9600GT or wait?

[sc2071]

Greetings,

I'm currently using an ATI 1900GT 256MB. Most games run okay, but I'd like to run things maxed out and get all the visual eye candy. My LCD is only 1280x1024 and I don't usually use anti-aliasing.

Anyway, I'm thinking of upgrading to an nVidia 9600GT 512MB. The price point is good, about £100 in the UK (looks to be $170 ish on NewEgg.com). However, I'd like it if the card could last me two years before my next needed upgrade. Right now I'm playing Hellgate: London and will probably pick up Age of Conan or Warhammer Online.

I'm wondering if I am being impatient and should wait for the 9800GT. However, at a rumored $300 price point (most likely £200 in the UK) the price is starting to get steep for my tastes. And I damn well don't want to shell out that kind of cash for a card that becomes noticeably slow after a year. For that money, getting two good years of use becomes an absolute, not a preference.

If I get the 9600GT for as cheap as it is, if I upgrade again within 2 years, I won't kick myself as hard.

Any thoughts or opinions?

 

[nwrigley]

If the 9600 GT will run what you're playing now at the highest settings, why not get it? Why spend twice as much on a card based on guesses toward the future? Who knows what games you'll be playing 2 years from now and what card will be required. No one knows what new cards will come out or how much they will cost in that time.

I'm seeing the best price/performance ratios right now that I have seen in some time - well over a year. I say that now is as good a time to buy as any.

 

[Twsmit]

I just jumped from a 7800GT to a 9600GT and it was a very nice upgrade. I picked the eVGA so that I have the option to choose to step up if the price/performance is there when the 9800GTX and GT launch. If you want the best performance for the money the 8800GT is probably the best pick right now, its a good deal faster than the 9600GT and only a few bucks more.

 

[SniperDaws]

You wont be disapointed getting a 9600GT mine is lethal, coming from a 1800XL i can now slap 8xAA and 16xAF with gamma AA on and Multisampling at 1680x1050 without a noticible performance hit on all the games im playing at the moment which are,

Company of Heroes Opposing Fronts
Need For Speed Most Wanted
World in Conflict
Battlefield 2 Project Reality.

 

[bryanW1995]

what's the price difference between 9600gt and 8800gt? They basically have the same core, but 8800gt has 112 sp's vs 64. 9600gt comes from the factory with slightly higher clocks but, since it's the same core, it probably will oc to the same level as an 8800gt would under the same conditions. I don't know about UK availability, but there is an msi 8800gt with a dual slot cooler on newegg that's $195 AR and closer to $185 at other sites. with the 20-25% performance increase of the 8800gt you will be much more likely to get the 2+ good years that you were hoping for.

 

[j0j081]

Originally posted by: bryanW1995
what's the price difference between 9600gt and 8800gt? They basically have the same core, but 8800gt has 112 sp's vs 64. 9600gt comes from the factory with slightly higher clocks but, since it's the same core, it probably will oc to the same level as an 8800gt would under the same conditions. I don't know about UK availability, but there is an msi 8800gt with a dual slot cooler on newegg that's $195 AR and closer to $185 at other sites. with the 20-25% performance increase of the 8800gt you will be much more likely to get the 2+ good years that you were hoping for.

it's actually only about 10-15% difference at the most. some games they are pretty much on par. the 9600gt has far more efficient sp's which is why it performs so good with half of them.

 

[Denithor]

Well, considering the 9800 series cards will basically just be the (G92) 8800 series with DDR4 slapped on them, I wouldn't wait for one of those. Either get the 9600GT or pick up an 8800GTS-512 if you can find a good deal on one (this will be the 9800 card with slower memory, at your resolution it won't make a difference).

If you look at recent benchmarks the 8800GTS-512 outruns the 8800GTX in most games up to 1920x1200 even with some AA/AF. So if you plan to upgrade your LCD before your next GPU upgrade you might want to consider spending a bit more for an 8800GTS-512 (here in the US they are only about $70 more than the 9600GT).

EDIT: I'm using the same video card as you have (x1900gt rev1) and am planning on an 8800GTS-512 for my system once I scrape together a few more dollars.