What's the best for Maya 2008 / gaming

Hi guys,

ok I'm about to buy componets for a new pc I'm putting together. main issue that I'm not up to scratch with are the latest nvidia cards that are currently available.

- GeForce 8800 series
- GeForce 9600 series

I'm looking for quality at the right price. anyone got any experience with these that can point me at the better card to buy?

specs for the 9600 are pretty good with the texture fill rate being the main/only real difference from what i can see.

info kind folks if you will?

Buy your card from a company with a good return policy. I say this because Maya is meant to be compatible with the Quadro Nvidia cards, so you could end up with serious graphic anamolies that make Maya borderline unusable. I know this from personal experience.

7950 GT - had issues with Maya, but installing Quadro drivers did fix the issues.
BFG8800GT 512 meg OC - Same issues as the 7950 GT, but I recall not being able to get Quadro drivers installed like I could with the 7950, so I returned this card.
EVGA 8800GTS 512 meg - Worked like a champ with the standard Geforce drivers in Maya. I have absolutely no idea why the 8800GT wouldnt work while the 8800GTS would work when they are practically the same card.

I remember having good luck with consumer level ATI cards with Maya. I'm not as up to speed on ATI offerings, but they do offer some very competitive cards at a good price. If Maya is of utmost importance to you, then you may want to consider an ATI card if you are looking for more of a budget offering.

ok still checking out info before buying....

heat.....any of you guys have any serious heat problems with one card over another? my current rig is a 7950gt and a nforce4 (ultra) mobo. feckin hot as hell for a now basic system.

so any info about one card over another in this regard?