Which card would be better in the long run?

I would go with the 9800 out of all the ones you mentioned.

i will always always always always always always always always always always go for the 9800gt 512mb between those two cards. i think buying a 8800gt 512mb is lot better beacuse 8800gt and 9800gt are all the same. but 8800gt is cheaper and it generates lower heat than 9800gt.

but, if you ask me to choose among geforce 8800gt/geforce 9800gt/radeon 4830, i'll go for the 4830. it's slightly faster than 8800gt or 9800gt. i think it's even better than 9800gt or 8800gt.


thanks.

both hd 4830 and 9600 gt are good. wouldnt recommend 9800 because it uses more energy

looks like the 4830 has it.

now the question, 512mb or 1GB?

Do you have a SLi or CF capable mobo?
If you have an SLI I would recomend you to go with the 9600GT if you put one later in SLI you will get an excelent boost in performance. 9600gt in SLI are known for good scaling. Checkout some of the benchmarks on the net.

Otherwise go with the 4830.

Cheers

for as long as possible like 5+ years
this is my real first gaming rig. Right now my monitor's at 1280*1024 and I have no idea how high this thing can handle.

I was going to go for a Gigabyte GA-P31-DS3L but another person here informs me that that particular mobo has some kinks.
I'm currently looking for a replacement and would also appreciate suggestions on that part.

extremely tight budget.
if I can find a cheap 4870 card when I go shopping, I'll probably get that.

I'm trying to operate in the 500 USD gaming rig article a few months back, but since I'm not from the US, import taxes and component availability is a major concern.

more like 400USD

here's mu current setup

leaves me with just about dough to get a case (with power supply) and dvdwriter


EDIT:
These two boards are within budget, are P35s, and hopefully available.
any thoughts?

http://www.foxconnchannel.com/prod [...] -us0000339



http://www.emaxxtech.com/products.php?id=6

Go with the 9800.Even though it has less vram,it will still give you better performance.Just stick with a 22in ws lcd or smaller.But hey,if you look around,you can get a gtx260 for less than 200 dollars these days.Goodluck.

Dahak

ASUS P5N-D
C2D E8500 STOCK
ZALMAN 9700 CPU COOLER
2X2GIG DDR2 1066 IN DC MODE
TOUGHPOWER 850WATT PSU
EVGA GTX 260
SMILIDON RAIDMAX GAMING CASE
LG 24IN WS LCD 1920X1080
250GIG HD/500GIG HD
LOGITECH G15 GAMING KEYBOARD
G5 GAMING MOUSE
LOGITECH Z-5500 5.1 SURROUND SYSTEM
500WATS CONTINUOUS,1000 PEAK
WIN XP PRO

How 'bout I suggest a good rig?

Core 2 Duo E7300
Artic Freezer 7 Pro
Gigabyte EP45 DS3L
2 GB DDR2 800 any brand C5
500GB SATA Seagate/ WD
HD 4850 512MB - Didn't you hear that the 4830 was going to be removed or something? A 4850 gives you great CF options in the future.
Any DVD burner.


Here you go: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/261850-33-4830-goner

You might be interested in this Tom's article.
http://www.tomshardware.com/review [...] ,2110.html
They reviewed a bunch of P43/P45 motherboards based around the $100-and-below mark.

To answer your question about the "backup" board, I'd say there are other, better options. The P35 chipset at this point is yestertech IMO.

On a side note, are you buying this locally or online?

I'll see what I can do. If I run at stock speeds and just use the stock fans I shouldn't have any problems
sounds very plausible.

I've read the article and I'm pleased that the P5QL board is there for its features. Had some -points for the layout.
There are no other boards on the article that are available to me.

Somewhat similar to the MSI P43 Neo3-F, I can get a hold of the MSI P43 Neo3-FR. Anyone know if this board is good? Seems like the the only difference between them are the chipset and raid

MSI P43 Neo3-F
Chipset Intel® P43+ICH10
RAID 0/1/JBOD

MSI P43 Neo3-FR
Chipset Intel® P43+ICH10R
RAID 0/1/5/10

my question now is, is there enough difference between the MSI P43 Neo3-FR (the board that I can buy) and the MSI P43 Neo3-F (the board in the article) that would make the board that I can buy suboptimal?
especially with the layout of the board.

I may opt for this MSI board rather than the Asus p5ql board since the article said the p5ql had terrible layout and other reviews noted the thinnes of the board.