8500gt upgrade to 8800gt ?

[marten]

Hello,

I currently own an 8500gt 256 mb/128 bit. Is it worth an upgrade to 8800 gt 512 mb/256 bit for about 50$?
I know it's better but I'm not a gamer, I need to know if the 8800 would perform better on full hd content (32" display).
Thank you!

 

[Maziar]

On full HD playback,you won't notice a huge difference because both cards can handle it fine.

 

[marten]

What about upgrading from 7600gts to 8800gt?

 

[acer0169]

The 8800GT is more than what you need for HD content, but if you can get it for a good price then yeah - upgrade.

Is your 8500GT having issues with HD content?

 

[marten]

My 8500gt used to frame a bit on playing 1080p, but I started using core codecs and it seems better. Still, maybe from time to time I'll wish to play starcraft 2 and 8800 will do a far better job than my current 8500

 

[Dominaz1]

I would try to find a ati 4670, since it won´t heat as much as the 8800(it means lower noise), or even a 9600 Gt.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150449&cm_re=4670-_-14-150-449-_-Product

 

[iam2thecrowe]

ok. if you play starcraft II then go the 8800gt. I dont know if there is much difference in video decoding, what CPU do you have? Often its more CPU dependant. More recent video cards offer better HD video decoding also, such as ati's 5xxx series. A 5570 would be faster than what you have for games (not as fast as 8800gt) and has all the hardware video accelleration you need.

 

[acer0169]

If you do a little lite gaming the 8800 will do you well.

*sigh*.. I remember the days when the 8800 was the top dog with hundreds and hundreds. Now it's as old as grandma's socks..

 

[apache_lives]

big difference from the 8500GT to the 8800GT, big difference between 8800GT and todays high end cards...

 

[Griffolion]

Might be worth looking into the 5550 too, just to get up to date (sort of).

 

[marten]

Thanks guys.
I have a core 2 duro E8500 cpu. So i'll guess I'll get the 8800gt.

 

[Dominaz1]

What power supply do you have? , Do not buy the 8800 gt, unless you have a 450 w PSU.

 

[marten]

I have a chieftec 350 W psu.

 

[Dominaz1]

MMMmm.... I would buy a 4670 or 5670, and if you like nvidia try the geforce 240.
These are new gpus with low power consumption.(and much powerful than your 8500)

Keep in mind that the geforce 8800 is an old gpu, with great perfomance but with high power requirements.


http://static.techspot.com/articles-info/240/bench/Power.png

 

[nforce4max]

For $50 you will Not be able to find another card that is more modern that can offer the same level of performance. If all you do is 2D work and watch movies then go with a lower end card that is best suited to your needs.

A simple 5450 will run about 20w or so while a fully loaded 8800gt is 85w without overclocking. At idle the 8800gt will still use more power than the 5450 and the 5670 but for the price there isn't any thing out there that compares.

GT240 and the 5670 are very over priced cards and on the second hand market one might be able to purchase a GTX 280 but a GTX 260 is a sure thing for that price. For video playback only do not purchase any thing that expensive. A 4670 is a ok card if it can be had on the cheap and is a decent performer.

 

[marten]

Thanks for the advices. I wasn't looking for upgrading my video card, but I got this offer for 50$ and I said it's worth it I don't want to invest more than that.

 

[Dominaz1]

A 8800 Gt for 50 $ is a great deal. Although as I told you your psu could have problems handling it (in my opinion is enough powerful since it´s a quality psu).

So to be safe I would buy a 4670

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150449&cm_re=4670-_-14-150-449-_-Product

or if you want just to spend 50 $ you could go for a 4650 ddr3

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131360&cm_re=4650-_-14-131-360-_-Product

Both of these card would have less performance than the 8800, but would suit your needs.

Anyway if you decide to buy the 8800 gt, good luck¡

 

[marten]

I bought the 8800gt, thank you.

 

[mirrion]

Make sure you can power it. Your 350 power supply might work fine, so long as you're not heavy hitting with comparable hardware, but I wouldn't recommend stressing it (e.g. don't turn up SC II's settings too high). If your computer starts spontaneously rebooting, it's likely not enough. However, if you're running a sub-100W Processor, and only one of each drive, you shouldn't have any trouble.

 

[marten]

it's an e8500, i only have on drive and 2 x 1 gb muschin. I should be fine