What's the best upgrade for me?

[tfcmasta97]

Right now I have a 2.4b, 512+256 PC2700 ram and a Ti4400

Im looking to upgrade my videocard mainly for HalfLife 2, what would be the best upgrade.

Im assuming someting by ATI, my budgets absolute max is $250 and even that's pushing it. Of course a cheaper alternative is better

Also, how does a 6800 Nonpro compare to the 6600GT?

 

[kurt454]

A plain 6800 is faster (over a 6600gt) at higher res, or with AA/AF turned on because of its 256 bit memory interface. Buying ATI, you could get a 9800 Pro for $140 ish. If you go Nvidia, get at least a 6600gt.

 

[cownipples]

I got a x800 pro here for sale runs awsome and is in your price range lmk!
x800 pro for sale!

 

[ddogg]

go for the x800(non pro or non xl). it costs about $240...and since u just want to play HL2 it should be perfect for u. it outperforms both the 6600GT and the 6800NU.

 

[BillyBobJoel71]

actually, its not. its at the same level, with 12 pipes. its just that radeno cards do really well for half life 2, just like nvidia for doom 3. i would go 6800 nu since it is a bit faster, and nvidia has much better driver support. also, you can overcolcok it liek crazy - to gt speeds. buts its really what you want.

 

[nRollo]

This article should be a good place to start your research:
http://www.firingsquad.com/hardware/evga_e-geforce_6800/

BTW- I was actually surprised at how well the 6800NU did in that review, even though I've had three.

The X800Pro is also a 12 pipe card, like Supertyphoon notes, but it's got a much higher core speed, much higher RAM speed, and twice the RAM.

Nonetheless, for Half Life2, the X800Pro is the better card.

 

[ronnn]

get the x800pro

 

[lavaheadache]

:thumbsup:

Originally posted by: ronnn
get the x800pro

 

[xtknight]

The 6800NU is pretty awesome. Mine, when overclocked, has about the same or higher than a 6800GT. And, I'm sure it beats an X800 Pro. The highest X800 Pro score I saw on here was a 4500. Mine's PCI-e though, and your overclock will, of course, vary. I assume you're looking for the AGP version.

 

[tfinch2]

A gig of Corsair Value Select and a 6600GT of your choice. You could probably do that right at $250 or less.

EDIT:

6600GT
Corsair

Total: $248.81 shipped.

 

[nRollo]

Originally posted by: tfinch2
A gig of Corsair Value Select and a 6600GT of your choice. You could probably do that right at $250 or less.

EDIT:

6600GT
Corsair

Total: $248.81 shipped.

Gotta disagree with this tfinch.
When I went from 768MB of PC2700 to 1GB of Corsair PC3200 Value Select, I saw veyr litlle difference with my A64 3000+. 1-2fps was all, and he's even more cpu bound.

The 6800NU would be a better upgrade for him than the 6600GT, but everyone else is right, the X800Pro at $250 is his best bet.

 

[tfinch2]

Originally posted by: Rollo

Originally posted by: tfinch2
A gig of Corsair Value Select and a 6600GT of your choice. You could probably do that right at $250 or less.

EDIT:

6600GT
Corsair

Total: $248.81 shipped.

Gotta disagree with this tfinch.
When I went from 768MB of PC2700 to 1GB of Corsair PC3200 Value Select, I saw veyr litlle difference with my A64 3000+. 1-2fps was all, and he's even more cpu bound.

The 6800NU would be a better upgrade for him than the 6600GT, but everyone else is right, the X800Pro at $250 is his best bet.

I've always been under the impression, although never owning an Intel system, that they utilize and perform better with dual channel memory over their AMD counterpart, but I may be wrong. I just don't see the point of dropping $250+ on a video card and create a bottleneck with the rest of the system. More than likely with the next big upgrade he will probably go PCI-E because the x800pro will reveal what a bottleneck the 2.4b will be.

 

[nRollo]

Originally posted by: tfinch2

Originally posted by: Rollo

Originally posted by: tfinch2
A gig of Corsair Value Select and a 6600GT of your choice. You could probably do that right at $250 or less.

EDIT:

6600GT
Corsair

Total: $248.81 shipped.

Gotta disagree with this tfinch.
When I went from 768MB of PC2700 to 1GB of Corsair PC3200 Value Select, I saw veyr litlle difference with my A64 3000+. 1-2fps was all, and he's even more cpu bound.

The 6800NU would be a better upgrade for him than the 6600GT, but everyone else is right, the X800Pro at $250 is his best bet.

I've always been under the impression, although never owning an Intel system, that they utilize and perform better with dual channel memory over their AMD counterpart, but I may be wrong. I just don't see the point of dropping $250+ on a video card and create a bottleneck with the rest of the system. More than likely with the next big upgrade he will probably go PCI-E because the x800pro will reveal what a bottleneck the 2.4b will be.

Perhaps, but the upgrade you recommended won't give him NEAR the performance increase going to a X800Pro would. 768MB of PC2700 is a pretty good memory set up, the tiny increase he'd get upgrading that isn't even close to worth the huge difference between the X800Pro and the 6600GT.
His CPU/RAM with a X800Pro is going to rock HL2.

 

[BillyBobJoel71]

Originally posted by: Rollo
This article should be a good place to start your research:
http://www.firingsquad.com/hardware/evga_e-geforce_6800/

BTW- I was actually surprised at how well the 6800NU did in that review, even though I've had three.

The X800Pro is also a 12 pipe card, like Supertyphoon notes, but it's got a much higher core speed, much higher RAM speed, and twice the RAM.

