Buy 8800GTX now or wait?

[runninkyle17]

OK, should I buy an 8800GTX for $300 now or wait to get an HD3870x2 for $400???

Simple question and I need some opinions

 

[LOUISSSSS]

why not an 8800gt for $250ish?
i'd also suggest the 3870 for $200, but you seem to be looking for something higher end.

if u read reviews, the 3870x2 clearly beats the 8800gtx in 95% of benchmarks by a good amount... and it can be had for under $400... good buy!

 

[runninkyle17]

thanks for the input. I think I will wait and see what the market does. I don't have much time to game right now anyway. Thanks for the reply.

 

[nitromullet]

Originally posted by: LOUISSSSS
why not an 8800gt for $250ish?
i'd also suggest the 3870 for $200, but you seem to be looking for something higher end.

if u read reviews, the 3870x2 clearly beats the 8800gtx in 95% of benchmarks by a good amount... and it can be had for under $400... good buy!

I'm curious... where can I get a 3870X2 for less then $400?

 

[LOUISSSSS]

http://forums.anandtech.com/me...erthread=y&STARTPAGE=1

 

[lopri]

I am indeed very impressed by 3870 X2. Not because of its performance compared to other cards, but because of its excellent scaling as well as mostly trouble-free drivers on a system level. Like Anand says in his review, I do hope this is a sign of things to come: dual-GPU cards works just like single-GPU cards. Regardless of its performance, many reviews report the trouble-free operation with OS (Anand even mentions that he sometimes forgot that he's dealing with a dual-GPU card). And it works with multi-monitor setup as it should. Scaling is exceptional in that often times it's at 80~90%.

 

[nitromullet]

http://www.microcenter.com/sin...tml?product_id=0281494

looks like that deal is gone...

 

[tigersty1e]

Save your money and buy an 8800 GT .....

were on the tail-end of this generation's vid cards...

 

[LOUISSSSS]

Originally posted by: tigersty1e
Save your money and buy an 8800 GT .....

were on the tail-end of this generation's vid cards...

we're always on the tail end of something in the computer world.. where have u been?
just buy when u have the money to buy...

 

[MyLeftNut]

I'm also interested in one of those 3870x2's, but unlike most people here, I'm still on a Asus P5B Deluxe and I don't think it has PCI-E 2.0. I get the impression from a few posts a while ago that the card doesn't run as well on the older PCI-E slots. Any comments on this?

 

[lopri]

3870 X2 is PCI-E Gen 1 card.

 

[imported_wired247]

in retrospect from several builds, I have never actually been unhappy with an "expensive" video card purchase. I remember spending a good $450 on my 6800GT, and just thinking "wow" the whole time.

Of course when something better comes out, you could spend hours criticizing your purchase, or you could just have a great time playing games on your more than capable setup which is what it's all about.

If you can afford it, you should go for it sooner than later.

that's my $0.02, just remember to have fun

 

[runninkyle17]

I appreciate all the comments, but I think I will wait a couple of weeks to see what the prices do with all the new cards coming out.

It looks like there is a mad rush to sell all the 8800GTX's and 8800GT's before the prices drop. I imagine the HD3870x2 will be around $375-$400 in about 3 weeks.

 

[tigersty1e]

Originally posted by: LOUISSSSS

Originally posted by: tigersty1e
Save your money and buy an 8800 GT .....

were on the tail-end of this generation's vid cards...

we're always on the tail end of something in the computer world.. where have u been?
just buy when u have the money to buy...

where have u been?

Nvidia's refresh is coming out soon and you can buy GTX-like performance for $300....

And have performance that beats the GTX now for $450... or wait like I said and get the 3870x2 when it drops to $400.

The GTX has been out for more than 1 year... which is way longer than the tail-end.

 

[angry hampster]

I'd wait until the 9800GX2 comes out from Nvidia, check out benchmarks from it, and compare it to the 3870X2. Buy whichever gives you ebtter performance/price.

 

[NinjaJedi]

Originally posted by: lopri
3870 X2 is PCI-E Gen 1 card.

It is a PCIe 2.0 card and some reviews have showed a slight increase in performance on PCIe 2.0 boards. PLX chip uses PCIe 1.1 but the card goes out to the mobo using PCIe 2.0

 

[Goldfish4209]

Getting a GTX makes absolutely no sense at this point, unless you absolutely must have the best from nvidia, now. if you want it now, I'd get a GT, or a new GTS. If you want the best from nvidia, I'd wait for the next gen. Otherwise, if you're on a budget a 3870 isn't bad, and if you have the cash a 3870X2 (possibly 2 in crossfire) isn't a bad idea.

 

[Blacklash]

My advice to folks is to go 8800GT, or 8800GTS for the best consistent performance across a wide variety of titles. Believe it or not a single 8800GT can cope with resolutions all the way to 1920x.

http://www.driverheaven.net/reviews/8800GTs/index.php

If you play @ very high resolutions with a lot of filtering there will be times an 8800GTX will pass up the newer cards. You'll have to decide if you feel it's worth the extra cash.

I tried a HD 3870 X2 and will be selling it. Newegg doesn't allow a return for refund on any of them.

The HD 3870X2 simply doesn't work in some titles, Crossfire causes a performance hit in others, and you get mad graphic glitches in some. Examples; TRL- Performance hit with Crossfire on, 17 vs 40+ FPS with it disabled, The Witcher - Onboard Crossfire on causes rough play with frequent stutter, and Crysis on the DX10 path - mad flashing textures in the distance with onboard Crossfire enabled.

Titles like "Crysis" do heat the card up fast and when the fan is high it is way too loud for my tastes. It sounds like an outboard motor to me in those cases. Idle it is fine.

It's not worth it to own something for over 400usd that doesn't deliver 100% of the time IMO.

For folks that think I am trolling and don't own one-

http://img225.imageshack.us/im...371/hd3870x2ordox1.jpg

3dmock06-
http://service.futuremark.com/compare?3dm06=4997365

If you do get an HD 3870 X2 you may disable onboard Crossfire by disabling Cat AI. Remember that because you'll need to do it.

Yes, sometimes I don't learn my lesson the first time around.

 

[NinjaJedi]

I would actualy like to know where one can get a GTX for $300 right now? Is it used or an open box? Did you mean GTS?

 

[Don66]

Originally posted by: Blacklash
I tried a HD 3870 X2 and will be selling it. Newegg doesn't allow a return for refund on any of them.

Not totally true