New video cards vs Old

[Mango1970]

Hey all, I am finding it hard to part with my 8800 GTX. It has served me so well and is still doing so at 1920x1200. I have noted and watched with interest the latest batch of newer cards... more specifically the 4890 and the nvidia 275. Hard to find any comparisons between the new vs the old... just how much better are these two versus my dear 8800GTX? Reason i ask is that the price of the 4890 is very low.. I might be able to get one for just around $200 CAD and the nvidia 275 a bit more. With selling mine, it would seem a non issue but are they really that much better?

My 8800 GTX is silky smooth and quiet and runs cool. Do these new breed of cards run as quiet?

 

[TidusZ]

my 8800gt runs every game great except for crysis, which my 295 runs great. Crysis isn't worth the upgrade money, but I had a lot of money to blow and an epeen that had been begging me for an upgrade for a long time. Basically it's not worth it for you to upgrade, even if you really want to play crysis at high settings its hard to justify. As for quietness, the 295 is not quiet, and playing crysis in particular makes it pretty loud no matter what fan settings you use if you want to keep it lower than 90c. The 280 I had before trade up was quieter but much louder than my 8800gt + accelero s1.

 

[error8]

Your 8800GTX was 600$+ when it was released and it kept its prohibitive price for a long time, since there wasn't any competition for it. Now, GTX275 is in direct competition with 4890 and we also have the 4870 1gb, gtx 260 and a couple of cards that were in a constant "battle" during the last months and prices dropped all the time, keeping these two around 200+$, which really does seem to be a low price, compared to what you payed for your GTX, but don't get fooled by the price, because performance is way up there.

If you don't feel the need for an upgrade and your GTX does everything as it should,then why bother?

 

[AstroManLuca]

Why would you upgrade if you're served just fine by your current card?

Video cards are always getting cheaper and faster. You can probably get 6-12 more months out of your 8800GTX, even if you're reasonably picky about your game performance.

What games are you running anyway? Are there any you really want to run but you can't because your video card is holding you back? If one of those comes along, then you can think about upgrading.

 

[nitromullet]

My 8800 GTX is silky smooth and quiet and runs cool. Do these new breed of cards run as quiet?

From an end user standpoint, the GTX 280 is just like the 8800GTX, just more of it. It's not any louder, you get identical driver support, but it runs games at higher frames. Basically, what I'm saying is if you are happy with your 8800GTX, you will be very pleased with the GTX 280 (and I would assume the GTX 275). Then again, if the 8800GTX is meeting your needs, why not just hang onto it for now.

 

[bryanW1995]

hold out for the dx 11 cards this fall. 4890 and gt 200 are good improvements over your 8800gtx, but the newer cards should be at least that much of an improvement over the current batch. Plus, your 8800gtx probably won't lose much more value so you'll end up getting a lot more performance for about the same total price.

 

[kmmatney]

Where does an 8800GTX stand nowadays? About the same as a HD4850? I have no idea...

 

[alcoholbob]

Hold out till GT300. Everything runs smooth as silk because everything (mostly) is either CPU limited on the desktop, or is multi-platform and would run on a Geforce 7900 anyway, and you aren't looking at a new console generation for at LEAST 2 more years, seeing as the true AAA titles are still on the horizon.

The 8800GTX is about the same as a 4850 I guess...although at higher resolutions it will pull out, and in older games its no contest, the 8800GTX is pretty close to a GTX260 in terms of pure pixel performance (pushes 91% as many pixels - stock vs stock).

 

[Leyawiin]

You have to do a bit of extrapolation with reviews - the 8800 GTX is more or less in the same league as a stock HD 4850 or 9800 GTX. A comprehensive review like this one will tell you want to expect at various resolutions. I think they actually used the 8800 GTX in their roundup until last fall, so if you find a review for any card from back then the 8800 GTX should be listed as well - just compare with this review.

http://www.techpowerup.com/rev...orce_GTX_275_OC/6.html

Personally, I'm not getting rid of my 8800 GTX until I do a completely new build about the beginning of next year. I know its equivalent to today's mid-range cards and thats good enough for the RPGs I play and WoW.

 

[chizow]

Originally posted by: nitromullet
From an end user standpoint, the GTX 280 is just like the 8800GTX, just more of it. It's not any louder, you get identical driver support, but it runs games at higher frames. Basically, what I'm saying is if you are happy with your 8800GTX, you will be very pleased with the GTX 280 (and I would assume the GTX 275). Then again, if the 8800GTX is meeting your needs, why not just hang onto it for now.

Yep well said from another who made the upgrade from 8800GTX to GTX 280, the OP has waited so long already though. GT300 and RV8x0 are rumored for Q4, which can be anywhere from 5-8 (?) months away. I'd say it really comes down to whether they're willing to wait that long, and even then you may see a price reset depending on performance of $400-500+. Right now, the benefits of having waited already is that you can get very high-end performance at $150 (GTX 260) to $250 (GTX 275) with the 4870 and 4890s somewhere inbetween.

