Vid Card recommendation for mid range system.

[DrDon]

I currently have a Athlon XP 2100+ which is overclocked to 2ghz (this is the highest CPU my Shuttle AK31 v3.1 can take), 512 mb Crucial PC 2100, and a GeForce 4 4600. I was originally going to do a complete upgrade to a A64, 6800GT, etc. but have come under some financial distress recently. So, I want to do a minor upgrade and could use all your thoughts/suggestions. I was thinking about one of the following:

Option #1: Adding another 512mb of crucial memory ($75) and a MSI 9800 Pro ($194).
Option #2: Nvidia 6800 ($300)
Option #3: Wait for AGP version of Nvidia 6600GT ($200, but release date may be too far off)


My main objective with this upgrade will be to run EQ2, HL2, Doom III, and World of Warcraft with decent performance and image quality. I am currently leaning towards option #1 as it seems to be the best bang for the buck upgrade for my mid range system.

Opinions? Please keep in mind a price performance ratio. Thanks in advance everyone!

 

[apoppin]

Pick one . . . any one . . . all look good.

It's a decision that only you can make . . . a 9800p is a DX9 card that will give you all the eye candy your GF lacks . . . OTH, it will not be "that much" faster. ANd the RAM will make a difference (generally) and in loading games levels.

The 6800 is a nice upgradeand more 'future-proof' (at least till next year when the new cards blow away the 9800p and the 6800).

It's your money and the upgrade is temporary . . . personally, i'd wait for the 6600 and the prices to drop further . . . after all, at the latest[/i] we're talking month-after-next.

 

[CU]

I had been asking my self that same question recently. I bought a BFG 6800nu OC yesterday. I really like it. It kills my old 8500. I do get stuttering in Doom III at high quality though, although the timedemo runs fine. I played it some last night at 1280x1024@4AA medium quality and it ran smooth at 40-50 fps. Not a single stutter in medium quality. I think it is the system ram, but I am still looking into that. I will probly be able to test 768meg or 1gig or ram in my system in a week or so. I went with the 6800 because I didn't think 9800 would last me as long as the 6800 would and I can always buy ram latter when I need it more. I just don't think I really need it now. I also didn't want to wait on the 6600GT agp part. I just have a feeling the agp part will be hard to find until next year. I could be wrong though.

 

[DrDon]

bump. Any more suggestions?

 

[davidos]

I am in the same boat as you deciding if i should buy a 6800 or 6800 gt. i'd really want a 6800gt but i can't possibly fathom blowing $400 on a video card just to see a little eye candy over my 9800 np.

I think the 9800 pro and some ram will be the best bang for the buck. the 6800 won't be a magic bullet but you will see a big performance increase with the 9800 pro and the extra memory. I know. I had/have pretty much the same setup as you and I went from a Ti4400 w/ 512mb to a 9800np with 1gb...If you get the 6800 you will be out $300 and still have to get more memory to make your system run well with the memory hogging new games.

I'm going to wait til the prices drop on BOTH the Athlon64s and the 6800gts...

 

[DrDon]

The more I think about it, I would almost prefer to go with the AGP 6600GT. Has there been a release date set? I know the PCIe version is due out this month supposedly....

 

[Insomniak]

You really need that extra 512MB of RAM....512 alone is enough for now, but that's probably only going to last a few more months.

My advice is to wait on the 6600GT, and at the same time, save so you can get the RAM AND the Vidcard.

 

[nRollo]

Go thee to ye olde Best Buy. Buy a BFG 6800NU, get Far Cry and Doom3 free. If you don't have them, game on. If you do, sell them for $20 and $30 and have a 6800NU for $250..

 

[icarus4586]

I'd very strongly recommend getting new RAM. I don't know what your FSB is set at, but if you can raise it to 400MHz you can set your CPU to 10x200 (unless your board doesn't support that), and get a gigabyte of PC-3200. Then you'll be ready when you can get that Athlon 64. And you'll def notice a difference btw 266MHz and 400MHz FSB. New games eat RAM (and video cards) for breakfast. Those are generally the 2 most important things in a system.

 

[lament]

Originally posted by: davidos
I am in the same boat as you deciding if i should buy a 6800 or 6800 gt. i'd really want a 6800gt but i can't possibly fathom blowing $400 on a video card just to see a little eye candy over my 9800 np.

I think the 9800 pro and some ram will be the best bang for the buck. the 6800 won't be a magic bullet but you will see a big performance increase with the 9800 pro and the extra memory. I know. I had/have pretty much the same setup as you and I went from a Ti4400 w/ 512mb to a 9800np with 1gb...If you get the 6800 you will be out $300 and still have to get more memory to make your system run well with the memory hogging new games.

I'm going to wait til the prices drop on BOTH the Athlon64s and the 6800gts...

you'll be waiting a while on those GTs. i don't see a price drop for at least a year. i mean look at how long the 9800 Pro took to come down.

and an upgrade to a 6800 GT from a 98000nu is more than "a little eye candy": Pixel Shader 3.0 and increased fps at higher resolution and AA/AF come to mind. check out my clock speed in my sig (350MHz is stock, but the OC is clocked at 370. The Ultra is clocked at 400Mhz).

a 9800 Pro is a waste of an upgrade. If you can hold out a little longer, save some money and get some more RAM, then get a 6800nu. The 6600s are slower than the 6800s and most likely you won't be happy with it.

 

[lament]

Originally posted by: DrDon
Opinions? Please keep in mind a price performance ratio. Thanks in advance everyone!

for $100 more than the 9800 Pro, you could have a card that kills the 9800 - the 6800nu. it's the perfect price/performance ratio right now.

Best Buy has a $299 BFG 6800 OC with Doom 3 and FarCry right now. if you don't own those games, it's a great deal.

(and even if you do, you could sell Doom 3 for $40 on ebay, and FarCry for $20)

 

[DrDon]

I guess my main concern is my system performance being limited because of my Athlon XP 2100+ @ 2ghz. It's a CPU that is at least two years old now. So, my next logical question is-Is the performance difference between a 9800 Pro and a 6800nu worth the extra $100 (keeping in mind my slower CPU)?

Will I still manage to get decent performance/visual impovements by choosing the 6800nu instead of the 9800 Pro even with my slower CPU?

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: lament

Originally posted by: DrDon
Opinions? Please keep in mind a price performance ratio. Thanks in advance everyone!

for $100 more than the 9800 Pro, you could have a card that kills the 9800 - the 6800nu. it's the perfect price/performance ratio right now.

Best Buy has a $299 BFG 6800 OC with Doom 3 and FarCry right now. if you don't own those games, it's a great deal.

(and even if you do, you could sell Doom 3 for $40 on ebay, and FarCry for $20)

the 6800 doesn't "kill" the 9800p although it is a good bit faster (especially in Doom iii)

And don't expect to get $40 for Doom III - it is already in the bargain-bin - you can get it NEW for $35.

Used, i sold my copy for $25 - last week.

:roll: