Graphics card help

[kuthay123]

So here's the deal. I'm going to buy a new computer in about 2 weeks time. I was planning to get an X1900 XTX but then with DirectX 10 so close, I changed my mind. But because i'm getting the computer anyway, what low-price graphics card would you recommend, that can run all the latest games, maybe not at breakneck speeds, but so they run pretty smoothly . This is so when prices for DirectX 10 cards fall, I'll able to buy them, and not be left having to replace a really high-end-but-only-DirectX 9-supported card.
Help would be much appreciated.

 

[chenBrazil]

7600 GT would be a nice card with good results in any game and honest price... and may be easier to sell later... for even cheaper cards... 6800xt or 6600 gt would be choice...but will much worse...
X800 GTO would be fine if you are ATI fan...

 

[enforcerfx]

No. No. NO! 6800XT = VERY VERY BAD! Do not get one! 7600GT/x800GTO sounds more reasonable.

 

[kaotao]

No. No. NO! 6800XT = VERY VERY BAD! Do not get one! 7600GT/x800GTO sounds more reasonable.

I agree. It's the Xtra Terrible 6800. the 7600GT gets my vote because it will last you longer than the X800GTO with noticably better performance.

 

[minim3]

haven't you noticed that nvidia mocks ati and vice versa?
when you have a 6800xt is the lame edition mocking with ati's top of the line xt! similarly an ati 1900gt sucks big time and a nvidia 7900gt blows!
so avoid anything that says xt from nvidia side, and anything that says gt on ati side! simple huh?

 

[dean7]

Interesting... I had never really thought about things that way .

I'm not sure if this is the most scientific argument I have ever seen, but interesting nonetheless.

 

[melarcky]

haven't you noticed that nvidia mocks ati and vice versa?
when you have a 6800xt is the lame edition mocking with ati's top of the line xt! similarly an ati 1900gt sucks big time and a nvidia 7900gt blows!
so avoid anything that says xt from nvidia side, and anything that says gt on ati side! simple huh?

EXACTLY its sad that some people didn't get the Notice!

 

[kuthay123]

How would Oblivion performance be with the 7600 GT and the X800 GTO. And also does the specific card manufaturer make a big difference? (eVGA, Sapphire, MIS etc...)

 

[cleeve]

Oblivion performance would be similar.

The 7600 is usually a faster card than the X800, but Oblivion favors Ati architecture, so the X800 GTO might even be a bit faster.

Of course, the X800 GTO isn't able to show Oblivion's HDR, and the 7600 GT is... but it'll slow down the 7600 GT so much you might not use it anyway.

 

[redwing]

If you plan on upgrading to an Nvidia Dx10 card later, consider buying from EVGA. I look at them as one of the better Nvidia manufacturers, and they offer a step-up program that basically allows you to upgrade your card within 3 months and only pay the difference (you return your original card to them).

At this point, unless you like to play at max detail/aa, or 1600*1200 and higher, a 7600GT/7900GS class card is a decent choice. A 7900GS can be found for well under 200$ nowadays. On the ATI side, you have the superb x1950Pro, also priced around 200$ but with even better performance.

My 2c

Cheers

 

[enforcerfx]

haven't you noticed that nvidia mocks ati and vice versa?
when you have a 6800xt is the lame edition mocking with ati's top of the line xt! similarly an ati 1900gt sucks big time and a nvidia 7900gt blows!
so avoid anything that says xt from nvidia side, and anything that says gt on ati side! simple huh?

Pretty sure the X1900GT and 7900GT do not in fact suck. Not sure what you have, but the 6800XT is most likely the most hated piece of aftermarket video equipment here.


And sure each company might copy what letter they put after it. Thats like saying a x1950xt sucks. And I am pretty damn sure it doesnt.

 

[kuthay123]

Thanks for all the help everyone. Just one last question. Would these two cards be able to tide me over till prices of DX10 cards fall to affordable levels?

 

[redwing]

It all depends what resolution/settings you intend to play at. If you stay at the standard 1280*1024 with minimal AA/AF settings and medium-ish details, a x1950 or 7900 type card will carry you well into the DX10 era (most games will certainly provide DX9 support for a long time to come).

If you're looking for maximum eye-candy and image quality, then you'll be forced to upgrade within half a year or so ... but that goes without saying I suppose.

Personally I usually upgrade video when I can't get decent frame rates (without annoying choppiness) at low detail in 1280*1024 ... but then again I've been raising my standards as my finances improve. It all depends on your taste really.

Cheers

 

[purdueguy]

No one knows exactly when DX10 cards will be "affordable". Right now nVidia is the only manufacturer with DX10 cards. And since one 8800GTX beats the X1950XTX in Xfire most of the times, it will be selling at a premium.

I expect ATI (AMD) to release the R600 initially in "enthusiast" only versions selling somewhat similar to nVidia in 2 or maybe 3 versions. Lower end probably won't come until a month or two later. I would expect these cards to be available sometime in March.

Getting a 7600GT from eVGA and then upgrading to a DX10 card within 3 months and only paying the difference is a nice marketing ploy. The question is, are you willing to pay around $100 for a card now and then paying aroudn the $300-400 difference in 3 months to get the 8800GTS?

When the R600 comes out, I'm assuming the 8800GTX might drop by 50-100 bucks.

Though, here's my suggestion, get the X1950Pro. It's the best bang for the buck at $199. Don't get the ASUS version if it's the same price as other X1950Pro flavors as it doesn't come with a Xfire connector or VIVO. Now Newegg had them for $171 including shipping but they've been sold out later. If you don't need VIVO, then saving the 30 bucks would be worth it as I think SLI or Xfire isn't worth it so the connector to me doesn't really matter.

