What upgrade options are there for a 9800 Pro owner that DON'T cost 400 bucks?

[archcommus]

I'm not in the market for a new video card now but I will be in three or four months. I know it'll be PCI-E, thing is nothing seems like a good choice. 6800GT PCI-E is $400 or more, even an X800XL PCI-E is like $370, and something like a 6600GT is probably not enough of an upgrade. I really didn't want to spend more than $300.

Seems like a bad time in the video card world nowadays.

 

[zakee00]

no its a great time, but you dont need to upgrade because your card is still fine. a 6600GT is essentially the same as a 9800 pro performance wise, so dont go there.
that leaves the:
6800NU
6800GT
6800U
6800UE

x800
x800 Pro
x800XL
x800XT
x800XT PE
x850XT
x850XT PE

wait to upgrade IMO, your card is still damn good today.

 

[archcommus]

Well like I said, I don't want to do this until early summer, but I'm just realizing now that all of my options will cost nearly $400, which sucks (a lot of those on your list would not be good upgrades, such as the 6800 NU or x800 regular, all the rest are pretty damn expensive for my tastes).

 

[imverygifted]

keep ur 9800pro til the next gen of gfx cards come out then buy the budget end of that generation which should be a considerable update and the budget cards ati and nvidia put out usually range between 200-300 or if you can wait to get your hands on an x800xl those are supposed be to around 300 whenever they come out and would be a significant upgrade from a 9800pro

 

[archcommus]

Originally posted by: imverygifted
keep ur 9800pro til the next gen of gfx cards come out then buy the budget end of that generation which should be a considerable update and the budget cards ati and nvidia put out usually range between 200-300 or if you can wait to get your hands on an x800xl those are supposed be to around 300 whenever they come out and would be a significant upgrade from a 9800pro

The x800 XL is already out but again, too expensive, it comes close to $400 at some stores.

But like I said, I DON'T want to upgrade now anyway, not until the summer. Will the next batch be out by then?

 

[ohnnyj]

Originally posted by: archcommus

Originally posted by: imverygifted
keep ur 9800pro til the next gen of gfx cards come out then buy the budget end of that generation which should be a considerable update and the budget cards ati and nvidia put out usually range between 200-300 or if you can wait to get your hands on an x800xl those are supposed be to around 300 whenever they come out and would be a significant upgrade from a 9800pro

The x800 XL is already out but again, too expensive, it comes close to $400 at some stores.

But like I said, I DON'T want to upgrade now anyway, not until the summer. Will the next batch be out by then?

ATI seems to be have a better chance at getting a Spring refresh out before summer but we will have to wait and see. If they do then the current gen will be discounted and then you can jump on one of the high end cards that are out now for a good price. You know you could also sell your 9800 Pro and use that money toward a new card, bringing the price down a little.

 

[Pieded]

most likely the price for x800xls will be msrp by the time you want to upgrade. If not, you could probably find them in store for msrp

 

[archcommus]

I guess I'll have to hope that x800 XLs come down in price or that a new batch comes out before summer then!

 

[DoC91383]

Just read up on how to turn your 9800pro into a 9800xt. Simple boost of performance and free. Ps, your card is still fine for another year.

 

[Avalon]

Originally posted by: DoC91383
Just read up on how to turn your 9800pro into a 9800xt. Simple boost of performance and free. Ps, your card is still fine for another year.

Doesn't always work, and it won't be that noticeable a difference.

 

[archcommus]

Originally posted by: DoC91383
Just read up on how to turn your 9800pro into a 9800xt. Simple boost of performance and free. Ps, your card is still fine for another year.

No I can't, it's already a NP modded to Pro.

I really am still satisfied with my video card's performance, however I know I will be upgrading in the summer, and that means PCI-E, which means new video card.

 

[otispunkmeyer]

Originally posted by: imverygifted
keep ur 9800pro til the next gen of gfx cards come out then buy the budget end of that generation which should be a considerable update and the budget cards ati and nvidia put out usually range between 200-300 or if you can wait to get your hands on an x800xl those are supposed be to around 300 whenever they come out and would be a significant upgrade from a 9800pro

hes building a PCI- express system, how does AGP fit PCI-e?

if hes building said PCIe system this summer, then he'll need a PCIe solution this summer

 

[archcommus]

Originally posted by: otispunkmeyer

Originally posted by: imverygifted
keep ur 9800pro til the next gen of gfx cards come out then buy the budget end of that generation which should be a considerable update and the budget cards ati and nvidia put out usually range between 200-300 or if you can wait to get your hands on an x800xl those are supposed be to around 300 whenever they come out and would be a significant upgrade from a 9800pro

hes building a PCI- express system, how does AGP fit PCI-e?

if hes building said PCIe system this summer, then he'll need a PCIe solution this summer

Yep. And I'm realizing NOW that all of the PCI-E solutions that are a worthy upgrade cost nearly $400. So I'm hoping that by summer either a) another gen is out, lowering the current gen's prices, or b) the x800 XL is cheaper, or both.

