Upgrade, Wait, or SLI? 8800GTS 320mb

[Xushni]

I got a good deal on a box on CL. However, it came with a gts 320mb. I would really like ot move up to a 24" monitor, or at least a 22" and I want it to perform at least as well as it is now, on my 19". I have a G0 Q6600, I want to OC it, which will require a new mobo and some cooling(came with an Intel board, No OCing). If I do that, I can get an SLI board and add another card. However, it's a bit more money than I want to dump right back into a computer I just bought.

Would it be better to upgrade the card, say to a 512mb GT for 1620x1050 gaming? Is there a market for the 320mb's at all? Could I sell my old one?

 

[RussianSensation]

Don't bother trying to SLI 8800GTS 320mb since the memory size will hold back that setup (plus the GPU isn't the fastest out there either). If you plan on getting a 24 inch monitor you will not be able to run AA on a 320mb card. Either way you will most likely have to turn some settings to medium regardless as not even the fastest GF8 can handle some of today's games at 1920x1200 with everything on high.

At 1680x1050 (22 inch monitor), you will be able to run most games with high settings and some with AA. The notable exceptions will include Crysis and World in Conflict. Games like Unreal Tournament 3, Call of Duty 4, Need for Speed: Pro Street, Supreme Commander, Bioshock, Hellgate London will play with everything on high with AA at such resolution though and won't require a videocard upgrade.

In any case, unless you can get a good deal on an upgrade to 8800GT 512, I'd wait for GF9 or R700. It rarely makes sense to upgrade within the same generation of cards.

Benches

 

[MarcVenice]

Same boat, not a whole boatload of money to spend either, and I'm sitting it out, card costed me relatively large amount of money, and I intend on using it at least for a year, so no upgrading for another 6 months. Most games play just fine anyways, so there's no real reason to complain.

 

[Xushni]

It's what I figured. I paid a whoping $360 for the whole computer, which is only slightly more than the retail of this card when it was brand new. I'll just get a 22 inch, it's not a big difference to me.

 

[Munky]

If you already had a bigger monitor, then it would be a good idea to ditch the 320mb gts while it's still worth something and get a 8800gt. But since you're still on a 19-inch screen, then just keep your current card, and upgrade when you really need to, maybe by that time there will be newer and faster cards.

 

[taltamir]

wait.

 

[krnmastersgt]

Originally posted by: Xushni
It's what I figured. I paid a whoping $360 for the whole computer, which is only slightly more than the retail of this card when it was brand new. I'll just get a 22 inch, it's not a big difference to me.

$360 is whopping? Also how the heck did you get a Q6600 and 8800 GTS for under 400? I spent like 4 times that much on my current system....Anyways like everyone says, not point in getting another GTS when GF9 and other cards are coming out soon enough, and if price is an issue waiting for the GF9 and hopeful R700 to come out will lower the prices of the GF8 cards, so in any scenario it's best to wait.

 

[Xushni]

It was saracasm. I got a great deal. GTS, Q6600, 4gb ram, 500gb WD HDD, OCZ 600w PSU, Asus Vento case, Bluetooth Logitech KB/M, and Intel DP35DP mobo for $360. Yay for Craigslist. I saved so much money I decided to waste money and I bought a X-Fi Fatality Pro to add in.

 

[Krakn3Dfx]

Picked up an 8800GT for $245, sold my 320MB 8800GTS for $185. I thought it was a good deal, I notice the difference in games like Crysis and WiC from having the extra RAM on the card and the extra tweaks on the 8800GT.

I'd say if you can sell your GTS and buy a GT within $50-$60 more, it's probably worth the effort. Otherwise, wait it out.

I dunno how accurate these Crysis 1600x1200 high numbers are with the old 8800GTS vs 8800GT, but if they're to believed, it's like almost a 2.5x performance increase. That's what sucked me in and made me upgrade .