6800, 6600gt or wait?

[imported_alp]

I currently have an a64 3000+, 1gb ram and a 9600 pro. I would quite like to upgrade, but i am wondering which is the best option:

(budget ~$300, but don't send me newegg links because i'm in the UK)
1. XFX 6800nu now,
2. wait for agp 6600gt or x700 whatever
3. wait for 6800gt and x800pro to drop in price.

I don't have a great monitor so I am limited to 1280x1024, but even then at low refresh rate and I generally play in 1024x768, but AA and AF would be nice, as would future-resistant stuff (there is no future PROOF )

The main games I play are Far Cry and UT2k4, but am looking at maybe getting doom 3 and also maybe upcoming games such as HL2 and STALKER.

So far I am leaning towards the 6800, though I guess it is more expensive than option 2. Option 3 would obviously be nice, but we cannot predict how soon that will be.

Any opinions would be appreciated.

 

[Corporate Thug]

well, with the 6800/6800 GT you would be able to run 1280*1024 and max out AA/AF for most all games

i would go for a 6800

 

[imported_alp]

even the 128mb 6800nu?

gt is a bit much at the moment; while nu's are about $300-350 here, gts and x800pros are all well over $500.

 

[lordtyranus]

I'd wait until HL2 is out, then buy a 6800 gt on a good deal.

 

[imported_alp]

there really aren't any good deals on the gt in the UK. The cheapest 6800gt is $521.

 

[imported_obsidian]

Get a 6800. You will be CPU bound anyways with a GT.

 

[ntdz]

wait for the 6800gt, you will not be cpu bound by a gt if you turn AA/AF on

 

[imported_alp]

hmm... i guess, but like i say gt's aren't cheap here. i would not be prepared to pay much over $300, so i'd need em to drop to nearly half what they are now.

 

[nRollo]

Originally posted by: alp
hmm... i guess, but like i say gt's aren't cheap here. i would not be prepared to pay much over $300, so i'd need em to drop to nearly half what they are now.

If you want to play at 10X7 there's no reason you should wait to buy anything. I have a 6800NU and a 6800GT, for most games you won't know the difference at 10X7.

 

[bunnyfubbles]

I'd wait, that's just me (still sitting on my 8500 hoping SLI upgrade options are going to be a realistic option) however I'm also planing to get a whole new system, if you aren't gonna do the same and just need a video card then don't wait if you don't have a card that can cut it at all.

 

[nRollo]

Originally posted by: bunnyfubbles
I'd wait, that's just me (still sitting on my 8500 hoping SLI upgrade options are going to be a realistic option) however I'm also planing to get a whole new system, if you aren't gonna do the same and just need a video card then don't wait if you don't have a card that can cut it at all.

He's going to wait a long time if he's got $300 to spend and GTs cost $530..

He "may" be planning on getting a whole new system, but I sort of doubt it if he's considering 6600s and 6800s and already has an A64 3000+? Doesn't seem like a likely FX or EE customer to me.

 

[Cawchy87]

I would get a card that can play all the games you want to now (ie. 9700pro or 9800pro, np), and when you have enough money get the 6800gt or x800pro. It would be better than a 9600pro and waiting for a long time.

 

[imported_alp]

Thanks everyone. I am leaning towards the 6800nu at the moment, but the two things I was really worried about were:
a) It struggling with lack of ram, especially at 1280x1024 4xAA 8xAF (ok, I don't play in that res much as the refresh rate is low on my monitor) and would it also be having to use system ram at 1024x768 4xAA 8xAF on more demanding and upcoming games?
b) In some reviews, the 6600GT looks nearly as powerful, but I sort of doubt it will be much cheaper than the 6800nu here. This 6800nu (XFX) has dropped a lot in price, most are about $400 so I'm thinking the 6600gt/x700 whatever will be about $300, especially as it'll need an AGP bridge.

Can anyone tell me whether I am right or not on any of those points?

 

[n7]

Unless you are willing to wait for a while (for the 6600GT to be available in AGP), i would say just go for the 6800.

 

[Keysplayr]

If your worried about playing in higher resolutions from time to time, you best not buy anything now and save your pennies for a GT. You seem to be mostly concerned with the amount of memory on the card.
Rollo said it right. If you play most games at 1024x768 and 1280x1024 you should be fine with a 6800nu. Anything higher than that, especially with AA and AF turned on, you will need the 256MB GT for the newest games to be able to play without killing your framerates.

 

[imported_alp]

like i say i have a 17" crt that won't even DO 1600x1200, so that is a concern but it would be nice to either be able to play 1280x1024 noaa/af or 1024x768 4xaa/8xaf, or both on older games...

 

[nRollo]

Originally posted by: alp
like i say i have a 17" crt that won't even DO 1600x1200, so that is a concern but it would be nice to either be able to play 1280x1024 noaa/af or 1024x768 4xaa/8xaf, or both on older games...

The 6800NU should play any game at 10X7 4x8x.

 

[SleepWalkerX]

at those resolutions i'd recommend the 6800nu for saving money and getting by. maybe this may help you decide, gives you the general performance of a 6800 compared to gt:

http://tech-report.com/reviews/2004q3/geforce6800-comparo/index.x?pg=9

 

[Bonesdad]

My understanding is that the 6600 should sell in the 200-250 range...

 

[hopster]

The 6600GT is going to be a great part at a mainstream mid-level price. I've been hearing $200 levels as well, and in many respects it appears to be slapping some $300 cards around pretty good.

May want to wait a little if you can... they are coming. I know I'd be a little upset with myself in about 8 weeks if I could have saved $100 or more and get performance the same or better.

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: hopster
The 6600GT is going to be a great part at a mainstream mid-level price. I've been hearing $200 levels as well, and in many respects it appears to be slapping some $300 cards around pretty good.

May want to wait a little if you can... they are coming. I know I'd be a little upset with myself in about 8 weeks if I could have saved $100 or more and get performance the same or better.

a 9600?! . . . you're just "getting by" . . . can you stand not to upgrade?

If you wait, you will of course, save money. The 6600GT is "expected" (in AGP) top be available in (the USA in) November - no idea 'bout the UK.

The 6800 isn't that incredibly "fast" for $300 . . . it will drop in price as other competing offerings are available fron nVidia and ati . . . unfortunately - at this moment - the 6800 is the ONLY card at $300.
:roll:

Your other choice is to get a cheap (used) 9800p (if you can't wait) . . . it should "fill in" for most games at 10x7 for the next - probably 12 months (when current video cards pricing will take a nosedive).



"Should i wait" is always a difficult call.

(if you have the disposable cash, generally DON'T wait)

:roll:

 

[DrMindbender]

It's kind of a flip-flop for me on 6600gt or 6800. I kind of lean more to the 6800 as a better midrange card once price cuts happen.

 

[DrMindbender]

Also, once that does, I bet it's going to look like what happened with the 5700 ultra and 5900XT if Nvidia and its resellers aren't careful. I predict that the 6800 will be 20 or 30 dollars more and be better for playing 10X7 in the future.

 

[imported_alp]

yeah, its just that this 6800 is good value for here, most are about $400. I might wait until games like hl2 and STALKER come out, and see how I run them, though some extra farcry fps would be nice.

 

[DrMindbender]

They'll do fine. Anand has a link to a review of the 6600GT and it compares it with the 6800's and X800PRO. They have far cry benches and I think HL2.