I need a card that will get me 90-100 FPS in counter-strike 1.6.
so basically a better gaming video card which one do i pick?

XFX GeForce 8600GT 256MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150229

EVGA 256-P2-N624-AR GeForce 7900GS 256MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 KO Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130056

Please help me choose!!!
Thanks.

I'd probably go with the 8600GT because it's DirectX 10 compatible and its core clock and memory clock frequencies are much faster than the 7900GS. The only problem I have with the 8600GT is its 128 bit memory interface, but its faster memory speed should greatly help to overcome that "fault". Either card will give you 100fps plus in counter-strike 1.6 and playable performance in Source too.

i just dont want to lag in the smoke cuz on my moms computer she has a geforce 7300 LE and i get 70 - 76 not in smoke. and like 50 in 1 smoke but if its like 3 im down to like 20

I sent back the 8800 GT because it has 128 bits, and the fact that the bandwidth is 22.4 GB/SEC. The 7900 is more exrreme gaming. It has 256 bits and a bandwidth of 44.16. The cores amd memories are close. Most games are directX9 at this time. When you look on the back of the box that the 8600comes in, it compares it directly to the 7900 series of GPU's and says that the 8600 is not extreme gaming and that the 7900's are. Good Luck.

I might just change my mind because of this.

This is even better

GeForce 8600 GT vs. GeForce 7900 GS:

http://www.gpureview.com/show_cards.php?card1=513&card2=443

Ahh CRAP Both of my links are 7600GS not 7900GS. I should have been more carefull. But he did say he wanted to play Counter-Strike 1.6. Half-Life came out in 98 or 99, so either card will kick that game around.

im going to play CS CS:S DOD CZ starcraft and maybe starcraft 2 i hope its not running on direct 10 and diablo II.

thanks for all the help im thinking of getting the 7900 GS

I researched the 7900 GS a lot and that's what i went with. It has some better specs and the 8600 GT offers direct x 10 but there aren't even any games out that require DX10 so i would go with the 7900 GS, especially because it is cheap and you can get two of them to SLI

whats the point of SLIing?

well your old card doesn't go to waste and in some cases its cheaper. It just takes all the pressure off one card and evenly splits it between the two cards. Increasing the overall perfromance

then can you ahve 4 monitors?? lol cuz if you ahve 2 video cards that means theres 4 DVI ports =D

I don't know about the 4 displays. But if you linked or"SLI'd" two of those 7900's together, you would 'feel' the video! Good Luck.

well im going to make a decent gaming computer under the price of 700 including the OS. thanks for all the help.

For your question about the 4 monitors PCI ex16 SLI cards can only support 2 monitors as of now. The only way to get higher then that (like 4) is if you use AGP cards.

bleh i dont like AGP

no one does because they only come on crappy mobos.

forceware drivers allow 4 monitors on the nvidia cards, you just need 2 cards on your machine. And that's pci e/sli compatible.

Wow you can do 4 monitors on PCI E? that must be expensive but why would you need 4 screens anyway.