So for those of you on a cheaper budget, the 8800GS is about $40 after rebate from NCIX. Same card as the 9600GSO - which is a hair under the 9600GT.
High res and heavy AA/AF kill it due to a 192-bit memory bus, but if you're staying at the lower end of the spectrum, ie: 17"-19" LCD or 720p TV, you'll find it quite enjoyable.
PeregrineFalcon on
Looking for a DX:HR OnLive code for my kid brother.
Can trade TF2 items or whatever else you're interested in. PM me.
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Madpandasuburbs west of chicagoRegistered Userregular
edited November 2008
So I want to run Fallout 3 full bore, currently I can run everything all the way up, 1680x1050, except anti-aliasing, I have to leave that at 2x or anytime I am outside it gets a but choppy, entering vats outside takes about 10 seconds.
System specs
Vista x64-SP1
Q6600@3.2ghz
4 gigs DDR2 800 (board doesnt take 1066 even though the memory is 1066)
8800GT 512mb stock settings (not a factory oc board or anything)
Should I be able to run it at that res with anti-aliasing all the way up? Would overclocking the video card help much at all? The 8800gt has 3rd party passive cooling with a 120mm zip tied so I am not worried about heat.
If I am just GPU limited would a GTX260 handle what I am trying to do?
So I want to run Fallout 3 full bore, currently I can run everything all the way up, 1680x1050, except anti-aliasing, I have to leave that at 2x or anytime I am outside it gets a but choppy, entering vats outside takes about 10 seconds.
System specs
Vista x64-SP1
Q6600@3.2ghz
4 gigs DDR2 800 (board doesnt take 1066 even though the memory is 1066)
8800GT 512mb stock settings (not a factory oc board or anything)
Should I be able to run it at that res with anti-aliasing all the way up? Would overclocking the video card help much at all? The 8800gt has 3rd party passive cooling with a 120mm zip tied so I am not worried about heat.
If I am just GPU limited would a GTX260 handle what I am trying to do?
I'll be honest dude. I just got a 280GTX. And not even does this bad boy seem to pull so much better than an 8800GT.
I went from an FX550 from nvidia back in the day to a Radeon 9200 to a 7600GT and then to an 8800GT and now to a 280GTX. The biggest jumps I saw was from 9200 to 7600GT, and the 7600GT to the 8800GT.
The 280, eh. Yeah, it is a beefy and a monster card, but it will not be the cure all you are looking for.
So I want to run Fallout 3 full bore, currently I can run everything all the way up, 1680x1050, except anti-aliasing, I have to leave that at 2x or anytime I am outside it gets a but choppy, entering vats outside takes about 10 seconds.
System specs
Vista x64-SP1
Q6600@3.2ghz
4 gigs DDR2 800 (board doesnt take 1066 even though the memory is 1066)
8800GT 512mb stock settings (not a factory oc board or anything)
Should I be able to run it at that res with anti-aliasing all the way up? Would overclocking the video card help much at all? The 8800gt has 3rd party passive cooling with a 120mm zip tied so I am not worried about heat.
If I am just GPU limited would a GTX260 handle what I am trying to do?
I'll be honest dude. I just got a 280GTX. And not even does this bad boy seem to pull so much better than an 8800GT.
I went from an FX550 from nvidia back in the day to a Radeon 9200 to a 7600GT and then to an 8800GT and now to a 280GTX. The biggest jumps I saw was from 9200 to 7600GT, and the 7600GT to the 8800GT.
The 280, eh. Yeah, it is a beefy and a monster card, but it will not be the cure all you are looking for.
Yea you'll only really notice a difference between the 260 and 280 if you're running at 1920x1200 or higher.
Over the last few weeks (days even) prices on video cards have changed considerably. So if you're looking go buy yourself a nice christmas present this is for you.
Any specific models I've listed are generally just the lowest price I could find on newegg at the time, so hunt around if you have particular brands you like. also I did not include any sort of SLI setups since I think they're a waste of money and you need like a $200+ motherboard anyway.
