How to select my best graphic card/LCD monitor

[WaiWai]

How to select my best graphic card/LCD monitor

1. Graphic Card
This is my criteria:
- chipset: preferably 8600GT (or 8500GT)
- two DVIs (I want to use dual monitors)
- at least PCI Express x16

But there are plenty of 8600GT which meet my criteria, so which 8600GT should I pick?
What brand should I choose? What else should I look for?
The difference from the cheapest 8600GT and the dearest can be as much as US$23.
If brand has nothing to do with performance, should I simply go for the cheapest one?
What brand provides the longest warranty?


2. LCD monitor
This is my criteria:
- Resolution: Originally I wanted to pick 1600x1200. But pixel/price wise, 1680x1050 seems to be relatively cheaper although the total size of resolution is smaller, right?
- I need to buy two LCD monitors for dual monitor setup

Note: Brightness, Contrast Ratio, Response Time etc. seems to be nothing important.
Better numbers look nice but I suspect a human can observe any noticeable difference in practice.
As long as the numbers are within acceptable range, I don't think they are important in any extent. Am I right?

So durability is the only factor left which concerns me.
What brand is the most durable, or what brand provides the longest warranty?


3. Ports on LCD monitors
I see some monitors have 2+ DVIs, 2+ HDMIs, 2 D-Subs, and USB ports.
What're the points of having 2+ DVIS/HDMIs/D-Subs etc.
And what's the use of having USB port in a monitor?

Thank you.

 

[BlueAcolyte]

I would go with the HD 3850 or a cheap 9600GT/8800GS if you are willing to spend around $100 because they are in another league than the 8600GT. XFX, BFG and EVGA all have lifetime warranties.

I'm not sure about the LCD monitor, we need to know what you are using it for and what your budget is.

 

[WaiWai]

In fact I don't play games much. And I believe a graphic card is needed for gaming purposes only. For normal working / photo editing / home threater, a very cheap entry-level graphic card should be more than enough.

So I just want to make sure when I play some even demanding games, I'm able to run it and play. To qualify "able to run a game", my requirement is pretty simple:
- since I get 1680x1050 only, so I only want max 1680x1050. I'm ok with 1280x1024 (bottomline: 1024x768).
- I don't need any AA or AF. I can switch all of them off.
- I can set every graphic detail to the lowest as long as I can run the game smoothly and play

Considered the above, isn't 8400GS/8500GT/8600GT still able to satisfy my "low" gaming wants?

 

[MarcVenice]

8600gt costs how much ? Cheapest 512mb version I could find was around 60$ AR. I think a 2600xt > 8600gt, and the same goes for a HD3650 being quicker then a 8600gt. But, if you're willing to spend 60$ ish, why not spend a FEW bucks more, and get this instead: http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814130332 It's in a whole other league then a 8600g or a HD3650, but just 20$ more. A 8800gs for 80$ will last a LOT longer and will give playable framerates, at 'decent' settings, where as a 8600gt will not be able to even give playable framerates at whatever settings you use.

 

[TurtleCrusher]

WaiWai, The 8800gs is right up your alley. This EVGA 8800gs is $79.99 after rebate. What a steal. It makes an 8600gt look like trash.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814130332

And also, i just bought the Acer 22in Widescreen (AL2216W 1680x1050) and i've gotta say, its a HUGE monitor and definitely better than my other 17in dell LCD. Its so cheap too! My 8800GTS (which is comparable to a 8800gs in most ways) didn't budge in framerates when going from 1280x1024.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16824009094 $219.99

 

[WaiWai]

Unforunately I'm not in the US or EVGA 8800GS would be a great deal. But what's mail-in rebate? Any catch?
It costs me about US$74.35 for 8600GT.

I think I should get DirectX 10 support. So any ATI chipset which can support DirectX 10 at very reasonable cost will be considered too.
I will stop spending extra as long as I'm able to play at min 1024x768 (preferred 1280x1024) at the *LOWEST* setting.

2600xt seems to be on par with 8600gt. It costs a bit less (US$70.51).
2600pro seems to be much cheaper but it should be much worse too.
HD 3650 costs about the same too. HD3650 series has only 1 version, right (no HD 3650 pro or somthing like that)?

I'm a bit confused about the naming convention of ATI. Is there any page which explains how ATI names their chipsets.

After all a better graphic card is only for gaming and I don't game much. So it seems stupid to spend too much just for games.
Home theater/HDTV/HD videos, photo editing only need a very basic entry-level graphic card.

 

[MarcVenice]

Then buy a HD3650, it gives the most options regarding home theater pc's, with onboard HD content decoding etc. Not sure how much a 8800gs costs for you though, but I think performance wise it's twice as fast as a 8600gt.

 

[WaiWai]

Without serious searching, it appears 8800GS costs at least US$130 - 153.84. The price is also double even with double performance.

What brand of HD3650 should I buy? I think a heatsink should be more than enough, isn't it?
How much RAM should I get? Personally I believe RAM is not important so getting GDDR3 256MB is more than enough.

 

[BlueAcolyte]

Well at 1680x1050 you want 512mb or more because that is a lot of space to fill, so 256mb cards begin to run out of memory. Visiontek has a lifetime warranty, so you could consider that. You should get GDDR3 anyway, as it is much, much faster than GDDR2.

 

[WaiWai]

I have one question:

Two integrated dual-link DVI display outputs
Each supports 18-, 24-, and 30-bit digital displays at all resolutions up to 1920x1200 (single-link DVI) or 2560x1600 (dual-link DVI)

What does it mean? What is 2560x1600 (dual-link DVI)?

How come single-link DVI is even lower than dual-link DVI?

Does it mean the total resolution that I can use for ALL monitors or each monitor?

Can I use two monitors, each with 1680x1050?