I just put one in my machine and I can't get it to grab any tasks. I guess Ill have to play around with it a bit more. I have the updated drivers right off the website, is there anything else I need to do?

THank you
Aaron

Well I got one of these. They run HOT.

I got the evga normal version. I notice both Palit and Gainward overclocked versions have dual fans in the centre of the card, unlike the reference design that has a single fan at the end (it’s woefully inadequate). If you are considering getting one they may run a bit cooler.

I appreciate the experience everyone brings watching this particular market, performance video cards in particular are new to me because I am not a gamer. Motherboards, CPU's, HD/SSD etc. I have learned (sometimes the expensive way) to lean forward yet stay one step behind the "latest and greatest" ulitmate product marketing machine, and try to exercise patience for cash is limited.

The GTX570 is the current performance/price sweet spot in the sub-$350 range, and runs cooler/cheaper/more efficient and better OC potential than the 470/480 cards. However, those same 470/480 cards are selling at a hefty discount now, so should they still be considered a contender for GPUgrid and reasonable purchases in the next couple of months as they are phased out?

Current 12/28/2010 Akihabara/online market prices
GTX470
OEM ref. design single-fan $190, Palit dual-fan $220, etc. on up to about $280 through MSI, Gigabyte, Asus, Elsa, most in the low-mid $220-250 range for air-cooled.

GTX480
varies from $260 up through $350 or more.

FYI:
GT240/GTS450/9800 ($70-100)
GTX460 768mb ($135-150) 1gb ($150-180)
GTX465 ($140-200)

I gather a new Radeon AMD/ATI may shake up the market soon ratcheting prices down, and future Nvidia releases. At what price point might any of these be tempting? Can a reasonable case still be made for getting a single 470/480 now?

Each cruncher will have their own preferences based on price, cooling, warranty and design; a dual fan might be fine for one or two cards but if you have 3 or 4 in the one system then exhaust fans are usually preferred, with a couple of additional case fans.

Just for grins, just what size PSU with requisite 4 2x6pin PCIE connectors would it take for quad 570's? 1500w?

Don't forget capacitor aging. I might be slow to upgrade, but I can't be the only one who has reused a PSU. I even had one reach the age of making a stable OC unstable (I've tested the other things, mobo, CPU, RAM). So even if you do overshoot, maybe you'll still have to tweak it later.
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Looks like my shopping list is complete... motherboard for 4 dual-slot pcie, cpu/ram, 4 GTX570's, and a new 1500w PSU... simple, but not easy, only $2500 or so for your basic budget home supercomputer by recycling/repurposing a few parts.

Probably should upgrade the circuit breakers in my house from 30A to 50A or better before this, but step-by-step. Maybe I could generate some extra cash and justify the expense by "going green" and replacing my heater for the winter and cooking stove this summer, or even water cooling if the bathtub doubles as a reservior, the ladies in my life may appreciate my environmental ingenuity ;p Any other significant tips or pointers for the multi-GPU adventure I might have overlooked here?

and a few recipes for GPU/CPU/PSU grilled cheese sandwiches?

Hello everyone, first time poster here. Saw this thread and thought I'd share my early experience with the 570.

As a general rule, I never ever buy hardware that's just been introduced to the marketplace - too overpriced/bleeding edge/etc. Purchasing this card was the first exception to that rule in a long, long time.

The card is a vanilla EVGA model. Since the afternoon of the 30th, it's been running 24/7 with the shaders clocked at 1684MHz (a mild ~15% over stock...I'm sure it could go higher). Temps are in the low 60s in a MATX case with pretty poor airflow. So far, it's production is at or above the level of either of my dual GPU systems. And at $349, it's the equal of my 2 GTX460s from a value perspective (better, if you consider electricity costs).

Results here. Damn near 1 point per second of run time on many work units.

I'm now thinking I may retire/replace my GTX275s sooner than expected.

Regards