New video card?

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deep122

Junior Member
Jul 24, 2005
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So, I'm considering buying a new card, but I'm pretty clueless as to what is good on the market right now. Currently, I have a Radeon x300 and I really really wanna replace it. I don't really wanna spend over $200. Also, I have pci express. Any suggestions?
 
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Wentelteefje

Golden Member
Dec 6, 2005
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A GeForce 6800GS or Sapphire Radeon GTO² will currently give you the most bang for the buck value at that price point... If you overclock the GS, it is about as fast as the 6800 Ultra, and by unlocking and overclocking the GTO², you have a X850XT (PE)... However, the latter doesn't support Shader Model 3.0, which is starting to become a bit more interesting right now...

There is still another solution, and that is to wait... Both ATI and nVidia are about to release their next-generation cards, and those may be interesting performance-wise, but they will almost certainly lead to lower prices on the current hardware... Imagine buying a 7800GT at the $ 200 price point...

So, in your case, I'd wait just a little bit, and see how the market evolves due to the introduction of the new graphics cards...
 
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imhungry

Golden Member
Jul 30, 2005
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Go for that 6800GS if you're strict budget is $200.

Get the eVGA one with a MIR, it should overclock to the OC'ed one's specs easily.

But what are you expecting / wanting to play and at what resolutions / quality?
 
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deep122

Junior Member
Jul 24, 2005
10
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I'm not really sure what games I want to play just yet. Definitly Half Life 2, some Splinter Cell and others. I would like at least 1024x768 with medium quality with smooth gameplay. If this card exceeds that, then even better. Anything is better than what I have now.

EDIT: The 6800gs with the rebate requires you to buy a motherboard.
 
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Wentelteefje

Golden Member
Dec 6, 2005
1,380
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6800GS will be a slight overkill then... ;) However, take it, as it is a very good graphics card... I have one myself and am very happy about it... Medium settings aren't for this card... :p Try high...
 
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deep122

Junior Member
Jul 24, 2005
10
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Sweet. Maybe I'll buy myself one of these. How long do think this card will last before I'll need another to play games with good visuals?
 
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Wentelteefje

Golden Member
Dec 6, 2005
1,380
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At a res of 1024x768? Definitely 3 years, maybe longer... The big issue isn't lack of power, but maybe it feature set will be obsolete by then... Who will tell? Nonetheless, it's a very good graphics card...
 
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deep122

Junior Member
Jul 24, 2005
10
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The card requires a 350 watt power supply. Mine is only 305. If I buy the card, what can I do about this little issue?
 
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v8envy

Platinum Member
Sep 7, 2002
2,720
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Your needs are pretty modest. There's a slew of PCI express X800GTO 128 meg DDR2 cards at the egg for about $110. Save $90 for a future upgrade, and just get one of those. It'll do you for a while.

The 6800GS for $170 at monarch and the egg this weekend is definitely a great card at a great price as well.

Like everyone else, I expect the X1900XT @ $500-550 this monday to push video card prices down, but it may take another month for that to happen.

As far as PS, who knows. There's more than wattage here. Some 250 watt PS are >>> bargain '500 watt' PS. Check the manufacturer and amperage available on the 12 volt rail. The insane wattage rating requirements are a result of barely 200 watts out @ 30 degrees C from '500 watt' power supplies. Your card won't draw 18 amps @ 12 volts (216 watts), but a PS rated at that continuous output is good insurance.
 
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AzNPinkTuv

Senior member
Nov 29, 2005
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the recommended is b/c of those third parties crappy power supplies that can reach so high but cant remain consistant. so if u have a sturdy psu it should be fine,... im runnin a x800xt on a 250 w hen it says 300
 
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Munky

Diamond Member
Feb 5, 2005
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The 6800gs or the gto2 are the best cards for $200 right now. But if you could wait a month more, I'd suggest waiting for some next gen midrange card like the 7600gt or the x1700. Those will likely offer about the same or better performance, and with newer features.
 
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Wentelteefje

Golden Member
Dec 6, 2005
1,380
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They were both said to only have a 128-bit memory bus and 8 pixel pipelines... It would be strong if they'd outperform either an unlocked GTO² or an overclocked GS... Time will tell...
 
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Steelski

Senior member
Feb 16, 2005
700
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http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814131418R
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102657R
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814131424
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102628R
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102653

All ATI i know, but you have already seen the Nvidia ones. the bottom one is a very interesting card as i have not seen any reviews of it anywhere. It has the 256bit bus and not the 128bit one. also the 512mb although not needed will prove beneficial in a years time maybee. price is good and may be able to run on the 300watt power supply if its a good one.
 
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