Tom's Hardware: Topic ATI's Radeon 2600 XT Remixed
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| reddozen wrote : only problem with that idea is that;
|
here is my problem with your logic:
higher-end card on release = $400-$500 bucks.
after 6 months, the card is hardly obsolete in the sense of functionality or market demand... and THAT determines when the price drops just as much as a newer model release does. Take the 8800gts right now: Released almost a YEAR ago and it is still only ~50 bucks under your magic $400 mark. It is also hardly experiencing functional obsolescence...
Take my current 1900xt512 that was $500 right when it came out. (which is when I bought it) My logic has always been to buy the most you can afford at the time, always reading reviews and watching the tech directions... So at the moment I was upgrading the 1900s came out and I jumped. I gamed for 6 months and still saw no drop in price. (I always look back on what I bought to modify my thinking for the next upgrade)
I am (obviously) still gaming on this card very well w/o being forced to make any sacrifice in quality. I have not seen a game force me to lower settings... yet... (crysis may do that, or UT3... but we will see) It is now well over 1.5 years old and still very viable. If I had waited until the price came down I would have saved (maybe) $100 but been gaming on my finally overtaxed 9700pro that was over 3 years old. (which I also bought at $400 I believe)
Now, my 9700pro is still living in a secondary system... but was my primary gamer for over 3 years and rocked it. I expect to at least get 2 years out of this 1900 if not more. (can't expect it to last like the workhorse 9700 but it is possible) So basically over 5 years I have bought 2 cards and been gaming at or near the top-end for all that time.
Every friend I had that bought the 9600/FX5700 mainstream cards after I got my 9700 were replacing them with an x700 or 6600 (or a now cheaper 9800) as soon as they were released. My 9700 (oc'd by then) was still viable but showing its age by the time of the 1000/7000 generation so I went to the 1900. They then jumped to a 7600 (or a now cheaper 6800/x850) and/or then jumped to an 8600.
figure that out, even setting the baseline price for those cards at $220 (generous IMO) you have 4 different card purchases for ~880 bucks. In that same time mine was 2 purchases at $900. For my extra 20 I only turned down my settings towards the end to the life of my 9700, which brought me to the level my friends were gaming at. (about 6 months) For the rest of that 5 or so years I was (and still am) gaming at the top-end of visual quality. If you upgrade less, then you are REALLY scraping the bottom of the visual barrel, like some that are still using a 6600 on games like Oblivion.
What I am saying is that you end up spending the same but getting a better gaming experience by getting a high-end card when you upgrade. They last longer so you upgrade less (as long as you didn't buy the high-end FX5800 
)
Of course, if you just plain don't have the scratch... then my argument is moot and you have to do what you gotta do...
...rock on man.
Reply to sojrner
not usually my interest these "Mid Range" cards but thought i would have a look. Good to see the use of minimum FPS, any chance of min, max and average and perhaps a graph? I know it is asking alot but it gives readers much more info as high FPS means nothing a game if it is fluctating like mad, makes for a choppy experience.
also, in oblivion, why did you turn off HDR? we are no longer hindered by nvidia so was it just because the performance drop was too much or habit? I know it is a small matter(kinda like a typo 
) but oblivion just ain't oblivion without both on at the same time.
still i feel sorry for these poor souls who can't afford better(patronising ain't i).
Antec 1200,PC Power & Cooling 750,Gigabyte DS4-x48,Intel Q9550@3.4 W/Xigmatek S1283,8GB OCZ DDR2 800,ATI 4870X2,X-FI>CA 640C amp>Tannoy R300/Senn 595's
Reply to strangestranger
| strangestranger wrote : not usually my interest these "Mid Range" cards but thought i would have a look. Good to see the use of minimum FPS, any chance of min, max and average and perhaps a graph? I know it is asking alot but it gives readers much more info as high FPS means nothing a game if it is fluctating like mad, makes for a choppy experience.
|
I hope everyone in Scotland isn't like you.
BTW: Any reason you still run a 4400? I may not have your $ but I upgraded from a 4400 to a 5000 for $119.00 and it helped my $ challangened system a great deal.
Reply to kpo6969
| Cleeve wrote :
|
Yeah it's too bad it's not easier to gather information (yeah I know, I've been there, not even as much work as yours and it's tough enough), I agree max fps means nothing, the thing that would be nice to know is if the min fps is like a blip, or consistently low. There was a game or two that showed the min fps in both stayed almost the same with AA enabled, yet only the avg budged a bit in the, which might lead me to believe it was bound, by ROPs or something, and that it might be the max fps that was affected, and not the bottom end. But unfortunately you can't tell for sure because the min may have stayed at 10fps, but what happened is that it dipped to 15 more often than before where it dipped to only 25; but you can't tell if it's that it took the bite out of the top end and while it still maxes at the easiest point at 150fps, it spends more time at 70fps whereas before it was more in 90 fps . showing max fps wouldn't clear that up, but that's where your comments come in handy.
Ahhh guess we're never satisfied, but hey it's about info, so the more you give us, the more questions it brings up and the more we want.... we're greedy that way. 
Anywhoo, like I said, enjoy the new format, and look forward to the next one.
HD Freedom: 45 5F E1 04 22 CA 29 C4 93 3F 95 05 2B 79 2A B2
Reply to TheGreatGrapeApe
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E2160 @ 3 ghz, 4 gb ddr2 800 (4-4-4-12) 2900 pro @XT (those are the important bits for FPS 
)
Reply to spuddyt
)Reply to spuddyt
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LAPTOP: Sager NP5760|T7200|2gb DDR2-667| 100gb 7200rpm HDD| 512mb 7950GTX|17'' WUXGA
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Reply to lostandwandering
Desktop: Core2 E7200 | Corsair 2gb DDR2-800 | Gigabyte EP35-DS3L | 250gb Seagate Barracuda | MSI GTX260 (192 SP) | Corsair VX550 | Antec 300 case
Reply to lostandwandering
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