9600 ssc gt or 8800 gt

[slag]

decisions, decisions.

Dead tie in regards to performance, but ssc runs cooler and uses less wattage.

 

[krnmastersgt]

Actually at higher resolutions the 8800 GT usually wins, but if you play at 1680x1050 like a lot of people then yeah no difference.

 

[s44]

You can OC the stock GT further, though.

 

[frankie38]

I'm sitting on the fence too. I am very sensitive to the heat issue. XFX 8800gt fans locked on 100% tells me that the current batch of 8800gt's have heat issues.

That said, i think it makes sense to wait for at least a 9600gt price drop to help in the price/performance eval.

 

[slag]

Originally posted by: s44
You can OC the stock GT further, though.

I went with the msi 8800gt with the good cooling

 

[frankie38]

Originally posted by: slag

Originally posted by: s44
You can OC the stock GT further, though.

I went with the msi 8800gt with the good cooling

cool. that's a good choice for those that can handle a dual slot cooler design.

 

[vanvock]

My vanilla EVGA card is neither loud nor hot. Granted I haven't oc'ed it yet to any large degree but I have cranked the fan up to 100% & had to listen closely to hear it ramp up & it's right next to an open end of the case by the filter, nothing near a hair dryer that some describe.

 

[scheibler1]

I have the msi 8800gt oc, Just got it two days ago and couldn't be happier even with a 2.0ghz e2180 cpu! It stays very cool with the zalman cooler that it comes with. 40*C idle and hyaven't seen it get any higher then 52*C load so far running Battlefield 2, Company Of Heroes, and Counter Strike Source all at max settings plus AA/AF maxed @1600x1200

I would get the MSI 8800gt oc if I were you...I was in the same position and think I made the right choice

BTW, with the latest nvidia drivers, the msi 8800gt only uses 30% fan speed for 40*C...dunno how much under load, but Ihaven't noticed it get ANY louder

 

[AzN]

I would go with 8800gt. It's just more future proof.

 

[SniperDaws]

id go with the 9600GT its just more future proof.

 

[bryanW1995]

lol. I would go with the 9800gtx...I hear that card is going to rock!!!

 

[AzN]

Originally posted by: SniperDaws
id go with the 9600GT its just more future proof.

How is 9600gt more future proof? Would you like to elaborate? Even techreport had the same conclusion as me. For $30 more it's no brainer.

http://techreport.com/articles.x/14168/11

One could also argue that the 9600 GT's strong performance today may give way to relatively weaker performance down the road. If game developers shift their attention to using more and more complex shaders, the 9600 GT could end up running tomorrow's games slower than the Radeon HD 3850, which clearly has more shader processing power.

 

[manimal]

After owning all three cards. 8800gt, then a 8800gts512 and now a 9600gt I can safely say they all have a place and are all good deals. I would recommend a 9600gt to someone who has a weakish psu, non overclocked proc and has a problem with heat in their pcs.

The 8800gt was great but the fan and single slot cooler on it killed it for me. Now the cards with the non reference cooler do seem to help alot but the upgrade from the 8800GT to the GTS was great. It clocked a ton more and expelled all the hot air in the case lowering ambients inside by a wide margin making the extra 60 bucks for the GTS a clear choice for me. If the difference is just 30 dollars for a 9600gt to a 8800gt with good cooling the decision is clear if you are not CPU bottlenecked. If you have a gateway or a similar box with a anemic PSU you could get away with a 9600gt without buying a new psu.

Basically its your money-whatever makes you happy ^^ Now what intrigues me is sli 9600GT action for basically the same cost as a overclocked G92GTS. I plan on doing a test of it when I pick up another 9600 when the local BB has more in stock. Imagine if these cards settle down in price below MSRP in the coming months. Truly a good time to game on the cheap-if you have a job in the crap economy

 

[Demoth]

The 3870 also sits in this price range as well and is a viable option. Still not quite as fast as the 8800GT, but likely able to give a good boost in X-Fire to a 4870 which should be a very nice card.

Nothing in this price range is a bad choice. All 3 cards are sweet and the 9600GT has the biggest chance of an unexpected improvement with upcoming drivers. However, might want to at least wait a few weeks and see how the 9800GX2 looks. Even if $500 is out of your range, it may give an indication if the upcoming 9800GTs could be more then we are currently being led to expect.

 

[sheltem]

Originally posted by: scheibler1
I have the msi 8800gt oc, Just got it two days ago and couldn't be happier even with a 2.0ghz e2180 cpu! It stays very cool with the zalman cooler that it comes with. 40*C idle and hyaven't seen it get any higher then 52*C load so far running Battlefield 2, Company Of Heroes, and Counter Strike Source all at max settings plus AA/AF maxed @1600x1200

I would get the MSI 8800gt oc if I were you...I was in the same position and think I made the right choice

BTW, with the latest nvidia drivers, the msi 8800gt only uses 30% fan speed for 40*C...dunno how much under load, but Ihaven't noticed it get ANY louder

Overclock your e2180! I bet it could hit close to 3ghz without much effort.

 

[scheibler1]

yea I've got it at 3ghz now on stock cooling. Hoping to get 3.33ghz tomorrow when my arctic cooling freezer 7 pro arrives