Christmas choices for new card

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.videocards.nvidia (More info?)

Specs of current "gaming" box:
Windows XP SP1
Antec TruePower 480
AMD Athlon XP 2400+ (Thoroughbred)
512meg DDR333
Asus A7V600-X
Sound Blaster Audigy LS
40gig ATA100 hard drive
17" CRT Monitor

Now, for Christmas I wish I play Doom 3 (I was thinking 23UKP from Amazon).
No telling me that Doom 3 is pants, I want it anyway. I'll no doubt be
getting Half Life 2 within 6 months anyway and want a box capable of playing
that too. I am in mainland UK.

My absolute maxium budget is 200UKP, including the game, preferrably I'd
like to spend less.

Originally, looking at http://www.overclockers.co.uk, I was thinking
XFX GeForce FX 5900XT 128MB DDR TV-Out/DVI (AGP) - Retail - 140.94UKP
Which seemed fine, and I've heard no complaints really.

Then I was thinking, AGP versions of the 6600 are out now, and found:
AOpen GeForce 6600 GT 128MB DDR3 TV-Out/DVI (AGP) - 146.82UKP
Leadtek WinFast GeForce 6600 GT 128MB DDR3 TV-Out/DVI (AGP) - Retail -
152.69UKP

However, yesterday I found:
AOpen GeForce 6800 LE 128MB DDR TV-Out/DVI (AGP) & DOOM 3 Bundle - 173.31UKP
!! As I understand it, the LE version is a cut down "standard" 6800, but
would be more than adequate. Anyone here have any experience with AOpen
cards?

Getting an OEM Athlon XP 2800+ (Barton) for 70ish UKP and a decent HSF and
selling my current CPU has also been mentioned. New CPU/Mobo will probably
be my next "big" upgrade to it next year, to a 64-bit CPU and a mobo with
PCI-E maybe. Btw, do PCI-E boards have an AGP slot as well btw?

Argh, choices, choices! Any suggestions?

(Note - prices I've mentioned include VAT)

--
Jay
My Realm: http://www.myrealm.co.uk
Eddie's Extensions: http://freshmeat.net/projects/eddie42
If I knew I was going to get this old, I would have taken
better care of myself when I was young.

 

[SP]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.videocards.nvidia (More info?)

a geforce 5900xt is a good buy. it can play doom3 at a respectable frame
rate and will run all new games without much trouble. As a way of future
proofing yourself i would recommend either the 6600GT of the standard 6800.

A basic rule that i believe in is that upgrading your gfx card will greatly
improve performance compared to upgrading the cpu (if its fast enough
already). An example of this is that i had a geforce 2 pro and got 5000
3dmark 01SE marks with my 2.8GHz P4. upgrading to a 5900xt tripled the
speed to 15000 marks.

The 6800LE is a cut down version but u can ewasily find an article to speed
it back up. I stumped the cash to buy a 6800GT at £271 (a bit steep but was
the cheapest i found and it was worth every penny) The site i get my stuff
from does amazing deals within the UK and delivery is cheap. They got a
5900xt going for £117.44 made by MSI (good make and same as my 6800GT)
although its listed as an OEM.

here is the websaite for ur info

5900xt
http://www.savastore.com/productinfo/product.aspx?catalog_name=Savastore&product_id=10276018&pid=44&MSCSProfile=E88FF544888F07618470FCBD21778583E79D77866AAFC6FF532CC23FFF87EB8998628BA19B72E4DF044D5FFD0DF12D7B0063BBF450C40C5D6C2B727E89C877A3EA99B30E75874050289877D7E9A9E8A624C5B30A50017DA88EB2B2ABF678EEDCD20EF7E564F6A06E8714669DE465760DEDE6EB254D1DDFBC3FC3D92E4D368BF3A186BDBFC13CA226

6600 unsure if its AGP or PCI-E
http://www.savastore.com/productinfo/product.aspx?catalog_name=Savastore&product_id=10279546&pid=44

hope this helps

sp

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.videocards.nvidia (More info?)

"sp" <die.all.spammers@bloodbath.com> wrote in message
news:Qamsd.141$8v3.121@newsfe5-gui.ntli.net...
>a geforce 5900xt is a good buy. it can play doom3 at a respectable frame
>rate and will run all new games without much trouble. As a way of future
>proofing yourself i would recommend either the 6600GT of the standard 6800.
>
> A basic rule that i believe in is that upgrading your gfx card will
> greatly improve performance compared to upgrading the cpu (if its fast
> enough already). An example of this is that i had a geforce 2 pro and got
> 5000 3dmark 01SE marks with my 2.8GHz P4. upgrading to a 5900xt tripled
> the speed to 15000 marks.
>
> The 6800LE is a cut down version but u can ewasily find an article to
> speed it back up. I stumped the cash to buy a 6800GT at £271 (a bit steep
> but was the cheapest i found and it was worth every penny) The site i get
> my stuff from does amazing deals within the UK and delivery is cheap.
> They got a 5900xt going for £117.44 made by MSI (good make and same as my
> 6800GT) although its listed as an OEM.
>
> here is the websaite for ur info
>
> 5900xt
> http://www.savastore.com/productinfo/product.aspx?catalog_name=Savastore&product_id=10276018&pid=44&MSCSProfile=E88FF544888F07618470FCBD21778583E79D77866AAFC6FF532CC23FFF87EB8998628BA19B72E4DF044D5FFD0DF12D7B0063BBF450C40C5D6C2B727E89C877A3EA99B30E75874050289877D7E9A9E8A624C5B30A50017DA88EB2B2ABF678EEDCD20EF7E564F6A06E8714669DE465760DEDE6EB254D1DDFBC3FC3D92E4D368BF3A186BDBFC13CA226
>
> 6600 unsure if its AGP or PCI-E
> http://www.savastore.com/productinfo/product.aspx?catalog_name=Savastore&product_id=10279546&pid=44
>
> hope this helps
>
> sp
>

The FX series just has too many "issues" Not one of Nvidias best lines.
I would avoid and go for the 6600GT which should see you through for a bit.