 

[TC91]

Keep the 8800gtx, it's still a great card and usually faster than the g92 cards. I did a similar 'upgrade' from an 8800gts 320mb to a 4870 1GB and it's so far the absolute worst hardware change I've ever made. A couple of my favourite older games (well not that old, but both are from 2005) that ran flawlessly on the 8800 run like absolute crap on the 4870 1GB. Contacting ATI support was nothing but a complete waste of time. The 4870 1GB is also a LOT louder under load and it sounds like a jet engine when I boot up. In addition, the lack of individual game profiles in the catalyst drivers is extremely inconvenient. It's just been utterly disappointing and frustrating for me.

 

[vj8usa]

OP, what games do you play? You said your 8800 runs everything smoothly, so you might as well keep using it until it can't handle the games you run.

Originally posted by: TC91
A couple of my favourite older games (well not that old, but both are from 2005) that ran flawlessly on the 8800 run like absolute crap on the 4870 1GB.

What games are these? You mentioned this in another thread without giving specific names as well, and I'm curious (since I've never had unusually low framerates in old games with my 4850 or X1900).

 

[TC91]

Originally posted by: vj8usa
OP, what games do you play? You said your 8800 runs everything smoothly, so you might as well keep using it until it can't handle the games you run.

Originally posted by: TC91
A couple of my favourite older games (well not that old, but both are from 2005) that ran flawlessly on the 8800 run like absolute crap on the 4870 1GB.

What games are these? You mentioned this in another thread without giving specific names as well, and I'm curious (since I've never had unusually low framerates in old games with my 4850 or X1900).

Age of Empires III and its two expansions as well as Dungeon Siege II and its expansion. I also seem to get a lower min fps in UT3. I can provide screenshots if you don't believe me.

 

[dflynchimp]

My personal policy is to never upgrade unless your upgrade path offers at least twice as much performance as your current hardware. my CPU went from Athlon XP 3200 to Pentium D 805 to Core 2 Q6600. Videocard went from Radeon 9600XT to Geforce 7900GT to Geforce 8800GTS 320MB to Radeon HD 4870X2. I'd say on average a 4890 has at best a 20-30% improvement over 8800GTX. For me at least that's not enough to warrant an upgrade.

 

[dflynchimp]

Originally posted by: TC91

Originally posted by: vj8usa
OP, what games do you play? You said your 8800 runs everything smoothly, so you might as well keep using it until it can't handle the games you run.

Originally posted by: TC91
A couple of my favourite older games (well not that old, but both are from 2005) that ran flawlessly on the 8800 run like absolute crap on the 4870 1GB.

What games are these? You mentioned this in another thread without giving specific names as well, and I'm curious (since I've never had unusually low framerates in old games with my 4850 or X1900).

Age of Empires III and its two expansions as well as Dungeon Siege II and its expansion. I also seem to get a lower min fps in UT3. I can provide screenshots if you don't believe me.

lolz, are these screenies with FRAPS or sommat? Hard to prove a point on Frames per second using single screens. Even with FRAPS you could cherry pick and find spikes/dips in the FPS.

AoE3 and DS2 aren't FPS intensive games in any case. UT3 on the other hand I'd be interested to see FPS graphs for.

 

[TC91]

DS2 has a built in show fps option, AoE3 and UT3 I would have to use fraps; I don't know any other way to do it. In DS2 the fps will drop under 15 in fight scenes and is usually pegged at 36 when walking around in towns. AoE3 will drop under 25fps when besieging the opponent. On the 8800, these games run rock solid and never go below 40 fps. When you upgrade, I think it is very reasonable to see at least similar if not better performance, not a major step back in your older games. The tipping point I guess was when I tried to contact ATI support and they were just a joke and the entire ticket support thing was just a waste of time. Every other issue just builds up the frustration and regret.

UT3 with highest in game settings and no fsaa nor af will drop to or under 30 too. Do you know of any software that will record a fps graph or something?

 

[dflynchimp]

4870 512MB will definitely see a drop once AA and AF are enabled. As for the older games I chalk it up to ATI's recent track record of bad drivers. Currently they seem to be more oriented towards games commonly found in benchmarks since that is what makes them look good. Backwards compatibility seems to have gone out the window.

It's like me playing Starcraft on my 4870X2. Overkill? yes by a factor of 100+. Performance wise...I get inverted colors/color-negatives on certain palettes in game. No biggy, but it's hardly on ATI's priority list to be backtracking to accomodate their drivers for games older than 2-3 years.

 

[Face2Face]

8800 GTX what a great card. it will go down in GPU history for being one of the best.. I mean it was $$$ when it came out, but can still pay most games today at high settings @ modest resoultions.

 

[error8]

Originally posted by: TC91


UT3 with highest in game settings and no fsaa nor af will drop to or under 30 too. Do you know of any software that will record a fps graph or something?

AOE3 and DS2 probably, but UT3, I don't think so. I had an 8800GT and then a 4870 512 and in UT3 there was no difference. It didn't felt faster or slower on the ATi card.

