Video Cards

[Demir]

I have a Geforce 8800 GT right now, was wondering if I would be better off buying another one and dual link or if it would be better to just buy a new one. Any suggestions on the subject would be appreciated

[Number1Dad]

New one. The 8xxx is two generations of chipsets old. An ATI 4850 will blow 2 8800 GT's out of the water for a little extra money.

[Demir]

Awesome, just checked them out and they look pretty good. Thanks for the advice.

[NoGooD]

What kind of hardware are you running? I'm running an ATI 4870 that is pretty abysmal on ET. For some reason they tend to run like crap on older hardware (granted ET is mostly CPU based). I am pulling 90 fps in COD4 though. I'm sure once I upgrade the proc+mobo, it'll be a different story. Either way, I'd check out a newer Nvidia card or something like a 4850 and compare. You'd probably pull more FPS with alot less heat coming out of your system than two 8800GT's. If you live someplace that's cold all the time, then buy a Pentium 4, two ATI 4870's and a 20" CRT monitor..and your heater will never go on.

[TulsaGeoff]

I'd go for a 275gtx myself.

 

Well I just purchased a 285gtx because I think nvidia is that legit

[Godfiend]

Doubling up on a video card depends more on what size screen you have & what game engines you're running than it does on what card you double up on. As a general rule, you don't need to SLI / Crossfire for a single screen until it's >21"; otherwise, bar a few game engines (such as the Source engine), you won't see much, if any, improvement. An 8800GT is still a great deal, and if you're running a single-screen setup, it should still last you a while. If you're going to have multiple screens, then multiple cards are probably the most efficient way to run 'em.

 

But if you must upgrade now and your screen is smaller than around 21", then I'd suggest you look into the latest ATI setups, as they've gotten quite good and can be a bit cheaper than NVidia.

[Loki]

I am running a single 7900gs with a 2.8 Pentium D and 4 gigs Ram in a Dell Precision Workstation and driving a 20" Dell ultra sharp wide LCD. I can run most games plenty fast on this rig. I don't plan on upgrading till I get my new laptop so I can sit in my lazyboy and play COD4. I am what.....3 generations behind on my card and still runnin good at 1680x1050 res.

[Duckie]

Nothing wrong with the Nvidia GTS 250. My girlfriend bought one and its about twice as good as my XFS 8800.

[PHANTASM]

I just bought a new (to me) computer this past week and I need a new graphics card. It is a 2006 Sony VAIO with dual core 3.20 GHz Intel chips on an 800MHz Intel 82810FB motherboard. It has one PCI express slot.

 

I would like to get the best card I can get for under $200 (don't laugh). I'm not biased toward ATI or NVIDEA, I have had good luck with both manufacturers. If any of you geeks have good advice, or have a used one from your latest upgrade you want to get rid of, let me know here or by pm.

[NoGooD]

I just bought a new (to me) computer this past week and I need a new graphics card. It is a 2006 Sony VAIO with dual core 3.20 GHz Intel chips on an 800MHz Intel 82810FB motherboard. It has one PCI express slot.

 

I would like to get the best card I can get for under $200 (don't laugh). I'm not biased toward ATI or NVIDEA, I have had good luck with both manufacturers. If any of you geeks have good advice, or have a used one from your latest upgrade you want to get rid of, let me know here or by pm.

 

 

Hey Phan, this would probably be better put on it's own thread but here are some suggestions.

 

First, put up as much of your system specs as possible. A few essentials for video cards are:

Power supply

Monitor size

PCI/PCI-e or AGP

All the motherboard specs (of course )

Size of your case

What card your currently running

Bank account number + password & pin (actually just PM that one to me )

I"m sure I'm forgetting something, but it's early in the morning and I'm a bit hung over.

