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Birthday Upgrade! (:-)

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Last response: in Systems
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Which one is better?

Total: 14 votes (1 blank vote)

  • EVGA 8800GS 384MB 192-bit GDDR3 $80 after MIR
  • 16 %
  • Gigabyte 8800GT 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 $70 after MIR
  • 16 %
  • Some thing else (please recommend)
  • 70 %
Homebuilt system Expert

Ok, today's my Birth Day (July 14th, 16 years old now, w00t!) and I got $160+ as birthday money(s?). So I plan to spend this on an upgrade to the 8400GS rig I have at home (I have another E8400(+ 8800GTX)/Q6600(+8600) based rig @ uncle's place for gaming/ video editing). The budget for the card is $120.

Specs for PC being upgraded:

E2180 @3.2Ghz
P35-DS3L :p 
Corsair 450VX (very good PSU, more than enough for the cards I plan to use)
XP x64
(RAM will be upgraded to 5GB; 2*2GB DDR2 800 and the old 1GB DDR2 667; already ordered from newegg)

I need to be able to play @ or less than 1400*1200. (I don't mind playing at 1100*900, but NOT lower than that). I plan on running Crysis, COD4, and a few other older games that even my 8400GS can handle like Half Life Deathmatch,etc. I mostly need the upgrade to run Crysis and COD4 and newer games.

So the cards that I was looking at are:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
EVGA 8800GS 384MB 192-bit GDDR3 $80 after MIR

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
Gigabyte 8800GT 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 (currently out of stock :(  ) $70 after MIR


So the question is:

1. Will I benefit from more RAM or more SPs (8800GS = 96SP + 384MB 192-bit; 8800GT = 112SP + 256MB 256-bit GDDR3) for the resolutions I plan to play at?

2. Will any this cooler work on the 8800GS?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
Also is there any thing cheaper and/or better in price vs performance?

3. Any other card better than both of the above cards for the resolution I plan to play at, for the same/smiler price?








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Happy Birthday!

Is the 1GB DDR2 667 2x512 ? and are you running 64bit OS?
If you are running 32bit don't bother with the DDR 667. Leave it out.
I believe that if you use 3 ram slots you will only have single channel. Someone correct me if I am wrong.
64bit. 2x2GB and 2x512GB OK. Dual channel

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
How about a 4850 for $159.99?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
or a 9600gt ?

No, get the 4850

OOPS, I cant read. I thought your budget was $160.00 Sorry.

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Darn it. I just voted then read how old you are. What I was going to suggest really wouldn't be appropriate for your age... =( Anyways... I would go for a 4850. It might involve saving a little more money, but it seems to be a fairly capable card and at a reasonable price. Besides, while you are saving, the price of things is likely to come down a bit. You may not even end up saving the full 200 bones they would cost if you ordered one right now.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
$ 165.00 after MIR.

I think Asus has the 3 year warrenty, also.


Duh... I forgot... Happy Birth Day!!!!
Homebuilt system Expert

knotknut said:
Happy Birthday!

Is the 1GB DDR2 667 2x512 ? and are you running 64bit OS?
If you are running 32bit don't bother with the DDR 667. Leave it out.
I believe that if you use 3 ram slots you will only have single channel. Someone correct me if I am wrong.
64bit. 2x2GB and 2x512GB OK. Dual channel

I have XP x64 so I can use all 5GB of RAM. I plan to run 2*2GB (Dual Channel) and 1*1GB.
Homebuilt system Expert

Yeah, I was also thinking about saving a little more and getting a 4850 or waiting until Nehalem comes out and after a while (ie. when Nehalem becomes affordable a bit) doing a new build.
Homebuilt system Expert

FYI: Only the DDR2 800 (2*2GB) will be able to run in Dual Channel. The DDR2 667 (1GB) will be running either in Flex Memory Mode or in Single channel.

http://www.intel.com/support/motherboards/desktop/sb/cs...

I can just sell or put the 1GB on another PC, but I plan to do some Photoshop/Vagas Studio work on this PC too, so 5GB helps. I admit a Quad would work better for the video editing, but CS3 gains most boost from clock speed and RAM.

Thats interesting FYI Shadow. So you think flex mode? You will know when you get everything up an running.
As I read if you put that DDR2 667 in you will either be Flex or Single channel.
It is corn fuse ing.

Edit:
I read the article again, and again. Leave the DDR2 667 out
Homebuilt system Expert

Will see, it it runs in Single channel with DDR2 667 I'll leave it out. Else, if it uses Flex or runs the DDR2 800 in Dual Channel and the DDR2 667 in single depending on performance I'll keep it.

You wont know for sure untill then.

The article says:
Flex mode
This mode provides the most flexible performance characteristics. The bottommost DRAM memory (the memory that is lowest within the system memory map) is mapped to dual channel operation.

That would be the DDR2 667. Will it pair up with one side of one of the 2GB DDR2 800 modules to create a 2GB dual channel?

Please post your findings. I am as curious as you are.
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