EVGA 8800GTS (G92) 512MB @ Newegg

[Cheex]

Here is a link to both (comparison view):
$290 vs $340

Aside from the model number...WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE??

I sure don't see any.

 

[lavaheadache]

the more expensive one comes with "free" crysis

 

[Keysplayr]

As far as I can see, the only difference is the deal. The more expensive card comes with CRYSIS. Hence the higher price. If you don't need CRYSIS, go with the cheaper card. Both cards are identical.

EDIT: Beat me to it, lava.

 

[lavaheadache]

Originally posted by: keysplayr2003
As far as I can see, the only difference is the deal. The more expensive card comes with CRYSIS. Hence the higher price. If you don't need CRYSIS, go with the cheaper card. Both cards are identical.

EDIT: Beat me to it, lava.

I win, lol

 

[Cheex]

What a ripoff...You're STILL paying for the game then.

**shakes head at EVGA**

Nice marketing but I did expect better.

 

[Keysplayr]

Huh? They are offering the same card with, or without Crysis. The one without is 50 bucks less (about the cost of crysis). Because they use the word "free", suddenly your getting ripped off. When will you folks learn, that nothing is free?
Do you feel ripped off looking at the card they are offering for 259 AR? Do you not think that is a most excellent deal? The card that comes bundled with crysis is RIGHT IN LINE with the cost of the cheaper card + a separate copy
of crysis.

But still, an 8800GTS bundled with crysis for 309 is actually a very good deal (if you want crysis).

 

[Cheex]

No no no keys...don't get me wrong.

My point is this...

If they didn't bring out the cheaper card (card only) then nobody would even think that the more expensive one (card & Crysis) would be out of place in terms of price. Nobody would have know they were actually paying for the game.

Meaning...the cards are identical, therefore it is obvious that you are paying for the game even though they say it is "free".

Good marketing I suppose but since the new one came out (card only) you can see right through them.

 

[Keysplayr]

I see what you're saying. They shouldn't have used the word free. But other than that, if you subtract the cost of crysis, you still would get the card very cheaply. Both deals are nice.

 

[angry hampster]

THE CHEAPER ONE IS WINDOWS VISTA CERTIFIED.

I love how they put that into everything now :laugh:

 

[Cheex]

Originally posted by: keysplayr2003
I see what you're saying. They shouldn't have used the word free. But other than that, if you subtract the cost of crysis, you still would get the card very cheaply. Both deals are nice.

I'm glad you now see my point. Maybe I was just unclear at first.

I'm all for good marketing but not when it gets misleading.

 

[tigersty1e]

It can also be Newegg's pricing scheme to sell both models equally well.

Newegg has drastically changed in recent months/years. They are turning into the online Best Buy.

 

[Tempered81]

Originally posted by: angry hampster
THE CHEAPER ONE IS WINDOWS VISTA CERTIFIED.

I love how they put that into everything now :laugh:

I don't use anything unless its windows vista certified. carwashes, greatvalue milk, yayo, 18v cordless drills, iphones, etc.

 

[taltamir]

Originally posted by: tigersty1e
It can also be Newegg's pricing scheme to sell both models equally well.

Newegg has drastically changed in recent months/years. They are turning into the online Best Buy.

I agree...

My bet is that its all newegg and has nothing to do with eVGA.
eVGA sells you a card with a free game, they mean that the game is free with the card (they add a few bucks to the comparative cost, but not as much as the full retail price)..

Best buy has actually managed to have the BEST priced 8800GT on the market during the rush time..
Gougegg is much worse then best buy now and I don't buy there unless it is a truely spectacular deal.

 

[Puffnstuff]

They are both the same card one has crysis and the other doesn't. I have both of them sli'd.

 

[Cheex]

Originally posted by: Puffnstuff
They are both the same card one has crysis and the other doesn't. I have both of them sli'd.

What is the performance like and with which drivers?
What percentage increase are you getting versus a single card?

 

[Puffnstuff]

I'm running the 169.32 driver from the evga site. It doesn't show up on nvidia's site for whatever reason. I haven't had a chance to bench but I will say this. Using the source video stress test with a single card I was getting 180fps at 1280x1024 32bit color with all settings at max. Now I get 238.7fps on the test for a 58fps boost. I played crysis today for a little while at all high settings and it was smooth. I went ahead and went sli because it performs better than a single card with two gpu's on it. In a couple of years when this setup is choking on stuff I'll take a hard look at what's available. I've never spent this much money before on graphics but I think that it was the right thing to do. I had to pull my modem out of my machine since only 1 pci slot is usable and the x-fi wins over everything else for it. I'm going to watch the 790i mb's after they come out and mature a bit to see if they offer more performance. If so I'll probably move to one of them to maximize my upgrade.

 

[Hauk]

Originally posted by: Puffnstuff
I'm running the 169.32 driver from the evga site. It doesn't show up on nvidia's site for whatever reason.

I'm using them too, downloaded from evga. They seem pretty smooth. I also SLI'd a pair of GTS's. With the 1.1 patch and these drivers scaling seems pretty good in Crysis. I've had the game for two months (bought used) and am just now playing it.

