I've narrowed my graphics card searches down to getting the GeForce 6800 Standard 128MB DDR. I won't be going for the GT or Ultra models because they're a bit too expensive for me at the moment. So the last question I have is what manufacturers would you recommend for this video card?
Here's the brands I'm evaluating. Please add your own thoughts if I missed any:
Albatron - $282
Chaintech - $288
eVGA - $283
Gainward (double slot design) - $299
Gainward (single slot design) - $296
Leadtek - $283
MSI - $292
PNY - $292
Prolink - $294
XFX - $283
Apparently that Chaintech is a "Turbo" model, meaning that it's OC'd 10% out of the box (read thread), and this article gives a good review of it.
The only games I intend to play with this are UT2004, Doom3 and FarCry (all of which I've already bought). So software bundles aren't really that big of a deal for me.
Noise is also a concern for me, so if any of these are particularly loud, I might end up getting a VGA Silencer (like one of these).
Modding to GT: I've been reading forum posts (like this one, this one and this one, and this article) about mods to unlock the extra 4 pipelines to essentially give you a GT model. I know it's not available yet, but has anyone heard which models are good for that? I'm still debating if I'll do it, but it might be a nice feature to have though when it becomes available. This isn't a requirement though.
Your opinions and technical expertise is appreciated!
Thanks!
Here's the brands I'm evaluating. Please add your own thoughts if I missed any:
Albatron - $282
Chaintech - $288
eVGA - $283
Gainward (double slot design) - $299
Gainward (single slot design) - $296
Leadtek - $283
MSI - $292
PNY - $292
Prolink - $294
XFX - $283
Apparently that Chaintech is a "Turbo" model, meaning that it's OC'd 10% out of the box (read thread), and this article gives a good review of it.
The only games I intend to play with this are UT2004, Doom3 and FarCry (all of which I've already bought). So software bundles aren't really that big of a deal for me.
Noise is also a concern for me, so if any of these are particularly loud, I might end up getting a VGA Silencer (like one of these).
Modding to GT: I've been reading forum posts (like this one, this one and this one, and this article) about mods to unlock the extra 4 pipelines to essentially give you a GT model. I know it's not available yet, but has anyone heard which models are good for that? I'm still debating if I'll do it, but it might be a nice feature to have though when it becomes available. This isn't a requirement though.
Your opinions and technical expertise is appreciated!
Thanks!