I'm going to be building my own computer in the next month or 6 weeks, and I was wondering what you think would be my best option for a new graphics card. In terms of games, I play Flight Simulator more than anything, and I'm also into video editing and mixing. My budget is ~ 500 bucks for the gfx card(s).
Would you suggest getting the GTX260, or going with some config in SLI? I'm aware that some games don't scale so well in SLI, but I just would like to hear what you guys have to say.
For shear power, itll be a great card. And so far, the video editing looks promising too, as the gpgpu cuda is being adapted by many apps, and should show alot of promise in the video editing scenario. One card, no sli/cf problems. Tho fight sim needs a geat cpu too
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Every artist is a cannibal,every poet is a thief,they all kill their inspiration then sing about their grief
Your are best off waiting until you are ready to buy to research what you should be getting as far as graphics. Prices will change and new cards will possibly be out. The bad thing with new cards is you pay a premium and alot of times are in limited supply. So you wait 2 months after they come out and they are cheaper and plentiful. Or you get a current card and get a good deal but not the latest and greatest.
Right now $500 will get you a single 9800GX2 or you can get (2) 8800GTS/512's in SLI.
There is the 3870x2 but it is an iffy card in my book because some games it does Great in and lacks in others. Nvidia is usually pretty solid accross the board. I'd research and see what Flight Simulator likes best.
Message edited by jay2tall on 06-05-2008 at 07:13:52 PM
get teh 4870 x2... its almost guaranteed to be better than the gtx 260... even though its still worse than the gtx 280 (probably) it is about 100 bucks cheaper... so i'd say that is your best bet and it doesn't have crossfire compatibility issues
Patients will pay off in the end.
You will buy the card that was benched with your game and you wouldn't be disappointed.
It's not too long before the new cards are out and then I think is when you should make your decision.
I waited for the 8800GT and then they were sold out.. THen the 3780 came out and was $220 and then was out of stock. THEN they jacked it to $280 which I wasn't going to pay. THen the 8800GTS came out and I waited for it to come down. Which it did and I got it for $300 w/ $20 rebate several months ago. Not it is about $220-$240. Waiting sucks.
Like everyone else has been saying, unless you are ok with taking a big wad of cash and lighting fire to it you should just wait a few weeks and see how the new cards perform/price/availability. Who knows, they might not be worth the additional cost. We will just have to wait and see.
I waited for the 8800GT and then they were sold out.. THen the 3780 came out and was $220 and then was out of stock. THEN they jacked it to $280 which I wasn't going to pay. THen the 8800GTS came out and I waited for it to come down. Which it did and I got it for $300 w/ $20 rebate several months ago. Not it is about $220-$240. Waiting sucks.
Thats the problem you always will run into with technology. I bought a 26 inch LCD 4 years ago and paid $1700 for it. Earlier this year I bought a 1080p 42 inch LCD for $1100. Prices will always go down. The best thing to do is find what you want and just go buy it and not check prices after that. Right now is one of those rare cases where it will pay to wait a few weeks for new tech to come out. If anything it is a guaranteed lower prices on current cards.
I waited for the 8800GT and then they were sold out.. THen the 3780 came out and was $220 and then was out of stock. THEN they jacked it to $280 which I wasn't going to pay. THen the 8800GTS came out and I waited for it to come down. Which it did and I got it for $300 w/ $20 rebate several months ago. Not it is about $220-$240. Waiting sucks.
its viewed as a single card by the system technically its two cores working in one set of memory... so flight sim wouldn't be affected... please get facts right before saying stupid things
its viewed as a single card by the system technically its two cores working in one set of memory... so flight sim wouldn't be affected... please get facts right before saying stupid things
^ and ^^ ... let the benchmarks release....4870 in CF may or may not make a difference than 3870 in CF... no one can be sure till the benchies release ....
For FSX, the cpu is very important. Spend most of your your money on a good quad, particularly for your type of usage. In the third quarter, there will be good price reductions. The Q9550 will be $316 in 1000 unit lots if you can wait. For the vga card, wait to see the new 200 series cards. If you can't wait, then get a 9800GTX or similar from EVGA so you can "step up" within 90 days if you feel the need.
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E8400-stock, GA-P35-DS3R(rev2.1), Corsair 4x2gb 6400C5, EVGA 8800GTS-512-G92, Vista home premium-64-bit, WD velociraptor-300gb, PC P&C silencer-610, Antec SOLO, 2 x Samsung 275T, Samsung-203b-dvd
You have 90 days from purchase of card to get a better card, and theyll give you full reimbursment from what you paid for your card, tho you pay their current prices, still a great deal
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Every artist is a cannibal,every poet is a thief,they all kill their inspiration then sing about their grief
