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Which high end graphics card?

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mcbi4kh2   05-13-2008 at 02:45:00 PM

Hey all, Im sure this question has been asked and answered a million times but I cant seem to find the answer.
Im building a new PC and have read some mixed reviews regarding graphics cards, I initially had my heart set on a 9800gx2.
But then I read that it barely outperforms 8800 GTS's in SLi. But then Ive read that SLi isnt all its cracked up to be and
sometimes one card can outperform two for certain games, also I've read that SLi nvidia chipsets are not as good as non sli intel ones.
So what do people recommend? Would I regret buying the 9800gx2 in a year or would I regret buying underperforming SLi cards??
(Im getting a q6600 if thats relevant)

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jaydeejohn   05-13-2008 at 02:56:18 PM
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If you can wait for a month, you wont have to decide a 2 card solution. The 4xxx series from ATI are coming out, and the new nVidia cards will be out. Theyre both supposed to outperform what we have now, and possibly the new nVidia card will outdo the X2 card or any 2 card solution

------------------------------ I went drifting, thru the capitols of tin, where men cant walk and cant freely talk, and sons turn their fathers in
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mcbi4kh2   05-13-2008 at 03:04:55 PM
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Is that confirmed or is it speculation? Do you have any links? The only problem with waiting a month is that if the cards do come out in a month. I will then have to wait even longer for reliable/useful drivers.

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englandr753   05-13-2008 at 03:10:27 PM
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If you are very concerned about getting a card for longevity, it will be worth the wait. If you just want a good gaming card you can get whats available now. Anything you get now will be outdone in 1-2 years either way you go so its not the end of the world either way you go...

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kad   05-13-2008 at 03:36:49 PM
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Within 1 year for sure you'll regret buying one 9800GX2
But definitely you'll regret more buying 2 in SLI config
8800GTS(512) runs all recent games
why the heck you need 2X8899gx2 SLI
If you like the latest and most powerfull wait one month and get one of the latest graphic cards from nVidia or ATI

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mcbi4kh2   05-13-2008 at 03:46:46 PM
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Does anyone have any links to the new graphics cards that are going to be coming out? Pricing, spec, benchmarks(if any) etc?

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lameness   05-13-2008 at 04:19:20 PM
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No reliable benchmarks yet, u could do some google searches for the 4870, but in my expert opinion they are rubbish. I hope the 4870 is as good as that, but i think that in reality it will struggle to beat the 9800gx2 performance.

As for the 9900 series, well thats anyones guess really. However its been a very long time in development and i expect that the single core solution is going to better the 9800gx2 without much trouble.

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rubix_1011   05-13-2008 at 04:21:38 PM
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Agreed: wait just a little longer and see what's out (or schedule to be out) by mid-summer. If, by then, you don't have a viable answer, 8800gts G92.

------------------------------ The Pastafarian belief of heaven stresses that it contains beer volcanoes and a stripper factory. Hell is oddly similar, except that the beer is stale, and the strippers have VD
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Bronze Graphics badge jay2tall   05-13-2008 at 04:23:18 PM
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What resolution do you need to play at? Do you really need a super highend card? why not get an 8800gt/gts to hold you over for now. Sell it when the next cards come out, reclaim a few $$$ and get the next best one. That's what I do.

------------------------------ Big Brother Rules with an Iron Fist
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rubix_1011   05-13-2008 at 04:52:27 PM
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I agree with jay2tall. What benefits are you wanting that warrants SLI or a 9800gx2? Yes, benchmark-wise, they will do better than many single cards out there. This is where we begin to blur the lines between benchmark scores and bragging rights vs. reality and playability. Most people might think they need the top-of-the-line cards, but do you have the remainder of the system needed to achieve and support these cards to their fullest extent? Are you going to be running a 24" or larger monitor at super high-res to see the benefits?

------------------------------ The Pastafarian belief of heaven stresses that it contains beer volcanoes and a stripper factory. Hell is oddly similar, except that the beer is stale, and the strippers have VD
 Reply to rubix_1011
soundefx   05-13-2008 at 08:07:24 PM
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Another benefit in waiting is the supposed price drop of the current cards. So if you wait, you might get the 9800gx2 or maybe the 8800gts at a cheaper price.