 

[KMKTEXAN]

I'm in the same boat as you. I want to go NF4 with Pci-E but the cards are all out of my price range. My thinking is that as soon as Best Buy and Comp USA started getting the X800 XL in stock (and keeping them in stock) that you will see the online prices of these start to fall to the $300 - $320 level. This in turn may push the 6800GT cards lower, too.

The X800 XL has only been available for a couple of weeks and the prices have fallen a bit since it came out. I guess we will just have to be patient for a while longer.

 

[KMKTEXAN]

Check this link: February 2005 Video Card price guide

Notice the prices drops in the last couple of weeks. Hope this trend continues.

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: archcommus
Well like I said, I don't want to do this until early summer, but I'm just realizing now that all of my options will cost nearly $400, which sucks (a lot of those on your list would not be good upgrades, such as the 6800 NU or x800 regular, all the rest are pretty damn expensive for my tastes).

by Summer, prices may drop somwhat - depending on availibility of the new GPU cores.

 

[Xed]

comp usa is selling the x800xl now for 299 (sold out last i checked)

bestbuy also has them in computer system they just haven't put them up for sale yet.

 

[Cheesetogo]

Originally posted by: archcommus
Well like I said, I don't want to do this until early summer, but I'm just realizing now that all of my options will cost nearly $400, which sucks (a lot of those on your list would not be good upgrades, such as the 6800 NU or x800 regular, all the rest are pretty damn expensive for my tastes).

If your not doing this until sumer, then by then there will be the new cards to choose from and the current cards will be a lot less expensive.

 

[archcommus]

Originally posted by: Cheesetogo

Originally posted by: archcommus
Well like I said, I don't want to do this until early summer, but I'm just realizing now that all of my options will cost nearly $400, which sucks (a lot of those on your list would not be good upgrades, such as the 6800 NU or x800 regular, all the rest are pretty damn expensive for my tastes).

If your not doing this until sumer, then by then there will be the new cards to choose from and the current cards will be a lot less expensive.

We HOPE. We all know how slow they can be in getting their new batches out.

 

[nRollo]

Originally posted by: Xed
comp usa is selling the x800xl now for 299 (sold out last i checked)

bestbuy also has them in computer system they just haven't put them up for sale yet.

I don't think CompUSA has had them in stock yet at that price, just posting that they will?

Anyway, I live to serve, two refurb PCIE cards that would be a large upgrade from a fast downward spiralling 9800Pro for under $300:

Leadtek 6800NU $271.20

MSI 6800NU $263.20

Either of these cards will stomp a 9800Pro flat, and are the best value you'll find for <$275..
(with the possible exception of the 6600GT for under $200)

 

[PClark99]

personally, if I were you, you might be able to sell your card for $120 or so and get a used X800Pro for $300. That would not be a bad upgrade for an additional $180.

 

[RobotOfHatred]

X800XLs are already going down in price, last week they were $400, now there selling for as low as $370, in 2 months or whenever you decide to buy, I doubt it would be hard to find one for $300.

 

[archcommus]

Originally posted by: Rollo

Originally posted by: Xed
comp usa is selling the x800xl now for 299 (sold out last i checked)

bestbuy also has them in computer system they just haven't put them up for sale yet.

I don't think CompUSA has had them in stock yet at that price, just posting that they will?

Anyway, I live to serve, two refurb PCIE cards that would be a large upgrade from a fast downward spiralling 9800Pro for under $300:

Leadtek 6800NU $271.20

MSI 6800NU $263.20

Either of these cards will stomp a 9800Pro flat, and are the best value you'll find for <$275..
(with the possible exception of the 6600GT for under $200)

I didn't think 6800 NUs would be enough of an upgrade.

So the x800 XL will almost definitely be more reasonably priced by summer. The question is, will THIS generation cut it okay for games that'll be out by Christmas?

 

[Cawchy87]

The fs/ft forum is your friend. There are 6800gt's there going for 350 and even as low as 300-325. I would watch it closely.

 

[archcommus]

Originally posted by: Cawchy87
The fs/ft forum is your friend. There are 6800gt's there going for 350 and even as low as 300-325. I would watch it closely.

Not this time around, I've decided to go 100% store (either online or B&M), meaning no eBay and no forums. Only because most warranties are non-trasnferrable and I want my warranties on everything.

If it has a transferrable warranty though that is still in effect then I would consider it.