I currently have a Radeon X1900XT. I've had it since 06, and for the most part it has served me well. The one issue is that the card is notoriously loud. It puts my 360 to shame. This is particularly problematic because I like to play RPGs and MMOs. When I play games of these genres I want to be immersed, and the fan tends to be so jarring as to completely eliminate the immersive effect of the ambient/atmospheric audio. Recently I've gotten back into Icewind Dale II, but I've had to steal time on someone else's iMac because it is silent, and allows me to lose myself in the setting. This isn't going to work any longer, so I need a video card that will allow me to achieve a similar result.
I'm on a bit of a budget so I wanted to find something under $130. A few days ago this deal showed up in my inbox - http://tinyurl.com/5hlkzf (EVGA 9800 GTX+ - $115 After Rebate). I did some research and learned that this card is known as being rather quiet, at least when it is idle. One thing that stuck out to me is that it has a 2D mode, so it should be almost completely inaudible when I am playing a game like Icewind Dale II.
I went ahead and purchased the card yesterday, but after seeing this - http://tinyurl.com/5j9cu3 (EVGA GTX 260 - $155 After Rebate) I am having second thoughts. I have Fallout 3 sitting here collecting dust, and I also intend to go back and play BioShock and Mass Effect later this summer. Then there's also the all-important Dragon Age come fall. How much performance would I be gaining for the extra $40? It is probably worth mentioning that I'm not much of a frame pusher or a graphics whore, although I do like to run things at 1900x1200 (and high draw distances without too much frame dropping), which is why am now reconsidering. I was unable to find anything comparing the fan noise of the GTX+ to the 260, although this is somewhat ominous http://tinyurl.com/3epavp. It really does come down to the noise level in the end, because in a scenario in which I was playing Fallout 3, for example, and had to choose between a higher resolution/FPS but more noise, and a lower resolution/FPS and less noise, I would ultimately have to go for the latter.
I'm on a bit of a budget so I wanted to find something under $130. A few days ago this deal showed up in my inbox - http://tinyurl.com/5hlkzf (EVGA 9800 GTX+ - $115 After Rebate). I did some research and learned that this card is known as being rather quiet, at least when it is idle. One thing that stuck out to me is that it has a 2D mode, so it should be almost completely inaudible when I am playing a game like Icewind Dale II.
I went ahead and purchased the card yesterday, but after seeing this - http://tinyurl.com/5j9cu3 (EVGA GTX 260 - $155 After Rebate) I am having second thoughts. I have Fallout 3 sitting here collecting dust, and I also intend to go back and play BioShock and Mass Effect later this summer. Then there's also the all-important Dragon Age come fall. How much performance would I be gaining for the extra $40? It is probably worth mentioning that I'm not much of a frame pusher or a graphics whore, although I do like to run things at 1900x1200 (and high draw distances without too much frame dropping), which is why am now reconsidering. I was unable to find anything comparing the fan noise of the GTX+ to the 260, although this is somewhat ominous http://tinyurl.com/3epavp. It really does come down to the noise level in the end, because in a scenario in which I was playing Fallout 3, for example, and had to choose between a higher resolution/FPS but more noise, and a lower resolution/FPS and less noise, I would ultimately have to go for the latter.
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