Is 6800gs enough?

[RobDMB]

I'm thinking of trying to save 100 dollars and getting a 6800gs instead of a 7800gt and putting the other money toward 2 gigs of ram. I"m wondering if this could be a mistake. I'm not a huge gamer, but now that I am building a new pc I do hope to start gaming a bit more. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. -Rob

 

[RussianSensation]

What ram are you thinking of getting> 6800GS is about $210 and 7800GT is $280 so its only $70. See if you can buy $170 2 gigs of ram. Patriot 2 gigs $155

My main point is see if you can save $70 on the ram first because 2 gigs of ram vary in price themselves. You'll be better served getting cheapest 2 gigs of ram and 7800GT than some fancy 2-2-2-5 2 gigs DDR500 stuff that costs $300. THEN you could look at savings in the videocard department if this change still doesn't fit your budget.

 

[Cooler]

Originally posted by: RussianSensation
What ram are you thinking of getting> 6800GS is about $210 and 7800GT is $280 so its only $70. See if you can buy $170 2 gigs of ram. Patriot 2 gigs $155

My main point is see if you can save $70 on the ram first because 2 gigs of ram vary in price themselves. You'll be better served getting cheapest 2 gigs of ram and 7800GT than some fancy 2-2-2-5 2 gigs DDR500 stuff that costs $300. THEN you could look at savings in the videocard department.

Agreed.

 

[RobDMB]

I was thinking of getting a g.skill ddr500 kit for 200? If need be i can probably spring the extra cash for the 7800 gt, I"m just wondering if I will really see a benefit. Assuming I am not running some insanely high resolutions will I notice a difference?

 

[dingetje]

the 2gb ram will not give you extra frames compared to 1gb...it will however give you less stuttering (by disk access) when you play the newest games with huge maps (eg bf2 and wow)
i would get the 2gb anyway....disable your virtual memory to minimize disk access
then buy either the gs or the gt depending on thegames you play...if the heaviest games like fear are the ones you will play, get the gt
if you just play doom3 or even quake4 the gs will suffice
if you have the money get the gt , it will last longer and its just 100$ more

 

[jonnythan]

Get the 7800GT, and spend $166 on Corsair VS if you have enough left over. If not, wait and get the RAM later.

 

[Eureka]

Well, right now 1GB is fine for most games, the 7800GT will help you more than that 1GB. The only game I know that really demands 2GB is BF2.

Norm

 

[RobDMB]

I figured I only need one gig right now, but then I would lose out on dual channel (i know not a huge loss) since I would buy a single 1 gig stick to avoid having to run 4X512 later.

 

[RussianSensation]

If you get $155 ram i posted, you save $45. Then given that delta in price between MIR 7800GT (with quake 4) vs. 6800GS is about $70. That means it'll only cost you $35 or so to step up to 7800GT from 6800GS. This is a no brainer. 7800GT vs. x850 and 6800GS is slower than X850xt. So it's probably worth it to spend $35 extra for added frames.

 

[RobDMB]

Thanks for everyones help. Just to be clear I will benefit from a 7800 gt even if I only run a resolution of around 1280 by 960 max?

 

[jonnythan]

Yes.

 

[blckgrffn]

Originally posted by: RobDMB
Thanks for everyones help. Just to be clear I will benefit from a 7800 gt even if I only run a resolution of around 1280 by 960 max?

Yes, it will run games with heavy shaders, etc. much better (like FEAR).

 

[Leper Messiah]

Originally posted by: blckgrffn

Originally posted by: RobDMB
Thanks for everyones help. Just to be clear I will benefit from a 7800 gt even if I only run a resolution of around 1280 by 960 max?

Yes, it will run games with heavy shaders, etc. much better (like FEAR).

plus you can turn up AA and AF to near max and still get good framrate...