I need some serious help please,
 
I have  to buy a gfx card and i dont know which one
its either this one :  
XFX GeForce 8800 GT 512MB XXX ALPHA DOG 8800GT
price is 239.99 +shipping 20.00
or this one:
XFX GeForce Nvidia 9600 GT 512MB
169.99 +shipping 10.00
 
Which one is better for the performance and value?  
 
Thanks in advanced

Hello,
 
The 8800gt is the better card.
Since you want a balanced ratio between performance and value, we need know what resolution you play at and what type of games.
 
If money isnt much of any issue for that price (239.99) you could get a 8800GTS 512, which will out perform both these cards.

ohh i will play games at max 1024x768 and i would like to know any other better card for even overclocking capablilities thats under USD $240

at that res 9600GT would fit the bill nicely IMO. anyone agree?

thats the only res i will use in the next 4 yeras so i hope it is because i need the extra moneys to buy a psu
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.d [...] 3DWatching
 
if i do buy the 9600 will this one be good enough?

At that, or pretty much any res, the price of that 8800GT is not low enough to justify getting it. There's not too much between them anyway, I'd go for a 9600GT if I were you.

Yes the Thermaltake 500w will do, and the 9600GT is a sweet card for that resolution.
 
However the 8800GT is more futureproof even at that resolution.

8800GS would work wonderfully at that resolution, too, for even less than the 9600GT.

 
 Agreed  
   Mactronix

i am going with the 9600 GT and i want to know how i can find the dimensions need for the psu and the gfx  card

wait, if you are looking for a card to do 4 years then look at maybe an ATI HD3850 or HD3870.

Both cards support DX10.0 and SM4.1 while the Nvidia does not.
Save you fro ma possible upgrade in the near future.

Also both are 10-15% over clock able.

wait how many years would the 9600 GT last? it wouldnt matter if it would be at least 6 i need it for a while untill i get the money to get at least an sli'ed 2 cards imb

At least 6?  I would not count on that for ANY card.  By the time that rolls around, even the highest end card would probably at the very low end at best.  You are better to save your money, but get a decent card, and then add memory, swap to another card later.  But 6 years is asking a lot.

Btw, SLI is ok, getting better, but in some cases you might be better with 1 high end card as opposed to 2 lower end cards.  However once you get toward the high end like 8800gt or above, that may be changing.  

If u plan to get it SLI'ed then u be oke! Esp at these resolutions youd be enjoying your card for some time.

DX10.1 is a minor revision to the current DX10, and should not be viewed as an 'advantage' to buying a lesser-powered ATi solution.  Furthermore, no games currently support it and I've yet to hear any rumors of games coming out soon that will utilize it.
 
Edit:  Getting a 8800GT or 8800GTS512 would be a good 6-year solution if you add a second card in 2-3 years time.  Think about how weak a nVidia Ti 4600 or ATi 9100/8500AIW is.  That was high-end 6 years ago today (among the solutions from 3Dfx).  It was right at the time AGP 8x was immerging (and all three solutions mentioned were running on AGP 4x buses)!  Now has anyone seen benchmarks of Crysis or WIC on them?  Didn't think so.  Since PCIe is ~1/2 way through it's lifetime we'll almost definitely see a change in interface if not more in 6 years (Larrabee and integrated graphics on CPU anyone?).

Btw, why the low resolution?  Just thinking if you want your card to last for 6 years, buy the best you can afford, that way it should last you as long as possible, the 8800 gt might be your best choice if you want to pay extra.
 
How about this?  Little more than your 9600gt, but think it would be better.  Looks like a factory overclocked 8800gt, right around 200 before shipping.
 
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814122047

After 3 years Max. I guarantee you 'll need to upgrade  
 
So do not waste your time searching for something that  
 
will keep ruunning games even at Med. settings after more than 3 years

well ok i'll get the 9600 and i will upgrade in 2 years max, i just want it to play counter strike source and cod 4 at god framerates in 1024x768

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814261002
 
9600gt 110$ after rebate

You will probably want to upgrade your card long before the 6 year mark.  I'm running my X800XL I bought nearly 3 years ago now, and it's getting to the point where it isn't cutting it any more.  I can play CoD4 @ 1200x768, but that is as far as I can go that is playable.  Even at that resolution, I only average a hair over 30fps.  
 
Cards are dropping in price pretty quickly, but I don't really see them getting a lot cheaper for a while yet.  I think that now would be a good time to buy.  If you keep your eyes peeled, I've seen a 8800GT go for under $150.  I'm going to get a 8800GTS (G92), but I'm waiting for a new motherboard by nVidia to be dropped, hopefully this month (the MCP7A).