Best mid range card for games?

[Phrontis]

Hi,

One of my sons wants his PC upgrading for christmas, I have a spare Asus A8N-SLI Premium, memory and chip but no PCIe graphics card. What would be the best mid-range card for games? I am leaning towards nVidia at the moment due to using a Quadro 3400 in my PC, however if ATI do a chip that performs better for similar or less money I would take that.

Thanks in advance

Phrontis

 

[otispunkmeyer]

well what kinda money you looking to spend?

theres alot to chose from right now, and i personally would chose nvidia if your looking at the 6 series over ATi's X800's

nvidias new 7 series has been out a while and you can get good prices, ATi's just released their new cards too, but theres limted availability and the entire range isnt actually available yet either

a good card to buy now would be a 7800GT probably, it beats out Ati's new offering the X1800XL, and you can get a great price on them

example ZZF have the EVGA 7800GT with a copy of Call of Duty 2 bundled! for $339!

if you dont wanna spend quite that much....then the 6 series is a worthy alternative, ive just replaced my 6800GT.....but its been nothing but gaming bliss since i bought it.

you can get very good prices on them right now too

ATi's X800 series are fast cards though, and there could be some mega deals going on. i think people around here are definately liking the X800GTO2, sounds like a really good card. but its feature set is lacking in comparison to nvidias 6 and 7 series.

 

[Jeff7181]

I don't think the 7800GT is considered mid range.

If I were the OP I'd look for a 6600GT or 6800 or possibly an x800. Your budget will pretty much dictate what card you get.

 

[Munky]

If by midrange you mean >$200, then I'd get either a 6800 or a x800 or a x800gto. The gto would be the fastest out of the these.

 

[lifeguard1999]

6600GT 128 MB for $129 After Rebate
6800 128 MB for $159 After Rebate
6800 256 MB for $199 After Rebate
6800GT 256 MB for $259 After Rebate

 

[Sunrise089]

Originally posted by: munky
If by midrange you mean >$200, then I'd get either a 6800 or a x800 or a x800gto. The gto would be the fastest out of the these.

If you buy a GTO, which is a good choice, be sure to buy the Connect3D model. It unlocks just like the GTO^2, but for about $70 less.

 

[WhipperSnapper]

I'd go for the x800 GTO2 if it can be found for $200. Otherwise take a chance with the Connect3d x800 GTO.

 

[Soccerman06]

Originally posted by: otispunkmeyer
well what kinda money you looking to spend?

theres alot to chose from right now, and i personally would chose nvidia if your looking at the 6 series over ATi's X800's

nvidias new 7 series has been out a while and you can get good prices, ATi's just released their new cards too, but theres limted availability and the entire range isnt actually available yet either

a good card to buy now would be a 7800GT probably, it beats out Ati's new offering the X1800XL, and you can get a great price on them

I didnt know that the 7x00 series midrange was available either. I dont think there has even been a midrange announcement yet from Nvidia.

I guess it all depends on what resolutions you can run at and what games you play. The X1800XL will be just fine is you dont play D3 or Q4 that much. X1800XL is faster than the 7800GT at aa/af and has better image quality. Plus you can OC the X1800XL to XT speeds if you want.

If your on a more strick budget of $200-$250, get a X800GTO2 and do a bios flash/OC it to X850XT PE speeds.

 

[1Dark1Sharigan1]

For the ~$150 range, the X800GT/6600GT, though the X800GT can generally beat the 6600GT in most games (if not by alot in most games except for HL2)
For the ~$200 range, the X800GTO
For the ~$250 range, the X800XL/6800GT

 

[otispunkmeyer]

Originally posted by: Soccerman06

Originally posted by: otispunkmeyer
well what kinda money you looking to spend?

theres alot to chose from right now, and i personally would chose nvidia if your looking at the 6 series over ATi's X800's

nvidias new 7 series has been out a while and you can get good prices, ATi's just released their new cards too, but theres limted availability and the entire range isnt actually available yet either

a good card to buy now would be a 7800GT probably, it beats out Ati's new offering the X1800XL, and you can get a great price on them

I didnt know that the 7x00 series midrange was available either. I dont think there has even been a midrange announcement yet from Nvidia.

I guess it all depends on what resolutions you can run at and what games you play. The X1800XL will be just fine is you dont play D3 or Q4 that much. X1800XL is faster than the 7800GT at aa/af and has better image quality. Plus you can OC the X1800XL to XT speeds if you want.

If your on a more strick budget of $200-$250, get a X800GTO2 and do a bios flash/OC it to X850XT PE speeds.

they dont need it......the 6800's fill the gap nicely for now. if it hasnt been announced then you cant really say that it isnt available. nvidia havent said anything bout mid range G70 parts i dont think, so you cant turn round and say theyre not available either....becuase they havent been announced

ati however have announced a top to bottom range based on their new architecture...and no you cant buy the entire range.

 

[Phrontis]

 

[Phrontis]

Thanks guys. I guess it will be the 6800GT looking at prices here in the UK and the comments you have made. Any suggestion as to brand???

Phrontis

 

[orangat]

Stay away from XFX and PNY. The dual fan cooler on BFG is unreliable, make sure you get the single fan version.

 

[imported_Kiwi]

Originally posted by: orangat
Stay away from XFX and PNY. The dual fan cooler on BFG is unreliable, make sure you get the single fan version.

XFX is still new enough to the scene that I haven't heard that much pro or con about it. On the other hand, PNY has neen panned fairly often, but my luck with their older products was very good, and I haven't had any trouble with their lower-mid power new stuff either. Maybe it's just the highest speed, most expensive card area in which they don't keep up with the rest!

 

[MatrixVPR]

I was going to say get the 6600GT but if your going to lean toward a card that's a bit more money I would go for the X800XL as it is almost identical performer to the 6800GT and less money. I have all of them and I'm currently using the X800XL (I play a lot of CS and it's better than the 6800GT in that game). I also play a lot of BF2 and though the 6800 does better in that game X800XL pulls ahead with the setting that I like to use (4xAA, most other setting on High, lighting, shadows and effects on medium, 10x7)

 

[fbrdphreak]

For 6800GT brands BFG offers a lifetime warranty which is nice. eVGA, Ledtek, etc are all good brands. Find the best bang for the buck really. I've heard some bad things about XFX, personally I don't plan on buying one of their cards because why take a risk when there are so many other brands available?