Best Bang for the buck

[Cain]

What is the best value/performance video card out now or coming out in the next month or so ??



Links please ......

[-IRC-MIKE]

I'm still PWNING at 55 fps with my ATI x1300 video card. (Wooohoo 55fps)

http://www.diamondmm.com/X1300PCIE512.php

I know there are a LOT better but I just figured I'd show you guys what has been getting you killed.

Step-up to serious 3D performance and image quality with Diamond’s new Radeon™ X1300 Series, the most affordable graphics card to combine high-end features like CrossFire multi-GPU capability and high-definition (HD) display, using ATI’s heralded Avivo display technology. The X1300 delivers superior visual performance for all types of PC entertainment and productivity.



Features at a glance

Better performance at lower prices
H.264 Video acceleration
Lightning fast memory speeds
90 Nanometer Technology
4 pixel pipelines
2 vertex shader processors
128-bit 4-channel GDDR2 memory interface
Support for Microsoft DirectX? 9.0 & Shader Model 3.0
CrossFire Support for multiGPU rendering
Avivo™ and 3D excellence
CATALYST Software Drivers
HDTV Support

Specifications

GPU: ATI Radeon™ X1300
Bus Type: PCI-Express x16
Memory Support: 512MB DDR2
DVI, VGA & TV-Out
Memory Interface: 128 bit
Core Clock Speed: 400 MHz
Memory Clock Speed: 250 MHz
Shader Units: 4
Geometry Pipelines: 4
Peak Pixel Fill Rate: 1.8 Gpixels/sec
Peak Vertex Throughput: 450
Peak Memory Bandwidth: 1.8 GB/s
API Support: DirectX? 9.0, OpenGL
Maximum Resolutions: 2560x1600 (Digital Flat Panel), 2048x1536 (CRT), 1920x1080 (HDTV), 1024x768 (TV)

[Hammy]

I think Mike missed the point- so I've pitched in with BOLD font to highlight the interest

What is the best value/performance video card out now or coming out in the next month or so ??



Links please ......

[Jeffro]

what kinda price bracket you lookin at cain?

[-IRC-MIKE]

What is the best value/performance video card out now or coming out in the next month or so ??



Links please ......

I think Mike missed the point- so I've pitched in with BOLD font to highlight the interest

Mine is out now...as I have edited in bold in cains original post above. It is out now and good value/performance.

Even though it is not the TOP DAWG by any means, but nah, I got the point dead on. Shush Hammy

I have seen several of those high end video cards with astronomical prices that are not really all that great. I have installed MANY and I'd say about 95% of the people I've installed these for in 16x SLI and CROSSFIRE are generally not impressed. To be honest, ALL of the customers I have installed a dual crossfire or SLI combo for have taken one card out and have not noticed a difference in gameplay for the most part. Their framerates have gone down but not a ridiculous amount. Overall these latest and greatest video cards are not really all that impressive, especially when I plug the machine into my lan and I play COD4 while THEY play from my connection and I pwn them repeatedly with my lil rinky dink 512 ATI x1300. They are truly dissatisfied after that.

Said that, to properly reply to Cain's inquiry, I think you'd be just as well off to settle for a known good configuration that is currently on the market, tested and proven, than to break down and purchase something that could be a lemon.

http://www.maximumpc.com/article/msi_r3870_x2_t2dig
http://www.maximumpc.com/articles/Videocards
http://www.maximumpc.com/article/asus_en8800_gts_512mb

I'd prefer to go for the 8800 GTS or the 8800 GTX. Then there's the 8800 Ultra.

[WalkinTarget]

Best deal by FAR was the XFX 8800GTS (G92) Alpha Dog from TigerDirect that sold for $190 with a $20 MIR ... $170 after rebate for a GTS 512mb card !!!!


Needless to say, that deal lasted all of ONE DAY and it was gone.

Next option is the MSI card, an OC edition for $250 - $220 AR:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814127325

It comes with a free game also, and since its a factory OC, it is a bit faster than a stock 8800GTS. The 8800GT and GTS are even in performance up to about 1600x1200, and after that the GTS is able to shove more pixels down the pipe so its a safer bet if you have a 22-24" LCD.

[-IRC-MIKE]

Best deal by FAR was the XFX 8800GTS (G92) Alpha Dog from TigerDirect that sold for $190 with a $20 MIR ... $170 after rebate for a GTS 512mb card !!!!


Needless to say, that deal lasted all of ONE DAY and it was gone.

Next option is the MSI card, an OC edition for $250 - $220 AR:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814127325

It comes with a free game also, and since its a factory OC, it is a bit faster than a stock 8800GTS. The 8800GT and GTS are even in performance up to about 1600x1200, and after that the GTS is able to shove more pixels down the pipe so its a safer bet if you have a 22-24" LCD.

