Upgrade to 8800 Ultra?

[mkln]

Hi, with Crysis coming out at Sept 11 (thats what some guys at MS and Intel said anyways), I was wondering if it would be a good idea to jump on the 8800 Ultra bandwagon (i can get the Ultra for the same price as a GTX); i currently have an Asus 1950pro but I am beginning to find it hard to run things with enough eye candy at native res (22" WS - 1680 x 1050). Has anyone been in a similar situation and noticed a HUGE difference in quality and performance? (it seems like I only have 2 days to decide)

current specs:
22" WS monitor
E6600 at 3GHz
4GB RAM
Vista x64
2x WD 250GB (not in RAID)
1950PRO
Enermax Liberty 500W

also, is there a difference in size compared to the GTX?

btw, i've heard that being in Canada it is not worth while to do the EVGA step up...is that true?

thanks in advance.

 

[RussianSensation]

Originally posted by: mkln
Hi, with Crysis coming out at Sept 11 (thats what some guys at MS and Intel said anyways), I was wondering if it would be a good idea to jump on the 8800 Ultra bandwagon

Game: Crysis (PC)
Release Date: Nov 13, 2007 (as per Gamespot.com)

If all you care about is best performance for Crysis, then wait until the game is actually released because the release date keeps changing. I wouldn't spend $500 on a graphics card today simply because it makes sense to do so at the very beginning of the generation and 8800GTX is from October of 2006. Plus in Canada you are looking at 14% tax which makes the price $600CDN! Of course if you have the $ and will not be upset if GF9 comes out with 2x the performance in 6 months for $500, then go ahead. Performance wise it is the fastest card out there so from that point it's as "futureproof" as you can possibly get with a single card.

 

[mkln]

$500 for 2x the performance?!...hm, perhaps it WOULD be a better idea to wait.

 

[RussianSensation]

Originally posted by: mkln
$500 for 2x the performance?!...hm, perhaps it WOULD be a better idea to wait.

I am not saying GF 9 will have 2x the performance, but it's possible. Either way, there is nothing wrong with buying 8800GTX. But if you are just going to upgrade for that 1 game, might as well wait until it is released. Again, there are no guarantees GF9 will be released this year.

 

[BoboKatt]

My eVGA 8800GTX (non ultra) on my 22" LCD running 1680x1050 is pretty well maxed on anything I play -- in fact overkill really. I would suspect only with higher resoultion you would see with 26"+LCD Or those crazy 30" ones that you would start noticing any real difference between the GTX and ultra.

ANyhow if you can get the ultra for the same price.. man go for it...

As for tax.. I always order from NCIX and they don't charge the provicial tax if you outside of BC.. saved a good amount right there.

Size wise... the GTX is huge.. I cannot imagine the ultra being any bigger. The funny thing is that it stil fits my original Antec Sonata 1, 2 and then my Antec 900... in fact it fits in all my cases... maybe I just got lucky. I also find the GTX to be very quiet -- i keep it at stock settings and there is plenty of air movement in my case. Great GPU period.

 

[mkln]

hm, i just found out that i could get an 8800GTS (320MB) superclocked for $283; is that a good deal?

 

[RussianSensation]

For Canada, yes Perhaps you can sell your X1950Pro so the net upgrade will only be $180 say.

 

[MrNOOB]

Originally posted by: mkln
hm, i just found out that i could get an 8800GTS (320MB) superclocked for $283; is that a good deal?

Can you tell me where you found a 8800gts for that price? Used or new?

 

[Skott]

Hmmm.. I'd say either get a 8800GTS now or wait till end of year because the next generation cards come out November/December supposedly. No sense buying a 8800 Ultra when next gen is not too far off. But thats just my opinion.

 

[mkln]

Originally posted by: MrNOOB

Originally posted by: mkln
hm, i just found out that i could get an 8800GTS (320MB) superclocked for $283; is that a good deal?

Can you tell me where you found a 8800gts for that price? Used or new?

a buddy of mine works for FutureShop, so the card is new...however the last 2 characters in the product code are CR (no lifetime warranty). tbh though, i don't intend to keep this card for longer than 2 years, so if this card lasts me that long, ill be happy.