I am soooo confused

[Maverick2002]

I'm putting together a new system. So far it looks like I'll be getting a Core 2 Duo E6320 with a P35 chipset motherboard. I have NO idea what to get for a video card though, there are just too many options and my head is spinning from all the different clock speeds and memory interfaces.

Is there a guide somewhere explaining the differences? Better yet, what's a good card for around $200? Also, a ~$150 option?

TIA

 

[CalvinHobbes]

Well, you need a PCI-express card since that's what's used on that board. You have Nvidia and ATi to choose from.

For $150 you could get an 8600GT. For under $200, you could get a X1950XT or 8600GTS.

 

[MarcVenice]

Don't get the 8600gt or 8600gts, x1950xt would be a far better option, and even better would be to wait till ati 'finaly' launches their midrange cards, the x2400's and the x2600's, which should be 1st of july. Some prices just got known in the Netherlands, and it seems they will be priced very competetively with nvidia's midrange cards.

 

[themisfit610]

Don't worry too much about specifics about the clock speeds and memory interfaces... None of that really matters. Performance in your games is what counts.

It's important to look at the whole picture. What kind of games do you play? What type of display do you have? Most people have 17 or 19" LCDs, and so they are ideally using a 1280x1024 resolution. Most newer graphics cards will run most current games at that resolution just fine. My older 7800gt even does ok at medium details at 1920x1200 on my 24" BenQ

The Radeon x1950pro/xt seems to be a great option in the under $200 market ATM. Do you want to watch HD-DVD / Blu-ray at some point in the near future? If so, you might want to get a card like the 8600gts that blends good 3d performance with hardware acceleration for these HD formats, since decoding them unassisted is frankly beyond the capabilities of most CPUs.

~MiSfit

 

[Maverick2002]

I'll be playing on at 1280x1024 display, but I'd like to crank all the goodies way up at that resolution.

HD-DVD/Blu-ray is of no concern to me at this point. And I can't really "wait just a little longer" with this purchase (certains reasons for it - I need to order today).

Only question is, do I need DX10 compatability? That seems to limit my choices as a lot of the "really cheap" cards only support DX9.

My limit is $200, though I'd much rather get something in the $150-175 range.

 

[MarcVenice]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814102067

thats a good card, within your price range. Don't worry to much about DX10, the dx10 cards you can afford won't really be able to play games like crysis with all the dx10 goodies turned on, without getting a bad framerate per second. If you do want that, 8800gts for 250$ is the way to go. This one, with 512mb is a good bet too, http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814153035

btw, most dx10 games will also run on dx9, like crysis, lost planet and such ...

 

[Maverick2002]

NVIDIA recommendations for my price range? I'd rather go NVIDIA (personal preference).

 

[RussianSensation]

X1950Pro 256mb for $120 is a solid value

7950GT 256mb for $160 is a good Nvidia card

X1950XT 256mb for $160 is the best performer out of the 3.

Spending above this doesn't make sense because instead you would just get GeForce 8800 GTS 320mb.

Cheers.

 

[curjohn]

You could go for this BFG 7950 GT 512MB 159.99$ after rebate. I'm tempted, but since I won't be building until after July 22nd I'll hold off

grrr, stinkin' link. Thanks for fixing it will

 

[will889]

Link fixed

http://shop2.outpost.com/produ...sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

 

[Maverick2002]

I actually have to order all my parts from Newegg (don't ask). So on the NVIDIA side a 7950GT is my best option?

 

[curjohn]

You won't find the 512MB version on Newegg for less than 230, you can get a 256MB for 159.99 after a rebate of 40 though.

 

[Maverick2002]

Ok, given my budget, here's what I settled for:

Core 2 Duo E4300 (1.8 Allendale, will OC) - $117
Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 (rev 1.3, future proofed) - $100
EVGA GeForce 7600GT (256MB, I play at 1280x1024 max res) - $95

Based on some research and the reviews at Newegg they all seem like pretty good deals. Am I good to go on the order?

 

[beserker15]

You should get http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16814130056 instead. The 7900gs is quite a bit better and it can overclock pretty well.

 

[Maverick2002]

Is the 128-bit vs. 256-bit memory interface that big a deal? Right now I'm looking at 3 NVIDIA options:

128-bit 7600GT DX9 ~$95
128-bit 8600GT DX10 ~ $130
256-bit 7900GS DX9 ~ $150

 

[RussianSensation]

Forget about 8600 series.

Looks like you are on a very tight budget. 7900GS vs. X1950Pro

I'd get X1950Pro over 7900GS.

7600GT is OK but once you enable AA/AF, X1950Pro will be a lot faster.

 

[MarcVenice]

stop hating amd/ati, Maverick2002 !!!

 

[superbooga]

It's a bummer that you have to order your parts from Newegg, because the Fry's deal is really good.

What games are you going to play? Here are some games that are not going to be very smooth on a 7600GT at 1280x1024 with high details, even w/o AA:

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
Oblivion
Rainbow Six: Vegas
Lost Planet
Supreme Commander

 

[ss samy]

instead of the E6320 get an E4400.

lower price, higher performance

it has 2MB less cache but meh, less cache on one die will help it run cooler, and it overclocks like a beast

 

[LOUISSSSS]

yea this guy's limiting his choices to only one brand... brand loyalty, what a bad idea..

 

[will889]

Price @ Fry's back up you missed that sale. Maybe eVGA the 7900GS and get a zalman and OC it.

 

[Maverick2002]

Calm down people. I have reasons why I have to order from Newegg and why I need an NVIDIA card. I'm asking for advice within those boundaries.

I ended up ordering:

Core 2 Duo E4300 (1.8 Allendale, will OC) - $117
Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 (rev 1.3, future proofed) - $100

Will be ordering an eVGA 7900GS in a few days for $150. Thanks for the advice everyone.

 

[LOUISSSSS]

Originally posted by: Maverick2002
Calm down people. I have reasons why I have to order from Newegg and why I need an NVIDIA card. I'm asking for advice within those boundaries.

I ended up ordering:

Core 2 Duo E4300 (1.8 Allendale, will OC) - $117
Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 (rev 1.3, future proofed) - $100

Will be ordering an eVGA 7900GS in a few days for $150. Thanks for the advice everyone.

please enlighten us

 

[beserker15]

It's not brand loyalty guys, I know a few people that are still scared to death of ATI cards for some damn reason. I guess their bad experiences in the past still left a sour taste in their mouth? (Past as in 7000/8500 series). It's kinda weird but I guess it's somewhat understandable.

 

[LOUISSSSS]

Originally posted by: beserker15
It's not brand loyalty guys, I know a few people that are still scared to death of ATI cards for some damn reason. I guess their bad experiences in the past still left a sour taste in their mouth? (Past as in 7000/8500 series). It's kinda weird but I guess it's somewhat understandable.

scared to death? then i suggest them see a doctor...