All High End ATI Card Price Drops

[SniperDaws]

Originally posted by: SniperDaws

Originally posted by: Kromis
Jihad!

WTF?

ok i took it complelty the wrong way



SORRY!

 

[SorryImLate]

Originally posted by: Oyeve

Originally posted by: SorryImLate

Originally posted by: Oyeve
I ordered an ATI 3870 2 days ago for 219 shipped, which before the price drop was IMO a good deal for a single slot 3870. 2 hours after it shipped the price dropped to 185. I emailed Newegg about it and they credited my CC the difference. Card is sweet and sinlge slot is great as I can actually use my PCIE slots now.

Does newegg have an price guarentee like some stores will have a 30 day guarentee(not with other stores just themselves) in case there prices drop or did you just luck out cuz it dropped on the same day you bought it?

Nope, the email said


"We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you. Please kindly note, we do not offer any sort of price protection."


But it went on about how Ive been a loyal customer for 8 years and the fact that is was a mere couple of hours they would credit my card. The person was very understanding. They also said that the market right now is in chaos. Newegg rocks most of the time. If you explain to them nicely they respond better.

Yea that would be kind of weak if they didnt credit you

 

[nRollo]

Originally posted by: LOUISSSSS

Originally posted by: Powernick50
I've been holding onto my pennies for a 768mb 8800GTX around 300AR when it hits..

why, thats so dumb lol

a 3870/8800gt does the same thing for cheaper/quieter/less power...

It's never "dumb" to want an 8800GTX, and a 3870 isn't close. An 8800GTS, yes.

 

[bryanW1995]

it is "dumb" to spend $300 right now on an 8800gtx when there are so many viable alternatives that cost less and have similar performance. IF you game at 19x12 or higher and IF you require lots of AA/AF and IF you focus on modern titles then you'll probably see a SMALL improvement with 8800gtx over 8800gts 512, so from that standpoint alone you could conceivably decide to spend the extra $50. however, when you factor in the power consumption and heat output of the gtx vs the gts 512 then you should only buy the gtx if it is CHEAPER than a gts 512. well, either that or if you have to run tri-sli right now and you don't get free hardware from nvidia.

 

[Magusigne]

Poor rollo

 

[nRollo]

Originally posted by: bryanW1995
it is "dumb" to spend $300 right now on an 8800gtx when there are so many viable alternatives that cost less and have similar performance. IF you game at 19x12 or higher and IF you require lots of AA/AF and IF you focus on modern titles then you'll probably see a SMALL improvement with 8800gtx over 8800gts 512, so from that standpoint alone you could conceivably decide to spend the extra $50. however, when you factor in the power consumption and heat output of the gtx vs the gts 512 then you should only buy the gtx if it is CHEAPER than a gts 512. well, either that or if you have to run tri-sli right now and you don't get free hardware from nvidia.

Really? Well, he does have a 19X12 monitor, and is concerned about AA. We've exchanged some PMs, so I know this.

Small advantage?

Huge advantage at Bioshock

GTX = 72fps, GTS = 50-54

Big advantage at 19X12 OblivionHDR
53 vs 41 is a big deal.

Anyway, point being a GTX for $300 has some advantages over a GTS. Definitely not in the realm of "stupid", unless maybe you're just argumentative.

 

[bryanW1995]

I was in the midst of a literary equivalent of giants vs patriots, when my stupid cat 8.2 - inspired video instability reared its ugly head and forever erased my masterpiece. oc is knocked down to 860/1276 in ccc, so hopefully I won't stage an inopportune departure again before fashioning my rebuttal.

phew. ok, how do you respond to a statement like "maybe you're just argumentative"? I could argue, thus proving the nvidia maven's point. I could NOT argue, thus allowing him the last word. OR, I could throw out some reasoned points for the more intelligent readers on our dear forum to digest.

I'll go with #C. Let's say that you plan to play nothing except bioshock and oblivion. EVER, at least for the next 18 mos or so until your next video card upgrade. Highly unlikely, but certainly possible. No more unlikely than getting several well-regarded posters from a major web site banned for libelling you, only to find out that "libel" was not the correct term to use as they were writing the TRUTH. Ok, you play only those two games, only at high AA/AF settings. What is a reasonable premium for the gtx? $50? $75 maybe? Ok, now how much more money will you spend on your power bill over those 18 months with the gtx? Let's make this easy and just say 1/2 of $75, so $37.50. Now, let's factor in the hassle of a room that is several degrees warmer. For 18 months. If you live in finland then you're one happy mofo and should probably get 2 gtx's in sli for every room. If you live in equatorial guinea then, uh, er, ... yeah, heat does matter. So, in a best case scenario it is certainly possible that you could get a very tiny bang-for-your buck improvement with the gtx. Is it LIKELY, however? I think that we all know the answer to that.

