Which video card is the best for a price range of $200 - about $320?

[Zero Plasma]

If there are any other good one or if you think one of the three above is not good then I would like to know.
Also I am building my computer in the first week of Nov. and would like to order the parts end of Oct..
The prices are close together so is there a real difference betweeen 128 and 256 mb, and what is the difference between pro and xt? Also I would like some Nvidia options. And I am planning on using
a AMD Athlon 64 if that makes any difference.


Thank you.

 

[Matthias99]

Of those three, the R9800Pro with 128MB of RAM is the best choice; the others offer only a marginal improvement in terms of performance for a significant increase in price.

If you're willing to spend $300+, though, you might want to consider an X700XT/X800 or a 6800-class card.

 

[blckgrffn]

A nvidia 6800 right now is probably your best bet. Most overclock to at least 375 on the core or so, and even without that they really run fast. I got my Leadtek for $268 after rebate at newegg, and it is running @ 400/875. My 3dmark 03 (useless, I know, but its something) went from just under 6000 with my 9800 Pro to 9750. That means for $70 than a 9800 Pro more you get about a 30%+ performance increase, and usually much more if you look at some of the benchmarks here on anandtech. I play doom 3 at medium quality @ 1600*1200 and never drop below 45 fps, if that means anything to you. A friend of mine has the evga one, non over clocked, with an A64 3200+ (I have an XP3000+) and he got 20000 on 3dmark2001 and about 8700 on 03 with all stock speeds. ATI's offerings at this point don't need much attention in your price range. That's just my opinion though ;-) Far Cry runs like a dream...

 

[Radev]

If I were you, I'd go for the Leadtek GF6800 128MB. I'm shooting in the same price range 200$-300$ and I've done a lot of research recently. I've been reading reviews and looking at benchmarks for hours until I finally made my decision. I liked the card from the beginning and I only wanted to make sure I did the right choice. The card's price is around 270$. It has the best cooling solution of all the 6800's. Perfect for overclocking (which you will need in a year if you are going for a video card for less than $300). If you have an extra hundred, the 6800 GT models are a great purchase because they will last longer than the regular 6800's. The GT gives you 10 to 15 extra fps than the regular 6800 in most games but note that those extra fps will be the difference b/n "playable" and "not playable" after 12 to 18 months. I would NOT advise you to go for an ATI card, simply because they lost the last round in midrange price competition. There is a big gap in performance b/n ATI and NVidia as we are talking about midrange. I mean equally priced products. And in my opinion, you don't really need 256MB of memory unless you're planning to use 1600x1200. Any questions?

 

[blckgrffn]

I agree, my leadtek doesn't go above 55C. Gotta love the huge copper heatsink and the very silent fan... Save the hundred dollars, sell this card next year for $150 to $200 (hopefully) and spend $300 then, this is the trend I have been following and it has worked well. Granted, it is easy to move video cards on a college campus...

 

[fbrdphreak]

I'll be the first to say it...
If you wait a bit, you can pick up a 6600GT AGP for ~$200 and that will be the best for the ~$200 price range. If you're willing to go to $300, get a vanilla 6800 (rather partial to BFG myself...and you get a free copy of Far Cry in the retail box)

 

[kylebisme]

Originally posted by: blckgrffn
I got my Leadtek for $268 after rebate at newegg, and it is running @ 400/875...I play doom 3 at medium quality @ 1600*1200 and never drop below 45 fps...(I have an XP3000+)

Wow, what do you get in a timedemo at those settings?

 

[blckgrffn]

I'll try it when I get home and let you know. I can tell you that I was only getting about 40 (if that) @ 1024*768 w/the 9800 Pro...(sorry for going off topic)...

 

[SneakyStuff]

This will absolutely destroy a 9800XT.

 

[Schadenfroh]

Originally posted by: SneakyStuff
This will absolutely destroy a 9800XT.

 

[Corporate Thug]

yeah a vanilla 6800 is your best bet

 

[darkswordsman17]

Yep, get a 6800 non-ultra or if you can wait a bit you might opt for a 6600GT or X700XT, but no telling how long you'll wait for AGP versions of those.

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: SneakyStuff
This will absolutely destroy a 9800XT.

"destroy" is silly . . . it IS faster - NOwhere near twice as fast - but also nearly twice as expensive.
:roll:

You can get a 9800p for ~$150 ON SALE . . . the 6800 is ~$280.

The best buy at or ~$200 (6600/X700) is only available in pciE . . . expect AGP in November.


edit: the 9800xt is still way overpriced . .. i got a 9800p 256/256 from NewEgg for $223 . . . it IS a 9800XT after a simple BIOS flash . . . . perhaps that is still a reasonable way to go if you NEED it NOW.

The 6800 Standard is a nice card and the ONLY choice (that makes sense NOW) ~$300.

 

[GreenMonkey]

I went with a refurnb MSI 9800 pro for now (my 8500 was basically bad). Couldn't see getting a vanilla 6800 @ $300ish.

I'd vote to wait for the 6600GT too.

 

[SneakyStuff]

Originally posted by: apoppin

Originally posted by: SneakyStuff
This will absolutely destroy a 9800XT.

"destroy" is silly . . . it IS faster - NOwhere near twice as fast - but also nearly twice as expensive.
:roll:

You can get a 9800p for ~$150 ON SALE . . . the 6800 is ~$280.

