Upgraded my rig, help me pick a video card!

[rsplatpc]

Ok, upgraded my rig after about 2 years, this is what I picked up.

Intel CPU : Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.4GHz, 1066FSB (Quad Core) 8000K
Intel CPU Fans : Cooler Master HyperTX Intel EXTRA QUIET Vertical HeatPipe Copper fan
Intel Motherboards : ASUS P5N-D SLI nForce 750i, 1333FSB, SLI PCI Ex, Sound,1GB LAN, iEEE
DDR2 memory : 2GB (2x1GB) PC6400 DDR2 800 Dual Channel
Floppy Drives -Card Readers : 12-in-1 Memory Card Reader Internal Black
Sound Cards : AC 97 3D Full Duplex sound card (onboard)
Network Cards : Ethernet network adapter (onboard)
Cases : Antec Sonata III Black Ultra Quiet Case front USB & eSATA
Power Supply : Antec EarthWatts 500w Extra Quiet ATX Power Supply SLI Ready

Good choices? Got em all for $700

Cards I am choosing from, planning on buying another of the same for SLI in about 2 months, but want a replacement for my current 7800GT now. Will be running on my 22inch Samsung 226bw

MSI NX8800GTS 512M OC GeForce 8800GTS (G92) 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814127325

or

MSI NX8800GT 512M OC GeForce 8800GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814127329

Would the GTS give me a big enough boost to be worth the extra $50 (and another $50 down the road)?

Will my cooling as listed above be sufficent for these? I was also considering picking up 2 9600gt's for SLI, but figured if my cooling is good enough for the GT/GTS's then why not? What do you all think?

 

[Denithor]

First, welcome to the forums!

Second, the GTS model offers more than just a 10-15% speed boost versus the GT. It also has the nifty cooler that dumps the hot air out the back of your case, which will help to keep all of your other expensive components running better (cool parts are happy parts).

With your monitor, you will run at 16x10 so I would suggest at least an 8800GT.

But the MSI 8800GTS OC for $220 after MIR is tasty looking.

 

[IL2SturmovikPilot]

Personally,i'd just get the 8800GT,think about it,why spend extra money on something that won't last longer (At least nowhere near long enough to justify it) ?

 

[kojak61]

I would look at the 9600gt also it can be found for 150-180 and is nearly as fast as the gts and beats the gt.

 

[TurnX]

not that this has anything to do with a video card choice, but you may want to upgrade that 500w power supply. 500w is gonna be a bare min if you are running a quad core cpu and SLI.

 

[krnmastersgt]

Originally posted by: kojak61
I would look at the 9600gt also it can be found for 150-180 and is nearly as fast as the gts and beats the gt.

Where'd you get that info? The 9600 trails behind the GT in most cases, even in others, and is definitely behind the GTS. As for gaming on 16x10 I don't think you'll need an SLI config if you just get the GTS, at that res even with aa/as on max most games will run just fine. But if you want to SLI anyways, then I'd say SLI the 9600 GTs, cheaper and the performance they yield when SLIed is more than enough for 16x10.

 

[rsplatpc]

So based on my specs, and I'm willing to spend about $350 give or take, what would you all go with? All will be played on a 22inch monitor.

Is my current 7800gt going to be a big bottle neck on non Crysis games?

 

[AzN]

7800gt won't let you play games on a 22" monitor with full detail.

8800gt is solid choice but if you have $350 you should go with GTS instead.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814143119

This is good one with life time warranty.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814127325

or this one if you want something cheaper with 3 years warranty.

Don't count on rebates though. Some time it comes and sometime it doesn't.

 

[rsplatpc]

Originally posted by: Azn
7800gt won't let you play games on a 22" monitor with full detail.

8800gt is solid choice but if you have $350 you should go with GTS instead.

8800gts I can pick up the OC one for like $250, that would be a better choice than 2 9600's in SLI for $350?

Would the SLI be overkill as I only need to hit 60fps on all games with high detail?

 

[AzN]

I didn't see that you had a sli mobo. Then you should go with 9600gt sli but sli isn't for everyone nor does every single game use it or scale accordingly.

All you really need is a 8800gt with 22" monitor really.

You might also be pushing that 500 watt power supply with SLI and and quad core. So ready to upgrade that if it hinders your performance.

 

[rsplatpc]

hummm I'm not the most demanding gamer, I mainly play stuff like the Orange Box, I really upgraded my system because I am doing a lot more video editing and my old 4000+ was dragging big time, I think I will invest in a 8800 GTS for the time being, if a game comes out down the line i NEED to play I can always throw in a 2nd with a new PS. Would the overclocked card not perform better than the other one with the lifetime warranty? What do you all think the best 8800 GTS card deal is going right now?