What videocard should I go for?

[RustyDuke]

Hi,

I am thinking about upgrading to XP 2500+ (Barton) from XP 1600+. My current videocard is GF3 Ti200. Main reason for upgrading is the upcoming Pro Evolution Soccer 3 release on PC, I played the demo and it was sluggish @ 1024x768, my friend has a Ti4200 and besides that almost the same setup and he could run on max resolution (1280x1024) with max detail. Now it could be that the final version is better optimized but I doubt it. I also like FPS games but besides HL2 there isn't any coming out (including Doom3) that I care about.

Basically I was thinking about going Radeon but after reading reviews/looking at benchmarks I am unsure. If I'd get a Radeon 9700 Pro for example, how long do you think it would last? If only a few months I'd rather get a cheaper card, Ti4200/R9600 Pro. On the other hand I can't see myself splashing out max money when the new generation videocards are released, I usually try to stay 6-12 months behind because it seems more 'money-effective' (probably 'cause I still am a student so no huge money to spend (yet ).

So ideally I would like a videocard that could keep me going until the newer generation cards are starting to dip in price somewhat.

Mainly torn between R9700 (Pro) vs R9600 (Pro) as some benchmarks suggest a huge difference between them while others don't.

Any advice on what I should go for would be much appreciated!

 

[Zk1]

If u can afford the 9700p u should go for it, it's alot better then the 9600 (np, p and XT). the 9700 should last for a long time, probably until the end of the NV4x/R4xx generation if not longer.

 

[Blastman]

as some benchmarks suggest a huge difference between them while others don't.

AT 1024x768 a lot of the time the 9600pro/XT will be very close to the high end cards, so if you plan on only gaming at that resolution a 9600pro will probably serve you well. As you move to higher resolutions like 1600x1200 the 9600pro will fall back considerably from the 9700pro. See ? Wolfenstein :ET and the ? C&C Generals Demo. In that same review some more demanding games like tomb raider will show a substantial difference even at 1024x768.

9700pro is more future proof but costs quite a bit more than a 9600pro ~ $150.

 

[McArra]

Originally posted by: Zk1
If u can afford the 9700p u should go for it, it's alot better then the 9600 (np, p and XT). the 9700 should last for a long time, probably until the end of the NV4x/R4xx generation if not longer.

 

[sirspotticus]

wait until the thanksgiving sales at the end of the month if you can