Upgrade for a 8800GTS 512MB

[Bonesdad]

Considering doing an upgrade, but don't want to spend much $$. Is it worth it to get a new card or should I consider getting another Evga 8800GTS to do an SLI with my current card? What are drawbacks to doing this?

If I consider going to a new card, what do you suggest? I want something that stays pretty quiet under a moderate load. I have an e8400 CPU with a 22" widescreen LCD.

Thanks

 

[happy medium]

How much is not much money?

 

[RaistlinZ]

5770 for about $160.00 would smoke your current 8800GTS I would think. But yeah, we need to know what your budget is. "Not much money" to me means anything under $200.00.

 

[Qbah]

A 8800GTS 512MB is similar to a 9800GTX/GTS250 in performance (~HD4850 from ATi). It is a bit slower due to lower clocks, but I don't think the difference is noticeable. Going to a HD5770-class card (so let's say also a HD4870 or a GTX260 - both a bit faster) is a total waste imo. Your monitor is running at 1680x1050 and I'm pretty sure all of today's games should play fine for you (High settings with no or low AA). The card will murder yesterday's games.

The only sensible upgrade imo is a HD5850-level or higher card (so a GTX285 or the fastest one available now - HD5870). Those options will offer a jump at least equal to doubling the 8800GTS 512 with SLi. But any of those 3 will be overkill for 1680x1050 with most games imo. Your card is still very good.

I'd say invest in a bigger screen with a higher resolution first Then a HD5850 or better will be put to good use as a 8800GTS 512 isn't strong enough to comfortably play at FullHD or above resolutions with settings maxed.

Now if your screen is one of the new 22" 1920x1080 ones... ignore most of my post and grab a HD5850 or better Or if you're not in a hurry, wait for the new nVidia cards that will launch supposedly in March? If they will suck, you will get your Radeon then. If they won't suck, they will probably push prices of the HD58xx series down. Or you might decide to get the nVidia card.

Also, people are saying a HD5830 will launch on the 25th of Jan - depending on how it will perform and how much it will cost, this might be the best bang/buck card for 1680x1050

 

[blanketyblank]

I disagree about the 5850 being the only sensible upgrade at about $300, but yeh the real question is what game you are playing which you find your current card insufficient for. Going to a 1 GB card even a 9800 GTX or GTS 250 which uses the same GPU could be a good upgrade since the 512 MB does become a limit in certain games.
I'd say a anying above 5770+ card would make a nice upgrade since you get DX 11 support as well as a decent bump in speed.

 

[evolucion8]

Even a GTX 260+ will show you noticeable improvements, it usually can be almost twice faster when you are GPU bound in demanding games, but the HD 5770 is slighly slower but brings you a much lower power consumption and DX11.

 

[nemesismk2]

I would upgrade to atleast a Radeon 5770 or GeForce GTX 260.

 

[evolucion8]

I think that current 9x00 or 8x00 users are good to go because they can upgrade to a HD 4870/90, GTX series or HD 57x0 series or higher and will notice a nice performance boost for cheap, but HD 4850X2/4870/90 users like us will have to upgrade to a HD 58x0 card for a noticeable improvement. I don't think that I will ever plow $400 for a card.

 

[pmv]

Was wondering the same thing re my 8800gt. But nothing seems _quite_ worth the cost. Was considering the 5770, but all the website benchmarks seem to contradict each other over what kind of benefit it would give (seem to show anything from 1/6 to 1/3 impro0vement in the same games,if I assume mine is the same as the 9800gt).

Is anything on the horizon that would change that? Anything in the near future going to supplant the 5770 as the mid-range/modest budget choice? Is that card likely to go down in price in the next month or so?

Is it my imagination or are cards not improving year-by-year as much as they used to? Didn't we use to get bigger leaps than this back in the voodoo and then early geforce days? How old is the 8800gt? And yet the gts250 is just a higher-clocked one and is still a usable budget card.

 

[RaistlinZ]

Heck, I'm still running a 8800GT on my current rig. The only reason I haven't upgraded is because I game at 16x10 and I'm on an old ass Athlon 64 CPU. But I think that if you're going to upgrade, make it a tangible upgrade that will last you the next few years or don't bother.

 

[Qbah]

Heck, I'm still running a 8800GT on my current rig. The only reason I haven't upgraded is because I game at 16x10 and I'm on an old ass Athlon 64 CPU. But I think that if you're going to upgrade, make it a tangible upgrade that will last you the next few years or don't bother.

