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Which $200 card?

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Newegg has these 2 cards listed for $200 after rebates

EVGA 320-P2-N811-AR GeForce 8800GTS 320MB 320-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814130082

or

MSI NX8800GT 512M OC GeForce 8800GT 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814127329

Which one should I get? I don't intend to use SLI. I intend to run this in a P35-GS3L running an E8400 processor. I don't plan to overclock (other than any factory overclocking that's already been done with the 8800 GT OC).

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Please don't bother with the G80 GTS. It's crap compared to the newer G92 GT or G92 GTS. Go for the GT for sure.

Reply to fueled_by_ramen

I agree with Fueled, don't get the G80 GTS 320MB, The G92 8800GT 512MB will outperform it and it only takes up 1 slot instead of 2.

------------------------------ Athlon 64 X2 4400+ @2.4GHZ,Zalman CNP9500 LED CPU cooler Asus A8N32-SLI Deluxe, 2GB Corsair XMS-3500LL w/ activity lights, Nvidia 9800GTX 512MB, 2 x 400Gb Western Digital Sata drives, Audigy 2 Zs, PC Power and Cooling Turbo Cool 1Kw
Reply to HVdynamo

Nevermind the 1 slot versus 2, I see they threw a different Heat sink on the GT that takes up two slots. either way the GT is still better though.

Agreed. Do not get the 320MB GTS. The 512MB GT will beat it in all benchmarks.

Reply to rgeist554

Thanks for the replies everyone. Everyone agreeing makes the decision easy So now that that's decided.....

I think I read this already somewhere else, but I figure it can't hurt to ask again, Will the card being PCI-x 2.0 have any problems running in the P35-DS3L since it only has PCI-x 1.0 slots?

Reply to Unkynd

Quote :

Will the card being PCI-x 2.0 have any problems running in the P35-DS3L since it only has PCI-x 1.0 slots?

Nope.

PCIe 2.0 (slots on the motherboard) will effectively double the bandwidth capacity over 1.0 slots. That being said, no card that exists on the market today, to my knowledge, actually uses the full bandwidth of 1.0 slots. Hopefully that clears things up.

Message quoted 1 times
Message edited by rgeist554 on 02-14-2008 at 09:47:45 PM

Reply to rgeist554

That MSI 8800GT is sweet for $200. Much better than the lousy reference cooler. Nice find.

Reply to pauldh

PCI-Express 2.0 cards are backwards compatible with PCI-Express 1.0 so that won't cause any problems, and I don't know of any card that saturates the PCI Ex.. 1.0 spec yet so you shouldn't see any difference.

rgeist554 wrote :

Nope.

PCIe 2.0 (slots on the motherboard) will effectively double the bandwidth capacity over 1.0 slots. That being said, no card that exists on the market today, to my knowledge, actually uses the full bandwidth of 1.0 slots. Hopefully that clears things up.

Perfect. Thanks a lot for you help

Reply to Unkynd

Get neither of those:
Try this one non-OCed 8800GT with the Witcher game for $191 total

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814127324[/url]
[url]

Message quoted 1 times

------------------------------ Q9400 @3.2Ghz-HD4870 512MB GDDR5-2GB DDR2-1066
"You figured it out. All new CPU's are nothing but overclocked Pentium 1's with a few bells and whistles added, ask any ol timer whose been around."

Reply to bfellow

Quote :

Get neither of those:
Try this one non-OCed 8800GT with the Witcher game for $191 total

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814127324

Nice find!

Message quoted 1 times
Message edited by rgeist554 on 02-14-2008 at 10:09:30 PM

Reply to rgeist554

bfellow wrote :

Get neither of those:
Try this one non-OCed 8800GT with the Witcher game for $191 total

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814127324[/url]
[url]

:ouch: :ouch: That is less than 100 UK beer tokens [:mousemonkey:6] , I don't like you no more. (jk)

------------------------------ [:mousemonkey:1]

http://img29.imageshack.us/img29/5041/vr2009champ.jpg

Reply to mousemonkey

The game is a nice bonus, but the cooler of the other one would be worth a bit more IMO. I just hate the reference 8800GT cooler.

Reply to pauldh

i agree go with the better cooled msi, the witcher sux anyway.

------------------------------ GA-965P-DS3 - e6420@3.3 - 2GB OCZ Reaper pc-6400 - WD Raptor X - 9600gt - OCZ GameXStream 700W - SB Audigy 2ZS Platinum - Thermaltake Tsunami Dream black
Reply to shoota

Speaking of that MSI GT card specifically, I noticed it myself the other day and was curious about it.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814127329

The cooler looks like it's way better than the reference design, but I don't recall ever seeing one quite like that one. Has anyone had experience with a cooler like this? How good is it?

As for the card itself, is MSI usually known for making good vid cards? In each camp (Nvidia & ATI) I have always felt safe buying from certain board makers (XFX, eVGA for Nvidia and Visiontek and HIS for ATI as just a couple of examples) but I've never heard anything about MSI cards. Most of the time their MoBo's are excellent but does anyone have any thoughts on their GPU's?

For the price, and the fact that it's the 512 version, and the cooler, I'm really tempted to get it. Even though I just got the 3850 512 for myself, my girlfriend could use a new GPU, so I can hand this one down to her and enjoy the GT for myself.

Reply to fueled_by_ramen

Heheheheh, stumbled across this last night, and had to order one. Im using an MSI 8600GTS with a similar cooler on it. Works pretty well, keeps the card 45C at idle, low 50's under load, but i have a 120mm side vent blowing right on it. The one on mine only has 3 pipes vs the 4 on this one, and is passive, so I see alot of potential in this one.

As to MSI's rep, there rising quick. Did a quick check just before I bought, read several reviews praising them, and my 8600 runs like a champ.

Hope to see this thing Monday, I'll let ya know how it goes.

Message edited by B-Unit on 02-15-2008 at 02:24:44 AM

------------------------------

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3073/2578392638_2827857d10_o.png

Reply to B-Unit

rgeist554 wrote :

Quote :

Get neither of those:
Try this one non-OCed 8800GT with the Witcher game for $191 total

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814127324

Nice find!

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/ [...] us-witcher

------------------------------ - MSI P6N Diamond (w/X-fi) :+: E6600 C2D @ stock :+: Crucial Ballistix DDR2 1066
- EVGA 8800 GTX :+: Corsair 620HX :+: ZALMAN 9700 110mm (Arctic Silver Ceramique)
- Thermaltake Armor + 25cm fan :+: DoubleSight DS-245W :+: 2x 320GB seagate 7200.10 SATA
Reply to Phrozt

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