looking at two contenders, and the question really comes down to this: Is the 740 chip that much better than the 730?
MSI Computer NVIDIA GeForce GT 740 4GB DDR3 VGA/DVI/HDMI PCI-Express Video Card N740-4GD3
At Amazon for $100 (and the price difference between the two cards is so small that it's not a factor). Specs list it at 384 CUDA cores.
and
ZOTAC GeForce GT 730 Low Profile 4GB 64-Bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 (x8 lanes) Graphics Card (ZT-71115-20L)
It's on Amazon for about $83. Reviews were okay, and the specs are decent. But I'm not familiar with this brand, and was wondering if any of you fine folk were? Specs list it at 384 CUDA cores.
Thoughts? Alternatives?
Daz 3D is part of 
Connect
DAZ Productions, Inc.
7533 S Center View Ct #4664
West Jordan, UT 84084
Licensing Agreement | Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | EULA
© 2025 Daz Productions Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Comments
In another, related thread, this card was suggested:
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 750 Ti WINDFORCE 2X Graphics Card
It runs about $150 + Shipping
Of course, the shipping (and tax) put me above my original max budget limit of $150. I'm not sure it's worth the extra money to put into this older computer (although I did recently pay $80 to max out the memory to 16 GB).
Cut down on lunch a few days. The Gigabyte is faster than the other two you are looking at for not much more money you get many more cores. You will pull your hair out with 384 cores.
Im not sure about the brands you suggest but there is also an EVGA GT 740 4GB card available on Amazon for around $100: http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B00KJGYOBQ Maybe somebody else more familiar with the brands can help suggest which brand is best.
The GTX 750 ti I suggested in your other thread had free shipping in the US; but from your comments I guess you must be outside the US. Sorry I didn't realize that when I suggested it.
I'd definitely go for the 750Ti. Almost double the CUDA Cores, about 10% faster core speed, and GDDR5 memory instead of GDDR3. Definitely worth scrimping for a week to make up the difference in cost.
I'm an EVGA fan - ultimetly for rendering you want more cores to share the load - speed is helpful but doubleing cores by adding a card is going to be more noticable then upgrading to a faster card. 2 low end cards would liekly be faster than 1 mid range card (maybe even high end card). i run 4 cards now - break neck rendering speeds.
Right now, the machine has 16 CUDA cores. This is only my backup/secondary computer. Anything will be an improvement.
I'm in Texas. Mentally, some people think we're "outside the US," but physically, we get domestic shipping rates!
This one would require that I use a DVI to VGA converter to attach it to my keyboard/mouse/monitor switch. Otherwise I would have to manually switch the monitor every time I want to use it (which would be a pain). Have you ever used a converter? Or the HDMI output. How's the quality hold up?
Is there any way you can save up for a 760 or higher? If you're insistent going with the 7xx generation, I'd say that anything 740/750 isn't worth your money :/
Well, VGA resolution is lower than you get with DVI; but this loss of resolution will be the same whether you are using an adapter or direct VGA output.. Maybe this article will be of some help:
http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch001485.htm
I think a lot of people are letting their 'gamer' side make decisions on what they are recommending......
Going up from a 210, ANY of the cards you listed would give you a significant boost. 4GB is pretty much a requirement (2GB is terribly limiting in Iray, not so much for gaming.) But the big kicker on this one is two-fold: CUDA cores and Memory Speed.
The 750Ti has almost TWICE the cores of the 740. And, it uses GDDR5 memory. Both the 740 and 730 you list use GDDR3. I'd expect the 750Ti to easily run 2x-3x faster than the 740 for Iray purposes. For 50% more money, that's a win. And, the power requirements aren't as steep as going up to the next level (a 960, which would more than double the cost of the 740, but give you about 4x-5x faster, and require upgrading the Power Supply as well.)
I'd say the sweet spot for you is the 750Ti. If you just can't swing it, go with the 740. The 730 just won't give you enough for that small difference in price.
(also, HDMI is much better quality than VGA. DVI-D is similar to HDMI, DVI-A more like VGA. Converters are fine, you'll rarely see an issue.)
The Zotec card has a very good use...in an HTPC. The two clues...low profile and lack of 'active cooling'. For a render card the heatsink only cooling will not work. So it should be dropped from the possible cards.
