Buy GTX 460 or wait a couple months?

[cpals]

Considering if I should upgrade my 7800 GT video card now or wait until Black Friday/Christmas coming up in a few months! Do you think prices will drop that much or is $200ish about as good as the GTX 460s will be for a while?

 

[tviceman]

I definitely say "but" it.

Haha!

Seriously, if you need a card now then that is a great choice. If you have something that is good enough to get you to the end of November, then do whatever you want to do most.

 

[bryanW1995]

what resolution do you game at? what games do you play? what cpu do you have? is the cpu overclocked? do you plan to overclock the new video card?

did I miss something?

 

[Rifter]

what resolution do you game at? what games do you play? what cpu do you have? is the cpu overclocked? do you plan to overclock the new video card?

did I miss something?

yeah this, and i dont think you missed anything.

 

[cpals]

what resolution do you game at? what games do you play? what cpu do you have? is the cpu overclocked? do you plan to overclock the new video card?

did I miss something?

I think you might have missed something. I'm not asking what card to buy - I already know I want a GTX 460. I'm trying to decide when to buy it and if I could save a decent amount in a couple months.

 

[RaistlinZ]

Just buy it if that's the card you want. There's always a reason to wait another couple of months. Life is too short to worry over such things.

 

[bryanW1995]

I think you might have missed something. I'm not asking what card to buy - I already know I want a GTX 460. I'm trying to decide when to buy it and if I could save a decent amount in a couple months.

sorry, I just figured that since there are two memory configurations and multiple factory oc models available that we could help you if we had more info. for example, I just got a gtx 460 768mb card for 146 shipped NR. This card is excellent up to 1680x1050 in most games, but quickly dies off after that due to limited bandwidth. some games even at 1680x1050 might be better with the 1gb card or one of the oc variants, however, while some games you'll be ok even at 1920x1080 with 768mb card depending upon whether you want to OC or not.

I don't think that you'll see much better msrp than ~$150 for a long time, and even deals better than that are likely to be few and far between even if 6xxx kicks the snot out of fermi. However, in the 1gb cards I haven't seen anything below $200, and the future price of that card depends upon where 6770 and 68x0 performance goes, where amd decides to price those cards, where 5850 price drops as a result, and how much stock amd actually has left of 5850 at that time.

So the questions that I asked are still valid and can help us help you. If you don't want the help then no problem.

 

[cpals]

So the questions that I asked are still valid and can help us help you. If you don't want the help then no problem.

Ah, that's cool then... no harm done.

I've been specifically looking at the EVGA 1GB GTX 460, but will also need to buy a PSU since my 400 watt will most likely not be enough.

I have a Dell S2409W monitor so my standard resolution is 1920x1080... if I could reach those specs in games that would be cool, but probably won't happen. I'm currently playing StarCraft II on medium settings @ 1280x720 and it runs decent - anything higher gets bad.

Sooo:

what resolution do you game at? what games do you play? what cpu do you have? is the cpu overclocked? do you plan to overclock the new video card?

- Usually at 1280x720 just because that's the max my vid card seems to be able to handle.
- Playing StarCraft II right now and a little Team Fortress 2.
- Just got an Athlon II X4 635
- CPU is not overclocked and not planning to
- Do not plan on overclocking anything

 

[Lonyo]

How long do you plan on keeping the card you buy?
Since you're still on a 7800GT, it might be that you want to keep it a long time, in which case trying to get a little more for your money might be worthwhile, so waiting for some November deals might be advisable.

 

[s44]

There's always something bigger on the horizon. There isn't going to be some paradigm-shifting release like the 8800GTX this year, so buy it. Waiting just means longer with your ancient card.

 

[Wreckage]

At best you may be able to get a 460 1GB for $200 saving maybe $30.

I say get one now and start enjoying it. (well not right now check sites like slickdeals.net) over the next week or so. Make sure you get a free game.

 

[GaiaHunter]

I think the main question is:

Are you frustrated with your games?

If you find yourself turning on extra detail and wishing you could play that way but it is so slow at the moment, if you keep swearing/cursing/grinding your teeth because you can see that slowdown in your games and the like, then yeah, buy now.

The GTX 460 is a massive upgrade over your current card and you get solid/great performance for the price you pay.

On the other hand you felt the need to ask other people opinion.

If I was in your shoes, with money available and answering yes to the questions I asked before, I would buy it with no regrets.

 

[Sind]

I would just purchase now if your heart is set on a 460 only and not considering what is on the horizon or other options available now.

Some vendors are offering two games (MSI, which was actually offering 3 on NCIX a couple weeks ago) that would probably more than offset any saving you would get waiting until the end of November and you would get much more enjoyment until then. Not sure what game genre you like though so if the free games aren't in that area well that is something to consider when looking at prices.

 

[Barfo]

Since you're gaming with a 7800GT and at lower than your native res, I'd get the card now.

 

[cpals]

I would just purchase now if your heart is set on a 460 only and not considering what is on the horizon or other options available now.

Some vendors are offering two games (MSI, which was actually offering 3 on NCIX a couple weeks ago) that would probably more than offset any saving you would get waiting until the end of November and you would get much more enjoyment until then. Not sure what game genre you like though so if the free games aren't in that area well that is something to consider when looking at prices.

I was looking at an EVGA GTX 460 that came with Metro 2033 for around $219. Not sure if the game is any good, but that would be cool.

How come it seems that the overclocked cards are cheaper? At least the EVGA ones on NewEgg.

 

[Serradifalco]

I was looking at an EVGA GTX 460 that came with Metro 2033 for around $219. Not sure if the game is any good, but that would be cool.

How come it seems that the overclocked cards are cheaper? At least the EVGA ones on NewEgg.

It sounds like you want to buy one. I recommend the MSI 1GB Cyclone. It overclocks like mad and is well built. I own 2 of them. 2 of those in SLI will dry hump most single card setups that cost much more! I can tell you from experience that it is the way to go.