Want to play DX10 games on a budget

[frover2000]

Want to get into some of the newer DX10 games and i dont think my x1300 is gonna cut it

ive got a budget of about $200-$300 max foir a video card
ill be runnin it at 1400x900

ive got a P4 Dual Core @ 3.2
2GIG DDR2
and a budget asus board ill be picking up

any recommendations would be great

 

[Stumps]

Ati 3850 would do the trick

or

if you can find one cheap enough a 8800GT or 3870 would be nice.

 

[RavenGuard]

Def go for an HD3870 or a 8800GT. Either is a good choice. Don't worry so much about DX10 vs the overall power of the card, DX10 has little impact as of now and that likely wont change for a while.

Make sure your powersupply can handle an upgrade like a videocard, you don't want to end up being really disappointed when your high-end card won't run.

 

[Stumps]

Just a question, what PSU and motherboard are you using?

 

[frover2000]

ah gonna pick up a Asus P5GC-MX
the ps is just a generic 400watt

 

[Stumps]

Originally posted by: frover2000
ah gonna pick up a Asus P5GC-MX
the ps is just a generic 400watt

you might want to consider getting a good quality PSU if you are going to get a higher end DX10 video card....and maybe replace that P-D with some based on a Core 2 processor, Pentium Dual cores (E2xxx series) can be had for next to peanuts these days and perform miles better than an old P-D.

 

[AzN]

You need a 400-500 watt power supply with combined 12 volt rail of 30amps or more for higher end cards. Generic isn't going to cut it. Antec, Corsair, seasonic, etc are the brands you want.

I favor 8800gt now that 3870 prices have gone up. In the real world 8800gt>HD3870 especially at dx10. DX 10.1 is irrelevant as of now and it will irrelevant for quite a long time.

Your cpu is going to bottleneck some but it's still a dual core. You can easily clock those to 4.0ghz and still hang with core 2 duo @ 2 ghz.

 

[NoStateofMind]

None of the cards out now play DX10 games at playable frame rates according the many reviews I've seen.

EDIT: Also, your P4 will be a bottleneck

 

[pwnerx]

Originally posted by: PC Surgeon
None of the cards out now play DX10 games at playable frame rates according the many reviews I've seen.

EDIT: Also, your P4 will be a bottleneck

You sure about that? I'll be :Q:|:shocked: if I can't run DX10 at 1280x1024.

 

[Elcs]

Originally posted by: pwnerx

Originally posted by: PC Surgeon
None of the cards out now play DX10 games at playable frame rates according the many reviews I've seen.

EDIT: Also, your P4 will be a bottleneck

You sure about that? I'll be :Q:|:shocked: if I can't run DX10 at 1280x1024.

My 8800GT, 3.X Gb of RAM (4 Gb on Vista 32-bit) and an AMD AM2 X2 6000+, I can draw a playable gaming speed of ~30 FPS on Hellgate London DX10 med settings at 1280x720.

DX10 is a real big hog on the graphics and even high end cards such as the 8800GT will struggle.

Almost every DX10 game for a while is bound to have a DX9 counterpart. Until DX10 is optimised better or cards become a lot more powerful, DX9 should be a great option and looks wise it still looks glorious all maxxed out.

 

[taltamir]

DX10 med settings? run it on DX9 HIGH Settings... you will get better framerate AND better visuals.
That is not countering his point, but proving it.

That being said. Many DX10 games are not so insanely heavy. Company of Heroes and Bioshock for example should pose no problem for those new cards. It is games like crysis that will find even the fastest card on the market inadequate.

 

[frover2000]

Ok so i decided i needed to spend a little more so i ended up grabbing a 8800gts.
i can run gears of war decently at 1400x900 with alot of the settings on high but during heavy action parts there is lag..
So im thinking of upgrading my cpu from a PD 3.2 to something a little more powerful,
my board supports core 2 duo i was leaning in that direction. Im considering this clicky

 

[taltamir]

um.... The 8800GTS is a weaker card AND more expensive then the 8800GT! it even has a higher power requirement and makes more heat... there is no reason to buy a GTS right now unless you somehow manage to get it cheaper then 8800GT

the new V3 GTS with 512MB of ram would be a fater card, but it isn't out yet.

 

[frover2000]

its Weaker? boo..i paid about a $100 more, they had no 8800gt's , better dig out the reciept..whats the performance difference though?

 

[SLU Aequitas]

Originally posted by: frover2000
its Weaker? boo..i paid about a $100 more, they had no 8800gt's , better dig out the reciept..whats the performance difference though?

This should give you a good idea of the disparity, especially considering the price points (even with the gouging...funny that Dell saved me from that...). Here is the comparison between the 8800GT and the 8800GTS from that article

 

[taltamir]

this is EXACTLY why the named the new card 8800GT... to make it seem weaker then a GTS to trick people into buying leftover stock... you have been had.

 

[SLU Aequitas]

The GTS has one more letter: "S"...for "Superior"!

Seriously though, if you have the receipt, return that card. Buy yourself the cheaper (and better) GT or wait for the 8800WTF (GTS G92).

 

[taltamir]

Its actually for Slower... its the GT Slower edition... (or suckage?)

 

[SLU Aequitas]

Both work. :shrug: Doesn't work well for PR though, and I just know that some people will buy the card thinking exactly what I thought (or see the 640mb vs 512 and think the former automatically equates to superior performance).

 

[Borealis7]

And I want to date Supermodels.

see my point?

 

[RyanPaulShaffer]

8800GT or 3870; buy the first one you see reasonably priced.

DX10 isn't worth it right now. It provides little to no benefit over DX9, and it incurs a HUGE performance hit. Avoid it like the plague. DX9 FTW.

 

[Arkaign]

Originally posted by: frover2000
its Weaker? boo..i paid about a $100 more, they had no 8800gt's , better dig out the reciept..whats the performance difference though?

Return it, get a 3850, and with that CPU, you'll lose no performance, but you'll save a *ton* of $$$.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814102714

$179 in stock