Reply to soundefx
Bronze Graphics badge jay2tall   05-13-2008 at 08:16:21 PM
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You won't see a price drop at first regardless, especially with the 8800GTS. It's already hovering around and just under $200 after rebate.

first of all any new cards are going to have a price premium, like anything else. So they will be more expensive than any other solution by far. 2nd you have to wait until they are actually proven to be "all they can be" and what they are said to be. Next you have to wait to see if there is any trend in buying habits. If Nvidia is still selling cards they aren't going to lower the price unless they have to.

so WAITING, my friends, may be longer than you think.

------------------------------ Big Brother Rules with an Iron Fist
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romulus47plus1   05-13-2008 at 08:20:20 PM
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wait wait wait!

------------------------------ Needs a job...
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Lord Gornak   05-13-2008 at 08:25:11 PM
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Jay's got it right. Pick up an EVGA 8800 GTS, then you'll have 90 days to "step-up" when the new cards come out.

Reply to Lord Gornak
Bronze Graphics badge jay2tall   05-13-2008 at 08:28:34 PM
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^
|
True, eVGA does have a step up program. But regardless you can get a 8800GTS for a great price. Even a 8800GT is a great price.

Come on, when have higher end cards ever been so cheap? I don't know about you but my X1900XTX cost me $350 a year and a half ago and it was a going on a year old I think. They were $600 right off the bat. $200 for a 8800GTS? come on now.

------------------------------ Big Brother Rules with an Iron Fist
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Lord Gornak   05-13-2008 at 08:34:53 PM
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Seriously! My outdated 8800 GTS 640 cost me $400 a year and a half ago, and now for half the price you can get a card that performs 20-30% better. That's bargain basement for a card that will handle almost any game (damn you Crysis for make me say "almost" ) at high resolutions with no problems.

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ap90033   05-13-2008 at 08:38:44 PM
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Why not get the EVGA Geforce 9800GTX for $299????? At Newegg... Sounds like a good deal to me...

Message quoted 1 times
------------------------------ Laptop Gateway P6831 FX-- Intel Core 2 1.67 GHZ, 3 GIGS DDR2 Ram, 250 Gig SATA, 17 Inch LCD 1440x900, Nvidia 8800GTS 512 Meg Video, Vista Home Prem. 3Dmark06- 7032 marks.
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Bronze Graphics badge jay2tall   05-13-2008 at 08:54:22 PM
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ap90033 wrote :

Why not get the EVGA Geforce 9800GTX for $299????? At Newegg... Sounds like a good deal to me...


Because you can get the eVGA OCed 8800GTS for $225 after rebate. OR the MSI one is $195 after rebate or the ECS is $170. THAT'S why

------------------------------ Big Brother Rules with an Iron Fist
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mcbi4kh2   05-13-2008 at 09:03:31 PM
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I originally wanted a new comp mainly to play on 2142, cs:s and see what all the crysis fuss is about. Ive got a p4 3ghz and a 6800gt at the moment and it doesnt really cut the mustard. So a 8800gts seems to be the popular opinion, would that be able to run crysis at good enough settings with a q6600 at 1920 resolution?

Message quoted 1 times
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Lord Gornak   05-13-2008 at 09:04:43 PM
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Or you could get an EVGA 8800 Ultra Black Pearl on their website for $899.99 ;)

Reply to Lord Gornak
Lord Gornak   05-13-2008 at 09:08:49 PM
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mcbi4kh2 wrote :

I originally wanted a new comp mainly to play on 2142, cs:s and see what all the crysis fuss is about. Ive got a p4 3ghz and a 6800gt at the moment and it doesnt really cut the mustard. So a 8800gts seems to be the popular opinion, would that be able to run crysis at good enough settings with a q6600 at 1920 resolution?



At high settings with minimal AA/AF it would run fine.

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mcbi4kh2   05-14-2008 at 06:46:26 PM
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Thanks to everyone for responding, I'm taking the advice and have decided to plump for an 8800gts. I have found a 2nd hand one from ebay for £75 ($150) which I think is quite a good deal as it still has a lifetime warranty.

I am picking the card up myself and he said he will leave it in the machine and let me see it working before I buy it. Is there anything I should look out for? Should I take any programs round on a flash drive to give it a test before I buy it? Thanks for the advice again everyone.

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lameness   05-15-2008 at 10:23:22 PM
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Just see it running a demanding game and check that there are no artifacts. You might wanna try 3dmark 06 if he has it on his pc...just to see that its performin as it should.

The only issues with second hand cards is that they might of been OCed beyond their limit causing them to become unstable and artifact. Like i said just check that it runs demanding games OK for 5 mins and you should be fine.

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