Need help buying a video card

[ChaoticMonk]

Hi all!

I ordered myself a dell system (should be here next week) and I decided not to go for the graphics offered there but instead to get my own one and throw it in there.

I have around $200-$250 to spend on one.

I was looking for a card a few months ago and I had heard good things about the 8800GT cards...are they still my best bet? if so, which manufacturer should I be going for?

I've only ever had NVidia cards but I'm willing to go with whatever aslong as it delivers.

I play alot of games (mostly MMOs like WoW and LotR) and I'm currently running a 6800GTS AGP 128MB in my old system. I would like to play some of the newer First person shooters.

Another thing to consider is that I'll be limited by the space on the Dell machine I'm getting along with the PSU it comes with.

Here is the system I'm getting:
Inspiron 530 Intel Core2 processor Q6600 (2.40Ghz 1066FSB)
3GB Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM at 667MHz
Integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 3100

Any advice would be greatly appreciated

 

[TC91]

8800gt imo is still the best bang for buck card right now, you probably can grab one online for under 200bucks after rebate, maybe even 180bucks if you are lucky. some of the g92 8800gts 512mb can be found for ~249 or so online too. another comment, you may want to consider building your own computer since you will be able to overclock the cpu for more performance but that is up to you. im not sure what psu the dell inspirons come with, just make sure it is 450w+ if you want the 8800gt to work well with the system without causing crashes/damaged hardware.

 

[ChaoticMonk]

is the 8800gts better than the 8800gt? if so, enough to make the extra $$ worth it?

I did a look for 8800GT cards in newegg and theres a ton of them within my price range. I have no idea who to go with...MSI? XFX? how do I know which would be better?

 

[superstition]

stick with 512mb version

 

[ChaoticMonk]

GT or GTS?

 

[Wreckage]

8800GTS-512 matches your price range and is the fastest for the money you are looking to spend

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...escription=8800GTS+G92

 

[bryanW1995]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814127329

OC to 660/1900. dual slot cooler. 195 AR shipped. this card is all you need unless you are planning crazy volt mods/overclocks or you game at VERY high resolution.

 

[imported_wired247]

Originally posted by: Wreckage
8800GTS-512 matches your price range and is the fastest for the money you are looking to spend

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...escription=8800GTS+G92

QFT

 

[ChaoticMonk]

Originally posted by: bryanW1995
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814127329

OC to 660/1900. dual slot cooler. 195 AR shipped. this card is all you need unless you are planning crazy volt mods/overclocks or you game at VERY high resolution.

this sounds perfect! now I just gotta figure out if the PSU that comes with the dell is good enough and wether it can run PCI-E2.0

 

[IL2SturmovikPilot]

Originally posted by: ChaoticMonk

Originally posted by: bryanW1995
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814127329

OC to 660/1900. dual slot cooler. 195 AR shipped. this card is all you need unless you are planning crazy volt mods/overclocks or you game at VERY high resolution.

this sounds perfect! now I just gotta figure out if the PSU that comes with the dell is good enough and wether it can run PCI-E2.0

Not for the Inspirion 530,you'll need a new PSU,350W with 18A won't cut it for a 8800.

 

[ChaoticMonk]

dang that sucks I know almost nothing about PSU's >_<.

So I think I need a 450W+ power supply. What should I be looking for when deciding on one? are the $50-$80 ones anygood?

Sorry to keep asking but I don't know what to look for =/

 

[IL2SturmovikPilot]

Originally posted by: ChaoticMonk
dang that sucks I know almost nothing about PSU's >_<.

So I think I need a 450W+ power supply. What should I be looking for when deciding on one? are the $50-$80 ones anygood?

Sorry to keep asking but I don't know what to look for =/

Good Ones:
Antec Earthwatts 430W
Corsair 450W
PC Power & Cooling 470W

All of those are good enough for a 8800GTS + Q6600,and they're of higher quality than a lot of other PSU's that have similar specs.

 

[ChaoticMonk]

Ok I got the following;

MSI NX8800GT 512M OC GeForce 8800GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail - $219.99 ($189.99 AR)
CORSAIR CMPSU-450VX ATX12V V2.2 450W Power Supply - Retail - $79.99 ($69.99 AR)

Thank you all very much for all the info! I'll let you know how it turns out after I put em in.

I had 2 more questions, Does PCIe2.0 cards work on PCIe mobos? and how do I find out what mobo dell uses in the inspirion530 Q6600?

 

[TC91]

dont worry, pci express 2.0 is backward compatible, the dell board should be some sort of g965 / g35 / g33 / g31 board which should have no problems running the 8800gt.

 

[Schfifty Five]

For PSUs, the main thing to look out for other than wattage is the current/amps on the 12V lines. Usually the video card will say somewhere in the specs what current is required for the video card.

 

[ChaoticMonk]

Got my system today and threw in the card and PSU and they both fitted like a very very tight glove (like a few mm gap) and everything is running great with a vista rating of 5.7. I'm a happy camper! Thankyou all once again.

 

[betasub]

Woot! A thread with barely a angry word, and a happy ending.

 

[scheibler1]

be sure to use nvidia driver 174.74 instead of what comes with the MSI card! You may also want to take of the plastic covering over the metal cooler if you start to hear a vibrating or scrathing noise...I had to on my MSI 8800gt