Video Card Upgrade Advice... HL2/D3 on the Horizon

[g00n]

I currently have a GeForce3 (no Ti origial gf3 64meg). I plan to upgrade my entire system any time now. Im basically just waiting on HL2/D3 and the new R420 & NV40 cards. UT2k4 and BF:Vietnam run like ass on this card. I want to upgrade badly. But I'm hesitant......

Im going to make a lot of assumptions here - If some are WAY OFF please help out.

So even if I wait until May/June and HL2/D3 are out my choices are still, 9800p @ $160-200, 9800XT @ $350+/-, R420 or NV40 @ $475-500 (maybe more).
The 9800p will just get cheaper.
The XT wont fall below $350 I dont think, in fact it might not get that low.
The new ATi/nVidia cards will be the best bet for DX9 titles but will cost an arm and a leg. $500+

Since im upgrading my whole system I would really liked to keep the video card @ $300 or Less. Looking at it this way my Options dont really change much with time. Im still looking at the same cards, I just suffer longer with this pos GeForce3.

And Then I read stuff like this: To date, DX9 performance is totally irrelevant. When it is relevant, any card out at this point in time will be irrelevant. You can talk about good DX9 performance on your 9700s and whatnot all you like, but I scoff at my 9800Pros feeble DX9 flailings and wait for MAy when I can buy a real DX9 card.

...Which complicates things even more.

What do you guys think?

 

[Dman877]

Well, if you can wait a few months after the release of the new cards, that's when the 9800 pro and XT will drop significantly in price (well the 9800 pro might be just under 200 but the XT should drop to below 300 a month or 2 after then next gen cards show up). And yes, no current DX9 cards will be able to run true DX9 titles well. I think the demo X2: The Threat uses DX9 and is indicative of future offerings and with AA on at 1280x1024 my system drops to single digit fps in places.

EDIT: With that being said, I think you can confidently buy a 9800 Pro now for ~220 and rest assured it will run everything you need it to for at least a year-and-a-half.

 

[videoclone]

You can never win with Computers you will find yourself waiting forever for price's to come down and for new hardware to come out.

Just do what is required for the games you play to run at an injoyable level.

The money you save now by getting a cheaper videocard will be the money you spend later on to replace it

 

[g00n]

True....

After thinking about it my main priority is being able to play HL2 and Doom3 with 95% of features enabled smoothly with little to no FPS drop. I see these being the two main engines for a while (d3 especially). I can suffer 2-3 more months....

I think I better just shave cost off my other system parts and plan on getting ass raped for a R420 or NV40. In pure DX9 titles only these cards will truely give flawless gameplay.

And the cycle continues - I bought this Gf3 when it very first came out. I dont even want to remember what I probably paid for it. Im ready to repeat that blunder all over again. Sad....

 

[nRollo]

The new cards usually debut at $499.99.
You will see 9800XTs at $300 soon (I'm guessing but that's been the pattern with ATI, price plummets when next gen comes out) but I don't think 9800Pros will be much below $200 anytime soon. Maybe $150 at Christmas?

 

[BenSkywalker]

The new cards usually debut at $499.99.

I'd wager we will see a $399 part alongside them too.

 

[nRollo]

And Then I read stuff like this: To date, DX9 performance is totally irrelevant. When it is relevant, any card out at this point in time will be irrelevant. You can talk about good DX9 performance on your 9700s and whatnot all you like, but I scoff at my 9800Pros feeble DX9 flailings and wait for MAy when I can buy a real DX9 card.

BTW- I wrote that. While my guesses on lower prices are still my guesses, I still think you'd be better off to wait until a month or two after the new cards come out to upgrade.

Prices of all cards will be much less, and you really should get the next generation of cards if you want

After thinking about it my main priority is being able to play HL2 and Doom3 with 95% of features enabled smoothly with little to no FPS drop. I see these being the two main engines for a while (d3 especially).

BTW- last night you could have bought a refurb BBA 9800XT at newegg for $320.

 

[tenoc]

The current difference between the 9800Pro and the 9800 XT in price is huge, the diff in performance is negligible.

Get the 9800 Pro now and be set for a couple of years.

Remember, games usually lag hardware by a year or two at least.

 

[niggles]

Originally posted by: g00n

And the cycle continues - I bought this Gf3 when it very first came out. I dont even want to remember what I probably paid for it. Im ready to repeat that blunder all over again. Sad....

I just bought a 9800 Pro for 1/2 the price it was 6 months ago. Sure it'll probably drop a little more over the next couple of months, but so what, I'm covered for all the new games coming out now. Buying a card for a couple of games that will come out "when it's finished" is not worth it to me. buy for what you're playing now, not for what may or may not come out tomorrow. IMHO

 

[oldfart]

IMHO, right now, you can get a lot of bang for the $$ from nVidia or ATi for ~$200. The super high end cards such as the 9800XT and 5950 do not offer enough extra performance to justify spending 2X as much. If you want a card for HL2 and D3, wait for the game(s) to come out. By then, the new offerings from ATi and nV will be out.

Ever since the GF3 came out there has always been this speculation that the new card would debut at $500. It has always been false. The high end mainstream card such as GF3, GF4 Ti4600, 9800P, 5900U etc come in around $350 shortly after launch. There also the super uber versions (9800XT and 5950) that command the uber price.

So, if you need to buy a card right now, get a $200 card and wait for the new cards and the new games. You can upgrade to the mainstream high end then, and sell your card without too much of a loss.