Nonetheless, for Half Life2, the X800Pro is the better card.

yes, half life 2 is practically only playable on ati, like doom 3 on a 9800 pro is torture. but one veru good pointer: YOU CANNOT COMPARE THE CLOCK SPEEDS OF THE RADEON CARDS TO THE NVIDIA CARDS. THEY ARE DIFFERENT CHIPS, AND IF THAT WAS SO A 9800 PRO WOULD BE AS GOOD AS A 6800NU AND A 6600GT WOULD BE THE BEST NVIDIA CARD STOCK.

 

[nRollo]

Originally posted by: SuperTyphoon

Originally posted by: Rollo
This article should be a good place to start your research:
http://www.firingsquad.com/hardware/evga_e-geforce_6800/

BTW- I was actually surprised at how well the 6800NU did in that review, even though I've had three.

The X800Pro is also a 12 pipe card, like Supertyphoon notes, but it's got a much higher core speed, much higher RAM speed, and twice the RAM.

Nonetheless, for Half Life2, the X800Pro is the better card.

yes, half life 2 is practically only playable on ati, like doom 3 on a 9800 pro is torture. but one veru good pointer: YOU CANNOT COMPARE THE CLOCK SPEEDS OF THE RADEON CARDS TO THE NVIDIA CARDS. THEY ARE DIFFERENT CHIPS, AND IF THAT WAS SO A 9800 PRO WOULD BE AS GOOD AS A 6800NU AND A 6600GT WOULD BE THE BEST NVIDIA CARD STOCK.

Errr- you can compare the clock speed, because it's part of the fillrate equation, and fillrate has something to do with gaming video card performance?

The problem with your 6600GT argument is you leave out that it's limited by the 15MB/s memory bandwidth provided by it's 128 bit memory interface, and that the 500MHz core is only 8 pipes so it's still a lower fillrate.

You're assuming I don't understand video cards for some reason, and I'm not sure if you do, given this post?

 

[RussianSensation]

Originally posted by: tfinch2

I've always been under the impression, although never owning an Intel system, that they utilize and perform better with dual channel memory over their AMD counterpart, but I may be wrong. I just don't see the point of dropping $250+ on a video card and create a bottleneck with the rest of the system. More than likely with the next big upgrade he will probably go PCI-E because the x800pro will reveal what a bottleneck the 2.4b will be.

Sure, but you realize that 2.4ghz + X800Pro is much faster than P4 3.2ghz and 9800xt? Link
He has ti4400......which is 2x slower than 9800Pro. It makes much less sense to have 6600GT and A64 3500+ than P4 2.4ghz and 6800GT if you ask me. And how many ppl on these forums have the prior? Also the 2.4B should overclock to 3.0ghz.

 

[nRollo]

Originally posted by: RussianSensation

Originally posted by: tfinch2

I've always been under the impression, although never owning an Intel system, that they utilize and perform better with dual channel memory over their AMD counterpart, but I may be wrong. I just don't see the point of dropping $250+ on a video card and create a bottleneck with the rest of the system. More than likely with the next big upgrade he will probably go PCI-E because the x800pro will reveal what a bottleneck the 2.4b will be.

Sure, but you realize that 2.4ghz + X800Pro is much faster than P4 3.2ghz and 9800xt? Link
He has ti4400......which is 2x slower than 9800Pro. It makes much less sense to have 6600GT and A64 3500+ than P4 2.4ghz and 6800GT if you ask me. And how many ppl on these forums have the prior? Also the 2.4B should overclock to 3.0ghz.

I have a 3800+ and a 6600GT SLI rig?

 

[BillyBobJoel71]

yeah, the 6600gt is so high clocked and cheap: a mismacth. but what peple don't know is the older 128 bit core and 128 mbs memory make this card less thatn it seems. a 6800 is way better if u can get one.

 

[nRollo]

Originally posted by: SuperTyphoon
yeah, the 6600gt is so high clocked and cheap: a mismacth. but what peple don't know is the older 128 bit core and 128 mbs memory make this card less thatn it seems. a 6800 is way better if u can get one.

There's nothing "wrong" with 6600GTs - for $200, the are teh roxor. However you do get a lot more for $250 with a 6800NU.

 

[tfcmasta97]

Thanks a lot guys, I think im going to go with the X800 pro of Cownipples. THe whole thing about video card instead of CPU/ram upgrades really opened my eyes about future upgrades.
Thank you all

 

[tfinch2]

Originally posted by: Rollo

Originally posted by: SuperTyphoon
yeah, the 6600gt is so high clocked and cheap: a mismacth. but what peple don't know is the older 128 bit core and 128 mbs memory make this card less thatn it seems. a 6800 is way better if u can get one.

There's nothing "wrong" with 6600GTs - for $200, the are teh roxor. However you do get a lot more for $250 with a 6800NU.

6600GT's go for $150 now, PCI-E and AGP.

 

[nRollo]

Originally posted by: tfcmasta97
Thanks a lot guys, I think im going to go with the X800 pro of Cownipples. THe whole thing about video card instead of CPU/ram upgrades really opened my eyes about future upgrades.
Thank you all

You made the right choice.

(who says I never recommend ATI? )

 

[nRollo]

Originally posted by: tfinch2

Originally posted by: Rollo

Originally posted by: SuperTyphoon
yeah, the 6600gt is so high clocked and cheap: a mismacth. but what peple don't know is the older 128 bit core and 128 mbs memory make this card less thatn it seems. a 6800 is way better if u can get one.

There's nothing "wrong" with 6600GTs - for $200, the are teh roxor. However you do get a lot more for $250 with a 6800NU.

6600GT's go for $150 now, PCI-E and AGP.

Like I said, 6600GTs are a GREAT budget card, and two are a good midrange card.

Your recommendation would have screwed him over, so I had to call you on it. See Russian Sensation's thread- he's right.