• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

Buying Recommendation for Graphics cards

A

ata786rz

Member
Greetings all,

How many game do you think actually supports PHYX and is CUDA really necessary now?
Basically I find ATI being cheaper for similar performance. Moreover, supports newer Shader Model 4.1. Is OpenGL 3.0 anything great? Or will there be any good games in near future.
Any recommendation when and what to buy when budget is almost $350?
 
Unless you are going to wait 4-6 months for win7 and dx11 I would not value any GPU feature differences very highly.

As far as what gives you the best performance/price that would depend on the specs of your CPU and at what resolution you are looking to play games at.
If you supply those 2 pieces of information then I am sure someone will be along with a suggestion on which card to get.
 
Nvidia flavor: GTX275 or ATI flavor: HD4890. Look for the best deal/gamebundle/warranty. Should be fine for Crysis at High setting and a little AA.
That Section8 title thats coming out looks very similar to Crysis, but no telling how tough it would be on GPU's compared to Crysis.
 
GTX275 and HD4890 are currently popular cards for 1920x1200. $350 is WAAYYYY more than you need to budget at that resolution.

Nvidia vendors generally have better warranties while HD4890 prices have generally been lower than the GTX275, sometimes much lower.

Sapphire HD4890 for $187 AR at SuperBiiz (ewiz)

BFG GTX275 for $229 at SuperBiiz (ewiz)

As far as PhysX goes, you'll have to research which games use it (and how much it's used in that game) to see if it's worth paying more to be able to use it. Generally, however, most people have voted PhysX as "Marginal" to "Not useful" as a consideration when buying hardware and software.

AnandTech: PhysX: What Readers Think poll
 
Also consider GTX260 216. With a nice game bundle. Forgot to mention that. That poll doesn't mean very much. Many commented on how poorly the poll was laid out. So take it with a grain of salt. And even if PhysX isn't yet out there en-masse yet, some people might want to have it, than not have it. If for nothing else but to be ready to go. IMHO.
 
Originally posted by: Keysplayr
That poll doesn't mean very much. Many commented on how poorly the poll was laid out. So take it with a grain of salt. And even if PhysX isn't yet out there en-masse yet, some people might want to have it, than not have it. If for nothing else but to. Be ready to go. IMHO.
Click to expand...
Out of the 15,000 people who voted, 75% considered PhysX "Maginal" to "Not useful" when purchasing hardware while 82% thought PhysX to be "Marginal" to "Not useful" when buying software.

That's 3 out of every 4 people saying PhysX doesn't count for much when buying hardware and 4 out of every 5 saying the same when purchasing software. That's an overwhelming majority.

So while the poll may not mean very much to you, it very obviously shows that most other people don't consider PhysX to be important when making purchasing decisions.
 
Originally posted by: ata786rz
Well I am taking about 1920*1280 resolutions. CPU being i7 920.
Click to expand...


Dual Gpu scaling with the core i7 is nothing short of great.
More often then not your x58 motherboard will support crossfire or sli or both.

My votes for crossfired 4870's or 260 gtx's for games like Crysis (like you mentioned) or any newer fps games that are on the horizon.

That should use every penny of your budget and every ounce of that high end system you have.😀
 
Originally posted by: ata786rz
GAMES: Mainly First Person Shooters like Crysis
Click to expand...

I would use dual GPUs like HD4770s or HD4850s. Main thing is look for something cheap at the moment.

In August RV870 is supposed to launch giving us some really powerful 40nm GPUs that won't strain PSUs much.

 
Originally posted by: Just learning
Originally posted by: ata786rz
GAMES: Mainly First Person Shooters like Crysis
Click to expand...

I would use dual GPUs like HD4770s or HD4850s. Main thing is look for something cheap at the moment.

In August RV870 is supposed to launch giving us some really powerful 40nm GPUs that won't strain PSUs much.
Click to expand...

I was thinking the rv870 still won't be faster (not but much) then higher end crossfire and there would not be a good reason to upgrade then either. Meanwhile he can enjoy Max setting now.😀 I was also thinking of the resale value of the cards. 😕
 
Originally posted by: Creig
Originally posted by: Keysplayr
That poll doesn't mean very much. Many commented on how poorly the poll was laid out. So take it with a grain of salt. And even if PhysX isn't yet out there en-masse yet, some people might want to have it, than not have it. If for nothing else but to. Be ready to go. IMHO.
Click to expand...
Out of the 15,000 people who voted, 75% considered PhysX "Maginal" to "Not useful" when purchasing hardware while 82% thought PhysX to be "Marginal" to "Not useful" when buying software.

