Hmm... 8600GT for $85 or 8800GTS320 for $225

[qwertyaas]

Trying to decide what would be the best decision now. I got my XFX 8800GTS XXX for $220, but considering selling it on Ebay (can get ~$250+ for it) and getting an 8600GT for $85 or a 7600GT for $59 as a placeholder card until the next gen comes out. Is there really any point to doing this (if the next gen cards come out at $500+, I would not buy those). I got a really great deal on the GTS, but if the 8600GT could hold me over, that might make more sense (max settings such as AA/AF are not a must for me, but I don't want to game at low settings).

 

[MarcVenice]

You got yourself a great deal, I would enjoy the card, especially since you got such a good deal. Even when newer cards come out, you will be hard pressed to find a 8800gts xxx for 200-220$, and you can enjoy it now, instead of in 3 months...

 

[qwertyaas]

That's a good point. I'm just thinking of what the resale value would be like in a few months. I really don't think it will/can drop that much (since the card is around $290 AR now). Even if it goes for $200 when the next generation comes out, a $20 loss over a few months *is* a great deal whereas the 8600GT probably won't sell for anything. Just these Newegg deals are so tempting, 8600GT for $86, 7600GT for $59 (for placeholders that is)... Haha...

 

[RussianSensation]

Nvidia's strategy for releasing graphics cards is high end first followed by their other product lines. This means you most likely won't see GF9 9800GTS for $300 until February of 2009. Also it seems historically Nvidia old gen cards lose value a lot less and slower than ATI cards and they often have a tendency to disappear from the marketplace when they are replaced, like 7800GTX 256mb. So I wouldn't even count on getting 8800GTX for $250 before the year end. Price reduction on HD 2900XT isn't something worth waiting for. If you are actually going to be gaming, I'd keep your card. On the other hand if you just got the card to have a fast gaming card just because and won't really use it right now, then there is no point in keeping it either.

 

[Munky]

Keep the 8800gts. You'll only be wasting money on the 8600 series, it's common knowledge that those cards are weak, it would look even more pathetic after the 8900 series launches. Also, you don't know if the 8900 series is even worth waiting for - how it will perform, how much it will cost, and how long it will be delayed are all unknown factors at this point.

 

[firewolfsm]

There won't be an 8900 series this generation (there was no 6900), it's jumping right into the next generation.

 

[Skott]

I agree with the others. Keep the 8800GTS.

 

[amking]

Originally posted by: RussianSensation
Nvidia's strategy for releasing graphics cards is high end first followed by their other product lines. This means you most likely won't see GF9 9800GTS for $300 until February of 2009. Also it seems historically Nvidia old gen cards lose value a lot less and slower than ATI cards and they often have a tendency to disappear from the marketplace when they are replaced, like 7800GTX 256mb. So I wouldn't even count on getting 8800GTX for $250 before the year end. Price reduction on HD 2900XT isn't something worth waiting for. If you are actually going to be gaming, I'd keep your card. On the other hand if you just got the card to have a fast gaming card just because and won't really use it right now, then there is no point in keeping it either.

i hope for my sake that the part about the 9800gts not showing up until feb 2008 isnt true... the rest of my parts arrive tomorrow and i will finally be upgrading this weekend from my old a64 3500+ to a c2d e6850. i had planned on just holding on to my 7800gt until the 9800's came out (hoping for a mid range card) in novemeber, but i dont think i can wait until next year D:

especially if i end up going from gaming @ 1024x768 on a crt to 1680x1050 on a ws lcd. guess i might end up having to shell out for a 8800 after all :/


edit: to the OP, want to give me a good deal on that gts? <3

 

[aka1nas]

You're going to be waiting until next year for new mid-range cards. Lets hope that they don't just do a $600 flagship release in November and make us wait for the $300-$400 part.

 

[Munky]

Originally posted by: firewolfsm
There won't be an 8900 series this generation (there was no 6900), it's jumping right into the next generation.

