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Is "Now" a Bad Time to Buy a Video Card?

O

Olias

Senior member
I'm in the market for a new video card and did some research. It turns out that ATI will soon be releasing their 9600xt and nVidia only has the FX5600 to compete. I hate waiting but I don't want to end up with yesterday's technology at today's prices.

Please advise, olias
 
5700 ultra coming out next few weeks, good price for a 9600 AIW pro, only 220 on newegg, thats what i'm getting if i can, cuz it's just what i wanted to spend and for 20 more, may be a bit slower then 9600xt, but plenty of great features.
 
if u pay $30-50 you can get a 9700pro or 9800pro that will last much longer than a 9600XT. The 9600 is crippled cause it only has got 4 pipelines. I you really want ur card to last longer, u should get an 8-pipeline card.
 
Originally posted by: Olias
I don't understand this statment.
Originally posted by: DarkKnight if u pay $30-50 you can get a 9700pro or 9800pro that will last much longer than a 9600XT.
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He missed the word "more". I think we are all smart enough to figure that out

I'd say right now is a good time. The 9600pro is the best card for price/performance. But it really comes down to what you want, and what you need it for.
 
There is NO rule in bying new hardw in general.The only rule is price/perf.
So it depends on a variety of things and what u wanna do.
Catchin up with the latest tech and pay somethin more or stay 1-2 steps behind and pay reasonable prices?
But I would agree to wait till the next month.The prices are supposed to fall.
If i saw correctly you have a ti3200 so IF i were u I would wait a little and buy the 9800pro or 5900.
These are the gpus that will give u the goodies u want
 
There is almost never a bad or good time to buy a video card. I recommend that when you come across a game that your card can't run at a level that satisfies YOU, it is time to upgrade. There will always be promises of new cards, either that you might be interested in or you think might drive down current card prices.
 
The 9800 and the 5900 will not fall below $200 for quite some time since the 9600xt and 5700ultra are going to be released at that price point. So, if you grab one of the high end card now, you'll know that it'll keep it's value for quite awhile.
 
If you want to play HL2 and Doom3, this is certainly a bad time to buy a video card, if you have ti 200, Thats pretty good for now. When the new games release that you like, then make your decision. A good rule to buying hardware is, don't buy for the future. Another rule is choose your hardware depending on what it is you need it for. If I were you and had limited money, I would save up my money for when at least one of those games is released, and then buy a top of the line card at 500 bucks. Its worth it. If you buy something now, you'll end up buying another card later for the game. Especially if its a mainstream card.
 
Originally posted by: Tetsuo
Originally posted by: Olias
I don't understand this statment.
Originally posted by: DarkKnight if u pay $30-50 you can get a 9700pro or 9800pro that will last much longer than a 9600XT.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...

He missed the word "more". I think we are all smart enough to figure that out

I'd say right now is a good time. The 9600pro is the best card for price/performance. But it really comes down to what you want, and what you need it for.
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exactly
 
Originally posted by: kza
The 9800 and the 5900 will not fall below $200 for quite some time since the 9600xt and 5700ultra are going to be released at that price point. So, if you grab one of the high end card now, you'll know that it'll keep it's value for quite awhile.
Click to expand...

^ I agree. Just like the 9700 Pro, the 9800/Pro and 5900 will keep their value well into 2004, until the next generation of cards come out.
 
Originally posted by: sirspotticus
Originally posted by: MustangSVT
wait until thanxgiving sales.

that's the best time imho.
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that is your answer and that is what i'll be doing
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smart man 🙂

ive purchased all of the video cards during that time @ great bargain.

TNT 16mb AGP

Radeon 32 DDR

Geforce 3 ti200

Geforce4 ti4200

🙂
 
Originally posted by: Tetsuo
He missed the word "more". I think we are all smart enough to figure that out

I'd say right now is a good time. The 9600pro is the best card for price/performance. But it really comes down to what you want, and what you need it for.
Click to expand...

its too bad that the 9600pro being the best bang for your buck these days doesn't hold a candle to the best cards out right now. like always, in the video card market, you're going to have to shell out more for a top of the line product, such as the 9800np, pro, or XT.
 
Wow, thanks for all the great feedback. 🙂 I going to try to hold off until thanksgiving sales as sugested. My need comes from a forth PC I built and I'm going to bump my slowest PC out the door for $200. This is where I'll get some MORE 😉 cash for a new card.
 
I too am looking for a new card, but I might wait till the PCIX stuff comes out
 
I guess this is a bad time for buying a Vcard. The R9700pro came out more than a year ago and it's still expensive. 9600xts, 5700s are all below its performance. A 2 years old GF3 is still enough for 99% of the games and there is no real need for the new cards' power. Logic says buying a card slower than another, older than a year card for ~200$ is wrong. At least according to my twisted mind.
 
The worst time to buy is when a new card is just released, but some people will still shell out the big bucks for them. The best time to buy is when a high end card is in the magical ~$200 range, because the trend is to release lots of midrange card that performs worst than the high end card at this price range, that is why a card that is a year old is still ~$200. Well, that's the current scenario because of all these cards that are available. Back when there were less cards available and Nvidia dominated, a year old card would drop in price considerably.
 
5900s are dipping to $220-230--those are great prices. A $230 5900 is a far better deal than a $200 (after $20 MIR!) 5700U. Whether you prefer a $250 9800 over a $230 5900 is your call, though. There are plenty of threads around to consult.
 
Originally posted by: Pete
5900s are dipping to $220-230--those are great prices. A $230 5900 is a far better deal than a $200 (after $20 MIR!) 5700U. Whether you prefer a $250 9800 over a $230 5900 is your call, though. There are plenty of threads around to consult.
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Some people don't need all that power. It depends on what resolution you run at. If you have a 17" monitor even a 9600pro is more than enough. If you have a 22" monitor, and run 1600X1200 you most likely have enough money to afford upper level cards.
 
Originally posted by: Insomniak
Wait til the game you want to play with said video card is out. That way, you'll get the most enjoyment for your money.
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yeah, buy it when you need it
 
Originally posted by: Insomniak
Wait til the game you want to play with said video card is out. That way, you'll get the most enjoyment for your money.
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Unless you play a current game alot and want to add AA and AF to it.
 
Thanksgiving opens up the Xmas buying season and I expect to see very agressive pricing, so I would wait a month or so. Even if prices don't drop, special packages with bundled games are very likely.
 
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