What alternative to the 8800GT?

[Kurse]

Building a new PC for the first time in 5 years, want to play some new games. I'm not in a "rush", I wanted to build one ASAP but the 8800GT is nowhere to be found. Are there some cards to look for on the horizon? Or should I just wait until the 8800GT is in stock, if ever.

Thanks.

 

[cfvh600]

the new ATI HD 3xxx series is coming out soon.

 

[mactronix]

ATI HD 3870 due out on the 19th of this month i beleive i have seen a quick benchmark using Crysis but there is no info as to settings on it but the result was that the GT was 2 FPS faster.
http://iax-tech.com/video/3870/38701.htm
Mactronix

 

[Kurse]

I'm a newbie on graphics cards.

Which the issues on the 8800GT my build is dependent on a card. I can hold off until Nov 19th, or longer if need be, but not forever. But is it worth it?

Does this 2fps really make a difference? There is a more in depth study coming out on these results correct?

 

[mactronix]

I'm a newbie on graphics cards.

Which the issues on the 8800GT my build is dependent on a card. I can hold off until Nov 19th, or longer if need be, but not forever. But is it worth it?

Does this 2fps really make a difference? There is a more in depth study coming out on these results correct?

What i would do is wait for the card to be released and check some more in depth reviews and benchmarks then take your decision based on some more reliable info.
The ATI card will have DX10.1 and the Nvidea will have DX10.0, Whats the difference.
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/amd-hd-3800-dx-10,review-29720.html.
The thing that really swings it for me with the last review i sent you was how much better the picture quality was on the ATI card. The other thing is that with out knowing if they were using high settings/Anti Aliasing etc. Basically how the two cards were set up they may as well have made the numbers up.
With a more in depth review the cards will be set up as much like for like as the software will allow and be run through tests at different resolutions/detail levels and using different games so we will get a fuller view of both cards strengths and weaknesses.
Mactronix

 

[chadwixx]

Im in a very similar situation as you and may get a evga 8600 and use the step up program when more 8800gt are availible. Im not fond of ati due to past issues and their drivers.

 

[mactronix]

Im in a very similar situation as you and may get a evga 8600 and use the step up program when more 8800gt are availible. Im not fond of ati due to past issues and their drivers.

I keep hearing this thing about problems with ATI drivers but i have naver had anything but ATI cards (no reason really just happened that way) and have never had any problems,in fact last time this was raised i asked around amongst friends and collegues with the upshot of both Nvidea and ATI causing people problems in about an even spread, if anything slightly more Nvidea problems,The one thing i did notice and while it was only about 40 people i asked the ones with the least understanding of there pc seemed to be the ones with the problems,im not trying to say you dont know what your doing in fact some of the guys that really knew there stuff still admitted to having issues.
Guess what im really trying to say is that with so many units out there both companies are going to get problems and maybe we just hear more about ATI. I mean if there really was a hard and fast problem with ATI drivers people wouldnt be buying them would they?

 

[chadwixx]

I dont wanna install a 100 meg catalyst driver just to turn off vsync. Ati drivers remind me of pinnnacle video editing software, way too bulky for what it does.

Another prob i have is my last ati card lasted a month, it took me 10 emails to "convince" them it was real ati card, pd my shipping and the new card broke within a week. Sent them an email and no response so i say f'it, im sticking with nvidia.

 

[cleeve]

I've seen people on these boards have problems with both Ati & Nvidia. Nobody makes 100% perfect stuff, there's always a bad card in every batch. part of the electronics business.

For my part, having tested video cards for the past few years, I haven't ever had a show stopping issue with either an Ati or Nvidia card (except with DVD or HD playback, for which they both have quirks).

The new Ati drivers are just as lean as the Nvidia drivers, IMHO. All functionality can be easily accessed from the driver's system tray icon for either camp's cards...

 

[Hatman]

Nvidia are MUCH more customizable then ATI drivers, with while not abundant options there are plenty of them and unique profiles for lots of games.

Then we have the fact that there is much more 3rd party apps for Nvidia than ATI, which DO offer abundant features, like Nhancer.

I have actually had issues with ATI drivers in the part, lots for AGP drivers and problems installing catalyst etc...

Dx10 and DX10.1 no difference, they wont make thigns ina game that can use things that the 8series do not support.

 

[cleeve]

How are Nvidia drivers more customizable? Is there a real-world scenario you can offer up, I'm curious. I run both Geforces and Radeons routinely and I can't think of a real-world scenario where driver customization has been an issue for me.

And which "much more" 3rd party apps are you talking about?
Stuff like Rivatuner and Atitool work on both Geforce and Radeons, as far as I know Nhancer is in the minority.

I've had just as many AGP issues with Geforces as I have with Radeons, in fact the last AGP issue I had was with a Geforce 7600 GT AGP I was testing for Tom's. Got it to work but it required a weird BIOS tweak.

 

[pauldh]

Kurse, what's your budget? What games do you want to play? What will the system specs be? The resolution you will game at?