Of the two left, I'm with hphoenix...go with the 750Ti.
Just to reinforce what hphoenix said, I use a DVI to VGA converter on one of my older PCs, and the only problem that I have ever had with it is purely hypothetical. Since they do stick out significantly, they do add some leverage on the video card's connector and care needs to be taken to ensure the thumbscrews are tight, and that the cable/connectors are not going to be disturbed. In use, I've never had an issue. If you do have issues it is more likely to be associated with the KVM switch than it is with the VGA adapter (and I speak from personal experience there, too.
)
I'll also point out one other thing too: If you're planning to run your framebuffer from your video card, then expect your PC performance to be choppy during rendering too. I was wondering for the longest time why my computer performance dropped so much, when another poster reminded me that I'm rendering my framebuffer (ie. monitor output) at the same time. Moving my monitor to integrated graphics really improved things.
The 730 is crap as it only has a 64bit memory interface. Whatever you buy, make sure it has GDDR5 and at least 128bit memory interface, don't even consider cards still using DDR3/GDDR3 or 64bit interface.
This is a secondary computer. It's an adjunct to my other system, hence the interest in getting some increase in power. For me, the sweet spot is less than $150. My current card is a 210 with 512 GB of memory. I find it highly unlikely that either of the cards I listed above would not be a significant improvement.
The KVM concerns me most. I know I'll need to update to a new KVM at some point, but that's more money I do not want to spend right now.
Thanks for the tips.
I can't comment on the other two cards, but the 750 is the one I bought and it seems to do well so far - though I haven't tried it on a complex scene. Of course for most purposes my system previously had 0 CUDA cores, since it was using a 1GB card.
You will find that one on amazon too:
http://www.amazon.com/Gigabyte-GV-N75TWF2OC-4GI-Graphics-Cards/dp/B013WAL3AU/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1458157211&sr=8-8&keywords=Gigabyte+GeForce+GTX+750+Ti
Perfect example...all the cores in the world don't matter if the scene doesn't fit.
Thank you. This was a very solid observation. Okay, I guess the 750ti is coming home. I just need to check my power supply, first.
OOOOOH. And there is a $20 rebate! SOLD! Thank you VERY, VERY MUCH! As I said, I'll check out my power supply situation, and then order what I need tonight!
It needs one 6-pin external power connector. BUT I don't see it comes with VGA connector or adapter ..? External adapters only work if the DVI connector supports VGA output, so better check first.
Edit: Just checked and it has one DVI-I and one DVI-D, the DVD-I should carry the analog signal too, so an DVI-VGA adapter should work.
http://nvidia.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/221/~/what-is-the-difference-between-dvi-i-and-dvi-d?
You might have some adapter from some other card that has DVI-I, some brands deliver it with their cards, so check before you buy. Maybe ask some friends for one, most people rarely need those if at all. The Gigabyte card does not include the adapter it seems.
I understand that this goes over your $150 super, total, never going over max but I thought I would leave this here in case someone came across it in the near future.
For roughly $50 more you can get nearly double the number of cuda cores and a little bump in clock and memory rate. The 960's with 4GB are pretty reasonable in price and get you on a newer architecture of the nvidia chipset. So for those of you that come across this and are willing to spend $200, this card here is a pretty good option (in a non-Daz official position):
http://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00VX1MJQ8
Personally, I'm holding out to see what happens when Pascal cards are available...
Well you could of for $40 more bought on Amazon a 4GB 760 but after that you basically have to double the price of the 760 to get the next best nVidia card.
The card just dropped another $8 at amazon. Just sayin'.
Another problem could be that DAZ Studio dosn`t use the Memory of the Video Card but use the onboard memory.
I have a NVIDIA with 8GB but DAZ Studio uses the onboard Intel HDgraphics (and dosn`t use booth)...
Iray will not use an Intel chipset. if you loook at the Advacned tab of render Settings you should see your nVidia card listed and selected, if not there may be a configuration issue. Using the Intel for display, if it supports the needed features, may well be a good diea however as it leaves the nVidia card free to render.
In the NVidia software there's a configuration tab where you can choose which graphics processor should be used when you start a software. You might need to add DAZ Studio there to the software list and set to use NVidia card. At least that's what I had to do on my Dell XPS, can't check and explain in detail as I'm on differnt PC using AMD for few more weeks.