What videocard should I get?

[GTGear]

I'm thinking about upgrading my GPU in my computer. What GPU should I get? My current specs are the following:

Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium Edition
Intel Core Quad CPU Q6600 @ 2.40GHz
NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT
4GB DDR2 RAM
SoundBlaster Sound Card
Antec 550W PSU
3 HDDs

--

I would like something reasonable but capable of taking full advantage of my system.

 

[EXCellR8]

I'd shoot for an 9800GTX... only $180 for an XFX!! A big performance gain in 3D applications can be expected. And... depending on which model that 8800GT is, I'd gladly take it off your hands!

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3747036&Sku=P450-9802

 

[Tha General]

Whats wrong with the 8800GT?

 

[TL93]

ATi 4850

 

[MasterAsh1]

Radeon 9800

 

[TL93]

Radeon 9800

That is OLD technology

 

[LinkedKube]

Are you considering a psu upgrade along with a high end card with that quad?

 

[Gflo]

XFX 9800gtx is the best $200 i ever spent on a GFX card. I it Crysis for breakfast(as well as both PCI-E power connectors) Its also the fastest single gpu card on the market.

 

[TL93]

Gflo, the GTX 280 is the fastest single GPU solution on the market LOL

Overpriced though

 

[Tha General]

I stil ask what is wrong with the 8800?
You should be able to play anything at good settings.

 

[TL93]

Cuz the 8800GT is bottlenecking the CPU

 

[Tha General]

Intel Core Quad CPU Q6600 @ 2.40GHz
550 watts?

I doubt it. I am using a Intel P3, 600MHZ, 90watts and my 8400GS 512MB PCI card is not bottlenecking and running just fine.

I wonder how many fps he gets in games?

 

[Rage_3K_Moiz]

A GPU does not bottleneck a CPU, the opposite is true.

@GTGear, I'd advise you to save up and get the HD 4850 X2 when it releases next month. It'll be priced at around $400 and will blow away any competition. If you really want a new one, the HD 4850 is the best choice. If you're an NVIDIA fan, I'd recommend the 8800GTS 512MB over the 9800GTX. They're basically the same card, except the 9800GTX has higher core and memory clocks, so if you don't want to OC the 8800GTS, the 9800GTX is for you.

 

[fullmetalvegan]

I'd recommend the 9800 GTX+ or GTX 260 - both of those cards sell for roughly the same price as the 4850/70 and blow them both away in performance. I have a 4850 atm and I dislike it's performance, overclocking ability and drivers, so I'm switching back to NVIDIA.

The GTX 260 is a very solid card and overclocks very, very well if you're looking to do that at some point.

 

[fullmetalvegan]

Gflo, the GTX 280 is the fastest single GPU solution on the market LOL

Overpriced though

It ain't overpriced - not in Australia anyway. 9800 GTX+ is ~$220, (same as 4850), GTX 260 is ~$320 (same price as 4870), and the GTX 280 goes for ~$500 - and it has exceptional FPS and overclocking ability for that price.

I don't buy XFX/all the expensive cards seeing as their all generic and you only pay for the brand 90% of the time, so a MSI or Zotac come cheaper than the rest and are factory overclocked so it's a bonus.

Seems reasonable to me.

 

[Tha General]

A GPU does not bottleneck a CPU, the opposite is true.

You are saying his CPU is bottenecking the card?
I high doubt it, his CPU is just fine and he doesn't need to upgrade anything IMO.

 

[Gflo]

Gflo, the GTX 280 is the fastest single GPU solution on the market LOL

Overpriced though

well it used to be

 

[EXCellR8]

Still voting for the 9800GTX... unless you want to wait a little while and go for the GTX260/280. By fall, the price on those cards should come down substantially. They probably won't be the best cards available anymore but that's the way it is if you don't want to dish out the money when a GPU is released, which is FAR from practical anyways.

 

[Rage_3K_Moiz]

You are saying his CPU is bottenecking the card?

No, just pointing out that it is not possible for a GPU to bottleneck a CPU. I did not mean that the converse is what is happening to the OP's system.

 

[Rage_3K_Moiz]

I'd recommend the 9800 GTX+ or GTX 260 - both of those cards sell for roughly the same price as the 4850/70 and blow them both away in performance. I have a 4850 atm and I dislike it's performance, overclocking ability and drivers, so I'm switching back to NVIDIA.

Almost every review I've seen shows the HD 48xx cards to be superior to their NVIDIA counterparts. The only con I've seen is that the ATI cards run much hotter, but that's mainly due to the low default fan speed. Raise it using RivaTuner and they run relatively cool.

 

[fullmetalvegan]

Almost every review I've seen shows the HD 48xx cards to be superior to their NVIDIA counterparts. The only con I've seen is that the ATI cards run much hotter, but that's mainly due to the low default fan speed. Raise it using RivaTuner and they run relatively cool.

I've seen reviews showing the direct opposite, having 2-5 more FPS to their ATi equivalent. Overclockersclub reviews always have the NVIDIA cards outperforming the ATi 48xx easily. Maybe poorer systems don't benefit, but a souped up gaming computer with decent CPU/RAM speeds catapult the NVIDIA GPU more, leading to it smashing the ATi competition.

No idea, suffice to say, no review I've seen has shown the 48xx being superior.

As a side note, I just hooked up my GTX+ - SUCH a relief to have NVIDIA back. All the bugs I was having with dual monitor are instantly gone and BioShock 1.1 no longer crashes due to "ati".dll display driver failing. Incredibly, the NVIDIA display driver isn't failing where the ATi one did, hoorar.

EDIT: Maybe it's the resolutions you judge it on, I compare them on resolutions around 1600 / 22" monitor resolutions where the ATi cards don't do as well as their NVIDIA cousins.

 

[Rage_3K_Moiz]

http://www.legionhardware.com/document.php?id=755&p=0
https://www.techspot.com/review/103-asus-radeon-4850/page11.html
http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/1539/
http://en.expreview.com/2008/06/24/first-review-hd-4870-and-hd-4850/21/

It is only when you turn AA and AF on that the 9800GTX falters. But would you purchase a $200 card and run games without AA and AF? You tell me...

 

[fullmetalvegan]

From a critical point of view, yes I would, firstly as I don't consider that price range a high-end card nor an expensive item to purchase. Secondly, turning on AA offers very little visual improvement, so many people don't turn it on. My mates also don't run AA on a $200 card, they consider it pointless for various reasons, especially the minimal improvement point.

The only reason I personally run AA at max is because I just set all my games to 100% high settings for the hell of it and overclock my components to f***ery... because I can. =P

It is rather useless though, when I run on default medium or default high vs my 100% high settings, I can't really notice any difference. So this doesn't make it a problem for the NVIDIA cards.

EDIT: Also in that TechSpot review you linked... I looked at Crysis and World In Conflict... and the 9800 GTX+ smashed the HD4850 easily... and that's the comparison I'm making. 9800 GTX+ - HD4850. GTX 260 - HD4870.

 

[EXCellR8]

AA is overrated, 9800GTX > HD48xx any day

 

[teklord]

HD 4870x2 is the most powerful card on the market now. nVidia will probably release something more powerful here soon, but for now the HD 4870x2 owns all. One caveat, it costs $550 dollars right now, so it is out of a lot of people's price range. The best card for the money I have seen is the 9800 GX2 on Newegg for about $260 after rebate that is factory OC'ed. This or two of the Zotac 8800GT's is what I want for a new build.