Best cards for the money Feb '09

[mpkonig]

where is the best video cards for the Money Feb '09??? Been waiting for it to come out to buy my next card

 

[romulus47plus1]

well we can help you. What is your budget?

 

[jfurterer]

8800GT < $100
4850HD $100-$150

The 9800GTX+ is right on the top of that $150 while the 4870HD is just below the $200 mark.

I'd also recommend a 4870HD 1GB over a GTX260 with only 896mb. They are both at the same price bracket $225-$250ish.

 

[romulus47plus1]

4850 actually performs on par with the 9800GTX+, and can usually be found cheaper.
What about the 4830 that bests the 8800GT?

 

[mpkonig]

im building a brand new core I7 system.... and i was torn between the various versions of the gtx 285 and the 295. Im upgrading from a BFG 6800gt OC so anything i upgrade too will be 100x better than what i have now.

This is my current specs

Amd Athlon 64 3200
1 gig OCZ plat rev. 2
2 74g raptors
6800gt OC

What im upgrading to:
core i7 920
Foxconn Bloodrage x58
6gig Mushkin Ram (the $200 Stuff better timings)
2 640gig WD Blacks
750 to 850w power supply (still deciding)
TRUE black with push/pull fan config
Coolermaster HAF 932
Gtx 285ssc/ftw or 295

I was looking at the 285 SSC and FTW...but FTW doesnt have any reviews or benchmarks yet and it looks like its gonna be going for 450ish and i dont want to buy anything until i see what kind of performance i will get for that price... while the 295 goes for 500ish but i have a problem with that 500 number..lol....and also alot of the microstutter issues that the 295 has....i dont really want to mess around with SLI right now but maybe in the future if i pick up a 285 ....get another one down the road and have a pretty fast SLI setup.

 

[romulus47plus1]

well 285 is actually the fastest single card solution out there right now.
http://www.guru3d.com/
They made a review on 285 and 295 a month ago you should go check it out.

 

[jfurterer]

I forgot about the 4830HD your correct it is likely the $100 top performer. However I find the 9800GTX+ consistently out performs the 4850HD, about 14% faster in 1680x1050 resolutions and about 7% faster at 1920x1200. With a price difference around $10-$15 I guess you could say they are on par with each other. I'd still recommend the 9800GTX+ over the 4850HD however. I find HybridSLI power saving features to be nice and your get the "free" PhysX settings in any games that may support it. But there is enough debate about these two cards to keep a researcher busy for years.

 

[mpkonig]

yeah i know....and im thinking im gonna go with the 285...but really im torn between the 285 ssc version and the FTW version.....and in order for me to make a decision ...id like to see benchmarks of the FTW version to see if the extra clocks really make a huge performance difference...or i should just go with the SSC model

 

[romulus47plus1]

I forgot about the 4830HD your correct it is likely the $100 top performer. However I find the 9800GTX+ consistently out performs the 4850HD, about 14% faster in 1680x1050 resolutions and about 7% faster at 1920x1200. With a price difference around $10-$15 I guess you could say they are on par with each other. I'd still recommend the 9800GTX+ over the 4850HD however. I find HybridSLI power saving features to be nice and your get the "free" PhysX settings in any games that may support it. But there is enough debate about these two cards to keep a researcher busy for years.

Well you have your points and I respect that, and that PhysX is currently a big + for some.

As for SSC and FTW versions of 285, FTW is faster, but I don't think the margin would be great enough to be noticeable. But then again, I could be wrong. Searching for reviews.

 

[mpkonig]

good luck...hehe..ive been searching for reviews and benchmarks since the day after it came out....no one seems to have it...ive found people overclocking their vanilla cards to 720(clock speed of the FTW) but no tangible benches that shows me the difference in performance.

 

[romulus47plus1]

http://www.fudzilla.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=11707&Itemid=40&limit=1&limitstart=1

I found one from fudzilla for the SSC. Cant find any FTW.

 

[mpkonig]

yeah...im at the mercy of the internet..lol....cause ive pretty much bought everything for my system except for a LCD....the vid card and the Power supply....and im trying to wait as long as possible for the vid card...but i have a bunch of brand new in the box games (about 7 of them) that i cant play on my current computer that im just dying to play and knowing im so close to finishing my comp is getting me antsy....maybe ill just drop the 450 on the FTW and take my chances.

 

[meodowla]

Compared to HD4850, i recommend getting a 9800GTX+ would be wiser choice.