EVGA Step-up worth it?

[spark29]

I'm planning on getting a 7600gt for my new build, but I'm not sure if it will handle everything as well as I'd like it to. I can't find prices for the step-up trade-in, but will I just dig myself into a hole by relying on the step-up program for a better card (if i don't like the 7600gt)?

 

[emp]

I say get a better card from the get go, like a 7900GS (there's really no point in buying a 7600GT anymore). Because the step up is good in the sense that if you need more performance you only have to pay the difference, the thing is I believe you have to pay the difference between what you paid and their MSRP (Which is about $20-30 more than the retail price of the card), so you end up paying more for the card that you want.

 

[SuicideSilence]

I'm planning on getting a 7600gt for my new build, but I'm not sure if it will handle everything as well as I'd like it to. I can't find prices for the step-up trade-in, but will I just dig myself into a hole by relying on the step-up program for a better card (if i don't like the 7600gt)?

dido

 

[3Ball]

Not sure what your budget is, but I would definitely do what was suggested above and try to get something better from the get go such as a 7900GS, 7950GT, or X1950 Pro or something if I were you since i dont think that you will enjoy that 7600GT to much for to long! Hope this helps!

Best,

3Ball

 

[spark29]

Thanks for the information, but I am on a budget. Could anyone let me know how their EVGA step-up went? Do they screw you on the trade-in price or something? Otherwise, I don't see why I shouldn't do it.

 

[emp]

Well you're going to regret not shelling out measly $30 to get a huge improvement in performance, believe me I can tell you from experience. Taking from tom's VGA chart the 7900GS is 127.82% the speed of a 7600GT. That's 27.82% more power for $30. Oh well... I hope you know what you're doing.

EDIT: I just checked the eVGA site and you'll end up paying at least $170 to upgrade from a $99.99 7600GT to a $269.99 7900GS KO.

EDIT 2: I found an eVGA 7900GS KO for $115 after rebate on tigerdirect.

EVGA GeForce 7900 GS KO / 256MB GDDR3 / SLI Ready / PCI Express / Dual DVI / HDTV / Video Card

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicat...E145-7892&SRCCODE=SHOPPINGDF&CMP=OTC-SHOPPING

In my opinion, the step up program is only good for high end cards because the delta between the card you buy and the card you want to upgrade on is not so high due to old pricing.

 

[rodney_ws]

The step-up is probably best for people buying bleeding-edge cards. Just think about someone buying an 8800 GTX Ultra right now... imagine how pissed they'd be if a new card came out that beat their $800 card. Well, the step-up program is insurance for those people... people buy insurance to offset unknowns... risks. You KNOW you're going to be looking for a new card in the near-future... that's a known. You'd be better off (like other people have said) just buying the card you want up front. There are no free meals. Keep in mind you'll be paying the MSRP to step-up... for you it's a bad idea all around.