How often do you guys need to update your graphics cards?

[orangat]

Originally posted by: apoppin
from 1 to 3 years . . . . and i generally sell my old video card to defray the expenses of the new one.

for me it's averaging close to "every 18 months" . . . .

Originally posted by: Inspector Jihad

Originally posted by: housecat
You just need either a lot of money or a good job and good saving habits.
Not recommended for kids in high school.

regardless of finiancial status, its expensive...and i guess its not for hs students and definetly not for us college students. anyway consoles seem to make more sense when you think about it.

Console games are much more expensive and not discounted until the game is ancient. OTOH, you can usually get a 'just released' PC game (on sale ) for less than $39 and within 6 months is usually "bargain bin" - $20.

finally you toss your old console in the trash and buy a new one . . . . otoh you UPgrade your PC bit by bit . . .

Bad argument. A new console costs $200. A single PC component costs $300.

 

[JackBurton]

I went from a Radeon 8500 to a 6800GT. I only upgrade if I'll see a BIG difference in my new purchase.

 

[holycpu]

Originally posted by: orangat

Originally posted by: apoppin
from 1 to 3 years . . . . and i generally sell my old video card to defray the expenses of the new one.

for me it's averaging close to "every 18 months" . . . .

Originally posted by: Inspector Jihad

Originally posted by: housecat
You just need either a lot of money or a good job and good saving habits.
Not recommended for kids in high school.

regardless of finiancial status, its expensive...and i guess its not for hs students and definetly not for us college students. anyway consoles seem to make more sense when you think about it.

Console games are much more expensive and not discounted until the game is ancient. OTOH, you can usually get a 'just released' PC game (on sale ) for less than $39 and within 6 months is usually "bargain bin" - $20.

finally you toss your old console in the trash and buy a new one . . . . otoh you UPgrade your PC bit by bit . . .

Bad argument. A new console costs $200. A single PC component costs $300.

hmm, no. When PS2 is out, 550 Canadian, 3000 HK dollars, not til in 2-3 years the price drop to 250 to 270 Canadian.

A new console is not that cheap, unless you are talking about nintendo DS or gameboy advance SP, then its different.

Even a Sony PSP cost about 350 Canadian.

$200 US = about 250-260 Canadian.

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: orangat

Originally posted by: apoppin
from 1 to 3 years . . . . and i generally sell my old video card to defray the expenses of the new one.

for me it's averaging close to "every 18 months" . . . .

Originally posted by: Inspector Jihad

Originally posted by: housecat
You just need either a lot of money or a good job and good saving habits.
Not recommended for kids in high school.

regardless of finiancial status, its expensive...and i guess its not for hs students and definetly not for us college students. anyway consoles seem to make more sense when you think about it.

Console games are much more expensive and not discounted until the game is ancient. OTOH, you can usually get a 'just released' PC game (on sale ) for less than $39 and within 6 months is usually "bargain bin" - $20.

finally you toss your old console in the trash and buy a new one . . . . otoh you UPgrade your PC bit by bit . . .

Bad argument. A new console costs $200. A single PC component costs $300.

No . . . your argument is dated. When the x-box first came out in quantity it cost $350 (add one game and one or two "extras" - controller? memory? and it cost closer to $500). In contrast, the top of the line very best gfx card was ~$399 with a brand new game or two INCLUDED if you picked the right bundle.
(you DO use your computer for more than games i hope? - . . . if not, grab an xbox )

The Next X-box - "full version" - will probably be closer to $500 - add a game, controller, extra memory and a x-box live connection and you have spent serious money.
:thumbsdown:

 

[orangat]

Originally posted by: apoppin

Originally posted by: orangat

Originally posted by: apoppin
from 1 to 3 years . . . . and i generally sell my old video card to defray the expenses of the new one.

for me it's averaging close to "every 18 months" . . . .

Originally posted by: Inspector Jihad

Originally posted by: housecat
You just need either a lot of money or a good job and good saving habits.
Not recommended for kids in high school.

regardless of finiancial status, its expensive...and i guess its not for hs students and definetly not for us college students. anyway consoles seem to make more sense when you think about it.

