Down in a hole (feelin so small)

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Rocksta107

Limp Gawd
Joined
Nov 9, 2007
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So I'm one of those people who's been waiting far too long to upgrade their computer. I'm mostly decided on my build now that I've learned an ASUS P5N-E does not play well with Quad Core's because of it's weak FSB speeds.

But I'm on the video card channel, right?

Totally, so here's my question. Do I need SLi? I have a 24" monitor and want to game at native 1920x1200. With games like Crysis not doing well on any single GPU solution at those resolutions, I'm afraid if I buy a 8800/9800 GTX now, I'm going to need a second one before long.

Should I really worry about this? Should I just get a P35 Mobo and get a 9900 GTX when they come out? I don't want to keep waiting and waiting because the next cool thing is going to be so much better, as that's always the case.

Help!
 
You're right about Crysis, but listen man... don't judge a potential new rig based solely on how it will run Crysis. Crysis runs like crap on Tri-SLI systems let alone a single GPU system, it's going to take a year or so for GPUs to grow into I think.

It all depends on how much you want to spend and wether you want to DEAL with SLI or not. SLI is not the end all be all of graphics performance. There are issues with SLI that you won't run into with a single GPU system, and not all games will take advantage of and/or do well with SLI. It's just a personal preference call you will have to make on your own.

If you buy a 9800GTX now you shouldn't 'need' a second one any time soon, at least not to play most games at respectable quality settings with respectable frame rates. However if you're looking to go gung ho with max AA, max AF, max effects, and money is not an object..... maybe you WILL want a second card later.

Then there is always the 9800GX2, or the upcoming die shrunk 9900GX2 later this summer...



If I were building a rig right now I'd probably pick a nice P35 board because they are cheap, great performers, and compatible with the 45nm cores (Wolfdale). Then I'd toss money at a 9800GX2... which is basically SLI on a card. Seems to me like it's the best of both worlds without having to deal with the headache that is the nVidia 6xx/7xx chipset.
 
i agree with the above reply

although, that is if i was building something now..

if i could, i would wait for the next card to come out..see how it performs..and based on my budget get a lower priced 9800gx2, or the new 9900

The thing i don't like is that the 9800 are overclocked 8800...atleast thats how they perform...and priced like the greatest thing since canned beer

so im waiting on the next big 30% leap in graphics...before i replace my little 320mb 8800


ooooor you can get a 8800gt now..for like $180- 200......use that with your new system, untill the next big card comes out...sell the GT for 100-120 bucks...

either way...stick with the P35 boards..they're rockin
 
Dethman said:
i agree with the above reply

although, that is if i was building something now..

if i could, i would wait for the next card to come out..see how it performs..and based on my budget get a lower priced 9800gx2, or the new 9900

The thing i don't like is that the 9800 are overclocked 8800...atleast thats how they perform...and priced like the greatest thing since canned beer
Click to expand...

See I don't get that.... I don't get all this animosity towards the 9800GTX. Especially the pricing remarks, hell the 9800GTX is $200 less than the 8800GTX when it came out. It's the first GTX that might just be affordable for more people. Seems like a win-win situation to me... I think most people are just jaded because they expected a new generation of GPUs by now, not just another die shrunk revision of the G80.

The same people are going to be even more pissed when they see that the 9900 will be just another die shrink, this time to 55nm. Still the same core logic based on the G80 yet again.


Dethman said:
either way...stick with the P35 boards..they're rockin
Click to expand...

Damn straight, I don't think I could ever go back to an Nvidia chipset board again for any of my boxes. Plus now that the P35 has been superceded by Intel's newer chipsets, the price of the P35 boards are just awesome.

This is why I tend to cheer for nVidia's SLI on a card, no need for an overly expensive SLI board. :)
 
I guess AiC ain't as popular as they were in the 90's :p
Yup, don't get a rig purely on the basis of Crysis. It is a pretty good game, but to run DX10 Very High smoothly all the way through the game at 1920x1200 is pretty much an impossible task - if it could utilise multi-GPU setups more effectively it might be a different story. I was pretty happy with DX9 and nearly all high settings, but ended up having to turn down to all medium to maintain playable framerates for the latter half of the game. This was on a GTS320 running at 1280x1024. Medium still looks pretty good, although high shader quality does make a huge difference.

I'd go for a 9800GT or 8800GTS - depends on the price difference between them.
 
It's the first GTX that might just be affordable for more people.
Click to expand...


Because price doesnt go with the name, it goes with performance, the name ussualy just follows..in this case it doesnt

Like you said..The 9800gts is priced so low compared to the 8800 gtx, because the leap between the 2 is much smaller than the leap between the 7800gtx and the 8800gtx

but in my opinion...its still priced too high...i dont see why anyone would get one if they already have a 8800....which means, why release them, when everyone that doesnt have a 8800, can get one??...The only nice thing about the 9800 comming out, is that the 8800 are in the sweetest price range ever....considering that a $180 card is only about 10-15% slower than $400 card

Ill save my pennies and pay $400 for a card..like i did with my x800xt back in the day....but it needs to be revolutionary....only revolutionary generations that have come out in the past 8 years...are the 9800.. x800/6800...and the 8800/3870......x1800/7800 and 9800gtx are dud generations in my opinion.seems to maybe skip a generation..or maybe its just me..and it takes 2 generation gaps to justify an upgrade...hopefully the next generation will be another revolutionary card in my book......i have a feeling many people fit into my same category

if there are a few games that I want to play..and there is the hardware out to play it..ill buy it...if there isnt the games, or the card..I wont buy ......in this case..there isnt the card....or even the games really..other than the holy crysis...which sucks anyway
 
Well that's the trouble. The only reason to go with a 9800GTX over an 8800GTX is power consumption. You can get away with a nice 650 watt PSU and do 9800 GTX's SLi. You cannot do that with an 8800 GTX, but if I'm skipping SLi what does it matter?

With the larger memory size and bus, an 8800GTX is going to outperform a 9800 GTX on overall quality at high resolutions as the engine on the 9800 is going to be memory limited.
 
Will you people PLEASE stop saying the 9800gtx is just an OC'd 8800GTS. Thats false information. As I stated in another thread earlier, though the specs are similar, they are two different cards. The 9800gtx's core is a revision of the g92. Also the power circuitry is improved as is the overall PCB and cooling solution. I'll put my 9800gtx rig up against any 8800gts 512 rig anytime and gladly show you the difference.

OP, dont get me wrong, I DO agree that the 8800 GT is the way for you to go for now, especially paired with what you have and want to do. You save a load of cash and later when a card refresh is available, you will have been at your new job and saved money on top of what you have already saved on the GT. Then you can get a card that will stand up to the test of time (Hopefully)
 
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