By the way, rollo, you should have used WIC as a comparison. The real world difference in oblivion from 53 to 39.9 is negligible, and 72 to 50ish, even in a fps...come on! In WIC the decline from 31 to 26 is very real and, in many people's opinions, takes you from "playable" to "unplayable". I would be very interested to see minimum frame rates on WIC, too.

 

[apoppin]

Now, let's factor in the hassle of a room that is several degrees warmer

i doubt i am in a minority ... except for Summer, i find it pleasant to turn my rig on in the morning to warm my toes ... and for the 4 months when it IS hot, i use a little extra cooling ... 4 months are cold, 4 months are cool and 4 months are hot ... cool wins in my hi-desert climate.

... and to be completely fair, your power costs estimates are ridiculous - 'heat' notwithstanding ... my rig is at "idle" most of the time ... i am damn lucky to play [ore even benchmark] for 4 hours in ANY day.

i don't drive a SUV .. rather i prefer a sub compact ... so i "compensate" for my gaming energy addiction elsewhere in my life

 

[nRollo]

Originally posted by: bryanW1995
Ok, now how much more money will you spend on your power bill over those 18 months with the gtx? Let's make this easy and just say 1/2 of $75, so $37.50. Now, let's factor in the hassle of a room that is several degrees warmer. For 18 months. If you live in finland then you're one happy mofo and should probably get 2 gtx's in sli for every room. If you live in equatorial guinea then, uh, er, ... yeah, heat does matter. So, in a best case scenario it is certainly possible that you could get a very tiny bang-for-your buck improvement with the gtx. Is it LIKELY, however? I think that we all know the answer to that.

By the way, rollo, you should have used WIC as a comparison. The real world difference in oblivion from 53 to 39.9 is negligible, and 72 to 50ish, even in a fps...come on! In WIC the decline from 31 to 26 is very real and, in many people's opinions, takes you from "playable" to "unplayable". I would be very interested to see minimum frame rates on WIC, too.

1. You'll have to forgive me, I honestly never even think about pocket change like the difference between running various video cards. IMO, if $2.08/month extra is something a person needs to think about, they shouldn't be wasting money on computer gaming.

2. The person we're talking about lives in Ohio, not foreign lands and climes that have no bearing on this conversation.

You typed a fair amount, but didn't really prove why a $300 GTX would be "stupid" IMO.

 

[bryanW1995]

maybe "dumb" (not stupid) was too strong of a word...maybe "silly", "ill-considered", or "a waste of money" would be more appropriate. If $50 plus whatever minor power savings available isn't an issue to you, then why not spend the $100 extra and sli two 8800gt's? Or another $50 on top of that for a 3870x2? Or wait a month for that be all end all of graphics cards, the 9800gx2? If you have an intel mobo then the 3870x2 is particularly appealing since you will be able to crossfireX it later on with a 3870 for a relatively low price. Unfortunately for nvidia loyalists, that sort of plan is not an option with sli. When are they planning to introduce that?

 

[krnmastersgt]

Well what if the board doesn't support SLI? Or the heat created would be too much a problem from 2 GTs? As for the 9800X2, I fear it will suffer the fate of the 7950X2 and flop, hopefully the 9800GTX will be a deserving flagship product for nVidia.

 

[SorryImLate]

Originally posted by: nRollo

1. You'll have to forgive me, I honestly never even think about pocket change like the difference between running various video cards. IMO, if $2.08/month extra is something a person needs to think about, they shouldn't be wasting money on computer gaming.

2. The person we're talking about lives in Ohio, not foreign lands and climes that have no bearing on this conversation.

You typed a fair amount, but didn't really prove why a $300 GTX would be "stupid" IMO.

Well if i got free GTX's i would probably say its a good idea to get one also but for people that have to pay for the equipment you should be able to see why people think that there are better solutions for good gaming

 

[krnmastersgt]

Originally posted by: SorryImLate

Originally posted by: nRollo

1. You'll have to forgive me, I honestly never even think about pocket change like the difference between running various video cards. IMO, if $2.08/month extra is something a person needs to think about, they shouldn't be wasting money on computer gaming.