 

 

Your price range is actually in a sweet spot for video cards right now. If anyone laughs at you for having a budget..they can go pee on an electric fence There are some killer deals for under 200 bucks. At least one thing you should think about is how much power your power supply can handle. I'm not certain, but I would guess that your power supply is probably in the neighborhood of 350-400 watts. With something like that, an ati 4870 or Nvidia 260 GTX is out of the question. Those cards are power hungry and each has 2-six pin connectors just for power.

 

Another thing to think about is how much room you have in your case. If your computer is a mid tower, it'll get cramped in there really quick. Nothing is more frustrating that buying a new video card, getting all stoked to put it in your system and then find out it's either to long and hits the hard drive cage, or something like RAM or a cooler fin is in the way. Also will putting in a big video card block airflow in the case in some way, making the card and system run hot.

 

So with that in mind, and since I don't know how big your PSU (power supply unit) is, I'd recommend these cards

 

Nvidia 9800GT http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814150323

 

HIS ATI 4670 with Ice-Q turbo cooler: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814161273 (79.99 + $10 mail in rebate)

 

MSI R4830-T2D512 Radeon HD 4830 512MB http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814127420 (89.99 + $10 mail in rebate)

 

BFG Tech BFGE96512GTOCE GeForce 9600 GT 512MB http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814143130 (74.99)

 

MSI N250GTS-2D512-OCv2 GeForce GTS 250 512MB http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814127423 (133.99)

 

I think almost all of these are dual slot coolers, meaning they take up your PCI-e slot plus the one below it. If you need a lower profile card, keep looking around, there are alot of good cards out there atm, that won't break the bank or require a new PSU.

 

GL on the upgrade Phan

 

**EDIT**

Awesome, after writing a book, I find this on AnandTech. http://anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3588

[Lycosa]

If you want the top of the market card get the GTX 295. I currently own it, and at the time it was $500 bucks.

 

http://www.nvidia.com/object/product_ge ... 95_us.html

 

It is still currently around $500 Bucks.

 

The card is well made, and the graphics are just f***ing insane. Love playing ET at highest quality, mirrors edge, left 4 dead, team fortress 2, Crysis, etc.

 

It's a total beast.

[PHANTASM]

Every card I look up says it is the absolute best thing on earth:

 

The NVIDEA 255 XYZ10000 is so much better than the XYZ9900 model! Only a total noob would still own an XYZ9900! I get 300 fps playing Crysis 2! Oh wait, here's an ATI card that has 1.2GHz FSB with 1024MB onboard RAM and quadruple anisotropic rendering for half the price... Oh wait, according to this user review that card bursts into flames if you type the letter "Q"... Oh, but if you can wait another six months NVIDEA has a whole new platform coming out that will make all these cards obsolete... and here's a used one for fifty bucks that I can order from a total stranger far away...

 

Thanks for the links I need to get educated.

[Lycosa]

Every card I look up says it is the absolute best thing on earth:

 

The NVIDEA 255 XYZ10000 is so much better than the XYZ9900 model! Only a total noob would still own an XYZ9900! I get 300 fps playing Crysis 2! Oh wait, here's an ATI card that has 1.2GHz FSB with 1024MB onboard RAM and quadruple anisotropic rendering for half the price... Oh wait, according to this user review that card bursts into flames if you type the letter "Q"... Oh, but if you can wait another six months NVIDEA has a whole new platform coming out that will make all these cards obsolete... and here's a used one for fifty bucks that I can order from a total stranger far away...

 

Thanks for the links I need to get educated.

 

Get the 295 it's already best on market.

[Number1Dad]

I wish ATI would pay me to pitch the 4830 because I do it so much. You get more than you pay for. I get 90 FPS solid on COD4 with visuals turned all the way up @ 1600x1200 with mine.

[NoGooD]

I wish ATI would pay me to pitch the 4830 because I do it so much. You get more than you pay for. I get 90 FPS solid on COD4 with visuals turned all the way up @ 1600x1200 with mine.

 

Man, at around $100 USD for the 1GB version, thats a pretty sweet deal all right.