Console games are much more expensive and not discounted until the game is ancient. OTOH, you can usually get a 'just released' PC game (on sale ) for less than $39 and within 6 months is usually "bargain bin" - $20.

finally you toss your old console in the trash and buy a new one . . . . otoh you UPgrade your PC bit by bit . . .

Bad argument. A new console costs $200. A single PC component costs $300.

No . . . your argument is dated. When the x-box first came out in quantity it cost $350 (add one game and one or two "extras" - controller? memory? and it cost closer to $500). In contrast, the top of the line very best gfx card was ~$399 with a brand new game or two INCLUDED if you picked the right bundle.
(you DO use your computer for more than games i hope? - . . . if not, grab an xbox )

The Next X-box - "full version" - will probably be closer to $500 - add a game, controller, extra memory and a x-box live connection and you have spent serious money.
:thumbsdown:

Ok. In general consoles are much cheaper for just gaming. Upgrade cycles for PC's are much shorter and costlier. The PS1 came out in 1994, PS2 in 2000.

And PC upgrade are more often that not multiple components - m/b,RAM,CPU,video.

 

[Fern]

Originally posted by: Inspector Jihad

Originally posted by: housecat
You just need either a lot of money or a good job and good saving habits.
Not recommended for kids in high school.

regardless of finiancial status, its expensive...and i guess its not for hs students and definetly not for us college students. anyway consoles seem to make more sense when you think about it.

It's not really the money. You don't need to spend thousands. Playing PC games is cheaper for me cuz the games generally cost less as they reach bargin bin prices pretty quickly.

Also, I've spent many months just playing lots of free demo's for the d/l.

My recent gfx card update cost only about $160 to go to a 6800GT. Bought a barely used one here from a long time member (some of these guys go through lots of gfx card quickly and sell 'em after playing with for a couple months) after selling my old 9800pro.

I buy bargin bin games, usually getting Far Cry, Doom 3 etc for about $20. I spend more on games than hardware.

Fern

EDIT: To answer your main question. I plan on upgrading about once a year, maybe 18 months. Depends on how much the next gen gard really improves, how much more complex the new games I play get, and how quick the price of the card falls after initial introduction.

 

[apoppin]

so howz HL2 look on that 6800gt?

 

[SynthDude2001]

Originally posted by: apoppin
so howz HL2 look on that 6800gt?

HL2 looks awesome on my 6800GT :thumbsup:

 

[hans030390]

well, since im very used to holding on the hardware till the very last moment...i upgrade once every few years...4 maybe.

 

[Inspector Jihad]

i just got a gamecube for $60 and i'll be playing that for a while. but i enjoy pc games more cause thats what first got me into gaming...and while console gaming is cheaper, pc gaming is more fun, especially online, so i think i will shell out the $150 for the 6600 gt. i hope it runs games good for the next few years.

 

[wayne2456]

I upgrade my video card every 20 years or so.

 

[BenSkywalker]

Console games are much more expensive and not discounted until the game is ancient.

Not into console games obviously. The overwhelming majority of console games are discounted quickly as are their PC counterparts- only the best selling titles don't see price drops soon after release(the same as the PC).

No . . . your argument is dated. When the x-box first came out in quantity it cost $350

It was $299- not $350.

The Next X-box - "full version" - will probably be closer to $500 - add a game, controller, extra memory and a x-box live connection and you have spent serious money.

The game cost is legit- it comes with a controller- wtf do you mean extra memory- XBox live hardware is there out of the box, not sure what you are talking about. Most estimates put the "full version" of XB360 @$400 which includes WebTV- how much extra is that on the PC?

 

[fstime]

Xbox has a built in hard drive.

No need to memory.

Controller yes, for2 player mode.

 

[fstime]

I dont need to upgrade my gfx card, I have Sm3 !!!111111oneoneone

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: BenSkywalker

Console games are much more expensive and not discounted until the game is ancient.

Not into console games obviously. The overwhelming majority of console games are discounted quickly as are their PC counterparts- only the best selling titles don't see price drops soon after release(the same as the PC).

No . . . your argument is dated. When the x-box first came out in quantity it cost $350

It was $299- not $350.

