2900gt @newegg $149.99

[richwenzel]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814102712

Is this worth considering at this price range?

 

[JPB]

Originally posted by: richwenzel
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814102712

Is this worth considering at this price range?

If I am not mistaken, I think the 2900GT is on par with the 7900 GTX and the X1950 series. The HD 3850 should/would kill this GT. If your trying to choose one, I would REALLY go with the 3850 without even considering it.

2900GT Benchmarks

 

[Denithor]

Bad buy.

If you look at JPB's benchmark reference the 2900GT is about 1/2 the strength of the 2900XT. If you then consider this benchmark you will see that the 3850 is only about 10% behind the 2900XT for a mere $30 more.

And with its lower power consumption, the 3850 will probably save you that $30 in energy cost in the first year alone, while running cooler & quieter at the same time.

 

[hooflung]

30 bucks is a lot to some people especially when they might have to buy a new power supply unit with their next video card ( whichever that might be ). That said, the 3850 puts that 30 bucks where its mouth is and delivers lower power, better performance and great video assistance for HD content. The 2900GT looks to be for the tight budget person that trusts AMD's drivers to push this board for another year. It is better than the 8800GTS where it counts for the price. Memory Bus means AA will not destroy your performance. The card has a nice cooler which a lot of people take for granted these days. My X1900GT runs HOT and an aftermarket for it would run me 40 bucks to air cool it properly ( TMG from thermal take one off buy, or a Arctic Cooler S1 with the turbo module and some thermal epoxy to hold on the ram sinks ). So, looking at the HS/Fan is something I always do now when taking cards into comparison.

 

[Denithor]

Well, $30 might be a lot but like I said, over even the first year the card's low power consumption will probably pay that back.

I found a benchmark showing the 3850 versus 2900GT performance compared directly.

You can also figure from this benchmark that you are less likely to need a new power supply with the 3850 than the 2900 series because these newer cards use even less power than the old 7950gt that was pretty power efficient.

 

[Munky]

If the extra $30 is not too much to spend, the 3850 is the ONLY card worth considering at the <$200 price range.

 

[taltamir]

the 2900XT is the one that is on par with the 3870... not the the 2900GT...

There are only 3 cards worth buying right now:
3850
3870
8800GT

Anything else is either a fraction of the price... or roughly the same performance for twice the cost (eg, 8800GTX compared to 8800GT, 2900XT compared to 3870)