OP, that EVGA deal without Crysis is a good deal. I bought two at that price, :thumbsup:

 

[vhx]

Originally posted by: Cheex
No no no keys...don't get me wrong.

My point is this...

If they didn't bring out the cheaper card (card only) then nobody would even think that the more expensive one (card & Crysis) would be out of place in terms of price. Nobody would have know they were actually paying for the game.

Meaning...the cards are identical, therefore it is obvious that you are paying for the game even though they say it is "free".

Good marketing I suppose but since the new one came out (card only) you can see right through them.

Lol. Calm down.

The cards are retailed the same. These are Newegg's prices, they are trying to get rid of all of their Non-Crysis stock. Looking on EVGA's site, they don't advertise the non-Crysis model on their website any longer. If anyone is ripping anyone off, it is Newegg. Not EVGA. Newegg does this all the time.

 

[Cheex]

Originally posted by: SteelSix

OP, that EVGA deal without Crysis is a good deal. I bought two at that price, :thumbsup:

Very nice...:thumbsup:

That board is the Asus P5N-T Deluxe isn't it??

Mine is on the way.

How well does it perform in the overclocking department?
Also, give me a quick Pros, Cons on it.

BTW, what case are you using?

 

[Hauk]

Originally posted by: Cheex

Originally posted by: SteelSix

OP, that EVGA deal without Crysis is a good deal. I bought two at that price, :thumbsup:

Very nice...:thumbsup:

That board is the Asus P5N-T Deluxe isn't it??

Mine is on the way.

How well does it perform in the overclocking department?
Also, give me a quick Pros, Cons on it.

BTW, what case are you using?

Yep it's a P5N-T Deluxe. I chose this board after I saw there were bios fixes in place for Q6600 and after finding there was a fix for a Vista BSOD with memory > than 2GB.

First order of business is to install only one stick of memory! I'll explain why in a minute.
Second order of business is to download 0802 bios onto a flash disk and flash from bios screen. Some Q6600 users couldn't even complete an OS install with early bios versions.

About the memory issue, there's a Vista/nVidia chipset IRQ bug that jumps out with this board for some reason. BSOD on Vista install/boot with more than 2GB of ram installed. There's a solution however. After OS install, install this bug fix. Reboot to apply then install remaining ram. This bug fix does NOT self install with Windows update! 0802 bios does NOT address it. Only this bug fix.

With these tasks out of the way, it's a very solid board. I chose it over the reference EVGA and XFX for the quality heatsink design, 8-phase power design. They use cheap caps on the reference boards. I also like placement of the PCI slot. In this pic you can see my X-FI hiding between the cards. On the reference boards, the PCI 2.0 compliant PCI-E slots are the top two. If you look at the reference board,, that only leaves the bottom PCI slot open with dual slot SLI setups. X-FI has a bunch of exposed components on its board. I fish a cable or two through the opening and have to avoid them.

Case is an original Antec P180. It's served very well. I've modded it a bit with Dynamat other dampening foam around the drive cages. I was very tempted by the Antec 900 when it came out, but stuck with this puppy. You'll enjoy the 900. Basically same layout but with better cooling.

As far as overclocking, I've haven't tested beyond 1425fsb. I have a Q6600 @ 3.2 and 8GB G.Skill sitting at 950 5-5-5-15 with no issues. You can play around with linked/unlinked memory, and have a full range of clock and power tweaks in the bios. Should do pretty well.

So what will it be on the graphics card Cheex? You've been mulling over the options for like two months now...

 

[Magusigne]

.. I've been mulling over the same choice really..

so hard. Just wait a week or two and see what prices might drop.

 

[Cheex]

Well, thanks SteelSix for all that useful information.

I'll be getting my Antec 900 tonight and my Zalman MFC1 Plus.

I have all six fan controllers planned out, tell me what you think:
1) Tuniq Tower 120
2) OCZ XTC Memory Cooler
3) Front intake 120mm
4) Front intake 120mm
5) Rear exhaust 120mm
6) Roof exhaust 200mm




I'll be receiving the P5N-T Deluxe next week Thursday night, if all goes well. (Yes, I do not live in the USA, I live in Jamaica).



As for the video card...
If I was to purchase right this moment, I think the GTS for $290 (eVGA) looks a better deal to me than the GT for $240 (eVGA). However, with new cards on the horizon (including today's release of the 9600GT), it would probably be a better idea to wait a while longer.

If the newer cards fail to impress, then at least the current crop of cards will go down in price.

BTW: Something is definitely about to happen, and I think this is just the first step:
9600 GT Forces HD 3800 Prices Down

 

[Hauk]

Yea that will be some cooling for sure. On low to mid rpms, it you'll still be fairly quiet. No little fan motors whining.

Graphics are the hard part. What to buy and when. I was tired of sifting daily for info. I decided that if 9800 GTX comes out before my step-up expires, I'll look at it. I'd have to see a solid 1.5x gain to make the move though...

Ah, Jamaica. Different world. I wish I was there right now..