The best buy at or ~$200 (6600/X700) is only available in pciE . . . expect AGP in November.


edit: the 9800xt is still way overpriced . .. i got a 9800p 256/256 from NewEgg for $223 . . . it IS a 9800XT after a simple BIOS flash . . . . perhaps that is still a reasonable way to go if you NEED it NOW.

The 6800 Standard is a nice card and the ONLY choice (that makes sense NOW) ~$300.

No, i'm pretty sure destroy is appropriate. this is the card with 2.2 ns RAM, and the core is also clocked faster, right out of the box. And the heatsink in the picture, is not up-to-date, it has a GT style heatsink on it. The overclocking potential of that card is really REALLY interesting Not saying you're wrong, just voicing my opinion

 

[MegaWorks]

The 9800Pro with 128MB of RAM is the best choice. :thumbsup:

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: SneakyStuff

Originally posted by: apoppin

Originally posted by: SneakyStuff
This will absolutely destroy a 9800XT.

"destroy" is silly . . . it IS faster - NOwhere near twice as fast - but also nearly twice as expensive.
:roll:

You can get a 9800p for ~$150 ON SALE . . . the 6800 is ~$280.

The best buy at or ~$200 (6600/X700) is only available in pciE . . . expect AGP in November.


edit: the 9800xt is still way overpriced . .. i got a 9800p 256/256 from NewEgg for $223 . . . it IS a 9800XT after a simple BIOS flash . . . . perhaps that is still a reasonable way to go if you NEED it NOW.

The 6800 Standard is a nice card and the ONLY choice (that makes sense NOW) ~$300.

No, i'm pretty sure destroy is appropriate. this is the card with 2.2 ns RAM, and the core is also clocked faster, right out of the box. And the heatsink in the picture, is not up-to-date, it has a GT style heatsink on it. The overclocking potential of that card is really REALLY interesting Not saying you're wrong, just voicing my opinion

i was just voicing mine . . . some people don't o/c.

i am just not that impressed with the 6800Standard and never have been (say compared to the faster fully-pipelined 6800GT . . . or even compared with the lesser 6600GT)



and i DID say:
"The 6800 Standard is a nice card and the ONLY choice (that makes sense NOW) ~$300"

:thumbsup:

 

[SneakyStuff]

Agreed, just saying, it's faster than the 9800 Pro

 

[JBT]

apoppin when was the last time you have seen the 9800 pro with 256MB of ram for $223? Its about 260 on Newegg and has been for a LONG time.

 

[ZobarStyl]

Why has it become an acceptable practice to say that card X overclocked and flashed is a much better value than other card Y that of course you wouldn't overclock a bit. If you can get a "9800XT" moddable card at 223, I'd say it's a safe bet that a noticably faster card like the 6800 is worth another 57 bucks, overclocking aside, but please stop assuming that someone is going to o/c/flash/mod/etc one card and leave the other at stock and think that it's a fair comparison. Plus this is right at the edge of the value level, and frankly the standard 9800pro makes a lot more sense than a mod-to-XT since you are paying some 30-40 dollars more for an at-best minor difference in performance. At sub-200 dollars the 9800pro is the best buy, at sub-300 it's the 6800 hands down. The whole mod-to-XT thing is just silly at this point, with the regular Pro being such a good value anyway, and if you are willing to throw down some extra cash for the XT mod you'd be much better off giving a little more and getting something that's noticably faster.

Edit: Yeah I checked newegg, I don't see any 233 dollar 256 Pros (minimum 266 and sold out). That too is one of those altogether dubious practices I see around here; seeing one really good price and then quoting it constantly long after that sale is gone as if that makes that price any more valid. I mean, just because some lucky guy might have gotten one of those 299 GT's from that Best Buy price error this summer doesn't mean you go around lauding the GT as the market leader at the 300 dollar price point.

 

[Gagabiji]

Originally posted by: fbrdphreak
I'll be the first to say it...
If you wait a bit, you can pick up a 6600GT AGP for ~$200 and that will be the best for the ~$200 price range. If you're willing to go to $300, get a vanilla 6800 (rather partial to BFG myself...and you get a free copy of Far Cry in the retail box)

Dang you, I was just about to sugguest that.

apoppin when was the last time you have seen the 9800 pro with 256MB of ram for $223? Its about 260 on Newegg and has been for a LONG time.

IIRC he was the one that posted in Hot Deals about this. It was a price screwup on newegg's part.

 

[Pete]

Like others have said, either get a 9800P for well under $200, or hope the $200 6600GTs become available by the end of October, or get a 6800. I wouldn't drop money on a 256MB 9800 at this point.

 

[SinfulWeeper]

About $320.... and extra $68 is should be pocket change. I mean you are so close to budget with this, I say get it.

 

[blckgrffn]

I said that I would post my results = doom 3 medium quality time demo 1600*1200 medium quality Leadtek 6800 @ 400/875 65.73 Drivers = 57.6 FPS, 37.3 seconds, high quality = 38.6 seconds, 55.7 FPS Guess I'll leave it in HQ! Wish I could try a higher resolution - I'll have to look that up.


Systems Specs - AXP3000+, 1gig hyperx, 36 gig Raptor, Abit NFS-7 2.0 board, windows xp sp2
Tested using "timedemo demo1 1"
Nat

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: JBT
apoppin when was the last time you have seen the 9800 pro with 256MB of ram for $223? Its about 260 on Newegg and has been for a LONG time.

At Microcenter . . . last month.

And the Flash to XT is a well-documented SURE thing for the 256/256MB Radeon PRO (unlike some other flashes) . . . if for some reason you got the old 350 core, you can even flash it back.


Educate yourselves