That's 3 out of every 4 people saying PhysX doesn't count for much when buying hardware and 4 out of every 5 saying the same when purchasing software. That's an overwhelming majority.

So while the poll may not mean very much to you, it very obviously shows that most other people don't consider PhysX to be important when making purchasing decisions.
Click to expand...

Umm, how is repeating yourself going to change anything I said about the complaints people had about the polls layout? I'm just quoting from the numerous posts under the poll. To me, that kind of raises questions on whether or not the voting was as it should have been. Which is why I said take it with a grain of salt. See? Now you have me repeating myself now LOL. Just quoting the results over and over doesn't really make it any more accurate.

OP: You are welcome!
 
Too close in performance to the 275 to justify the 100 dollar price premium for a 285. I'd recommend a 275 over a 285 any day. But if you can find a GTX 280 for about the same price as a 275, then of course go for it.
 
Originally posted by: Keysplayr
But if you can find a GTX 280 for about the same price as a 275, then of course go for it.
Click to expand...

Why? Isn't the 275 a hair faster than the 280? As far as I can tell, the only advantage the 280 has over the 275 is its extra 128MB RAM.
 
Originally posted by: vj8usa
Originally posted by: Keysplayr
But if you can find a GTX 280 for about the same price as a 275, then of course go for it.
Click to expand...

Why? Isn't the 275 a hair faster than the 280? As far as I can tell, the only advantage the 280 has over the 275 is its extra 128MB RAM.
Click to expand...

No. It's a hair shy.

GTX280
# 512-Bit
# 1GB GDDR3
# 240 Stream Processors
# 32 ROP's

GTX275:
# 448-Bit
# 896MB GDDR3
# 240 Stream Processors
# 28 ROP's

The only thing the 275 has in common with the 280, is the shader processors. And that's about it. The 275 has higher clocks all around, but nothing insane.
 
Originally posted by: Keysplayr
Originally posted by: vj8usa
Originally posted by: Keysplayr
But if you can find a GTX 280 for about the same price as a 275, then of course go for it.
Click to expand...

Why? Isn't the 275 a hair faster than the 280? As far as I can tell, the only advantage the 280 has over the 275 is its extra 128MB RAM.
Click to expand...

No. It's a hair shy.

GTX280
# 512-Bit
# 1GB GDDR3
# 240 Stream Processors
# 32 ROP's

GTX275:
# 448-Bit
# 896MB GDDR3
# 240 Stream Processors
# 28 ROP's

The only thing the 275 has in common with the 280, is the shader processors. And that's about it. The 275 has higher clocks all around, but nothing insane.
Click to expand...

I've been looking for that 280 with 275 prices but no luck so far. I was trying to hold off on a purchase but my core i7 needs something faster than my 8800 GT to stretch its legs so I'm going to spend 250 to hold me over for 4-6 months until GT300. I'll sell the 275 or 280 later.
 
If you are not fond of any brand, you could get a HD 4890 for less than 220 and can give you a performance comparable to the GTX 275 and if you overclock it to over 950MHz, can reach GTX285 territory, then once you get the GT300, sell it on ebay. If not, then get a GTX 260+ or a used GTX 280.
 
Originally posted by: 1ManArmY
Originally posted by: Keysplayr
Originally posted by: vj8usa
Originally posted by: Keysplayr
But if you can find a GTX 280 for about the same price as a 275, then of course go for it.
Click to expand...

Why? Isn't the 275 a hair faster than the 280? As far as I can tell, the only advantage the 280 has over the 275 is its extra 128MB RAM.
Click to expand...

No. It's a hair shy.

GTX280
# 512-Bit
# 1GB GDDR3
# 240 Stream Processors
# 32 ROP's

GTX275:
# 448-Bit
# 896MB GDDR3
# 240 Stream Processors
# 28 ROP's

The only thing the 275 has in common with the 280, is the shader processors. And that's about it. The 275 has higher clocks all around, but nothing insane.
Click to expand...

I've been looking for that 280 with 275 prices but no luck so far. I was trying to hold off on a purchase but my core i7 needs something faster than my 8800 GT to stretch its legs so I'm going to spend 250 to hold me over for 4-6 months until G300. I'll sell the 275 or 280 later.
Click to expand...

The 275 is about 90 to 95% of the GTX280 depending on the game, and that's pretty consistent. And you can o/c it a bit to surpass 280 levels. My bud just bought one (275) and he thanks me every time we talk on the phone. He came from 8800GTS 640's in SLI.
 
Syed: Where exactly are you right now? (I think I might know 😉 )

Depending on your current location ATi/Nvidia might provide different value propositions to you
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top