X1950 Pro/x1900 GT or 8800 GTS 320 instead of 8600 GTS

[minty]

Hello

I was wondering... given the fact the 8600 GTS looks a bit like a disappointment... would you guys advice me to get a x1950 pro/x1900 that run about for the same price tag, or a 8800 GTS 320 that is around 80 bucks more?
Though Im not 100% sure about the ATIs since Ive heard they require more power?? (I have a 500W PSU)

Thanks.

 

[cleeve]

Any of those three cards you mentioned is a much better bet for the $$ than the 8600 GTS.

Just get the best one you can afford. If your 500w PSU has a decent 12v rail, it should be able to handle any of those cards.

 

[Farhang]

Cleeve is right, just make sure that your power supply can handle newer graphic card.it's important!

 

[minty]

Ohh, thanks for your answers

Mmm but I feel a bit hesitant about the PSU now
See, in my country its hard to get "good" PSUs... most you can get is "el cheapo" ones...
Im not sure about that 12V rail you mention... care to gimme a link or something so I can at least check in the local shop for "references"..

I am also going to be running DVD & CD drives (2), 2 HD (IDE+SATA), soundcard, intel e6420 (more or less).

So you think a 500W can handle all that stuff or??? :?

Thanks for your time

 

[cleeve]

A good 500w can handle any of those cards easily: a bad 500w PSU will cause crashing.

open your case, the name brand and amps on the 12v rail should be shown on a sticker in there...

 

[Badnatured]

IMO the 8600gts is only a downer if you thought it would be a monster. It's a sub 200 dollars GPU, you get what you pay for IMO. It works for the casual gamer,and if you don't have the cash this month but might by May buy an EVGA 8600gts and use the step-up program which is the best part!

 

[cleeve]

It has nothing to do with the 8600 GTS being a monster.
At $200, it's horribly overpriced compared to what's out there.

For $160 (about $40 less) you can get an X1950 PRO that beats it more often than not...

For $210 (only $10 more) you can get an X1950 XT that will absolutely humiliate it in pretty much any game ever made.



It's not a bad card because it's not a monster, the 8600 GTS is a bad card because it's overpriced.

If it was $150 it'd be great...

 

[mactronix]

Try this for a link or two

http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/video/

http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/000662.html

 

[minty]

Whoa! Good feedback everyone
And thanks for the links, interesting articles

Well, thanks for your time and help