Toms hardware took a peek at the new Nvidia 295 GTX, and while not a finalized piece of hardware it beat out the 4870x2 in multiple games. No price at the moment but suspected <$500.
bigwah on
LoL Tribunal:
"Was cursing, in broken english at his team, and at our team. made fun of dead family members and mentioned he had sex with a dog."
"Hope he dies tbh but a ban would do."
So, a friend gifted me Mass Effect PC over Steam for Christmas. Woo! However, as this computor is ancient, decrepit monolith of mothball goodness, I cannot run it. So.. I need a new video card to shove up this fossil's ass.
Current Specs -
Asus A8N5X (939, x16 PCIX)
AMD 939 X2 3800+
650w Antec Truepower
2Gb DDR400
ATi X300 (not sure of the specs)
I've been eyeballing this 3850 on Newegg. I'm just not sure though. Anything I get will definitely have to be cheap. Under $80 cheap.
Yea, I'm not to concerned with getting the latest and greatest. Just something cheap and efficient that'll allow me to play ME and few other things (ArmA) modestly well until I can build a whole new system. Which is far, far away at the moment.
Another thing I was thinking about was picking the most efficient card for this machine in particular. I don't want to buy something and have majority of its power go to waste, you know?
Also, to hell with Nvidia and ATi's card naming schemes... so convoluted.
So, a friend gifted me Mass Effect PC over Steam for Christmas. Woo! However, as this computor is ancient, decrepit monolith of mothball goodness, I cannot run it. So.. I need a new video card to shove up this fossil's ass.
Current Specs -
Asus A8N5X (939, x16 PCIX)
AMD 939 X2 3800+
650w Antec Truepower
2Gb DDR400
ATi X300 (not sure of the specs)
I've been eyeballing this 3850 on Newegg. I'm just not sure though. Anything I get will definitely have to be cheap. Under $80 cheap.
What say you Penny Arcade denizens?
The 3850 will be able to carry it's own weight, but the 4850, which goes for about $145 will be able to pack a more powerful punch for a longer amount of time. It'd be an investment.
But that's neither here nor there, because your CPU will be the limiting factor - it's the bottle neck. You'll have to jump up to a Core 2 Duo E8400 (simply because it's the biggest bang for your buck) if you want everything a new VGA upgrade will bring.
I ended up ordering the 3850. Think if I'm going to spend anymore then that, I'll just sell some organs, sell my soul and build a high-end rig. Thanks for the input guys...
A good deal if you have Frys Electronics around. They are blowing out any 8800gtx cards they have. I was able to pick up 2 x XFX 8800GTX cards for about 149.00 each.
Posts
Newegg are selling the Sapphire Radeon 4870 512MB for 249$, and that's before a 20$ rebate.
Not a bad deal.
High res and heavy AA/AF kill it due to a 192-bit memory bus, but if you're staying at the lower end of the spectrum, ie: 17"-19" LCD or 720p TV, you'll find it quite enjoyable.
Can trade TF2 items or whatever else you're interested in. PM me.
System specs
Vista x64-SP1
Q6600@3.2ghz
4 gigs DDR2 800 (board doesnt take 1066 even though the memory is 1066)
8800GT 512mb stock settings (not a factory oc board or anything)
Should I be able to run it at that res with anti-aliasing all the way up? Would overclocking the video card help much at all? The 8800gt has 3rd party passive cooling with a 120mm zip tied so I am not worried about heat.
If I am just GPU limited would a GTX260 handle what I am trying to do?
Steam/PSN/XBL/Minecraft / LoL / - Benevicious | WoW - Duckwood - Rajhek
I'll be honest dude. I just got a 280GTX. And not even does this bad boy seem to pull so much better than an 8800GT.
I went from an FX550 from nvidia back in the day to a Radeon 9200 to a 7600GT and then to an 8800GT and now to a 280GTX. The biggest jumps I saw was from 9200 to 7600GT, and the 7600GT to the 8800GT.
The 280, eh. Yeah, it is a beefy and a monster card, but it will not be the cure all you are looking for.
Yea you'll only really notice a difference between the 260 and 280 if you're running at 1920x1200 or higher.
