i want to buy a GTX 280...but

[flexy]

I was looking around to update my aging 8800 GTS, and i found the MSI superclocked GTX280 at a surprising low price of EU300, this is amazing since i see the same card elsewhere for EU500+

I only have one "problem": I cant help to think that the "GTX 280" cards are old (now in terms of the typical life cycle).

Should i wait and continue w/ my 8800GTS and look whats coming out in a few months?

(ATI is not an option ATM)

Otherwise the GTX280 looks attractive to me.

 

[zerogear]

Well, the next few months, there won't be anything, since the GTX 28x line just got a refresh. GTX 285 and 295, this was basically a process shrink. I think the next thing that comes out will be 4-6 months from now. At least from nVidia. So I would say GTX 280 is still a pretty viable option.

 

[Painman]

What CPU? What res? Paired up to a halfway recent C2D or Quad, a 280 will perform admirably in even 19*12, and I'd imagine it'll do so for a good couple years.

If you're running an older CPU like an X2, the 280 won't really fulfill its potential.

 

[Wreckage]

Originally posted by: flexy
I was looking around to update my aging 8800 GTS, and i found the MSI superclocked GTX280 at a surprising low price of EU300, this is amazing since i see the same card elsewhere for EU500+

I only have one "problem": I cant help to think that the "GTX 280" cards are old (now in terms of the typical life cycle).

Should i wait and continue w/ my 8800GTS and look whats coming out in a few months?

(ATI is not an option ATM)

Otherwise the GTX280 looks attractive to me.

Only the GTX285 has a faster GPU right now. DX11 cards probably won't be here till the end of the year. I say go for it.

 

[OCGuy]

A video cards monetary worth is determined by the market, its worth in games is determined by its performance


280 is a beast of a card, and will be for a while. Go for it.

 

[nitromullet]

not as "old" as an 8800GTS.

Seriously, the GTX 280 is a still a very powerful single GPU card, and I am still happy with mine. Of course, it's always tough to tell what's going to come out soon. Some rumors point to a GT212 core due out in March that is set to replace the GT200 core, others talk about a GT300 core due by the end of the year. Who knows... Maybe it will be one or the other, both, or neither. Although, NVIDIA history has shown us that their dual GPU cards do tend to come out towards the end of the current generation.

 

[chizow]

Yeah I'm certainly more happy with my GTX 280 than the 8800GTS, 8800GT, and 8800GTX that preceded it. The G80 was awesome, but it fell short at 1920 in many games to the point I couldn't stop thinking about upgrading as soon as the next high-end single-GPU came out.

For the last 6-7 months I haven't really felt that urge as all my games run great; I keep up with rumors but now its more a matter of whether the performance difference is enough, or not. GTX 285 from what I've seen isn't enough, GT212, maybe not either. I'll probably hold off my upgrade to GT300 though in Q4. If I upgraded now, it'd literally only be for Crysis, which still runs great with Custom Gamer/Enthusiast settings.

 

[apoppin]

Go for it .. it is 2 times faster than your old card .. if the price is right, don't wait

i love my GTX280 .. there are rare situations where i swap it out to play with X2 or CrossfireX-3 at 19x12

 

[MegaWorks]

Yeah get the GTX280.

I hope I would get this card from XFX as a replacement from my RMA Black Edition GTX260.

 

[AzN]

I think you should wait for next refresh. GTX 280 is far from the card to get. If you have a sli mobo you should get another GTS and it would outperform GTX 280 for less money.

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: Azn
I think you should wait for next refresh. GTX 280 is far from the card to get. If you have a sli mobo you should get another GTS and it would outperform GTX 280 for less money.

no it wont; a single GTX280 is generally faster than 8800-GTS sli
- especially if it is 320MB

and he can always get a second GTX280 if he really wants to overkill

 

[nOOky]

If you have the money and want it, just buy a 280. It's a great card. I'd second the sli if you have a compatible motherboard though, and if your 8800GTS is 512mb.

 

[lavaheadache]

although getting a second 8800 gts isn't a bad idea, i believe going with the 280 is better. The card is a beast, pure and simple. If you are worried about new tech coming around the corner then well, I suggest you run in the closet and hide cause the new tech monster is always right around the corner. If you upgrade frequently you hardly ever take a real beating on buying and selling. I hardly ever spend more than $150 to go from the old gen to current gen. Trick is don't hesitate and offer up your old parts at a bargain and you'll never be sitting on stuff. Meanwhile you'll get great heatware and make a few buddies in the process.

 

[Gikaseixas]

Get it, the GTX 280 is a beast, i'm enjoying mine 100%

 

[NewtypeX]

If you're looking at a GTX 280, why not get the GTX 285 instead? From what I've seen, the 285 is better than the 280 in every way. For some strange reason the 285 is actually cheaper than than the 280 at Newegg though. The only single-card solution that beats it in benchmark is the 295 and the 4870x2

 

[AzN]

I thought 8800gts SLI is much cheaper alternative that shouldn't be left out. GTX280 is fast but it's not fast as dual 8800gts. If you have the mobo for it why not take advantage and save some money? IN the end it's performance you want.

