GFX Card Purchase - Which One?

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
S

SinxarKnights

Member
Dec 16, 2007
94
0
61
Hello everyone. I think this is my first thread that I have started, and its a question that may be posted often, if so i'm sorry.

As we all know its tax time in the US and I need an upgrade.

I do not have an SLI or Crossfire board so that is out of the picture entirely.

My choices are the 8800GT 512MB, 8800GTS 640MB, 8800GTS 512MB or the HD 3870.

from cheapest to most expensive.

8800GT 512 - HD 3870 - very close in price.
8800GTS 512 - 8800GTS 640 - very close in price.

At the moment I only game at 1280x1024 at 75MHz but that may change sometime soon. Now logic would tell me to go for the more expensive card (the GTS's) but why should I pick one of those over a GT or the 3870?

The GT and 3870 are at about $230 and the GTS's are at about $310.

Anyone have input into what one I should get? I had my eye on the GT for a while but now since im allowed to spend some of MY cash what one would be the better deal?

Or maybe another card I should get? My limit is about $320'ish because I have to pay a bunch of medical bills and other stuff. I am currently using a Sapphire X1650 XT 256 - AWESOME card too BTW I am playing Crysis on medium settings (high CPU bound effects) and I still play Oblivion, I love being evil and playing it maxed out with a solid 75FPS. But my card don't support DX10. Oh ya an I have Vista and a decent system (being upgraded also!) so there is no problems there, just need help on the GFX card selection.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!
 
I

imported_Scoop

Senior member
Dec 10, 2007
773
0
0
Definitely keep your hands OFF the old 320MB and 640MB 8800GTS models, they aren't worth it. 8800GT outperforms them easily and HD 3870 is pretty much even with the old GTS. The new 512MB GTS is better than the 8800GT and I guess if you're only shopping for a GPU and it fits your budget, that would be my recommendation obviously.
 
B

betasub

Platinum Member
Mar 22, 2006
2,677
0
0
OT: "X1650 XT 256 - AWESOME card...Oblivion... maxed out with a solid 75FPS"

:confused: How are you managing this at 1280x1024? It wasn't an awesome card for me: I swapped it out quickly for an x1800xt and much better (but still not maxed) performace in Oblivion.
 
M

MarcVenice

Moderator Emeritus <br>
Apr 2, 2007
5,664
0
0
Either a HD3870 512mb or a 8800gt 512mb. The 8800GTS 512mb offers to little extra performance over the 8800GT considering it costs 80$ more, or like 30% more vs a 10% performance gain.
 
S

SinxarKnights

Member
Dec 16, 2007
94
0
61
Originally posted by: betasub
OT: "X1650 XT 256 - AWESOME card...Oblivion... maxed out with a solid 75FPS"

:confused: How are you managing this at 1280x1024? It wasn't an awesome card for me: I swapped it out quickly for an x1800xt and much better (but still not maxed) performace in Oblivion.
Click to expand...

I know, nobody believes me, but it really don't matter. With Crysis at Medium, I am getting 30 - 50 FPS, but that is at 1152x864. I'm not really bragging but I just don't understand why my meager rig can outperform obviously superior rigs in certain games. Right now my system is entirely ATI/AMD, ATI chipset/GFX with AMD processor, and I KNOW that it can't make that much of a difference. I use the ATI Tray Tools for FPS reporting.

OK now, GeForce 8800GTS (G92) 512MB is only $305 at newegg.com. However the GeForce 8800GT 512MB is $240.

So I'm still not really sure. The GTS or the GT. Its a tough decision.
 
C

Chosonman

Golden Member
Jan 24, 2005
1,136
0
0
Originally posted by: MarcVenice
Either a HD3870 512mb or a 8800gt 512mb. The 8800GTS 512mb offers to little extra performance over the 8800GT considering it costs 80$ more, or like 30% more vs a 10% performance gain.
Click to expand...

I agree
 
H

heyheybooboo

Diamond Member
Jun 29, 2007
6,278
0
0
Originally posted by: SinxarKnights
Originally posted by: heyheybooboo
HD 2900PRO 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 $160

It had a $15 rebate - don't know if it's still on .... will take twice the ""juice"" of your X1650XT so depending upon your new rig probably need 500-600w PS.
Click to expand...

So is that 2900Pro 512 faster/better than the 8800GT(S)?
Click to expand...

Don't know ... sure is alot cheaper. It OCs like a beast, however, in the range of a 8800 GTS if you are lucky (and can afford 50% more wattage)

I just got one - lemme know what I can bench it on for yah :D
 
K

kmmatney

Diamond Member
Jun 19, 2000
4,363
1
81
Originally posted by: heyheybooboo
Originally posted by: SinxarKnights
Originally posted by: heyheybooboo
HD 2900PRO 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 $160

It had a $15 rebate - don't know if it's still on .... will take twice the ""juice"" of your X1650XT so depending upon your new rig probably need 500-600w PS.
Click to expand...

So is that 2900Pro 512 faster/better than the 8800GT(S)?
Click to expand...

Don't know ... sure is alot cheaper. It OCs like a beast, however, in the range of a 8800 GTS if you are lucky (and can afford 50% more wattage)

I just got one - lemme know what I can bench it on for yah :D
Click to expand...

