Which video card should I put into my new computer?

[hootpie]

Here are the final specs for the computer I'm going to build:

Antec Sonata II Mid Tower ATX w/ 450W ATX12V PSU (Black) $112.50
AMD Athlon 64 3200+ 2.0GHz Socket 939 CPU - Stepping E3 (Retail)
Asus A8N-E nForce4 Ultra Socket 939 ATX Audio/GbLAN/SATA
Microsoft Windows XP Professional x64 Edition (OEM/1pk)
Kingston 1GB KIT DDR400 PC3200 CL3 (3-3-3) DIMM $96.75
Western Digital Raptor 36.7GB 10K RPM 8MB Buffer SATA HDD $122.00
Sony DWD-26A 16X Double Layer DVD±RW Drive (Black/OEM) $63.50
MSI RADEON X800 XL 256MB DDR PCI-Express VIVO/Dual DVI $315.50

The proc, mobo and XP 64 are $250 total from the AMD Tech Tour

Total after tax: $1034.67

If I go for the Nvidia 7800 GTX it will bump my after tax total to $1341.21.

Is it worth it to get the 7800, or should I wait for an "ultra" version of the 7800 GTX or ATI's R520?

Edit: Who makes a better video card: Asus, BFG, Gigabyte, eVGA, Leadtek, MSI or XFX?

I'm going to be playing CS:S and BF2 on a 2005fpw 20.1" Widescreen from Dell, so I'd like to be able to run the games well at the LCD's native resolution.

 

[hans030390]

we need more info then that...

 

[Schadenfroh]

1. What is the most you are willing to spend?
2. What is the rest of the system, ie the specs of it?
3. What are you going to use it for?

 

[hootpie]

Hahahha, sorry guys, I accidentally hit "enter" instead of "\" when I was making the title.

 

[hootpie]

Any ideas?

 

[Genx87]

Very similar to the machine I plan on building in Sept except Ill be using an X2 and go with 2GB + I currently own a 76GB raptor.

Total for that rig is sitting at a clean 1750 with a 7800GTX

This is the way I look at it. Get the 7800GTX and when you run into a performance issue get a 2nd one.

Nobody really knows if there will even be an Ultra version of it and if there is, we wont know until the R520 shows up which sounds like Sept at the earliest. I would expect if Sept is the date then Oct to nov before availability.

If you need the machine now I suggest building it and enjoying it. When you think about it 1-300 bucks is cheap compared to the enjoyment you get during the time you otherwise wouldnt have the new machine.

 

[hootpie]

I have another question too. If I buy a card that has S-video in, but no built-in tv tuner, is there anyway I can watch TV on my computer. If I do need a TV tuner, what's a good one (preferably cheaper)?

 

[drifter106]

In regards to your question about the maker of the card I can only say that after my research on which one to get i went with BFG. 24/7 tech support, lifetime guarantee swayed me to go with them.

The fact that I was able to get it from DELL for $419 back around Thanksgiving also was a plus...

i have a BFG6800 ultra AGP

theres more to the story but I can't say it here...lol just a sweet card though...

good luck hunting!!!

 

[slash196]

Don't get WinXP 64, unless you like having nothing work...