Confused by the Nvidia 6xxx line of Pcie card

[thespeakerbox]

Ive been trying to read up getting a video card for my HTPC / gaming console. Its gonna be hooked up to a 50" hdtv. Ive decided to go with nvidia but everyone on all forums (avs, htpcnews..) recommends a different cards, of course for different reasons. I dont know which one would be the best for my situation , so i need some help.

I want , of course, to get the best bank for my buck on this card. I want to buy something i can overclock . If necessary, ill move to aftermarket cooling too. Ive seen alot of reviews for the 6600gt and the 6600gt but ive also read that the 6800gs is a good bet. As far as gs,gtx,gt,vanilla(WTF..vanilla?) it gets so confusing whats what. Can someone explain it?

What card, under 250 would you recommend that is overclockable and is good for the money. thanks

 

[Lord Banshee]

well 250 dollars

PCI-Express XFX 6800GS XXX Extreme Edition
or find a good deal one
PCI-Express 7800GT (i got mine 2 months ago for 300 so thats only 50 dollars more but not much of an overclocker but i find no need to though).

whats the res you doing on your hdtv? if it is 1080p (1920x1080 progressive) get the 7800GT. If it is 780p or less then the 6800GS should be fine.. well atleast for right now.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

eVGA 6800GS for $193.69 shipped Has HDTV out, and unless nV is blowing smoke rings up our butts, it will hardware accelerate not just WMV HD, but H.264 1080P. The H.264 support isn't here until the 85 series drivers however.

BTW, these are good overclockers too.

 

[thespeakerbox]

Thanks for the help. I've read some good things about the 6800gs, but is there a difference between brands. I see some people recommending only 1 or 2 vendors. Mainly xfx and evga. Is it just the companies reputation or do the cards differ at all for like overclocking or performance?

 

[DAPUNISHER]

Usually it is the warranty, customer service and support, and other fetaures such as eVGA's step-up program that give people the warm fuzzies. Myself, I haven't had a bad experience with any company yet. Some one posted XFX F'ed them, but when I spoke to them they shipped me out a VIVO cable free of charge, they also offer a transferable warranty now.

Oh, some models do come factory overclocked, but you can almost always get an even better overclock with nV's built-in auto overclocking tool so I don't lett hat influence me unless the price is similar. I read eVGA allows some overclocking while maintaining the warranty too, have yet to personally confirm that with them though.

 

[thespeakerbox]

hows the 7800gt on overclocking?

 

[DAPUNISHER]

Originally posted by: thespeakerbox
hows the 7800gt on overclocking?

Most are excellent, if you can fit it into the budget it is a well worth the money.