I'm skeptical when it comes to rumors. The 7800gtx could have been classified as a 6900 w/ more pipes, and I don't expect any major changes with Nvidia's next cards either.

 

[myocardia]

Originally posted by: munky
The 7800gtx could have been classified as a 6900 w/ more pipes, and I don't expect any major changes with Nvidia's next cards either.

Yeah, no performance difference at all between a 7800GTX and a 6800GT/Ultra.

 

[lopri]

The difference between 6800 and 7800 is huge, while underlying technology is the same. (G70 -> G71 is a different story, though)

NV won't throw away the G80 architecture after one product cycle. But we can safely assume that G92 will have a lot more to bring on the table than G80.

 

[Keysplayr]

Originally posted by: munky

Originally posted by: firewolfsm
There won't be an 8900 series this generation (there was no 6900), it's jumping right into the next generation.

I'm skeptical when it comes to rumors. The 7800gtx could have been classified as a 6900 w/ more pipes, and I don't expect any major changes with Nvidia's next cards either.

No, they didn't just slap on 8 more pipes for the 7 series. The architecture was much improved over the 6 series. New features were introduced that were not available on the 6 series. The 6 series introduced a fine architecture and they improved upon it with the 7 series quite a bit.

A 6900 would have been a 6800 die shrunk and higher clocks with no architectural changes. A refresh. Sort of like the 7900 was to the 7800. Maybe removing unneeded transistors on the 6900 as well.

 

[Munky]

Originally posted by: keysplayr2003

Originally posted by: munky

Originally posted by: firewolfsm
There won't be an 8900 series this generation (there was no 6900), it's jumping right into the next generation.

I'm skeptical when it comes to rumors. The 7800gtx could have been classified as a 6900 w/ more pipes, and I don't expect any major changes with Nvidia's next cards either.

No, they didn't just slap on 8 more pipes for the 7 series. The architecture was much improved over the 6 series. New features were introduced that were not available on the 6 series. The 6 series introduced a fine architecture and they improved upon it with the 7 series quite a bit.

A 6900 would have been a 6800 die shrunk and higher clocks with no architectural changes. A refresh. Sort of like the 7900 was to the 7800. Maybe removing unneeded transistors on the 6900 as well.

I know there were some tweaks and improvements built into the 7800, but the underlying architecture was basically the same, just like the r300->r420, r520->r580, or the GF3->GF4 transition. The newer features like TRAA can now be enabled in older GF6 cards via driver hacks, and the weaknesses which the GF6 architecture had (like slow dynamic branching, no MSAA of FP buffers) carried over to the GF7. I would expect whatever Nvidia releases next will not stray far from the current g80 architecture

 

[Synomenon]

Originally posted by: amking

Originally posted by: RussianSensation
Nvidia's strategy for releasing graphics cards is high end first followed by their other product lines. This means you most likely won't see GF9 9800GTS for $300 until February of 2009. Also it seems historically Nvidia old gen cards lose value a lot less and slower than ATI cards and they often have a tendency to disappear from the marketplace when they are replaced, like 7800GTX 256mb. So I wouldn't even count on getting 8800GTX for $250 before the year end. Price reduction on HD 2900XT isn't something worth waiting for. If you are actually going to be gaming, I'd keep your card. On the other hand if you just got the card to have a fast gaming card just because and won't really use it right now, then there is no point in keeping it either.

i hope for my sake that the part about the 9800gts not showing up until feb 2008 isnt true... the rest of my parts arrive tomorrow and i will finally be upgrading this weekend from my old a64 3500+ to a c2d e6850. i had planned on just holding on to my 7800gt until the 9800's came out (hoping for a mid range card) in novemeber, but i dont think i can wait until next year D:

especially if i end up going from gaming @ 1024x768 on a crt to 1680x1050 on a ws lcd. guess i might end up having to shell out for a 8800 after all :/


edit: to the OP, want to give me a good deal on that gts? <3

February 2009?

 

[RussianSensation]

Originally posted by: IsLNdbOi

February 2009?

I meant 2008 of course