8800 gt 256 bad buy?

[kainkun]

I'm on a budget to build a new system for $550. I have selected the e6750 with the gigabyte DSL3 mobo and 2 gigs of a-data ddr2. With this setup I could get a 8800gt 256 and hit my budget max. I'm affraid that within a year a 256 meg card would not cut it, seems like the spec's on games will soon require 512 or greater. Am I better off down grading the cpu a notch and opt for the 512 version? I'am a casual gamer and I'm not into over clocking.

 

[mancunian]

Originally posted by: kainkun
Am I better off down grading the cpu a notch and opt for the 512 version? I'am a casual gamer and I'm not into over clocking.

Yes, definitely.

Graphics card is much more important for a good gaming experience.

Go down a step or two with the CPU and get the best graphics card you can afford.


You won't be sorry.

 

[angry hampster]

Hold out for another month. Wait until the new year and see 512mb 8800GT prices fall.

 

[Demoth]

I'd go down quite a bit on the CPU. A E2140 with an artic 7 equivalent cooler has a good chance to run at 3.2 stock. The overclock is so easy on these that someone who can build their own system should not fear to save a lot of money. I also hope your getting the A-Date extreme edition RAM.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16820211174

If so, your pretty much set to run strong through the Penryn run. That means a year or two down the road, you can pick up a budget quad for under $80 when quads will actually be superior in many games. That and a new vid card and maybe windows vista would be the only needed upgrades for the next few years.

As far as your vid card, you did not mention what resolution you play at nor what games you play/want to play. Can't answer without knowing those, but if your gaming at or under 1600X1200, the 256 Meg 8800GT or the ATI 3750 would last the average gamer a good two years.

 

[evolucion8]

I recommend to get the 512MB version, even the Radeon HD 3850 512MB outperforms the 8800GT 256 quite often.

http://www.legitreviews.com/article/607/12/

he GeForce 8800 GT 256MB video card was never designed to compete with higher end graphics card as it only has 256MB of memory. When NVIDIA briefed the media they showed performance charts with resolutions of 1280x1024 and 1600x1200 when it came to the performance numbers. That right there, goes to show you that this video card is aimed at those with 20"or less monitors running 1600x1200 and lower resolutions. Even at smaller resolutions the GeForce 8800 GT 256MB had a hard time keeping up with the Radeon 3850 and Radeon 3870, which are both priced at or under what the GeForce 8800 GT 256MB is available at. The GeForce 8800 GT 256MB faces tough competition thanks to the Radeon 3800 series and it only clearly beat the Radeon 3800's in Bioshock. Be sure to consider what games you play the most and the performance of the cards on them when you make your next purchase.

 

[kainkun]

I play just about everything out there. My current rig is not able to play games released in the past 6 months without turning everything down. At the moment my display does not support any res over 1024x768, but a new display is on my list to buy within half a year. I do have the A-data extreme ddr2 800 on my list.

current rig:
amd 3000+ 939
1 gig ddr 3200
geforce 6600gt 128 meg

 

[Killrose]

though i'm actually impressed with the performance of the 256mb 8800gt, 512mb is the way to go if you are a gammer. Like mancunian said, back off on the CPU spec, but pair it with a good OC'ing motherboard so you can get some free MHz on the CPU side of things.

 

[BlueAcolyte]

you can get a E4500 which is about $50-60 cheaper than the E6750. The motherboard is fine for OCing.
The $50-60 saved on the processor will allow you to buy a 8800GT 512MB

 

[kmmatney]

It's too bad you are not into overclocking, becuase even a small overclock will get you a lot of bang for the buck. You can run the E4XXX or E2XXX core 2 duo cpu's easily at a front side bus of 266 Mhz (from stock 200 Mhz) using the stock fan. A very nice overclock that is dead easy to do, with needing any voltage adjustments or anything except setting the FSB to run at 266 Mhz.

 

[Demoth]

Originally posted by: kainkun
I play just about everything out there. My current rig is not able to play games released in the past 6 months without turning everything down. At the moment my display does not support any res over 1024x768, but a new display is on my list to buy within half a year. I do have the A-data extreme ddr2 800 on my list.

current rig:
amd 3000+ 939
1 gig ddr 3200
geforce 6600gt 128 meg

First gen LCD? Your monitor is completely destroying immersion and gaming playability. Even 6 months is too long to live with 1024X768 on a small screen. If I were in your shoes, this would be my build within your budget to keep having fun for a while. And I would OC everything. Then in 6 months I'd invest the $150 in a MB, CPU and RAM. You may also need to upgrade your PSU to move up to a 8800/37XX if it was very low end for it's time.


1 CHIMEI CMV 221D Black 22" 5ms DVI Widescreen LCD Monitor 330 cd/m2 800:1 - Retail
Item #: N82E16824252008
-$20.00 Instant
$30.00 Mail-in Rebate

$239.99


XFX PVT88PUDF4 GeForce 8800GT 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail
Item #: N82E16814150264

$209.99


Patriot 512MB 184-Pin DDR SDRAM DDR 400 (PC 3200) Desktop Memory Model PSD512400 - Retail
Item #: N82E16820220027

$47.98
($23.99 each)


1 AMD Athlon 64 X2 3600+ Manchester 2.0GHz Socket 939 89W Dual-Core Processor Model ADA3600DAA4BV - OEM
Item #: N82E16819103222
-$2.00 Instant

$39.99


1 COOLER MASTER XK8-9ID3A-0L-GP 92mm Rifle CPU Cooler - Retail
Item #: N82E16835103007

$5.99


Subtotal: $543.94

 

[hans007]

if i were you i'd buy a cheaper motherboard and maybe an e6550 instead of a e6750 (or an e4500) and get the 512mb card...


unless you can somehow get a 256mb 8800gt for like $180.. its not worth it for $50 less.