PS. HalfLife2 plays on just about anything. (except FX cards)

 

[SP]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.videocards.nvidia (More info?)

the fx cards dont play halflife 2 cause vavle did some dodgy programing on
the game that slows down considerably on fx series cards. thats the only
reason the fx series runs slow on half life 2

sp

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.videocards.nvidia (More info?)

sp wrote:
> the fx cards dont play halflife 2 cause vavle did some dodgy
> programing on the game that slows down considerably on fx series
> cards. thats the only reason the fx series runs slow on half life 2
>
> sp

we all know this. that is not the point. the point is he might as well
get the 6x00 series and avoid th eproblems with the fx series instead of
getting a fx series and trying to fix it.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.videocards.nvidia (More info?)

"sp" <die.all.spammers@bloodbath.com> wrote in message
news:S6qsd.1436$PW.1144@newsfe6-gui.ntli.net...
> the fx cards dont play halflife 2 cause vavle did some dodgy programing on
> the game that slows down considerably on fx series cards. thats the only
> reason the fx series runs slow on half life 2

You can actually get the FX to run as good as the 9800pro if you force FP16
and directx9, you see valve decided that because of the low FP32 performance
that they would force it to use directx8 mode..

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.videocards.nvidia (More info?)

"sp" <die.all.spammers@bloodbath.com> wrote in message
news:Qamsd.141$8v3.121@newsfe5-gui.ntli.net...
>a geforce 5900xt is a good buy. it can play doom3 at a respectable frame
>rate and will run all new games without much trouble. As a way of future
>proofing yourself i would recommend either the 6600GT of the standard 6800.
>
> A basic rule that i believe in is that upgrading your gfx card will
> greatly improve performance compared to upgrading the cpu (if its fast
> enough already). An example of this is that i had a geforce 2 pro and got
> 5000 3dmark 01SE marks with my 2.8GHz P4. upgrading to a 5900xt tripled
> the speed to 15000 marks.

But it doesn't make sense to buy a £300 pound graphics card to for an old
CPU.
I mean you spend so much, just to get much lower performance than others who
have the same card and a new CPU.
Anyway I think the 6600GT is the best option, newer, more features.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.videocards.nvidia (More info?)

Nicholas Buenk wrote:
> "sp" <die.all.spammers@bloodbath.com> wrote in message
> news:Qamsd.141$8v3.121@newsfe5-gui.ntli.net...

>> a geforce 5900xt is a good buy. it can play doom3 at a respectable
>> frame rate and will run all new games without much trouble. As a
>> way of future proofing yourself i would recommend either the 6600GT
>> of the standard 6800. A basic rule that i believe in is that upgrading
>> your gfx card will
>> greatly improve performance compared to upgrading the cpu (if its
>> fast enough already). An example of this is that i had a geforce 2
>> pro and got 5000 3dmark 01SE marks with my 2.8GHz P4. upgrading to
>> a 5900xt tripled the speed to 15000 marks.
>
> But it doesn't make sense to buy a £300 pound graphics card to for an
> old CPU.
> I mean you spend so much, just to get much lower performance than
> others who have the same card and a new CPU.

If the newer GPU with the old CPU gives better results than a new CPU with
the old GPU it makes sense to me.

Assuming one will buy the GPU and then the other as funds become available,
one may as well get the intermediate combo that gives the most improvement
doing whatever one enjoys the most.

> Anyway I think the 6600GT is the best option, newer, more features.

--
dvus

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.videocards.nvidia (More info?)

After much reading I have decided to go for an AGP 6600GT.

The price is close enough to the 5900 to make the 5900 seem less
good value, and the 6800 is overkill for me right now.

The question now is which make/brand. I was thinking XFX. Anyone
any had problems with that?

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=150992
specifically, when they are back in stock - as I live close
enough to there to pick it up in person to save on postage.

Also I showed it to one of my housemates, and she wants a card
with dual DVI (damn people with money for two very nice 19inch
TFT screens!), so was pondering getting the same one as well,
though she's not much of a gamer.

--
LJ
My Realm: http://www.myrealm.co.uk
Eddie's Extensions: http://freshmeat.net/projects/eddie42
I went to a fight and a hockey game broke out.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.videocards.nvidia (More info?)

I bought an XFX 5200 card for my wife and it works like a charm in her
system. They seem to have very good quality. Dual DVI....ah perchance to
dream. That housemate is a keeper for sure.

Regards,
John O.


"Linux Jay" <jamie@uranus.softham> wrote in message
news:slrncravjt.hf1.jamie@uranus.softham...
> After much reading I have decided to go for an AGP 6600GT.
>
> The price is close enough to the 5900 to make the 5900 seem less
> good value, and the 6800 is overkill for me right now.
>
> The question now is which make/brand. I was thinking XFX. Anyone
> any had problems with that?
>
> http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductInfo.asp?WebProductID=150992
> specifically, when they are back in stock - as I live close
> enough to there to pick it up in person to save on postage.
>
> Also I showed it to one of my housemates, and she wants a card
> with dual DVI (damn people with money for two very nice 19inch
> TFT screens!), so was pondering getting the same one as well,
> though she's not much of a gamer.
>
> --
> LJ
> My Realm: http://www.myrealm.co.uk
> Eddie's Extensions: http://freshmeat.net/projects/eddie42
> I went to a fight and a hockey game broke out.