2. The person we're talking about lives in Ohio, not foreign lands and climes that have no bearing on this conversation.

You typed a fair amount, but didn't really prove why a $300 GTX would be "stupid" IMO.

Well if i got free GTX's i would probably say its a good idea to get one also but for people that have to pay for the equipment you should be able to see why people think that there are better solutions for good gaming

It's rather old but still one of the strongest single cards out there, can't really knock that off as not deserving, otherwise SLI is a complete waste of money but people use it anyways, if you have the money for it then its that person's choice if they want the best or near best performance.

 

[Keysplayr]

Originally posted by: bryanW1995
maybe "dumb" (not stupid) was too strong of a word...maybe "silly", "ill-considered", or "a waste of money" would be more appropriate. If $50 plus whatever minor power savings available isn't an issue to you, then why not spend the $100 extra and sli two 8800gt's? Or another $50 on top of that for a 3870x2? Or wait a month for that be all end all of graphics cards, the 9800gx2? If you have an intel mobo then the 3870x2 is particularly appealing since you will be able to crossfireX it later on with a 3870 for a relatively low price. Unfortunately for nvidia loyalists, that sort of plan is not an option with sli. When are they planning to introduce that?

Bryan, most of the new cards run hot and consume good amounts of power too. Some less than others and some more. The details you are mentioning are nitpicking at best. Look at all the people who bought 2900XT's with their beastly heat, power consumption? They didn't seem to mind, or notice, once they owned it that is.

Of course, who wouldn't want a PC that ran on solar power? Free is great. Cheap is good. If an 8800GTX could be had for 300 dollars, I'd be on that real quick myself. It's still the fastest overall single card out there. Well, theres the Ultra, but ignore that unless you find one for 300 bucks.

You'll no doubt mention (I know others will) that the 3870X2 is the fastest. That is obviously debatable. Pros and Cons.

Anyway, 300 for a GTX is a nice deal. IMHO.

 

[nRollo]

Originally posted by: SorryImLate

Originally posted by: nRollo

1. You'll have to forgive me, I honestly never even think about pocket change like the difference between running various video cards. IMO, if $2.08/month extra is something a person needs to think about, they shouldn't be wasting money on computer gaming.

2. The person we're talking about lives in Ohio, not foreign lands and climes that have no bearing on this conversation.

You typed a fair amount, but didn't really prove why a $300 GTX would be "stupid" IMO.

Well if i got free GTX's i would probably say its a good idea to get one also but for people that have to pay for the equipment you should be able to see why people think that there are better solutions for good gaming

The question was whether or not it's "dumb" or "stupid" to prefer a 8800GTX over a 8800GTS for a user who lives in Ohio (mild climate) and has a 19X12 display and plays games with AA.

1. The GTX has 33% more memory, and 39% more memory bandwidth. This alone may well make it worth $50 more than a GTS.
http://www.firingsquad.com/har...eforce_8800_gts_512mb/

2. Power differences and heat differences are negligible:
http://www.techspot.com/review...00-gts-512/page11.html

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardwa...eforce_8800_gts_512/12

http://enthusiast.hardocp.com/...w2LCxoZW50aHVzaWFzdA==

3. There are no benchmarks I know of that show the 8800GTS at 19X12 with AA significantly outperforming a GTX, yet there are benches of the GTX significantly outperforming the GTS 512, as shown in this thread.




What do more and better memory, neglible heat and power differences, and sometimes significantly better performance add up to in a video card? It's probably "worth" $50 more, and way outside the descriptions of "dumb" or "stupid". It's actually probably more like "smart" or "wise".

Now, there aren't any $300 GTXs, and I don't know if there ever will be, but that was the question and the only people here who've answered it with meaningful information are Keys and myself.

 

[Peelback79]

This is deja vu for me. It's the same "stupid" argument I got showered with when I bought the new G92 GTS over the GT. Everyone howled about how it's only X% more performance for $Y% increase and how the GT was the best deal out there. Arguably so, but when you start getting up into the higher resolutions, more importantly the widescreens rezs I play in, a little extra goes a long way.

 

[Magusigne]

Precisely. I have to hold onto my chips a little longer. I know the waiting game is a losing game but when I get the ability to purchase a card (payday) March 1st, and I have ~350 dollars to spend I might wait just a little longer to see whats going to happen.

My 7800 GT OC does suprisingly well.