Grafx Card to Buy....Which Makes Sense?

[djtech2k]

I am a gamer that has stepped away for a few months but am thinking of buying a new card. Truth be told, I need to build a whole new rig, but I dont have time right now. So I thought that if I could have a new card for good $$$ then I may just upgrade my card and then rebuild the whole rig in 6 months - 1 year. Here is what I run right now:

AMD Athlon(tm) 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 4400+
DFI NF4 SLI-DR
OCZ PC4000 2x1GB
Asus 7800GTX


Ok, so I am thinking about just a grafx card upgrade if its worth the $$. I have always loved Nvidia, so I will probably stick with it unless there is a compelling reason not to. I was thinking about the differences/advantages of getting something like a 9800GTX+, GTX260, or GTX280. I see the GTX280 is like $400+, so that's out if it is that much. The GTX260 has more streams, but speeds are generally slower. So the 9800GTX+ has less streams, faster clocks, and lower price. So I guess if I were to say "For around $220 or less, is it worth it to buy a new card for my system and if so, which one?". It would be great to be able to use it and upgrade on my new rig when I build it within the next 6-12 months, but its not critical. If I spend $200 on a card now, I wont fee so bad about not using it in a new system if that's what it takes. In a new rig, I will have a lot of nice stuff, but for now I just need a boost in performance. My 7800GTX is OC'd and is just not enough for me anymore.

 

[Fattysharp]

A few things ...

If you are planning on reusing the card in a new system later, then get the 260. If you are not planning on reusing it, and just want something to get by for a few months get the 9800. And if that is the case, I would probably say get the 9800gt and save another 50$ and put it aside for the card you really want with your new rig.

Note that the 260 will not be fully utilized on the system you are running. I would only get that card if you really do plan to resuse it in your next system.

Also, look into what games you want to play, and at what res. If the games run well on that card at the res on your monitor, get that card.

 

[MarcVenice]

Fatty is right. A 9800gt would allready be a huge improvement over your 7800gtx. A gtx260 would be an insane improvement, and will probably be bottlenecked by your CPU. For 1680*1050 I'd get a 9800gt, or maybe a HD4850. For a higher res I'd get the gtx260 or HD4870 and re-use it in your new PC.

This is hard to beat for it's price for example: http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814131117 The gtx260 216 is a lot more expensive,

 

[djtech2k]

Ok, thanks. I was thinking either 9800GTX+ or GTX260. They are similar price if you get the higher 9800GTX+. I thought the 9800gtx+ because price was lower, but was not sure if it made sense since the 260 is only a little more. I noticed a 9800GTX+ with 756/2246 core/mem clocks and 128 streams for like $200 whereas the GTX260 with 192 streams and 576/2000 core/mem clocks is like $220.

Which is a better buy in this type of thing?

 

[Fattysharp]

The better buy depends on a lot of things, but the 260 is much better then the 9800gtx.

So if the price does not matter, then get the 260.

It is probably not your "best buy" given your machine specs, but since you are looking between the 2 cards, and want to know which card is better, the 260 is much better.

I still say your best buy for that machine is a 9800gt, or as Marc said, the ati 4850.

 

[djtech2k]

Ok, well I am still quite twisted. I would rather not spend $260 on a card that I may not use in the new system, BUT I dont want to spend $200 on something that isnt even close to as good.

I have an Antec P180, will either card fit? There is not much room around my 7800gtx as it is. I have cable going everywhere because of the size. Anyone know about the size?

 

[MarcVenice]

Both cards will fit just fine. You have your HDD's in your lower drive bay, right?

You should REALLY have a look at that HD4870 I linked to. For $195 AR it EASILY beats any gtx260 216 you can buy, on newegg at least.

Btw, there are TWO gtx260 videocards, one with 192 stream processor, and one with 216. The one with 216 streamprocessor is equally fast as a HD4870 512mb.

 

[djtech2k]

I am looking at the ati again....power color makes me VERY nervous. I hear it is a horrible company and the reviews on newegg are good either. I do like the GDDR5 though. Also, has ATI's drivers gotten better? I went to Nvidia because they used to be garbage.

 

[MarcVenice]

Then go with this one instead:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814121290

Although some of the reviews are from idiots abt the powercolor HD4870. Also, the drivers have greatly improved, up to the point where they are on par with nvidia's. For $205 you won't find a better videocard, and it's pretty darn fast, so you can easily re-use it in your new PC.

 

[krnmastersgt]

9800 GT/ATI 4850 = 1680x1050 or lower (not ALL games can run max settings at this res with these cards, most will however)
9800 GTX+ = slightly cooler/faster/lower power draw version of the GTX, which is a slightly faster GT (still only useful at 1680x1050)
260 core 216/4870 512mb = equal competition until the 180 drivers for the 260 are out, then it equals or beats the 4870 1gb (overkill for anything below 1920x1200)

The GT/GTX+ would be adequate for 1680x1050 gaming for a while longer to say the least. However a much more "future-proofed" investment would be the 4870 or 260 since those will be able to last a few solid years at 1680x1050 or 1920x1200. But if you game on something less than 1680x1050 I don't see how you could go wrong with a 9800 GT for ~$100.

 

[djtech2k]

I use 1680x1050 on my desktop right now because that's the max my card offers, but I only run 1280x960 in game because anything higher makes my frame rates bog down. I would like to be able to get 333 FPS in games like COD2, COD4, etc. The GDDR5 is quite attractive to me right now though. Its hard for me to think of ati though since I have been with nvidia for years.

 

[djtech2k]

Which of these do you guys think would be better:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...82E16814121291&bop=And

 

[cmdrdredd]

Originally posted by: djtech2k
Which of these do you guys think would be better:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...82E16814121290&bop=And

same thing either way. I'd go for the Sapphire as it has the HSF touching the memory and VRM area.

 

[djtech2k]

Sorry, I changed the link.

 

[cmdrdredd]

the 1GB card is better if you don't overclock it because the 1GB cards don't overclock well.

 

[Leyawiin]

nvm.

 

[djtech2k]

Another thing I just noticed....the ATI 4870 uses GDDR5, but with 256bit memory access whereas the Nvidia gtx260 uses GDDR3 but has the 448bit memory access. What is the better route?