The Next X-box - "full version" - will probably be closer to $500 - add a game, controller, extra memory and a x-box live connection and you have spent serious money.

The game cost is legit- it comes with a controller- wtf do you mean extra memory- XBox live hardware is there out of the box, not sure what you are talking about. Most estimates put the "full version" of XB360 @$400 which includes WebTV- how much extra is that on the PC?

yep, $300, not $350 . . . . IF you could find one at MSRP for the first few months.

No - not into console games. . . . i DO know that the price of "A" titles on platform games does NOT fall quickly like the PC's game titles . . . there is a price difference in favor of the PC - that is all.

memory? . . . memory cards WTF did you think i was talking about?

And the DVD Movie Playback Kit . . . a "custom controller" . . . "advanced" AV [or HD] pack . . . x-box 'live' kit . . . it all adds up (all my friends have this crap).

 

[RussianSensation]

ATI rage 128 Pro
Radeon 8500

Dunno when next? .... If i had money i'd definately spend it on cars over computer hardware. I dont think it's fair to compare spending thousands on a hobby like cars to computer hardware because if you drive a nice car it actually feels good to drive something exclusive and fast/luxurious whatever. Also if you make sound investments like Jay Leno, your car collection can even appreciate in value while computer hardware will have a salvage value of $0 over time. If you have 10 geforce 10000 videocards in your computer, you are still nobody. It wont even get you valet parking or a date...and say goodbye to 20/20 vision after 5 years of love making to your computer monitor. But I guess if you cant afford a 911, then SLI is just your way of showing off

I might not resist the temptation for R520 though..it's been a while.

 

[Gamingphreek]

About every other generation for me.

Im holding out for the G70 or R520

-Kevin

 

[Acanthus]

once every 9-14 months

 

[SynthDude2001]

Originally posted by: RussianSensation
ATI rage 128 Pro
Radeon 8500

Dunno when next? .... If i had money i'd definately spend it on cars over computer hardware. I dont think it's fair to compare spending thousands on a hobby like cars to computer hardware because if you drive a nice car it actually feels good to drive something exclusive and fast/luxurious whatever. Also if you make sound investments like Jay Leno, your car collection can even appreciate in value while computer hardware will have a salvage value of $0 over time. If you have 10 geforce 10000 videocards in your computer, you are still nobody. It wont even get you valet parking or a date...and say goodbye to 20/20 vision after 5 years of love making to your computer monitor. But I guess if you cant afford a 911, then SLI is just your way of showing off

I might not resist the temptation for R520 though..it's been a while.

Thanks for that rant about how expensive video cards are for losers who have no life. Far be it for us to actually spend money on something we personally enjoy. :roll:

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: RussianSensation
ATI rage 128 Pro
Radeon 8500

Dunno when next? .... If i had money i'd definately spend it on cars over computer hardware. I dont think it's fair to compare spending thousands on a hobby like cars to computer hardware because if you drive a nice car it actually feels good to drive something exclusive and fast/luxurious whatever. Also if you make sound investments like Jay Leno, your car collection can even appreciate in value while computer hardware will have a salvage value of $0 over time. If you have 10 geforce 10000 videocards in your computer, you are still nobody. It wont even get you valet parking or a date...and say goodbye to 20/20 vision after 5 years of love making to your computer monitor. But I guess if you cant afford a 911, then SLI is just your way of showing off

I might not resist the temptation for R520 though..it's been a while.

really BAD analogy.

The day you drive your new car off the lot it depreciates - by THOUSANDS of dollars.

"IF you invest like Jay Leno".

Well if you invest like Jay Leno you can throw nice cars away. it is exceedingly RARE to get a nice car that appreciates in value - it is an EXCEPTION - and those cars so not come cheap.

