8800GTS or 8800GTX for next 2 years future-proof

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monolithx

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I have this stoned:

Asus P5B Deluxe
2GB Corsair C4 @800MHz

and this is what I have to decide:

E6600 + 8800GTS
E6600 + 8800GTX
E6400 + 8800GTX

The PC must last without upgrades for minimun next 2 years, meaning 2007 and 2008 to 2009...

What do you suggest?
 
I'd go for the 8800GTX just to be safe.

It might be overkill now (if you have a 17-19" monitor) but in 2-3 years, I dunno.
 
I don't believe there is such a thing as "futureproof". Given that my X1900 can already be taxed in a multitude of situations, the chances of an 8800GTX playing games at close to max in two years is IMO quite small.

The best value to a high-end video card lies in its mid-term resale value. Keeping a card for 2 years, then dropping $600 on a new one, is less sensible than say keeping a card for a year or so, selling it and offsetting your next purchase cost. There won't be much difference in overall outlay, but you will have a consistently better gaming experience.
 
May i make a suggestion, and it would only be if time allows. That suggestion is to wait for the R600 lineup from ATi to come out(there not to far away are they?). I say this for a number of reasons but non of them have to do with company A being any better than company N for any FB reasons, rather this is because your asking about an pricey bundled product purchase(well for some)that will need to last the next two years or so and regardless of how great the N880's are at the moment they are still fist gen of a new flavor. When the R600's are shipped and tested you can see what sort of performance gains/losses as well as graphical options each line of cards would offer you.

Again just a suggestion from some one that has been around the hardware block, and knows some of the old timers, and if your dead set on the 880's go with choice "B", what the hell its only two years right?
 
monolithx said:
I have this stoned:

Asus P5B Deluxe
2GB Corsair C4 @800MHz

and this is what I have to decide:

E6600 + 8800GTS
E6600 + 8800GTX
E6400 + 8800GTX

The PC must last without upgrades for minimun next 2 years, meaning 2007 and 2008 to 2009...

What do you suggest?
Click to expand...

I will go with the 8800gtx but with Quad 6600 or 6400
 
There's no suck thing as future proof for graphics cards, the technology simply moves too fast. Even ignoring the massive speed increases, new technologies come out. For example even if you had bought some kind of professional 3D system with, say, 16 7900s in it, it would now be having some obsolescence problems because of DX10. It might still be really fast, but it doesn't support the new features.

The best way to avoid graphics obsolence is to buy at a price you can afford often. Once a year is a good rule. So figure out how much you can spend every year, and do so. You'll be much happier getting a $300 card once a year than a $600 card once every two.

As an example take the situation around a year ago. $300 would have gotten you a 7800GT 256MB, which is still a good card today, and you'd now be looking at having enough to get an 8800 in the next month or so. However $600 would have gotten you a 7800GTX 512MB. A little better than the GT, but nothing major by today's standards, and you'd be looking at keeping it all throughout this year.

Now those price points are examples, not absolutes, but the rule is the same. Find what you can afford to get as a yearly tech refresh and go with it. Don't try to buy the uber system that will never get outdated because it WILL.

So my suggestion is to wait until there's a DX10 card cheap enough for you to get one next year, buy that, and put the rest of the money in a savings account until about this time next year.
 
you can be future proof for about 6 months with a top of the line system.

deal with it.
 
If it MUST last for the next 2 years and you need it right now get the GTX. In two years it will probably run the latest and greatest but not be very good at doing so. But who knows, maybe it will end up being like the 9700 pro and still be very good for some time. It's all a crapshoot brother.
 
ya just go with the 8800gtx, it will play the games for a while on max, maybe for 1 to 1.5 years. and then not max after that, thats my bet.
 
GTX if you're serious about 2 years.

Personally im still running my dual 7800 GT's
They were $350 each when I got them. A 7800GTX would have cost me the same but i got more power for the same money.

Now they feel outdated. I still cant run games smoothly at 1920x1200 without turning features off/reducing quality. Half life 2 episode one was barely playable at times with everything on.

I've had them for what? Alittle over a year?
 
Sycraft said:
There's no suck thing as future proof for graphics cards, the technology simply moves too fast. Even ignoring the massive speed increases, new technologies come out. For example even if you had bought some kind of professional 3D system with, say, 16 7900s in it, it would now be having some obsolescence problems because of DX10. It might still be really fast, but it doesn't support the new features.

The best way to avoid graphics obsolence is to buy at a price you can afford often. Once a year is a good rule. So figure out how much you can spend every year, and do so. You'll be much happier getting a $300 card once a year than a $600 card once every two.

As an example take the situation around a year ago. $300 would have gotten you a 7800GT 256MB, which is still a good card today, and you'd now be looking at having enough to get an 8800 in the next month or so. However $600 would have gotten you a 7800GTX 512MB. A little better than the GT, but nothing major by today's standards, and you'd be looking at keeping it all throughout this year.

Now those price points are examples, not absolutes, but the rule is the same. Find what you can afford to get as a yearly tech refresh and go with it. Don't try to buy the uber system that will never get outdated because it WILL.

So my suggestion is to wait until there's a DX10 card cheap enough for you to get one next year, buy that, and put the rest of the money in a savings account until about this time next year.
Click to expand...


That's a bad comparison, as the 8800 GTX is far more powerful than the 8800 GTS when you compare it to 7800 GTX 512 vs. 7800 GT. Don't make me mention all of the differences between the two aside from clockspeed. Also, you are talking about $300 pricepoint? $300 won't buy you an 8800 GTS. Maybe later, not yet.

Conclusion: Buy an 8800 GTX if you want future-proofing, because obviously it will future-proof you longer.
 
Cyrilix said:
That's a bad comparison, as the 8800 GTX is far more powerful than the 8800 GTS when you compare it to 7800 GTX 512 vs. 7800 GT. Don't make me mention all of the differences between the two aside from clockspeed. Also, you are talking about $300 pricepoint? $300 won't buy you an 8800 GTS. Maybe later, not yet.

Conclusion: Buy an 8800 GTX if you want future-proofing, because obviously it will future-proof you longer.
Click to expand...

Yes $300 wont buy you a gts but $360 will. So whats the extra $60 . Theres always going to be bigger and better cards so i wouldnt go buy a $550 card when you could close to the performance with a $360 card. Overclock it and be done with it. But thats just my opinion
 
Dude in less than 8 months after Vista been up and running (and they finally get the bugs out of the cards ,and software drivers for them ) you are going to be sooo pissed caused they are going to launch a whole next ..I wait till August of 2007 maybe longer . I got a TI-4200 if you want it (maybe not .that things a classic.lol ) .
 
Whatever you do, don't forget to factor in the cost of at least Vista Home Premium.

Unless you are one of the "we will get DX10 for XP" believers. Personally, I rather doubt it.
 
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