1920x1200 - graphics card and new ones on the horizon

[a2love]

Hi all,

I have been looking at a retarded amount of reviews and was hoping someone could shed some light on my situation.

I am purchasing the BenQFP241W (1920x1200 native res). I am wanting to power it properly .

I am going to do one of 3 options:
1) Buy a 680i board and put in two GTS8800's (G92). However I will buy the second GTS atleast 6 months down the road.

2) Buy an X38 board and one GTS8800 (G92). Then, when I feel like I want to upgrade I will nab one of the new 9xxx series about to be released (using the new Direct x10).

3) Buy a 680i and only get one GTS... upgrade to the 9xxx eventually and maybe buy two 9xxx

Now the first option leaves me limited on cpu expansion, uses pci-e 1.0, and effectively locks me into the two GTS's (I would not swap out two until I couldn't go on... just too wasteful)

The second option leaves me open to expandible cpu's, has pci-e 2.0, DDR3 support, and leaves me open to the 9xxx cards. BUT this also wastes a good GTS8800 because if/when I swap it out it's dead to me.

Third option leaves me open to SLI in the future, with all the issues of the first option.


Ok so critiques are welcome. I am worried about the first and third option because of less 680i expandability. The 2nd option restricts my SLI power.

A big question for me is for my 1920x1200 resolution... is one GTS8800 (G92) card gonna suck until a 9xxx upgrade or an sli???

And I am not sure if I am willing to wait for the 780i.... I feel like it may be out of my price range on release and I really need a comp for mid January next year for school.

Ok so there you guys go. I have done research on all of these parts it's just the strategy... so many tradeoffs I don't know how to value them properly. Any help is appreciated

 

[Hatman]

Just get the 680i and 2x 8800GTS 512mb and then when the new one comes out buy that, itll make up for the money you would waste on DDR3.

 

[cleeve]

Just another option you haven't considered: Why not get an X38 board and a single 3870?

Leaves you the option of upgrading both the CPU, and getting a second 3870 in the future. At 1920x1200, the 3870 works very well.

 

[Hatman]

Or even better, since he isnt overclocking it would appear, he can get a Phenom with the new AMD board, 2x 3870's and then upgrade to 4 in the future.

 

[a2love]

hmm i thought the reviews for the 3870 were way lacking behind any 8800 series?

 

[Hatman]

Depends on game. 2 are cheaper then one also and you can upgrade it to 3 or 4, unlike the 8800series, unless you get GTX of coarse but who would atm...

 

[starcraftfanatic]

wait for 780i and get 3 GTX's and a Q6600 or cheap Penryn since it appears you have the cash. If you want to be logical, get a single GTS and P35 and Q6600 and upgrade when Nehalem comes.

 

[a2love]

ok then. Think the GTS + P35 combo will do well with my monitor?

I did look at the P35's and was impressed. I will spend money if needed, but I am trying to find the right system... not the most expensive.

I have just been hearing alot about sli/crossfire setups being 'the right thing to do' at higher resolutions like 1920x1200. If the general feeling is one GTS (G92) fits the bill then I am more than happy, just don't want to be disapointed with FPS once I finally make my build

and crossfire setups have scared me off abit with how much better the FPS has been with 8800 series. If i'm wrong let me know and point me to the ratings to fix my point of view

 

[cleeve]

Well, the Crossfire 38x0 reviews I've seen show them scale really well.

Having said that, the only game on that market I can think of that a single 8800 GTS v2 will have a problem with at high detail 1920x1200 is Crysis, and it should do really well with some detail lowered.

I'm playing Crysis on a lowly 2900XT at 1920x1200 with Shaders and Textures set to high, and it's very smooth... and the 8800 GTS v2 should do notably better than that.

 

[a2love]

cool thanks for the response. I have been eyeing just a single card with an x38 board. Mostly because I will just upgrade to a single 9800 after a year or so when they finally come out.... that might be the path i go down.

I see you are running a 24" and you say it is smooth so that gives me hope... I just didn't want retarded FPS

 

[cleeve]

Just to clarify, that's Crysis, 1920x1200, Shaders and Textures to high, everythign else set to medium. And, in Dx9 mode.

 

[a2love]

ya I figured that, but not too many rigs costing under $2000 are gonna run on all high settings

 

[Achtungbaby]

Go with the single card... sli does not scale 1 to 1 or very close for that matter. Save the cash u were goin to use for the second card and use it to ugrade when the next 9 series come out. My GTX performs well on my Benq 24" VW, and the g92GTS is almost on a par at that res.... so one will tide u over well until the 9 series as i cant see any more games as demanding as crysis comming out for a while.... by the way, i get smooth frame rates at my native resolution in crysis with everything set to high and no AA..... but at this res.... no AA is no loss

 

[Achtungbaby]

By the the way, i wouldnt bother going for the new x38 boards just yet as the p35's are great, plus there is no sense in upgrading to the QX9xxx series as the gaming benefits are really negligable when moving from a kentsfield which the p35's do support.... so id go with p35, single card and a decent duel conroe or kentsfield and save for an upgrade later when the benefits are worth the cost! Thats just my opinion.... good luck

 

[FlyingDutchman]

Hey,

I'm having the exact same problem. I've got a LG 24" panel and all the parts for my new computer, except the graphics card. I've got a P6N Diamond with a Q6600 and I've been doing a lot of thinking about the graphics as well. For now I've decided on one 8800GTS (G92). From the reviews I've seen it can do 1920 x 1200 on pretty much anything (except maybe Crysis).

I know about the problem with the 680i not doing Yorkfield, I was really annoyed when I saw that. Because of that, when the time comes to replace this board I'm not going with nVidia again....

I'm going to run a single GTS for a while and sometime next year I'll decided whether to put in a second GTS or go with the 9xxx....

To make a long story short, if I were you I'd go with the P35 + 8800GT 1GB or 8800GTS + fast Core 2 Duo. It gives you the best bang for the buck right now and from what read nothing you can buy at the moment is really futureproof as both AMD and Intel are switching to another socket with their next CPU....

 

[a2love]

very very good points guys. P.s. Achtungbaby is a sick name . I'm a big U2 fan.

I like where you are all going with this. Achtung since you are running a 24" monitor I am really interested in what you have to say, especially because most people go hypothetical where you have actually tested this stuff out.

I was interested with your P35 comment. Could you (or anyone) maybe touch on why you would take the P35 over x38. I am a huge newbie when it comes to future chipsets that are on the horizon, and I was under the impression the x38 gave the most expansion possibilities. Oh, and I would not go for x38 for DDR3... way too expensive these days with little benefits... x38 was more for the chipset expansions and pci-e 2.0.