 

[chizow]

Daisy-chaining low-end cards has always been an alternative to the high-end for less money on paper measured in FPS, but still leaves far too many shortcomings to be a true alternative. There's plenty of examples here and on EVGA's forums of people upgrading from low-end SLI to a fast single-card like GTX 280 and remarking at how much happier they were with the single-card.

Here's a thread from EVGA around GTX 280's launch, with many of the upgraders giving their experiences moving from a 9800GX2 to a GTX 280, and commenting how much better the 280 was despite the GX2 being faster on paper in many games....

9800GX2 vs. GTX 280

 

[MTDEW]

Originally posted by: chizow
Daisy-chaining low-end cards has always been an alternative to the high-end for less money on paper measured in FPS, but still leaves far too many shortcomings to be a true alternative. There's plenty of examples here and on EVGA's forums of people upgrading from low-end SLI to a fast single-card like GTX 280 and remarking at how much happier they were with the single-card.

Here's a thread from EVGA around GTX 280's launch, with many of the upgraders giving their experiences moving from a 9800GX2 to a GTX 280, and commenting how much better the 280 was despite the GX2 being faster on paper in many games....

9800GX2 vs. GTX 280

This comment is right on the money!
I had two 512mb 8800GTS (g92) cards in sli, because like others said here, the benchmarks showed they were faster than a single GTX 280.

Well i can tell you the benchmarks are wrong!
They leave out the min fps, which is more important than the avg fps.

I moved to a GTX 280 and could not be happier.
Gameplay is smoother with no "microstutter" issues, especially in games with long draw distances where distant low res textures are swapped for better high res textures as you get closer to objects. (ie: Fallout 3 , Far Cy 2 , Crysis warhead etc..etc..)

Ive done sli and crossfire several times in the past also, and every time i swear its not worth it and i'll never do it again.
Then theres always some new benchmarks that make multiple GPU setups look like a way better option than a faster single gpu card and i get sucked back in.

Right now, the only way i would put two cards in my gaming rig is if physx takes off and i'll use a "lower end" card for physx.

So, after that long rant, my suggestion is.
Move to a card that has MORE than 512mb memory like the 4870 1gb, gtx260 896mb or GTX 280 1gb and you WILL see much smoother gameplay at high resolutions.

IMO the age old statement that "buying the fastest single card you can afford is the best option" is still true, despite what benchmarks show.

 

[alcoholbob]

Originally posted by: MTDEW
I moved to a GTX 280 and could not be happier.
Gameplay is smoother with no "microstutter" issues, especially in games with long draw distances where distant low res textures are swapped for better high res textures as you get closer to objects. (ie: Fallout 3 , Far Cy 2 , Crysis warhead etc..etc..)

Hey MTDEW, can you be a little more specific about the texture swapping? Why would one card do better than two in texture swapping?

 

[MTDEW]

Originally posted by: Astrallite

Originally posted by: MTDEW
I moved to a GTX 280 and could not be happier.
Gameplay is smoother with no "microstutter" issues, especially in games with long draw distances where distant low res textures are swapped for better high res textures as you get closer to objects. (ie: Fallout 3 , Far Cy 2 , Crysis warhead etc..etc..)

Hey MTDEW, can you be a little more specific about the texture swapping? Why would one card do better than two in texture swapping?

I guess i wasnt completely clear on that point that its going from a 512mb card to a card with more memory that handles the texture swapping smoother.
And combine less texture swapping with no microstutter and the gameplay is way smoother.

I have 3 pcs running here at home.
When her 8800gtx 768mb / e6600 pc was playing fallout 3 smoother than my 2x8800GTS 512mb / q6600 pc, i knew something was up.
My pc benched circles around hers, yet in actual gameplay , hers was smoother.
Mine would just hesitate more when distant textures "popped" in.

So i removed one of my sli cards. (as suggested on here),
And my gameplay actually did get smoother with just one card. (i was surprised of course)

But hers was still smoother even though her, avg fps were lower.
Obviously, the sli was causing some of the hitching and having less texture memory was causing some also.
And the two combined made the game A LOT less smooth.

You can lookup sli/microstutter for a better explaination then i'll ever give, i actually asked on here about it and got a good enough explaination that its a necessary evil with multi GPU setups. (i'll see if i can find the thread and link to it)
And im sure theres no explaination needed why having more texture memory on a card in games with long draw distances helps since that part is obvious.

Anyway, i moved to a GTX 280 and ditched the SLI'ed 8800GT's and as i said, i couldnt be happier.
It really truely does give a much smoother gaming experience.

So in this particular situation , to answer the OP's question.
I say, get the GTX 280 and dont bother wasting time SLI'ing with another 512mb 8800GTS, he'll get better/smoother gameplay with the GTX 280. (or even the GTX260 / 4870 1gb)

 

[o3srt4me]

:thumbsup:the 280 is still relatively a very powerful card, besides the onset of the 285 and 295 is only going to drive the price down. I would buy one 280 for now then later on pick up a second one. I think it would be a smart desicion to pick it up!

 

[conlan]

Originally posted by: Ocguy31
A video cards monetary worth is determined by the market, its worth in games is determined by its performance


280 is a beast of a card, and will be for a while. Go for it.

+1

A single card solution is usually better than a lesser multi-card one.