Need Advice on EVGA 9800GT vs. GT240 512MB DDR5

The EVGA 9800 GT will be faster than the GT 240 GDDR5.

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If you're trying to stay under 100 dollars I would recommend getting

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

That is more powerful then both of them.

But he's on an old single core CPU. Coupled with most likely 1GB of RAM, I'd just get a cheap 9500GT or 4650. No point on spending $$$ for this.

Thanks for the replies.

The computer has 2GB of ram, but thats the max for this mother board. The Fry's electronics has the gt240 for 39.99, the 9500GT for 19.99, and the 9800Gt for 79.99. I was thinking the gt240 was the best deal but will it out preform the 9500GT significantly? Also does this set up have a chance at running Starcraft 2?

Do not get a 9500GT if you intend to try playing SCII, the 9800GT or GTS250 and cranked up details would be a far better option.

Seeing as its $40, I'd probably get the GT240. The 9800GT is a bad match and costs to much. I still think the 9500GT (OC'd 8600GTS) is a better match for an old single core CPU. But the GT240 isn't that much more and supports a lot more newer stuff.

A single 9800GT or even GTS250 shouldn't be too much for the CPU and as I have a 9500GT I can safely say that it's not much better than an 8400GS, it sure 'aint no OC'd 8600GTS.

How do you figure? They are both 32SP chips, and the 9500GT has higher clocks. Unless you had one of those DDR2 version cards....

Yeah my 9500GT is a DDR2 version, it's a couple of years old now and was the cheapest one at the time I bought it but I've seen a DDR3 version in action and there didn't seem to be that much difference to be honest.

Thanks for the help guys. I think I am leaning to the 240gt, will probably stop buy fry's and pick it up tonight.

I tried running SCII on the current setup last night just to see if it would run, with everything on the lowest setting it was barely playable. With my setup would the 9800GT even provide a noticeable difference from the 240gt or would the CPU be too much of a bottleneck to tell a difference. SCII will probably be the most demanding game I will be playing for the near future.

Here is an article you may not have seen, when looking at the benchmark charts just remember that the 8800GT and 9800GT are one and the same card.

Keep in mind while looking at those charts they are using an i7 920 clocked at 3.33GHz. Big difference between that chip and your single core 3700+. Also keep in mind that the cards your looking at the 9800GT is double the price. I don't know about you, but $40 vs $80 might be a difference you dont' want to pay. More so if you won't see the speed of the $80 card anyways.

The only way I'd get the 9800GT is if you are planing a system upgrade at some point. Its simply to much card for a single core CPU with a gig of ram. $40 can get you a card better then what you have, and is a better fit with your current system. I really wish we have SC2 reviews so that we have a better idea of how cards perform in this game.

Yeah I am going to go ahead and pick up the 240gt tonight, I'll post up how it works for SCII.