Help me decide on a card. older high end or new mid level

[bananabox]

i am needing a new pci-e card for gaming as a replacement to hold me over until the dx10's become more prevelant. i was wondering if i should get and older high end card like an x850xt or a newer mid level such as a 7600gt or x1600 series. i know the newer cards have SM 3.0 but is that really worth it?

 

[VBDude]

i know the newer cards have SM 3.0 but is that really worth it?

What are you playing now, what will you be playing when you get this card, and when will you be buying a DX10 card?

Until you answer those, I'd go with Cleeve's advice:

BEST PCI-E CARD FOR ~$130:
Geforce 7600 GT
Codename: G73, 90 nanometer technology
12 PixelShaders, 5 VertexShaders, 12 TextureUnits, 8 RasterOperatorUnits
128-bit memory bus
560 Mhz core, 700 Mhz DDR (1400 Mhz Effective) Memory

The 7600 GT is an amazing card in this price range, sporting new SM 3.0 technology and very high clock speeds to deliver excellent performance. Its weakest feature is its 128-bit memory bus, but its high memory speeds offset that disadvantage and make it competitive with 256-bit cards like the X850 XT.

I will mention that ATI's new competitor for the 7600 GT may arrive in November: the X1650 XT. With 24 pixel shaders, it may have the power to compete with or even beat the 7600 GT in this price range, but it is as yet unreleased. Still, if you're purchasing in November, check if the X1650 XT is available yet and how its benchmarks compare to those of the 7600 GT.

The Short List: the Best Gaming Videocards for the money

 

[bananabox]

i mainly play bf2, bf2142, company of heroes and fear. i dont have to have everything on high when i play. i will get a dx 10 card early next year when the prices have gone down and ATI has released their crop

 

[VBDude]

Those are new(er) games and will benefit from SM3. I'd still go for the newer mid-range card over last-gen high-end.

Was ~$130 your price range?

 

[thegreat1]

Im picking up my BFG 7800 GTX OC in two days. I got a good deal on it. Its 1 generation old, but performs just as well as a 7900 GT and has the latest pixel shader support.

dont fall victim to this dx10 hype. As a) all game manufactures will have to make games that are backwards compliant- if they want to make money that is.

if you want to play the latest gen games, at th ehighest possible graphic settings then u need to shell out alot of cash. but right now for all the games u ve mentioned an older gen card will do just as well, and the top of the line ones will do u in for as long as the current high end ones last.

 

[BigCharb]

SUP, yo man, i recommend u just get the X850XT cuz its able to play new games at acceptable frame rates and overclock to faster rates at a decent price. i did just that with my X800XL and I'm able to play BF2142 at medeium settings at 1024x768 at 85Hz 4xAA and 16xAE online without any problems; and the x850xt is faster than mine overclocked! then when the x850xt becomes "slow" upgrade to an R600.

l8er