The Best Gaming Graphics cards for the Money: April 2008

buzzlightbeer

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wow

anyone get the hint of bias??? i mean cmon im seeing alot of nvidia cards and what 2 ati???

3870s in crossfire is superior to 9600gts in sli

on the 3dmark ORB site the 9600gt max is 20513

the 3870s around 25000-29000

i dont mind the other results...but that one kinda ticked me off

and im talking pci-e agp doesnt really matter imo
 

zenmaster

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And the 3870s in Crossfire is more expensive in Crossfire.
I think the article need more proofing.
He was not clear in his statements.

In the article, he said that the 3870s in SLI do offer unmatched performance in the $360 price point.
But since it's under the heading of the $300 Card, that get's interpreted at the 9600s.
However, it can't be the 9600s since they would be $300 SLI'd.

When reading the article, don't just line up "Winners" for different price points.
The article is not meant to really declare winners.

It's useful for people shopping at price points.
They then read the comments about cards in that price point.
Then they shop for deals.

They usually note for a few more you could do this or that.

Unfortuntely, there is alot to be subjective about in the article, but it's not a intense review.
Its guidelines.
 

prodystopian

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I've said this for the last 3 months.

THE FAN ON THE 8800GTS IS AN ADVANTAGE OVER THE 8800GT.

This article is supposed to be a quick resource for people not wanting to do all the research to find the best card. Is one sentence about the fan really that difficult to include?
 

blackened144

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I think the results show the truth, not bias. AMD just needs to lower their prices again to compete. The 3870x2 would be the best card out there for $250. But the card is $300 and for $300 the 9600GT in SLI beats it. I hope AMD's 4xxx series cards can perform on the level and hopefully force Nivida to stop holding back.
 

zeuseason

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I'm guessing because the money on a single GTX could better spent on a SLI configuration.
 

bourgeoisdude

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Yes, I noticed that as well.

It's listed that way on the hierchy chart too.
 

sojrner

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I think alot of sites had it as a 9600 instead of 9800... you can still find the name interchangeable on google searches.

@ "bias" comment: IMO, these 'best for' articles have always been a quick gloss-over on what a given price point can get you, and where to best spend it. Nothing more, but very valuable for n00bs and tech-savy alike. With that, there have been months that are dominated by ati, and others by Nv. Sometimes they are 50/50. It is a volatile market, at any given time one fanboi can find "bias" on the whole market against their object of affection. That is life, get over it.
 

zenmaster

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But that is not always an option.

In general Boards can do SLI or CF but not both.
Many boards only have a single fast PCI-E port, so neither CF nor SLI will be an option.

They need to cover all three bases.
It would not be uncommon for somebody looking to upgrade their GPU that they don't want to upgrade their mobo.
 

sojrner

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^lol

all bases ARE covered... If a point says "get sli here" then you do that... what that means is that if you want to spend x$, what they have at that point is the only thing worth spending that money on. If you can't do the sli, then your price/performance goes out the window and you are better off going to the price point above or below that one if you can. You will be better using your money and not blowing it on an underperforming/overpriced option.

seems pretty obvious to me...
 

cleeve

Illustrious


Then the GX2 is STILL a bad price/performance investment compared to a single GTS 512. Just because it's faster doesn't mean it's a good buy.

I'm making recommendations here based on price/performance, and the GX2 is overpriced plain and simple.



 

cleeve

Illustrious


Bias? please. Some months the list is filled with Ati cards.

The Radeon 3870 is overpriced compared to the 9600 GT, end of story. Especially since the 9600 GT pretty much always has the advantage over the 3870 once AA is enabled.

As for 3dMarks - dude, 3dMarks don't figure in to my recommendations. Game performance for the dollar is what matters.
 

Waspy

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What's up with the 8800 GT recommendation? Why not go with 8800 GTS G92 512MB? I guess I should go do the price research, but I thought these were DAMN close in price.
 

homerdog

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I agree wholeheartedly. The cooler on the 8800GT is a disgrace, coming from someone who has owned one for about 4 months. Loud, obnoxious, dumping heat into the case, and borderline inadequate to cool my factory overclocked card. Dual slot FTW!

And yes, the references to the "9600GX2" should be edited...seriously.
 

Brunnen-G

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After reading reviews on video cards here, namely, ATI's 1950XT and Nvidia's 8800GT. I am convinced our friends here at Tom's are hard of hearing...
 

bf2gameplaya

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This bears repeating, furthermore including the price/performance differences almost completely negate the 8800GT as the right choice when you are considering either of those two options. The G92 GTS is a clear winner across the board.
 

B-Unit

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Unless you get an 8800GT with a nice dual-slot cooler, then you've saved $50 vs. a card thats only marginally better. Granted, the selection of GTs with those coolers is pretty limited, but to utterly dismiss the GT is foolhardy at best.
 

xerohour

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In the comparison Chart, I recommend The Mobility 2600, Mobility 2600xt, as well as the g8600gt/ 8700gt be moved up one tier. I have a laptop with a 2600 (standard version), and it performs just slightly below what my x1900 AIW is capable of producing at stock at xt speeds(4400 3dmark06, with a comparatively lame processor). It is pretty well known that the 2600 is the competitor to the 8600gt, so they should be at the same level by that virtue.
 

snarfies1

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lolwut
 

zenmaster

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I was not stating it's a good deal.

I was just commenting that somebody was thinking one card was not included because it's inferior to a dual card setup. In some cases that makes sense. In cases where SLI is not an option, it would not.

I agree that the GX2 is overpriced at the moment.
 

jimr9999us

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lol, for the 3rd time, this point CANNOT BE STRESSED ENOUGH.

Oh, and by the way, this remains the best monthly card update feature I've run across...I certainly can't blame Tom's for assuming folks will do some research on cooling before they update/ build their rig.