I particularly am attracted to the third one down by Asus on this page:

http://www.maximumpc.com/articles/Videocards

The only drawback with these is the fact that you can't run a quad or tri vid setup.

[Cain]

Thx guys. I'm partial to nVidia cards, BTW....

Who else ??

What is the latest nVidia, I don't want the most expensive one and I want one that does not require 15 amps, and a window air conditioner to run the thing.

[-IRC-MIKE]

+1
I'm an Nvidia guy myself, but since they haven't ironed out all the kinks for their Vista driver base, AND the fact that I got the ati x1300 on a trade for a 40 gig hard drive (hee hee) I had to go with the 512 card I gots.

I have installed a couple of these, and they performed just as good, and OUTperformed some of the comparable high dollar 512 cards. YOu can read the below or skip it by clicking here:
http://reviews.cnet.com/graphics-car...html?tag=txt.5

XFX GeForce 8800 GTS (320MB, GDDR3)Reviewed on February 12, 2007
No other 3D graphics card comes close to this bang for the buck, making the 320MB XFX GeForce 8800 GTS mostly an easy decision if you need a midrange upgrade. Nvidia still has to polish off its Vista software, and the sooner-or-later arrival of competing cards muddies the waters a bit, but if you need a midprice graphics card today, this should be your pick.

The good: Strong performance on 3D resolutions up to 1,920x1,280; accessible $300 price tag; HDCP compliance and flawless HD video output; next-gen graphics support.

The bad: Windows Vista software drivers are not fully cooked; the combination of a double-wide card and a lower price might be a rude surprise for some buyers; AMD's forthcoming next-gen ATI cards remain an unknown quantity.

The bottom line: No other 3D graphics card comes close to this bang for the buck, making the 320MB XFX GeForce 8800 GTS mostly an easy decision if you need a midrange upgrade. Nvidia still has to polish off its Vista software, and the sooner-or-later arrival of competing cards muddies the waters a bit, but if you need a midprice graphics card today, this should be your pick.

[WalkinTarget]

If you don't plan on running high res, the 9600GT is a nice card for dirt cheap:

http://techreport.com/discussions.x/14303

I personally would recommend the GTS card for you, as I know you don't want to be bothered to buy another card a year down the road due to a monitor upgrade or another Crysis type card killer of a game that may come out.

The 9600GT cards in SLI have shown to be faster than even the 8800GTX:
http://enthusiast.hardocp.com/articl...50aHVzaWFzdA==

Hell, even a single 9600 GT OC can best an 8800GT !
http://www.firingsquad.com/news/news...searchid=19707

So, with all of those links to read and digest, I will say that SLI with the 9600GT is not a viable option unless the game can truly utilize SLI properly.

We are now back to the GTS card, and specifically a GTS G92 (the newer version with 512mb instead of the older 640 version) Overclock model. It offers up performance comparable to the GTX card and costs significantly less. At $220, it offers great performance in any game up to 1600x1200 res. Anything above that, it spits out good numbers, but again Crysis is the weak spot in the comparison, as that game is just a pig for any number of reasons.

[-IRC-MIKE]

WalkinTarget is right on

+1

[WalkinTarget]

Mike, that Cnet article seems rather dated ... the 320mb GTS card is being dumped off at plenty of retailers, as it doesn't have enough memory to play some new games, and you NEVER want to run out of card RAM, as the performance takes a SERIOUS nosedive when it has to refresh the VRAM contents.

The 320mb is also the older card revision, with a larger die size. That's why I mentioned it in my above post in regards to the GTS card .. you need to invest in the G92 die card (also using a 65nm core process), not the older G80 card. That is a fact, not a preference. Its that big of a difference ...

G80: 90nm core, 640mb on a smaller memory bandwidth, doesn't OC as well, due to heat output, less shaders.
G92: Far more shaders, OC's very well (especially GTS). Also G92 seems to have better driver support, though its AA is questionable.

[-IRC-MIKE]

You're absolutely right. After reading the articles on that particular card, that is not quite the article I was looking for. There is, however a newer card with the same memory that runs in sli and has had similar performance as compared to the 8800 series. I lost the article on one of these pc's.

I'd stick with your last post.

[juneau]

Nvidia 8800 GTS 512mb. No question.

[WalkinTarget]

I just submitted my Step Up for an 8800GTS 512 card today, so hopefully I get an email from eVGA by the end of the day OK'ing the transaction.

I don't think I am biased when I post the above info, but I do think I put plenty of time into a decision and buy what best suits my needs at the time and into the foreseeable future.

If money were an issue, I'd have no problem pointing someone towards the 9600GT OC (Palit's Sonic model in particular) for around $175. But if you can come up with that extra $50-75, your clear choice is the GTS 512 card. I don't have a brand to recommend there, but I myself have been buying eVGA and have yet to have anything that makes me regret the purchase. XFX, with a double lifetime warranty, is also a great choice.