Should i upgrade my X1950 Pro to a 8800 Series?

[QuadDamage2k]

System Core 2 Duo 6400 @ 2.88hz on Air Ninja Fan
3 Gigs of PC 6400
Ati Radeaon X1950 Pro 256

I run at 2.88ghz on air all the time temps stay nice


Anyways i can only plays Crysis on med with some high settings and i can't even run 4x aa without massive lag. My 1950 plays everything else fine, should i upgrade to a 8880 GT or a (G92)?

I really hate the NVIDIA drivers, i had a 7600 GT before my X1950 and it would always crash in games and lock up, with my ATI it never locks up and I don't want to upgrade to a Radeon HD 3850 due to the GT kicks it ass all the way around.

I have a GIGABYTE GA-965P-S3 LGA 775 Intel P965 Express ATX Intel Motherboard
I know it's cheap but it has been working fine.
Should i upgrade? Get Crossfire? I don't know

 

[QuadDamage2k]

BTW it's a 256mb X1950 Pro PCI

 

[Marty502]

If that's the only reason you wanna upgrade (just one game) I'd suck it up for a bit, until new cards are released. A 8800GT is a damn fine card (particularly for it's price!) much better than what a Crossfire x1950 Pro (And by the way... DON'T! Crossfire's functionality is awful) set can dream about, but still. We aren't that far from a new series of cards to be released, at least from Nvidia. There's no guarantee that the 8800GT will be a decent performer for upcoming games. It could be good for Crysis and awful for... I don't know, Far Cry 2 or whatever it is that's just around the corner.

That's me of course. I'd recommend to be patient and wait longer. Much faster cards will be available in not so much time.

 

[nOOky]

If you can get a good price on an 8800GT I'd go for it. Don't get caught in the waiting game, of course there's always something better coming. Play the games you like now in all their glory and have fun. I went from an X1950XT myself to an 8800GT, good upgrade for the $220 it cost me.

 

[omek]

On the flip-side, there will always be that faster videocard around that proverbial corner for which to wait. Imo, if you're going to see a substantial difference in performance from your 1950 Pro (which you will), and have the money to spend on the GT, go for it. Crysis may be a gfx card killer, but so was Oblivion 1 year ago with current cards at that moment - just as HL2 hacked a testie from the Rae9700 / GF5900 ect.
The 3870 may actualy out perform the 88GT in future games... so, tossup based upon what you want.

 

[syn0s]

There will always be that next greatest card right around the corner, but it wont always be this close. The D9P/D9E series is rumored to be coming out in 2-3 months, and will be announced and released on Valentines day according to official rumors. There was also word of an 8800GS in the announcement, which may also give more bang for the buck than the GT.

I also agree with the first reply. If you are upgrading for 1 game, don't do it. Wait for the next generation. Unless of course you absolutely must play Crysis on higher settings, it isn't worth it. Even an 8800GT will chug at higher settings in Crysis, so why bother?

Also, what resolution and settings do you game at? This is a big factor as well, as anything above 1680x1050 will begin to chug on the 1950. Any other game besides Crysis should run just fine on the X1950.

You want to play games in all of their glory, but you also want to be smart about it.

 

[Marty502]

Ouch, I thought the new series was out for earlier launch than that. Sorry, my mistake. But still, I think I've got a fair point. Not worth upgrading for only one game. A bit of a waste, if you know what I mean?

Just my $.02

 

[nOOky]

Especially for Crysis, does anyone actually like that game?! I doubt the new gpu's, if and when they appear as expected, are going to be as low-priced as the current crop. It may take many more months for the next generations mid-range to appear and to be affordable. Who knows.

 

[JustaGeek]

I've been waiting for the Far Cry to play smooth since January 2005.

It finally does now, all maxed-out, on the 8800GT.

Crysis is a fantastic game, but it feels like Far Cry did on my 6800NU then.

 

[Ares202]

i actually like the online part of crysis alot, more than call of duty 4 ATM

also the single player is good, but not amazing

 

[Puffnstuff]

Well I happen to like crysis a lot. As far as cards go if you do decide to get a new one get the evga which offers the step up program for 90 days from the date of purchase. Also be sure to register your card at evga.com right away once you receive it and you'll see the step up button on your product registration page.

 

[kmmatney]

My card can play Crysis "OK" wihtout AA. I'll probably upgrade to an HD 3850, and overclock it. The 8800's seem too expensive at the moment.