"Future proof" video card purchase

[Artista]

I noticed the great thread of the different range of video card but it was for the best bang for the buck.

What if factoring in "future proofing"?

Yeah I could buy a gtx460 se and play most games at mid-range resolutions for now but how long before I had (want?) to up grade just to actually play the new games other than at 800 x 600?

I am thinking a Radeon HD 6950 in price range of $250 after rebates. Then flash with 6970 bios.

I know from experience that buying the cheapest think on the block isnt always the best way to make a purchase. Save and wait sometimes works best.

Case in point: Bought original half-life PC game and it would NOT run well at all with the big action scenes on my then new video card.

My 8800GT 512k overclocked has served well for a long time.

Thoughts? (If this thread is redundent I can delete.)

 

[Qbah]

Buy a card that meets your needs today. You can't future proof as you don't know what games will require in the future. If a card plays all the games you wish to play fine today, that's the card to get.

 

[dpodblood]

Financially the best option is to buy a card that will play games you currently want to play, and games which will be released over the course of the next year. A year later you can re-sell the card for a decent amount and upgrade once again to a new GPU. For example if you had bought a GTX 470 a year ago you could sell is now for probably $200, and buy yourself a GTX 570 for $350. This would make your upgrade essentially cost only $150.

 

[Chinoman]

I would purchase a 6950 1GB and a Samsung 2233RZ.

The monitor runs at 1680x1050 natively, a resolution at which the 6950 1GB thrashes current games. The monitor also has a refresh rate of 120 Hz so your game will look even smoother with the increased frames.

It'll be a while before a game is released that stresses the 6950 1GB to its breaking point at 1680x1050.

 

[Vdubchaos]

Depends what games you play.

I play BC2, F1 2010, Fifa 2011, SC2 and MW2 and 460 1gb maxes out all the games at 1920x1200.

Perhaps 460 might not be very "future proof" but its a great little card.

PS. if you can swing it 2gb 6950 would probably be your best bet.

 

[Jacky60]

If you buy a 6950 get the 2gb version-the extra memory will be decisive in future 1gb is fine for most games now but if you want to turn up eye candy and keep your card for a year or two or perhaps more then plenty of ram will be important.

 

[Artista]

I think the gtx 460 is a great card. Seems the straight up 1 Gb version is the way to go vs 786 or se versions. I at first was looking at the 460 and then 6850. Then prices dropped on the 6950. I just was thinking a few more years out as far as usable life. So $80-$100 buck now may take me a few more years down the road. I hate upgrading and shopping in general so I like to keep it at a minimum.

Then again I can always sell a card later in the future, put the money towards the card of the day, and save money now.

 

[Vdubchaos]

its up to you to determine if extra 80-100 dollars is worthy of the performance difference you will gain in the games YOU play.

To me it wasn't, 460 already maxes out everything so spending 80-100 would've gained me NOTHING but extra frame rates which I don't really need.

But it would've gained me longer life/better performance down the road.

 

[toyota]

buy what you need now with a little wiggle room. I still play EVERY game out there at 1920x1080 with an older 192sp gtx260. sometimes its only a setting or two that can dramatically impact framerates so for the most part I play games at max settings or pretty close to max. of course I am not an AA whore though.


you really need to list what the rest of your specs are too. your resolution and cpu will have impact on whether a future proof card would be waste in the first place.

 

[Continuity28]

Future proofing isn't always possible or desirable. With video cards specifically, you'll end up in a situation where a more powerful and expensive card will become outdated around the same time as the cheaper card, not so much because of the speed, but because it will not support the latest graphics options. Personally, I would aim for great quality at your resolution, and upgrade more often when needed, versus having a card that is overkill now, and "obsolete" later.

That is, of course, assuming you don't have the money to just get the best every time it's released... I know I don't.

 

[Artista]

Future proofing isn't always possible or desirable. With video cards specifically, you'll end up in a situation where a more powerful and expensive card will become outdated around the same time as the cheaper card, not so much because of the speed, but because it will not support the latest graphics options. Personally, I would aim for great quality at your resolution, and upgrade more often when needed, versus having a card that is overkill now, and "obsolete" later.

That is, of course, assuming you don't have the money to just get the best every time it's released... I know I don't.

No I wont be buying the "new what ever on the block" everytime something comes out! Actually I dont have all the money for my new system. D: Thats where the newegg prefered (credit card- zero percent interest for six months) account comes in. Maybe I shouldnt but....I just might since the end effect will be the same as buying each piece each pay check.

In regards to spec...all the components will line up in regards to the performance level type of the video card card I buy and vice-versa.

My current cpu is a AMD 64 x2 3800+, and my video card a 8800Gt. I have a 19inch AOC non-HD LCD screen.

Its not like I would buy a Radeon 6970 and slap it in this system or buy a sandy bridge and use the 8800gt or the same old Antec 400 watt power supply. (smell the smoke)

I am building from scratch a "budget to mid-range" gaming machine. I have the OS and the power supply so far. Specs are therefore wide open but the wallet is not!:'(

I think the single most expensive component probably will be the video card.

 

[toyota]

tbh its sounds like buying components for a new build should not be a priority.