If you are going high resolution, you may want to consider the evga 8800GTS SSC. It beats the 8800GT at high resolutions and has a nicer quiet cooler. It also comes with a lifetime warranty and you can trade up within 90 days if NVidia happenes to release something better you want. ANyway, At $350 AR, the card is pricey, but seeing as the $200-250 8800GT price isn't around, and most in stock versions are $300 anyway, then this in stock option isn't bad at all if you have that kind of cash. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130300&Tpk=8800gts%2bssc

I would wait and see how the HD3870 turns out in performance/price/availability first though.

And another option is a cheap $100ish X1950 pro or (8600GTS/7900GS if you like NV) type card to get you by for a while until there is better supply of what you want.

Anyway, I am with Cleeve and don't see either NV or ATI drivers/hardware as more reliable/less troublesome than the other. I couldn't even count how many of both I have used in builds and I still go by what offers the best performance/IQ/experience (in the apps it will be used in) for the budget. I could care less if it's NV or ATI.

 

[Kurse]

Pauldh,

I don't build machines that often, so I'm sort of spoiling myself this time. I'm thinking about $400 is acceptable to me for the video card. I'm not too familiar with high end graphics and resolutions but I would like to play the max that I can fit on the 22" Samsung 226bw (My choice for a monitor so far). I'm going to try for all the settings cranked up with a Q6600 overclocked 25%.

Games I'm interested in are:
- Doom 3
- Quake 4
- Oblivion
- Jericho

I prefer the fantasy type FPS games. Hope that helps you see what I'm after.

 

[pauldh]

AT 1680x1050 (22" native resolution), the 8800GT or 8800GTS SSC would probably be equal and both do very well in those games (not sure on jericho). I game on a 22" LCD too with a 320MB 8800GTS.

If 8800GT's were in stock for $250 or less I in no way would recommend that GTS SSC. BUT, seeing how all 8 8800GT's on Newegg are out of stock and prices haave risen to $270-330, then buying the in stock quieter and >= GTS SSC isn't a bad option.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=40000048&Description=8800gt&name=Video+Cards

Review of the card
http://www.firingsquad.com/hardware/evga_e-geforce_8800_gts_ssc_review/default.asp

 

[jevon]

Kurse, I'd also recommend waiting to see how the 3870 performs. I've heard Nov. 15 as the release, but the 19th is still close enough to wait for it. Suggested retail pricing seems to be $190-$240, and with what info has been leaked out already I think it's definately worth a look vs the 8800GT.

Another thing to consider is availability. Obviously, the 8800GT's are out of stock everywhere atm. Daily Tech had an article up just the other day about how nVidia is likely going to miss out on lots of Christmas sales this year because they launched the 8800GT with only 40,000 units while the AMD/ATI cards are reportedly already at 250,000 units, with another 150,000 to come by the holidays. Basically, supply>demand may keep the price of the 8800GTs up and difficult to obtain.

 

[monsterrocks]

ATi 3870 hit 2 less fps on average, but apparently scored way higher on lowest framerate. I think the 88gt hit all the way down to 1.5-2 fps at one point while the ATi only fell to 9. But that is something which I think will be fixed in their next driver update. I would stick to Radeon. It is cheaper, looks to be almost as fast (maybe faster with 2 more catalyst updates) and runs cooler. Should OC really well with good aftermarket cooling. 8800gt has been really low in numbers. Something like an estimated 40,000 have been shipped. ATi is saying that they already have like 150,000-250,000 and will have over 400,000 (in total) ready and waiting by Christmas. Plus it comes out in a few days. It looks like the price/performance and overclockability of the ATi will make it the card to have right now. The 8800gt is a GREAT card, but it will be expensive and hard to find, so for that reason, I say go with the ATi HD 3870.

 

[monsterrocks]

$400 for Graphics? Do I here HD 3870 in crossfire? Seriously dude, consider CF for those cards.

 

[aznstriker92]

$400 for Graphics? Do I here HD 3870 in crossfire? Seriously dude, consider CF for those cards.

I agree. Those cards in crossfire seem to get a much bigger performance increase than previous cards.

 

[chadwixx]

I just paid 309 for a evga 8800gt ko (675 1950). Probably paid $40 more than it will be in 2months, but at least i have a video card now. Was also very lucky to get in on the 10min window new egg had them in stock tonight. I get quake4 too, im a ut player but ill give it a shot

 

[Kurse]

Don't know much at all about Crossfire - I'm afraid that will open a whole new can of worms. Not that it's a bad thing, but then I may be looking at a different monitor, case etc etc, correct?

 

[bildo123]

I just paid 309 for a evga 8800gt ko (675 1950). Probably paid $40 more than it will be in 2months, but at least i have a video card now. Was also very lucky to get in on the 10min window new egg had them in stock tonight. I get quake4 too, im a ut player but ill give it a shot

Two months....now I'm really starting to worry. I ordered my pretty schweet MSI NX8800GT OC for $240 at buy.com on 10/29. The DAY of release, and it's STILL on the 'sent to warehouse' status... I know I have to have a good ticket number in the line, I want to have it for the turkey day weekend, an extra day to OC, tweak, and max out the latest games...That is IF the damn thing comes in, it better, I literally could not have ordered it any quicker.

 

[Kurse]

It seems the 3870 isn't a close competitor to the 8800GT after all? At least according to the newest posts here. Perhaps I should just wait until December or the new year, something crazy like that.