This way, you have an excellent card that will last you until the end of next year where you can then get a DX10 card when there will be a lot more choices.

 

[sithscout80]

7900 GS for $150 at Best Buy.
A friend of mine just picked one up, he's waiting for DX10 also. The card is fast.

 

[CompuTronix]

I agree with redwing. Also, check out this THG article:

http://www.tomshardware.com/2006/08/25/sub_200_pci_express_graphics_card_showdown/

If you plan to purchase a big-box retail computer, then you must consider power supply constraints. The 7600 GT is comparatively power efficient, so it doesn't require a molex connector. Of the 7600 GT cards available, the Gigabyte Silent Pipe 2 featured in the article is an excellent choice because it's a small card, and as such, will be the least obstructive to airflow within a snug OEM case. It also has a well designed cooling solution, overclocks nicely, and will perform well enough, at present, to fill the game gap on most any brand OEM system you decide to purchase.

If, conversely, you plan to purchse a build-to-order system, then your choices won't be so limited by power or architecture. In that event, the the X850 XT, (I've owned one and they're excellent), or the X1800 XT, (overclocked as described at the end of the article), might be a great choice for now. Remember that whatever graphics solution you choose, certain degrees of heat (no pun intended) will be produced during gaming.

When considering which card to purchase, try to select a solution that will benefit the entire system cooling scheme. Newer cards that are designed with overboard exaust are prefered to cards which "heat polute" the case, and merely recirculate their own heat. This becomes particularly problematic when considering the impact that prolonged excessive heat poses to other system components such as hard drives, or when trying to keep an overclocked CPU cool.

In electronics, we always tip the scale in favor of cool over quiet, and when meticulously designed, we achieve a cool balance. Whatever you decide upon, good luck with your new rig, and enjoy!

 

[dean7]

How would Oblivion performance be with the 7600 GT and the X800 GTO. And also does the specific card manufaturer make a big difference? (eVGA, Sapphire, MIS etc...)

I have 7600 GT and Oblivion runs smooth at 1024x768 with medium-ish settings (mine is eVGA factory OC to 580). I have OC'd mine to 660/1.55 with a new cooler, and I am running at 1280x1024 with some tweaks to quality with no problems (get a tweak guide somewhere online).

Anyway, it's not the prettiest, but it's playable. If you want to be able to run it at max settings in ultra high resolutions, you're going to need an 8800GTX or something.

So, for an interim card, I think the 7600 GT is perfect (especially if you OC it). Only thing to watch out for: the fans on these beasts are LOUD (at least my stock eVGA fan was, and the other cards look like they use the same/similar cooling setups) so you'll probably want to replace w/ Zalman or something.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835118001

 

[dean7]

I agree with what you're saying, but wouldn't it be a bad deal to put a Gigabyte Silent Pipe 2 card in a Dell/HP case? (It sounds to me like that is what you are suggesting)

From what I've read, these things will run really hot unless you have OK airflow in your case. I've seen some Dell cases that have only 1 fan in the entire case: the CPU fan. If that's the kind of case you have, the Silent Pipe 2 might not work very well (because heat will not be moved off the heatsink).

Correct me if I'm wrong, because I've never used Silent Pipe 2 card.

 

[CompuTronix]

If you inspect the Gigabyte Silent Pipe 2 closely, you'll note that it's a two slot cooling solution vented through the back of the case, designed to discharge heat through convection air currents.

 

[dean7]

My bad... but, it still looks big so I don't see how it would be ideal for smaller cases (ok, I might be crazy here or something and totally misunderstanding what you are saying). Here are some things ppl have said about it on Newegg:

Cons: Too Big, takes 2 slots and on D97XBX mobo it doesn't fit on first PCIE slot because of heatsink so you have to install it on second and that makes one PCI slot useless.

Other Thoughts: Make sure you have enough room in your case and on motherboard..It's very good card but just too big.

Other Thoughts: Buy it! Just make sure your computer case can fit it.

Pros: Silent, silent, silent. Overclocks very well from 560mhz/700mhz easily to 594/790mhz. It is possible to have a silent pc air coolimng only and overclocked. This card depends on only on good a good case fan. If you have contant slow but big volume airflow.

Cons: Little on the wide side. I can't use the next slot in my pc.

Other Thoughts: If doing it again I would go the same card but the skinnier fan version

Cons: Bulky. Eats up 1 adjacent slot.

Other Thoughts: I originally put this in a well-ventilated case and it idled around 48C. Then I disabled all my case fans except a rear exhaust (and the PSU) and taped up all the misc. holes, now it idles at 40C.

Cons: The card not only takes two slots, it's actually pretty tall. One of the two heat pipes contributes to the height of the card. It can't fit in my HTPC case with the cover on.

Anyway, based on a bunch of stuff I have read like that, I figured it was best suited for cases with good airflow (e.g. if you have an Antec Nine Hundred it's going to be awesome). Plus, it looks about as bulky as a Zalman fan, so I don't see how it would save you any space. Anyway, just my 2 cents .

 

[CompuTronix]

Many newer cards are adopting the overboard exaust solution for removing GPU heat from the case, so the two slot configuration will become more common. As for the height of the card, I'm sure it'll fit in most cases. In terms of the length of the card, it's small. When compared to a 7900 or 1900, (which are "longboards"), then the dimensions become clear.

 

[dean7]

Gotcha... I didn't realize you were talking about length.

Anyway, yeah, those look awesome. I like the idea of a heatpipe solution that actually exhausts from the back of the case, instead of just putting the heat straight back in to your case like the other heatpipes I have seen.

 

[CompuTronix]

It's a beautiful thing.