That's also my approach I don't consider getting 20-25% more from a purchase a good upgrade. And this is how much the OP will get if he goes to a HD5770/HD4870/GTX260. Hence my statement for a sensible upgrade being at least a HD5850 But I'm sure not everyone feels the same way

EDIT: And a higher resolution monitor

 

[Farfrumhumpn]

I've run 8800GTS 512 Sli before and it's pretty nice. As long as your PSU can hack it. I'd say grab another one of those cards on the FS forum for $75 shipped and call it a day.

 

[amenx]

My last card was a gts 512, now have a gtx 275. I think I was doing quite well with the gts 512 at 1680x1050. Only reason I upgraded was to go to a 1920x1200 monitor. If I were still on 1680x1050, I dont think it would have been worth upgrading the GPU. The gts 512 is still a very capable card, unless you're a Crysis nut who maxes everything out.

 

[Bonesdad]

That's also my approach I don't consider getting 20-25% more from a purchase a good upgrade. And this is how much the OP will get if he goes to a HD5770/HD4870/GTX260. Hence my statement for a sensible upgrade being at least a HD5850 But I'm sure not everyone feels the same way

EDIT: And a higher resolution monitor

That's along the lines I've been thinking, but as someone else here said, it seems GPUs have not been making the leaps they once did every year. I've had this card for about 2 years now, which in the old days would mean I have a dinosaur. It seems to hold it's own now.

I think I'll continue with my current card (which is really a nice card by the way) until something really significant comes along. I don't see dumping 300-400 into a new card worth it unless I get a helluva bang for buck out of it. I was just starting to feel the upgrade itch, but I guess I don't have any compelling reason to at this point (kinda makes me sad!).

Thanks for the help folks. You just saved me a couple hundred dollars!

 

[tweakboy]

I say your best upgrade is a GTX 260 core 216 896mb

You can find it for about 150 bones with rebate included etc.

start @ www.frys.com and If you have a local Fry's go there! gl

I personally wouldn't pay more then 150 to 180 bones after rebate.

FERMI is around the corner and this card will drop to 100 bones probably. gl

If you can wait one or two more months then you can get a 260 for even less.

Play the waiting game. Your current card on your rig is good enough for every game but 2 games.. Crysis and Far Cry . If you want to play those two you have to reduce textures and reduce resolution to 1280x1024 ...

Every other game your video card will pown. UT3 engine games,, Call of Duty engines,, MW2 will be ultra fast,,, its just this Crysis engine which no video card can handle still.

TIP: Use antiscropic filtering to 16x as its free. Turn off AA .. set to high quality and single gpu performance , in the nvidia panel.

In every game but Crysis engines you can go 1920x1200 all settings on and details to the max. If your obsessed with Crysis and Far Cry and future crysis games then a 260 wont be enough either. You will need a Fermi for Crysis and Far Cry to max out their settings and max out res... thanks.

 

[aclim]

That's along the lines I've been thinking, but as someone else here said, it seems GPUs have not been making the leaps they once did every year. I've had this card for about 2 years now, which in the old days would mean I have a dinosaur. It seems to hold it's own now.

I think I'll continue with my current card (which is really a nice card by the way) until something really significant comes along. I don't see dumping 300-400 into a new card worth it unless I get a helluva bang for buck out of it. I was just starting to feel the upgrade itch, but I guess I don't have any compelling reason to at this point (kinda makes me sad!).

Thanks for the help folks. You just saved me a couple hundred dollars!

I like your thinking. I would wait for nvidias new cards before I would buy, unless you need/want to buy now. 5850 Would be what I would get if you buy right now.

 

[evolucion8]

In demanding games the GTX 260+ is a deal faster than the 8800GTS, heck its only slighly slower than the almighty 9800GX2, but considering your resolution plus most games today are console ports, will not make justice to current and previous generation of cards. If you are happy with your current card just hold on a bit more and see what's around the corner, the HD 5870 is a kick ass card, but probably Fermi will be even better. Just wait and see what is coming before purchasing anything.

 

[happy medium]

Or you could just wait a little for the soon to be released 5830 on Jan 25?

 

[Imp]

I'm in a similar dilemma exce[t woth an ancoent, loud 7600gt. I actually went out to buy a 5750 yesterday to tide me over, but they were sold out, and the only ones left were $166+ (CAD). The 5770 is very similar to the 5750, so I'm guessing my local stores have figured that out and started price gouging. I'm considering just splurging and going for a 5850 or wait for the 5830.