Have $250-300 for Card Which one??? 8800GT?

Depending upon your motherboard I would either get yourself an 8800gt or 3870 ATI card. If you have an SLI certified board get the nvidia 8800gt because you'll be able to upgrade to another one later next year. These two cards are basically the best in the business right now. The 8800gt performs very simularly to the 8800GTX and it's nearly 40% cheaper. The ATI card is hands down faster than the 2000 series cards and also is much cheaper. The only better cards that are coming out are dual gpu cards in January but will be prices way above the 400's maybe even the 500's. Both ATI and Nvidia will come out with dual gpu video cards in January. Not worth it right now because you can always upgrade to an additional card dependent upon your SLI or crossfire capablilities.

Buy a 3780. it should be around 220 - 240 U.S. dollars. Dont get the 8800GT because of availibilty issues and inflation. The 8800GT won't be avaliable until after christmas. Right now also the 3870 is hard to find but it should be available.
http://www.amazon.com/HIS-H387F512NP-Radeon-DL-DVI-Expr...
Buy here for 234 which is a pretty good deal for this card since you have a 75 dollar discount.

At circuitcity and bestbuys there are no 3870s

I disagree with aznstriker92. First off the 8800gt is not inflated. It is only 279-309 for one and that does not mean inflation. The price/performance is definitley in line with the new ATI cards that have just come out most notably the 3870. If leadfooter has an SLI mobo than getting a 3870 would be a waist in mobo potential as he wont be able to upgrade to an additional gpu later. If by chance you do have a crossfire capable mobo then I would get an ATI... but if not get an NVIDIA. There is nothing wrong with either card. Nvidia is faster hands down but it is more expensive but not by much. The price/performance on both cards is nearly equal that I really dont think that one is much "better" than the other... but like i've said that when It comes to upgradeability you need to make sure you get the right card for your rig.

Nvidia's will be more available in the coming weeks as I bought one just a week ago and it's in my rig now. Newegg has them off and on and right now they have a few http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=E...

I should have posted I am running a Blood Iron board with a 2180.
Has anyone ever used the EVGA step up program??? I am considering buying a 8600GT for $99 and waiting the 90 days then stepping up to 8800GT KO ,SSC or something else??? How do they figure the costs?? I cannot make head or tails of it on their site. Do they figure what you paid or some retail # they come up with? Is it a good option as the prices will be down and availability will be good then ??? Tell me your opinions on this Please.

Do yourself a favor and wait for the g92 GTS...December 12-14th release date.

Thanks for the replies.
Can they be preordered anywhere????
Any benchmarks out on them yet or is everyone just talking??

The G92 8800GTS will be out of your budget. It should be somewhere around $400 and is rumored to perform better than the GTX.

It really is a toss-up between the 8800GT and the 3870 for you. I, personally, just ordered a 8800GT for 248.99 right now...if that helps your decision.

Yeah I agree about the new 8800GTS's... they are probably going to be well over 300 and even into the 400's. GEt yourself an 8800GT for 260+ and invest in that new cooler for it.

New cooler will push the cost of a GT toward the price of a GTS, AND void your warranty. If you can spring for the extra 100 or so, you'd be smart to go with the GTS. Hell, it's x-mas time...just ask someone for the difference in price.

With just 1 PCI-E x16 slot on the motherboard we're not going to be talking about a future crossfire option for your DFI motherboard. So you'll be looking at both ATI and Nvidia.

What size monitor/resolution do you use? What specific games do you have your eyes on playing? Have a very most favorite game?

The HD 3870 and 8800GT are fairly close in many games and the deciding factor could be how well one card or the other handles the game you like most, or the future games you're looking at getting in the next few months.

I'm not absolutely positive but I think that the 8800gt is hands down faster than the ATI 3870 in all games

The 8800 GT averages from 15% to 20% faster than the 3870, depending on resolution and other fractors. It's a better card, but the 3870 is cheaper, so they're both good performance buys for the $.

But if you have the extra cash to buy the 8800 GT, then why not?

Either card is hard to find at retail right now though...

For eVga and the 8800GT anyway:
The warranty is not voided with an aftermarket cooler as long as the card is not physically damaged, and the origional cooler is put back on the card prior to RMAing it, and the origional factory sticker is still attached to the underside of the card.

So what is this cooler for the 8800gt ??
Where do i get it how much is it ?? Does it fit all the brands??
Which Brand is best in the 8800GT line the EVGA KO or Superclock models??? or

I've heard the zalman vf1000 is a good aftermarket cooler... i would like to read more reviews for this cooler though and find out if it fits nicely on the 8800gt. Does anyone know if this is a good cooler. I thought I once read a few weeks ago that thermalright came out with one for 8800gt but cant find that article.

I personally own the evga superclocked comes at 650/1900. I like it a lot. I dont think it matters to much which one you get as long as the warranty is not voided through overclocking (which I never bothered to check before righting this or purchasing it... but then again I never really saw to much a point in overclocking a gpu that was overclocked from the factory anyway) I like the evga one that is overclocked and comes bundled with crysis... I wish I would have known about that before I bought mine on launch date and got boring quake wars. Seriously dont know who plays quake wars. That game is pretty boring to me... I cant get into it. Besides the point I dont see a point in spending an extra 30-40 bucks to get the ssc model or anything super overclocked.

http://www.heatsinkfactory.com/thermalright-hr-03-gt-vg...

http://www.expreview.com/review/2007-10-31/1193822121d6...