Upgrade Advice

[ZaphodB]

Hi to all.

Need some advice on whether or not to bother upgrading or not. I currently run 2 8600GTS cards in SLI (they came as part of my system) and I am relatively happy with the performance. I have some spare cash (around £250) but I'm not sure whether to upgrade my graphics at the moment. I would like a bit more power, but won't be able to afford SLI if I do upgrade. Have read plenty of reviews, but just can't decide. Just looking for opinions/advice really, any help would be welcome.

 

[dagger]

Hi to all.

Need some advice on whether or not to bother upgrading or not. I currently run 2 8600GTS cards in SLI (they came as part of my system) and I am relatively happy with the performance. I have some spare cash (around £250) but I'm not sure whether to upgrade my graphics at the moment. I would like a bit more power, but won't be able to afford SLI if I do upgrade. Have read plenty of reviews, but just can't decide. Just looking for opinions/advice really, any help would be welcome.

I can't imagin how 8600gts can possibly handle newer games, even in sli. But if you're happy with the performance, it's best to wait until 9900 and 4870 comes out for an upgrade. It should be around june/july.

 

[emp]

Just like dagger said. If you're happy with the performance then save your money for when you need it, no point in spending more money on the same graphics generation if you don't actually need it.

 

[Evilonigiri]

Waiting is probably the best solution, however if you want a vidcard now, the 9800GTX can take on SLI'ed 8600GTS anyday. Heck it can take on 4 of em.

 

[pauldh]

A 9600GT could take on SLI 8600GTS. I'd actually consider selling the cards now while you still have a chance of getting some money for them. Then buy an 8800GT, G92 8800GTS, or SLI 9600GT...whatever you can afford.

 

[kelfen]

I can't imagin how 8600gts can possibly handle newer games, even in sli. But if you're happy with the performance, it's best to wait until 9900 and 4870 comes out for an upgrade. It should be around june/july.

I second that motion. One of the articles on tomshardware said that ATI release thier 4800 and a couple of weeks

 

[dokk2]

if you really feel the uncontrolled need to spend your hard earned dosh,,RIGHT NOW,,you might consider a single 8800 overclocked or not,after all you only have a 22" monitor,which an 8800 can handle easily,,thusly you can wait out the initial and,,leeding bleeding edge,let the money flush suckers take that hit,and after a while things will settle down,including prices,and you will get to see how things are really shaping up,,non???my $2.[inflation]

 

[romulus47plus1]

You're happy with the 8600GTS, so just be happy with it for a while till the 9900s and the 4870 come out.
Then prices will drop and you'll be happier choosing

 

[ZaphodB]

First off, thanks for the responses

if you really feel the uncontrolled need to spend your hard earned dosh,,RIGHT NOW,,you might consider a single 8800 overclocked or not,after all you only have a 22" monitor,which an 8800 can handle easily,,thusly you can wait out the initial and,,leeding bleeding edge,let the money flush suckers take that hit,and after a while things will settle down,including prices,and you will get to see how things are really shaping up,,non???my $2.[inflation]

Actually not that hard earned - who said gambling doesn't pay Seriously though ,the monitor was part of the reason I wasn't sure whether to bother. From what I've read, the bigger cards only seem to come into their own at resolutions way above what I can handle (max is 1680 x 1050).

The only game I play which suffers really badly at my resolutions is, you guessed it, Crysis. Part of the reason I want to upgrade is just a desire to get new stuff! I think that waiting seems to be the best idea though, I'm sure i can manage a couple of months, might just save the money for then, if I can

Thanks again

 

[boonality]

The 8800GTS G92 will run all over those 8600GTS's in SLI and can be had at a decent price, the price has recently dropped a good $30 USD or so in the past week or two. You can find a quality brand one with a lifetime warranty now for about $220 USD.

 

[lucuis]

The 8800GTS G92 will run all over those 8600GTS's in SLI and can be had at a decent price, the price has recently dropped a good $30 USD or so in the past week or two. You can find a quality brand one with a lifetime warranty now for about $220 USD.

Agreed. I can vouch for this card, it's pretty beastly.

 

[ZaphodB]

Actually the cheapest 8800GTS I could find here in the UK is £167 (~$330 USD) but I can get a 9800 GTX SC for £189 (~$374 USD). Wouldn it be better to go for the 9800? I know it's just a G92 with higher clocks,but is the extra performance is worth the extra cost? I don't want to be fooled into spending more money because of bigger numbers!

 

[boonality]

Well it depends on your end goal. If you plan to SLI in the future, it will be easier to find a 9800GTX than an 8800GTS, driver support may last longer but I don't know much about that. All in all both are good cards, but the 8800GTS is better from an economical standpoint.

 

[ZaphodB]

Lucius, on a slightly different subject, do you notice a significant performance gain between 8Gb and 4Gb memory? I have 4GB (2x2) already, and am tempted to get another four, but just wasn't sure if there would be any noticeable difference - again, it's the numbers thing.

 

[ZaphodB]

Thanks boonality. Would be looking for SLI in the future most likely. Will probably just wait for the moment though- as I mentioned before, the performance is fine for most of the games I play for the moment.

 

[dagger]

Lucius, on a slightly different subject, do you notice a significant performance gain between 8Gb and 4Gb memory? I have 4GB (2x2) already, and am tempted to get another four, but just wasn't sure if there would be any noticeable difference - again, it's the numbers thing.

There's no difference whatsoever, at least not right now. I got 8gb because ddr2 800 is at its cheapest point right now.

 

[DarthPiggie]

^yea, you beast^