 

[sandorski]

Play Text Games if you want to Future Proof.

 

[Artista]

tbh its sounds like buying components for a new build should not be a priority.

True! Want vs need.

 

[Vdubchaos]

Don't do it on credit.

a) have 6 months security funds for emergency
b) pay off all debt
c) save then spend vs spend then pay off debt

don't dig yourself into a whole (deeper whole then you are probably already in).

I've been building PCs for 12+ years and there is absolutely NOTHNG better than "best bang for the buck". The second you step outside of that you are gaining 10-20% performance for 50-200% the price.

NOT worth it unless money is no object.

460 and 6850 is the best bang for the buck currently. Second you go past that you are talking 50-100 dollars more for 5-10% increase (read: not worth it)

 

[happy medium]

I would make the video card the last thing I buy when building a new system.

You want future proof? Buy a card that can run all your games at 90fps now and more then likely they will run most games at 60fps for the next year or so.

 

[dpodblood]

I would make the video card the last thing I buy when building a new system.

You want future proof? Buy a card that can run all your games at 90fps now and more then likely they will run most games at 60fps for the next year or so.

A good rule of thumb. :thumbsup:

 

[Artista]

Don't do it on credit.

a) have 6 months security funds for emergency
b) pay off all debt
c) save then spend vs spend then pay off debt

don't dig yourself into a whole (deeper hole then you are probably already in).

I've been building PCs for 12+ years and there is absolutely NOTHNG better than "best bang for the buck". The second you step outside of that you are gaining 10-20% performance for 50-200% the price.

NOT worth it unless money is no object.

460 and 6850 is the best bang for the buck currently. Second you go past that you are talking 50-100 dollars more for 5-10% increase (read: not worth it)

I used to have all that financial stuff down and done. Then I took a hit like everyone else. Least I still have a steady job and income.

Perhaps I should scale back.

Then its a Athlon II x3 and a ~$45 foxconn AM3 motherboard, if I go truly budget. :'( (Bye bye Sandy Bridge)

Instead of Radeon 6950 then going with a 6850 would be more financially sound. A 6850 for ~$150 bucks after rebate is a lot of card for the money.
Still a Athlon II X3 with a 6850/460 overclocked would run most stuff at mid-range quality.

More food for thought. lol :\

 

[toyota]

a 6850 running mid range quality??? I think you are underestimating current video cards. you have a low res monitor which even a much weaker card could run nearly every game at max settings.

 

[Artista]

a 6850 running mid range quality??? I think you are underestimating current video cards. you have a low res monitor which even a much weaker card could run nearly every game at max settings.

Well that could very well be. :|

Its just that when you read hardware reviews they make it sound like if you dont have "xyz" card your system wont run anything acceptably.

The Radeon 6850 was the review site darling end of last year (a few months ago literally) now its the gtx 460ti or the Radeon 6950.

I look at the graphs and the cards just a few months ago were pushing 60-95 frames per second are now on the bottum of the graphs and barely pushing 40 frames per second. Then the "new darling" is blowing everything away. I am talking just a 3-6 month cycle here. (Makes you wonder about integrity and if they are pushing hardware?)

Also I DO want to attempt to use my 40inch 1080p Toshiba LCD tv for a monitor from time to time.

(I assume the new HDMI output from the radeon/nvidia cards that feature it will now output both sound and video through a HDMI cable to my TV???) (unlike the dvi input on my 8800gt)

 

[toyota]

you are looking at reviews that use settings that you don't have to. like I mentioned earlier sometimes just turning down one or two settings can give a massive increase in performance with no noticeable visual difference. in some games just lowering something like the shadows one notch can make a game go from choppy to perfectly playable. for example turning down sun shadows and SSAO to medium in Clear Sky takes the framerate from 30-40 fps up to 50-60 while looking no different.

 

[Castiel]

No such thing unless your planning on running 4 580's

 

[Artista]

you are looking at reviews that use settings that you don't have to. like I mentioned earlier sometimes just turning down one or two settings can give a massive increase in performance with no noticeable visual difference. in some games just lowering something like the shadows one notch can make a game go from choppy to perfectly playable. for example turning down sun shadows and SSAO to medium in Clear Sky takes the framerate from 30-40 fps up to 50-60 while looking no different.

Good points.

I am playing Borderlands right now. It downloaded C++ packets and some NVIDIA software to my computer. It runs pretty good on the old 8800gt/AMD 64 X2 3800+. I imagine it is highly optimized for nvidia though.:hmm:

I do want to be able to play almost every game on the market today with the card I buy and have a little wiggle room for the future. The 6850 and gtx460 may be the way to go. I guess looking around I got carried away with getting the latest stuff.

How many games are optimised for Radeons and does it matter like games optimised for NVIDIA?

 

[Artista]

No such thing unless your planning on running 4 580's

You mean that a gtx460 1Gb or a Radeon 6850 wont run anything on a 40inch lcd tv?

 

[happy medium]

You want the best bang for your buck and future proofing, buy 2 5850's at 135$ AR shipped. Stick on in your closet untill you buy your new system and you have your future proofing.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...&SID=u00000687