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Palit 9600GT or MSI 9600GT: good 2nd choice?

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I was looking at Nvidia 9800GTX+ cards but I would have to replace my ATX case which is a mid tower, Antec Solo. I'd have to get a full size tower. Ooopsie... I know, I should have went with the full tower for these future upgrade reasons but whatever.

I am not a huge gamer anyway but my current Nvidia card is old school and I was thinking of passing it off to a relative who doesn't game at all and they have an old ATI x300 card. So, it would be a significant upgrade for them.

I thought the Nvidia 9600 GT would be a good compromise and I wouldn't have to get a new computer case, right?

The main reason though, honestly, is price. I found some cheap 9600 GT cards. One is a bit over $100. The range is $110 to $120 plus tax. I have to buy from a Canadian vendor. I could choose from newegg but newegg.ca (newegg Canadian division).

Please take a look at this cards and recommend/advise. If you know of a better card/deal, please advise. Thanks! ;) 

I'm comparing these:

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E1681...

and

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E1681...

I like the MSI but it's $20 more. I think the Palit looks like a decent card and the cooler looks simialr to the Zalman? I know the one (current as of this date) review is not great but I think it's just a fluke that the buyer got a dud. I think Palit has a good rep and often have good coolers on their cards? I think it's a toss up but I'm no expert on brand or what kind of hardware to look for. MSI and Palit seem to be good brands but I'm looking at price here, especially.

Recommendations?

More about : palit 9600gt msi 9600gt good 2nd choice

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yep, i own that MSI 9600GT... not overclocked though. to be honest, the cooler isn't as good as it seems. i remember newegg saying somewhere that it had two heatpipes.. well it doesn't. :lol:  just a crappy little heatsink with a nice looking red cover over it and a screaming fan. i would venture a guess that the palit's cooling would be better... and again don't be fooled by the looks of that cooler. it doesn't blow out the back, it shoots it out the side. which is fine for my side-less case, but in a enclosed case, it would heat up pretty quickly.

now to overclocking. i might have just got a dud chip, but i was pretty disappointed with mine. 700mhz stock core, 720 max oc. RAM 1900 stock, i did get it to 2200 without any difficulty, it probably won't go much further than that though.. and shaders i unlinked for a whopping 20 extra mhz. wow. i know someone with a... cant remember the brand 9600GT which he overclocked to over 790mhz core without any difficulty.. maybe i just got a dud chip.

but seriously, i recommend the palit. my previous card, a palit 7600GS got a 50% oc! im pretty sure thats a record... (factory overclocked too, and it comes with DDR3 not DDR2 like most 7600GS's :p ) so i went from an extreme ocing card to a dud. :lol: 

love the frobot dude. palit ftw :p 
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Its not just price point fellas, he has a small case, so the card has to fit. Judging by pix, the 4830 is just as long as the 9800GTX. 9800GT is a little shorter, but I dont know if its shorter enough.

Judging by the pics, you definatly want the Palit, it looks to be the shorter card, the MSI looks to be in the same size catagory as the 9800GT.

Thanks. I'm just pondering for now. I should have bought a larger case so I can have any choice. But, full-size cases are close to $200 so if you add the video card, it gets to be an expensive upgrade. I was hoping they might make video cards shorter ag ain.... lol!

I was looking at Nvidia because I dual boot XP and Linux. Thanks for the feedback! :) 

Go with BFG or XFX do not buy MSI I bought a 8600Gt DDR3 and the morons forgot to take the plastic tape off the TP can you say idle 75c load 120c+. Palit is ok but BFG and XFX have lifetime warranty's and have a very good policy on overclocking they. ie they dont care they will warranty it anyway.

WTF is a TP?

Anyway, dont shy away from MSI for quality reasons, I've owned 3 MSI cards and they all were great, and Ive heard the same from countless forum members.

As to the case, I dont know where your getting the $200 figure, the Antec 900 and NZXT Tempest are both at $140(on sale) right now. Antec 300 is only $80.

my 9600GT fits easy in my (cheap as chips) thermaltake wings RS 100. haven't heard of it? that's probably because its the cheapest case i could find at the store :( 

people on newegg were bitching how big it is - WTF? it barely covers some sata ports, but they are still usable... doesn't go anywhere near the HDD bays. and this is in a crappy small budget case.

12000 3dmark06.

Thanks, guys! You're all the best! :)  Every post has helped and will serve as a great guide and save me a LOT of time when I decide what to do.

Just three question for now, though: First, is the Antec 900 decent for these longer Nvidia cards? They fit a 9800GT+? I guess I don't have to worry about that if I just go with a 9600 GT but that is an option since the case is cheaper than full towers. They have good cooling but won't it get crowded in there?

Second question: What temps can I expect from:

9600GT? 9800GT? 9800GTX+? ATI 4850?

B-Unit: I'm in Canada so our prices suck and those full-size tower cases are more $$ here, unfortunately. The last I looked, the Antec 1200 and CoolerMaster HAF 932 were both around $175 + tax.

The thermaltake wings RS 100 looks like an interesting case but I can only find it at one store and I have to order online. It's not that I can't but I like to have an idea of what it's like and the other cases I can view in person at a nearby store.

So, the choices? 9600GT card and use the current Solo case? Buy the Antec Solo and choose whatever card I wish? Buy a full-size tower which will cost an extra $50 or so.

The Nvidia 9600 GT would probably be sufficient for my gaming needs and if I choose the right one (I.E. shorter one), I can keep the current case. Thanks for recommendations!!!

imo get a 9600GT if you have a 19" widescreen or lower. if you have a 22" get the 4850.

also if you get the 4850 you will probably need a new case. the antec 300 is cheap and effective. 900 is overkill (and did i mention fugly?)

V3NOM said:
imo get a 9600GT if you have a 19" widescreen or lower. if you have a 22" get the 4850.

also if you get the 4850 you will probably need a new case. the antec 300 is cheap and effective. 900 is overkill (and did i mention fugly?)

Yeah, the ATI 4850 is a better deal for price/performance but I was mostly looking at Nvidia because I dual boot with Linux/Windows. I guess I could take a chance and assume that ATI drivers in Linux will really improve while I have an ATI card but not sure whether I want to take the chance. Some owners claim they can deal with the driver issues, though.

Tough call... ;) 
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