8600 gt question

[phillyman36]

Hey i switched to Vista and my 6800 works ok except under some flash games. I really watch videos with my pc but i do play c&c Tiberium wars every so often. It Looks like Vista Home Premium uses 1600 x 1200 on highest 32 bit color. Do you all think a 8600 gt will play that game under that res in Vista with no problems? I know for video playback it will be fine. i would like to save a couple of bucks but these are what im looking at

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814130085

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814130084

 

[MarcVenice]

Hmz hmz, I know C&C 3 runs on a 7600gs pretty decently, I think the 8600gt is a bit faster, and the 8600gts is a FAIR bit faster. Here's what I would buy though, http://shop1.outpost.com/produ...xETVgO8fiGr8Xojd3kZe0g

that's the absolute most bang for your buck you could possibly buy right now, and it will run C&C3 at 1600*1200 just fine if not great.

 

[phillyman36]

Thanks Marcvenice i want a DX10 card for the headroom ie to be able to have the ability to play dx10 games when they come out. Lost planet looks like i might like that. This rig will need to last until Nehalem comes out as i think im going to skip penryn.

 

[MarcVenice]

Sorry to burst your bubble, poof there it goes, but dx10 on a 8600gt is not gonna fly. Sorry, but only 8800gts and up, or 2900xt and up perform well enough in dx10 mode to give playable framerates. A 8600gt will suck, the 8600gt just MIGHT give decent performance in dx10 but you'll have to turn the settings down and play at a lower resolution. Making playing in dx10 a waste because you could get better performance and better image qaulity in dx9 mode.

The few things dx10 offers are VERY gpu intensive like dynamic particle effects, and won't really run on budget dx10 cards without having to lower other settings. Honestly, if you're on a budget, that 7900gs is your best bet. That's the best and most honest advice I could give and I'm sure more people will concur and back up my statements.

 

[phillyman36]

Thanks for the advice MarcVenice ill see what other say as well but what i might do for now just get a 8600gt or 8600gts for my vista rig and just stick with the c&c3 and maybe middle of next year see what new cards are out then spend the extra $ for a better card

 

[shadowofthesun]

MarcVenice, I'd be with you 100% but he did note that he watched alot of videos. If these videos happen to be high-def, then the performance he loses with the 8600GT will be balanced by the video acceleration. On the other hand, if video acceleration isn't a big deal then 7900 GS will probably be the better choice.

As a side note, many users over at the NBR forums are reporting playable experiences with DX10 and Bioshock on the 8600M GT, which is a bit slower than the 8600 GT.

 

[patchman]

Hi phillyman,
I am currently using evga 8600gt ($100 after rebate @ newegg.com) . It ihas been a great way to get to use dx10 and dx9 until i can afford the $300 8800GTS and new power supply.

I just started playing Bioshock in dx10 mode with everything at high so far it is running very smooth. I do not know what the frame rate is. I have also completed COH dx9 playing lost planet in DX9 . I did start out with DX10 but there did not seem that there was enough difference so i just went with higher frame rate with dx9. But they both played fine.
I agree with marcvenice about the framerate not being great.Being compared to higher end cards this card does fall short. But as a mid range card its excellent . it plays everything i have thrown at it from the Tomb raider Legend & Anniversaryand half life 2, Rainbow Six Vegas .My monitor can only go up to 1440 x 900.

If you want to go above this you probably need to go up to a 8600GTS and a 400 watt power supply. Also all these games are being played under vista. It has been rock solid.Hope this helps.

Take Care ,
Patchman

My system

Windows Vista
Amd 5200+
2 gig ram
evga 8600GT
350w PSU
Vista Score 5.2