Over the last few weeks (days even) prices on video cards have changed considerably. So if you're looking go buy yourself a nice christmas present this is for you.
Any specific models I've listed are generally just the lowest price I could find on newegg at the time, so hunt around if you have particular brands you like. also I did not include any sort of SLI setups since I think they're a waste of money and you need like a $200+ motherboard anyway.
Under $75
ATI Radeon HD 4670 or Nvidia GeForce 9500GT
GIGABYTE GV-R467D3-512I Radeon HD 4670 512MB $74.99 ($54.99 after $20.00 Mail-In Rebate)
EVGA 512-P3-N954-TR GeForce 9500 GT 512MB $64.99 ($44.99 after $20.00 Mail-In Rebate)
$75-$125
ATI Radeon HD 4830 or Nvidia GeForce 9800GT
POWERCOLOR AX4830 512MD3-H Radeon HD 4830 512MB $109.99 ($84.99 after $25.00 Mail-In Rebate)
EVGA 512-P3-N971-TR GeForce 9800 GT 512MB $114.99 ($94.99 after $20.00 Mail-In Rebate)
$125-$175
ATI Radeon HD 4850 or Nvidia GeForce 9800GTX+
ASUS EAH4850 TOP/HTDI/512M Radeon HD 4850 512MB $149.99 ($119.99 after $30.00 Mail-In Rebate)
BFG Tech BFGE98512GTXPBE GeForce 9800 GTX+ 512MB $169.99 ($149.99 after $20.00 Mail-In Rebate)
$175-$225
ATI Radeon HD 4870 512MB or Nvidia GeForce GTX 260 (192 Core)
SAPPHIRE 100259L Radeon HD 4870 512MB $199.99 ($179.99 after $20.00 Mail-In Rebate)
MSI N260GTX-T2D896 OC GeForce GTX 260 896MB $199.99
$225-$300
ATI Radeon HD 4870 1GB or Nvidia GeForce GTX 260 (216 Core)
SAPPHIRE 100259-1GL Radeon HD 4870 1GB $239.99 ($224.99 after $15.00 Mail-In Rebate)
BFG Tech BFGEGTX260MC896OCE GeForce GTX 260 896MB $249.99 ($229.99 after $20.00 Mail-In Rebate)
$300-$400
Nvidia GeForce GTX 280
BFG Tech BFGEGTX2801024OCE GeForce GTX 280 1GB $349.99 ($314.99 after $35.00 Mail-In Rebate)
$400+
ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2 2GB
SAPPHIRE 100251SR Radeon HD 4870 X2 2GB $489.99 ($469.99 after $20.00 Mail-In Rebate)
"Was cursing, in broken english at his team, and at our team. made fun of dead family members and mentioned he had sex with a dog."
"Hope he dies tbh but a ban would do."
Here's one that I know of.
http://www.cluboc.net/reviews/video/sapphire/hd4850x2/page1.asp
I think he sold that very card used for like $250.
Current Specs -
Asus A8N5X (939, x16 PCIX)
AMD 939 X2 3800+
650w Antec Truepower
2Gb DDR400
ATi X300 (not sure of the specs)
I've been eyeballing this 3850 on Newegg. I'm just not sure though. Anything I get will definitely have to be cheap. Under $80 cheap.
What say you Penny Arcade denizens?
Another thing I was thinking about was picking the most efficient card for this machine in particular. I don't want to buy something and have majority of its power go to waste, you know?
Also, to hell with Nvidia and ATi's card naming schemes... so convoluted.
The 3850 will be able to carry it's own weight, but the 4850, which goes for about $145 will be able to pack a more powerful punch for a longer amount of time. It'd be an investment.
But that's neither here nor there, because your CPU will be the limiting factor - it's the bottle neck. You'll have to jump up to a Core 2 Duo E8400 (simply because it's the biggest bang for your buck) if you want everything a new VGA upgrade will bring.
That's because you don't know how to troubleshoot a comma in a URL.
It's your fault you know, no need to be nasty.
Anyways, the 4850 is an excellent card, I love mine. Best bang for your buck.