 

[cusideabelincoln]

Originally posted by: dflynchimp
My personal policy is to never upgrade unless your upgrade path offers at least twice as much performance as your current hardware. my CPU went from Athlon XP 3200 to Pentium D 805 to Core 2 Q6600. Videocard went from Radeon 9600XT to Geforce 7900GT to Geforce 8800GTS 320MB to Radeon HD 4870X2. I'd say on average a 4890 has at best a 20-30% improvement over 8800GTX. For me at least that's not enough to warrant an upgrade.

No, I'd say it is closer to a 40-50% improvement, but of course it will depend on the game and settings. More demanding scenarios should let the HD4890 shine.

Originally posted by: error8

Originally posted by: TC91


UT3 with highest in game settings and no fsaa nor af will drop to or under 30 too. Do you know of any software that will record a fps graph or something?

AOE3 and DS2 probably, but UT3, I don't think so. I had an 8800GT and then a 4870 512 and in UT3 there was no difference. It didn't felt faster or slower on the ATi card.

Maybe you're CPU-limited. Although, if the 8800GT already plays UT3 smoothly how much smoother can a better card make it?

 

[Mango1970]

Well thanks for all the replies. I still play AoE, Starcraft, UT3, heck i still play Quake. I also play WoW, EQ1 and EQ2.
Sometimes I get the itch to just upgrade. I get these ads from NCIX showing the deal of the week and I just CAN'T believe I can get a 4890 for like $200, when as some of you posted, I spent $600+ for my 8800 GTX when it first came out. Best investment though as it's lasted sooo long without a hitch.

I really should have mentioned in my post that it's just for the sake of upgrading that I was looking at one of these cards. I mean I don't really need it, it's just something that my stupid brain is saying "your current setup runs GREAT... but would it be magically better if you get a new video card... come on... you can do it... hit that buy now button". My other thought was that maybe I would see old games looking "better" with newer video cards? Maybe the video quality is better? But that is dreaming, the code is the same.

I always hoped that newer cards would run "cooler" and "quieter" with all the advancements, but from reading many posts it seems it's anything BUT that compared to my 8800 GTX.
I guess I have to tell myself in my older titles it simply wont get any better. It's maxed and maybe I should just buy a 30" monitor instead.

 

[lavaheadache]

if you buy a 30 inch monitor you'll buying a new card too

 

[bryanW1995]

Originally posted by: TC91
Keep the 8800gtx, it's still a great card and usually faster than the g92 cards. I did a similar 'upgrade' from an 8800gts 320mb to a 4870 1GB and it's so far the absolute worst hardware change I've ever made. A couple of my favourite older games (well not that old, but both are from 2005) that ran flawlessly on the 8800 run like absolute crap on the 4870 1GB. Contacting ATI support was nothing but a complete waste of time. The 4870 1GB is also a LOT louder under load and it sounds like a jet engine when I boot up. In addition, the lack of individual game profiles in the catalyst drivers is extremely inconvenient. It's just been utterly disappointing and frustrating for me.

the noise problems are due to poor cooling that hd 4870 offers relative to its heat output. 8800gtx, older 9800gtx, and of course gt200 are significantly better in this area imho.

I've never messed with game profiles (since I was on ati from x1900xt, 3870, to 4850). What sort of settings do you use for different games?


@OP: You're making the right move imho. I could have skipped the x1900xt and 3870 and still been fine. It's a waste of money to upgrade for no reason, and you could even end up hurting yourself in some of the games that you play. Contrary to what lavaheadache said, you could probably upgrade to 30" and still keep that 8800gtx for the games that you play, too.

 

[ShawnD1]

Originally posted by: lavaheadache
if you buy a 30 inch monitor you'll buying a new card too

That's assuming he runs the game at native res. I'm only using a 1680x1050 22" and I still run my games at 1440x900 (not scaled) because it strains my eyes a bit when it's full size. I can't even image playing on a 30" monitor; I would probably need to tilt my neck a lot just to see everything.

 

[Mango1970]

Yah gona hang on to my precious 8800GTX -- thanks folks lots of very good points here. It ain't broken, as the saying goes.

A 30" LCD it is. Now as some mentioned... playing on that monitor's native resolution might finally bring my card to its knees. We shall see. All in all you got to give it to the 8800 GTX for lasting this long. Mobo, CPU wise, hardrive wise, etc, I have upgraded so many times, but the card has lasted this long. Although I did pay $600 or so when it first came out, looking back I think not having upgraded about 3 or 4 times actually saved me money. The only drawback is that if and when I sell the card I doubt it will be worth anything... heck why would anyone buy a used 8800 GTX on ebay or from my local used forums when they can get a new 4890 or GTX 275 etc., for $200. Might as well keep it till it implodes... which at this rate it never will LOL.
It's funny but the card I had before that was an ATi x1900xt which is in my father's computer now still. Talk about overkill as all he uses is Outlook and Word -- but guess he will get upgraded to a 8800GTX when the time comes... wont know what him him. Those emails will fly out the computer!