200$ GPU solutions

[Kristijonas]

Hello, as the thread name suggests, I'm looking for the best GPU solution I can get for my PC for ~200$. Could you help with suggestions?
The only rule is: no ATI :whiste: I have a much better feeling about nvidia, that's just my personal point.
At the moment I'm thinking about "ZOTAC GTS 450 AMP!" SLI. It is slightly faster than GTX 460, so I think it could be a good choice, but I woud really like to hear more suggestions.
Also I would be very grateful if someone could tell me if motherboard of my choice supports SLI: http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=55526

 

[blanketyblank]

That's nuts. Go for the 460 or 560 and overclock youself instead of a factory overclocked 450 unless it's much much cheaper. Besides the point where are you getting that it is faster than a 460? This review shows it's at least 20% slower than a 460.
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Zotac/GeForce_GTS_450_Amp_Edition/28.html

 

[Kristijonas]

Thank you for reply. I'm talking about SLI. Which means 220$ for TWO ZOTAC GTS 450 overclocked cards. That's definitely faster than one 460.

 

[Kristijonas]

I found a SLI supportive motherboard, but it's not cheap:
http://www.skytech.lt/z68-s1155-matxgaz68mad2hb3-gigabyte-p-64183.html
Looks good though, new Z68.
So, any suggestions for other GPUs rather than 2x GTS 450?

 

[Rifter]

450's are a bad idea, your mobo doesnt support SLI anyways. Go with the 460 or 560.

 

[nitromullet]

The GTX 560 is way over the OP's budget... http://www.skytech.lt/search.php?keywords=gtx+560&x=0&y=0&search_in_description=0

200 USD is ~ 480 LTL at the current exchange rate.

 

[3DVagabond]

How about a 560ti and a cheaper mobo to make up for the higher card price? Before I paid the price for a 560 I'd just get a 460 and O/C it. There's no performance difference clock for clock. The 560 just costs more.

I'm also of the opinion that SLI with 2 cheap cards isn't worth it. When you have issues with your dual GPU set up (scaling, profiles, or other driver glitches) the single card performance isn't enough. Faster cards in SLI at least give you acceptable performance even if SLI scaling isn't good plus has the benefit of, when it works (which is most of the time), more performance than is possible with a single GPU. Worth the trade offs, IMO.

 

[nitromullet]

How about a 560ti and a cheaper mobo to make up for the higher card price? Before I paid the price for a 560 I'd just get a 460 and O/C it. There's no performance difference clock for clock. The 560 just costs more.

I'm also of the opinion that SLI with 2 cheap cards isn't worth it. When you have issues with your dual GPU set up (scaling, profiles, or other driver glitches) the single card performance isn't enough. Faster cards in SLI at least give you acceptable performance even if SLI scaling isn't good plus has the benefit of, when it works (which is most of the time), more performance than is possible with a single GPU. Worth the trade offs, IMO.

Agreed. I have always been of the opinion that you should buy the best single gpu you can afford before going multi-gpu.

 

[Kristijonas]

Thank you for all the advice! I was lucky to find a cheap ASUS GTX 560Ti for 210$ and bought it.

 

[betasub]

^ Good move. Much better than the original plan in your OP.