Upgrading, 8800gtx to ?

[Dakir]

Hello!
As the topic says I'm interested in upgrading my single, 8800gtx to something with a bit more bang. I'm currently using a nvidia nforce 590i sli motherboard, the problem is it only has pci express 1.0 sockets, two of them for sli. I've been told that the Radeon hd 4850 has amazing performance for its price, but I'm not sure how it'll work in an nvidia based motherboard with pcie 1.0 sockets, compared to let say a geforce gtx 260 core 216 edition.

I was looking at just buying another 8800gtx to boost the performance, but since they are discontinued they average about $300+, about the same as a 4850 or 260 core 216, more then I'm willing to pay for an "older" card.

I also game on a 19inch crt with a max resolution of 2048x1536. I'd like to see Crysis run smoother @ 1600x1200 with max details, minus aa+af the main reason I want to upgrade.

Thanks for taking the time to read my post and any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

 

[br3nd064]

If you have a SLI motherboard, I'd say stick with nvidia cards. The GTX260 is a good card. I would buy the older one (192 cores I think) unless you can wait until the core 216's prices go down.

 

[johnyeah]

The GTX260 is a good card for an SLI board. Will it provide the extra bang you're looking for over an 8800GTX? I don't think so.

If you're looking to run Crysis with max details at that resolution without the AA, AF, than I'd say just get a 4870x2 or a GTX280.

 

[Dakir]

I've heard a billion praises for Evga hardware so I looked up a 280 gtx like you said,

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130365
$400 after rebate


The main thing I'm wondering is if that 280 is significantly faster than the 260 core 216.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130398
$280 after rebate

I could possibly toss two gtx 260s in sli in 2 weeks, but would that even beat out one 280 by a big enough difference to put out the money?

In a nutshell,
is the 260 core 216 worth the less performance, and much better price, compared to a 280?

 

[nerdnic]

260 sli will spank a single 280. I don't have the benchmarks in front of me, but I think the 280 is 10-20% faster in various games.

 

[Asinger93]

I'd recommend 2 9800GX2s in SLI. QUAD SLI FTW!!!