Finally, you must be pretty young and haven't been able to afford a "nice" car. That "feeling' doesn't last.
:roll:

and the girls you attract with your nice car are materialistic and probably "expensive"

:thumbsdown:

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: RussianSensation
ATI rage 128 Pro
Radeon 8500

Dunno when next? .... If i had money i'd definately spend it on cars over computer hardware. I dont think it's fair to compare spending thousands on a hobby like cars to computer hardware because if you drive a nice car it actually feels good to drive something exclusive and fast/luxurious whatever. Also if you make sound investments like Jay Leno, your car collection can even appreciate in value while computer hardware will have a salvage value of $0 over time. If you have 10 geforce 10000 videocards in your computer, you are still nobody. It wont even get you valet parking or a date...and say goodbye to 20/20 vision after 5 years of love making to your computer monitor. But I guess if you cant afford a 911, then SLI is just your way of showing off

I might not resist the temptation for R520 though..it's been a while.

So I think spending SO much money on cars is lame. The only thing I'd do is drive it to work anyway. Am I right? It's not a fact, it's an opinion. Personally I wouldn't spend how ever much on a Porsche if I couldn't make use of what it's meant to do (far beyond the speed limit). It's comparable. Spending $1,000 on something you can sort of use (SLI), versus spending $100,000 on something you can sort of use (Porsche). Even though video cards might not be as valuable, you still save money vs. cars in the long run. Cars just happen to be outside and obviously more people will get a look at them than a computer inside your house, but so what? In both cases, you can greatly enjoy yourself (shut up, not that way ). Sort of a counter-rant.

 

[Munky]

I upgrade every other generation or so. Gf2mx -> 9000pro -> 9800pro. I also OC pretty much everything in my system, it's sort of a free prformance gain, so I'll keep my card until I can't run newer games decently at 1024*768, or untill the card melts/blows up.

 

[raystorm]

I guess every 2 years. I started with a Voodoo Banshee then went to a Voodoo 3 -> Geforce 2 Pro -> Geforce 3 -> Radeon 9800. I've had the 9800 for about 18 months and every game still runs great with 2X AA and 8X AF @ 1280x960 res. Granted I dont get 60fps on Doom 3 but its more than acceptable.

If I cant play games at the above settings with full details at a decent frame rate (~25fps minimum) then I'll upgrade.

Most likely though I wont do an upgrade until I'm ready to do a full pc upgrade (CPU, mobo..etc). My 2500+, 1gig ram, 9800 is still going strong.

 

[Fern]

Originally posted by: apoppin

Originally posted by: RussianSensation
ATI rage 128 Pro
Radeon 8500

Dunno when next? .... If i had money i'd definately spend it on cars over computer hardware. I dont think it's fair to compare spending thousands on a hobby like cars to computer hardware because if you drive a nice car it actually feels good to drive something exclusive and fast/luxurious whatever. Also if you make sound investments like Jay Leno, your car collection can even appreciate in value while computer hardware will have a salvage value of $0 over time. If you have 10 geforce 10000 videocards in your computer, you are still nobody. It wont even get you valet parking or a date...and say goodbye to 20/20 vision after 5 years of love making to your computer monitor. But I guess if you cant afford a 911, then SLI is just your way of showing off

I might not resist the temptation for R520 though..it's been a while.

really BAD analogy.

The day you drive your new car off the lot it depreciates - by THOUSANDS of dollars.

"IF you invest like Jay Leno".

Well if you invest like Jay Leno you can throw nice cars away. it is exceedingly RARE to get a nice car that appreciates in value - it is an EXCEPTION - and those cars so not come cheap.

Finally, you must be pretty young and haven't been able to afford a "nice" car. That "feeling' doesn't last.
:roll:

and the girls you attract with your nice car are materialistic and probably "expensive"

:thumbsdown:

You nailed it man. :thumbsup: Truer words were never typed IIRC the rule of thumb is that no more than 1,000 cars were produced to see real investment-grade auto's. No doubt there are exceptions though.

AFA HL2, I'll know soon. Been bombed with BS which has built up since 4/15. I plan to come in late Weds so I can hook up win2k to the BB connection. Hope my delay is not inconviencing you.

Fern

 

[slightlyhuman]

i got a 9800 pro 128meg around may last year and kept it until december. upgraded to a 6800OC then sold it after is old my rig in january 05. now i have a 6800GT.

if you spend 250-300, it will last you 6+ months unless you want every new game to run 1280+ res