Who makes the best 8800 GTS?

[methimpikehoses]

So are all the 8800 GTS's out there the same, or do some perform better than others?

The Leadtek is the cheapest right now AR, followed by the EVGA, which comes with software. Looks like the XFX comes with a headset that I don't want.

Are they all equally hot, power consumers, etc? (Aside from the factory OC's, which I'm not interested in anyway because I can OC myself and save a few bucks).

What's the verdict people? Anyone want to relay their experiences with the 8800 GTS?

:?: :trophy: :?:

 

[slim142]

Hmmm not really sure but they are almost the same. Some have higher core clocks others have higher memory clocks but thats by 10mhz max.

You should go by the most known brand, like eVGA or XFX. Avoid PNY which has the worst customer support as I have heard.

 

[XrayMan]

I have to agree with what Slim said 100%. I am personally getting the EVGA.

 

[methimpikehoses]

I have to agree with what Slim said 100%. I am personally getting the EVGA.

Sounds wise. The BFG's are more expensive than the rest... or at least I don't see many rebates for them at the moment.

I would sure like to see a better game than Dark Messiah (no offense fans) bundled on the evga. Or a decent gamepad would be nice.

I'm trying to make myself wait until they drop below $350 AR, but I just sold my old Celeron rig for $200 and it's burning a whole in my wallet.

 

[sarsoft]

Go with eVga, BFG, XFX. I personaly own and like eVga because of thier step-up program and overclocking the card wont void the warranty.

 

[Assman]

I prefer and own evga, because of their step-up program and warranty

 

[chuckshissle]

BFG.

 

[slim142]

Didnt know there were so many evga fans in here

 

[harty23690]

eVGA do a good overclocket version of the GTS.

 

[Wabbit]

BFG has the best warranty, and reportedly very good customer support.

 

[slim142]

Right now there is an overclocked version of the GTS called 8800 GTS Superclocked which is the best option right now (I believe)

 

[methimpikehoses]

So I looked around, here are some options now:

PNY: not sure but it's cheap (relatively speaking) ~400

XFX: comes with a gaming headset. You can also get the XXX overclocked version for more money. ~400 - ~460(OC) AR

BFG: not sure, people seem to like the warranty. oh, you get some stickers to "customize" your card or case. and a t-shirt. :roll:

MSI: serious sam packaged ~390 AR

eVga: step-up program for 90 days, Dark Mess., you can OC w/o voiding warranty. ~370AR, ~409OC, ~460 watercooled [edit: it's not watercooled, it's ACS3 cooling]

Leadtek: card looks cool, Spellforce(?), Trackmania Nations ~365 AR

Asus: probably the best package I've seen so far: you get GRAW, GTR racing, and 3dmark06 complete. Who knows about the actual card though. ~440

Foxconn: overclocked, you get a cheap-looking gamepad ~430

gigabyte: ~460

 

[skud]

I've always thought that the XFX cards were slightly better.

 

[slim142]

Go with any that makes you feel safe. Thats all I can say.

 

[slim142]

Thats gonna be crazy

 

[methimpikehoses]

Go with the Superclocked EVGA Gts, its on newegg.com for $409 and its Oc'ed by EVGA to near stock GTX numbers...Im ordering it this weekend upgrading from my 2.5 year old X800 Pro. Looking forward to seeing the difference on my new Gateway 24 inch flat panel at 1920 x 1200 res...

You will be loving that.

I kind of like the sound of the KO version:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130081

Anything that will keep the heat down in my case will probably be good... and it's overclocked. The price is almost $100 more than the vanilla-EVGA GTS after rebate though.

I wonder how much it will be in a month... :?:

 

[slim142]

Is it me? cuz I think that card looks smaller than any other 8800 I have seen... weird...

 

[slim142]

superclocked has always higher clocks than KO cards

 

[slim142]

idk, but I like that evga gives you many choices to choose from like

KO
KO AC3
KO superclocked
GT
GT KO
GTX
GTX KO
GTX KO AC3

etc etc etc

 

[slim142]

Doesnt matter, I think with 3 years of warranty is enough. You wont use the same card for 3 years... will ya? :lol:

 

[methimpikehoses]

whats the biggest difference from the KO than the superclocked one, the numbers look the same and $50 more? Is it any better?

The numbers are almost the same out of the box. I think the extra $50 is for the ACS3 fan. Supposedly will keep the heat down somewhat, which would make it worth it to me if that cooling unit really is effective. I wonder if it's the same size. I don't see a physical dimension for it. Says it still needs 400W and 26A like the other evga's.

 

[methimpikehoses]

I have to agree with what Slim said 100%. I am personally getting the EVGA.

Wait, the gts drops to $300 soon,

O RLY?

 

[methimpikehoses]

Doesnt matter, I think with 3 years of warranty is enough. You wont use the same card for 3 years... will ya? :lol:

That's what the video card companies are counting on, isn't it? I am hoping that a 8800 card will keep me happy for a year. Hard to imagine tho.

 

[methimpikehoses]

yes, its all over the internet, just google $300 8800gts, since so many sites have supported this, I am betting on this will actually happen

Oh, you mean the new version with 320mb instead of 640? Supposed to retail for $299...

 

[methimpikehoses]

Yeh thats what Ive been reading, Im just going with the superclocked, its a steal at $409 at newegg. I still cant believe my X800 pro is playing Bf 2142 at 1920 x 1200 res, its been a awesome card the last couple years worth the $416 I paid for it when it was released in May 2004. .. but its time for Direct X 10 and Vista

Heres what Im going with...

Athlon 64 5200+
Evga superclocked 8800 gts(will buy second one this summer for SLI setup)
Asus M2n Sli deluxe
2 x 1Gb sticks of Corsair Xms2 DDR2 800(will have 4gb total by summer)
240 gb WD Sata Raid 0
750 W Thermaltake PS
24 inch Gateway widescreen Flat panel DVI D connection 1920 x 1200 Res
Audigy Xfi extreme gamer sound card
Logitech Z-5300 5.1 speakers
3 memorex Dvd burners at 16x
and 7 cooling fans all glowing green in my Antec Atx Case

Any thoughts on this setup.....

Nice setup... so you've gone the distance with everything else in there, why not splurge on the 8800GTX, and then get another when the prices drop? Might be worth it for the 24" screen. Hold off on the 4gb of DDR2 and get the very top card!