I'm getting my 2900Pro tomorrow. It should perform close to an HD3870 when overclocked, which is a good deal for a card that cost $134 shipped after rebate.

 
S

SinxarKnights

Member
Dec 16, 2007
94
0
61
Well I have an X1650 XT 256 right now. I don't think moving from that to a 2900Pro is enough of a performance increase to justify the cost of that. Maybe if it was $50. I am not saying its a crap card or anything like that but its just too far down the ladder for my budget.

6800 Ultra, 7600 GT, 7800 GS, 8600 GT ~ X1650 XT

That is from Tom's charts. My brother is using a 7800GT and has problems playing Oblivion & Crysis. I have no real issues with either now.

I think ima grab this one: GeForce 8800GTS (G92) 512MB
 
S

Syntax Error

Senior member
Oct 29, 2007
617
0
0
The GTS will be a huge leap in performance, but the price justifies the performance increase as well.
 
B

betasub

Platinum Member
Mar 22, 2006
2,677
0
0
Originally posted by: SinxarKnights
My brother is using a 7800GT and has problems playing Oblivion & Crysis. I have no real issues with either now.
Click to expand...

Well, if that's the case, you've no real need to upgrade that monster x1650xt then. ;)

3850, 3870 and 8800GT all give great bang-for-buck. 8800GTS-512 and 3870x2 are further steps up the price ladder, but arguable worth it if you are looking for the maxmum improvement in performance.

 
S

SinxarKnights

Member
Dec 16, 2007
94
0
61
Originally posted by: betasub
Originally posted by: SinxarKnights
My brother is using a 7800GT and has problems playing Oblivion & Crysis. I have no real issues with either now.
Click to expand...

Well, if that's the case, you've no real need to upgrade that monster x1650xt then. ;)

3850, 3870 and 8800GT all give great bang-for-buck. 8800GTS-512 and 3870x2 are further steps up the price ladder, but arguable worth it if you are looking for the maxmum improvement in performance.
Click to expand...

LoL! I think I like it so much because it lets me play anything I want without putting everything on low settings. Just like when I got my GeForce 5200 FX. That card was a beast when it came out, and it still has enough power to play Guild Wars on pretty high settings but only at 1024x768.

I was looking into getting a 7800GT when I first got my ATI card but they were/are hard as hell to find. My brother's issue is prolly some configuration error. He is the type that has to have every single program that is installed that wants to start up when Windows does, loaded on startup while trying to run a MUD server and play Crysis at the same time and wonders why his computer is so slow and why he can't play on anything higher than "Low" setting in Oblivion and Crysis is unplayable.

I guess it would be worth mentioning that I am gaming at 1280x1024 at the moment. So, that is why a lower end card is doing so well for me I guess. But like everyone, I want to play games that come out this year with all/most of the eye candy with minimal investment. But since I have some loot to toss at a gfx card I might as well get the best one I can right?
 
P

Piuc2020

Golden Member
Nov 4, 2005
1,716
0
0
It depends, if you plan to keep the GPU the LONGEST time possible then by all means go for the 8800GTS, you'll be thankful later on, people said the same thing about the 8800GTS 640 and the 8800GTX when they first launched, that the difference was neglible (and it was) but now we see that people with a 8800GTX game much more comfortably on games like Crysis than people with a 8800GTS 640 even though at launch they all ate up through any game available at blistering fast rates.

So yeah, if you plan on keeping the card for say like a year, go the 8800GT, if you really plan to get the last juice of performance (say keep the cards like 2-3 years) then definitely go for the fastest card your budget allows which is, in this case, the G92 8800GTS 512MB.
 
S

SinxarKnights

Member
Dec 16, 2007
94
0
61
I got this gfx card from newegg.com. MSI 8800GT 512MB (Product Page)(Pictures)

I also picked up an X2 5600+ to replace my X2 3800+. Phenom isn't supported on my AM2 board unfortunately.

So after testing the CPU for quite a while I did a fresh install of Vista. After all that, using 3D Mark06 I came up with this: (3dmark06 Results)

My ScienceMark score went from 1247.41 (3800+) to 1494.55 (5600+). The only noticeable difference is that I can compress files faster, and a faster boot.

Overall I think it was a decent upgrade.
 
T

Tbolo

Junior Member
Feb 9, 2008
8
0
0
I run a Palit 8800GT 1GB($265 @ xpcgea.com) and I get a little better performance than my GT512. I am able to clock it higher than my 8800GTS and get a little better performance so I decide to sli the 1GB card. Plus it stays cooler than both other cards (38idle and not over 62maxed).

Palit 8800GT Super 1GB 740/970 SLI
E6600 @ 3.6 1.47v
Asus P5N-e SLI @ 400
GSkill 2x1Gb DDR800
WD 74GB Raptor
Audigy ZS
Hiper TypeR 580 PSU
Antec 900 v.2
LG L226WTY-BF
3Dmark06 16200
 
Magusigne

Magusigne

Golden Member
Nov 21, 2007
1,550
0
76
Originally posted by: SinxarKnights
Now, anyone have any case suggestions?
Click to expand...

Wanna go for broke? If you can get a CM-Cosmos for 90AR that would be amazing!

Antec P180's are good too..if you get a rebate
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom