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GTX 280 in older system

R

ritch1

Weaksauce
Joined
Sep 1, 2005
Messages
112
I'm looking for a boost in game performace but dont really want to upgrade my entire machine. I have a single core Pentium 4 3.60mhz, is there any point in putting a Geforce GTX 280 in there? I'm willing to pay a lot for a decent card but not the amount it would cost to build an entire system.

i got a 8800GT now but its not playing these new games very well at all, i didnt even bother with Crysis but really want to be able to play Fallout 3. thanks for any advice
 
Your 8800GT is plenty capable to play Fallout3. You need to upgrade your platform. You can easily upgrade your platform for under 200. Seening as how a GTX280 is close to 400, you could upgrade your platform for roughly 200, and have enough for a GTX260. Selling your 8800GT will help offset the cost as well.
 
I think you may actually be ok with the 8800GT in Fallout 3 - my understanding is that it is based on the Oblivion engine and much less hardware demanding than Crysis.
 
i had a feeling it was more the system than the graphics card

thanks
 
nissanztt90 said:
Your 8800GT is plenty capable to play Fallout3. You need to upgrade your platform. You can easily upgrade your platform for under 200. Seening as how a GTX280 is close to 400, you could upgrade your platform for roughly 200, and have enough for a GTX260. Selling your 8800GT will help offset the cost as well.
Click to expand...

Yeah while its true the gpu is the main factor for most games at 1680 or higher. A P4 is grossly unpowered for a GTX280. I do like the sense of upgrading the entire platform for a similar cost to a standalone 280
 
You need dual core, even quad core, IMO.

Resolution you're trying to game at?
 
I'd venture to say that the 8800GT would be more than fine in this instance with a better processor, if you wanna be wise, get an SLI motherboard, and another 8800GT, and a cpu, which will run you about the same as what your 280 would cost you (if you bargain shop and look for deals) and SLI the pair.
 
I’ll probably go for a quad core and another 8800GT for now, concentrating on the platform upgrade. My monitor goes up to 1900 1200 but I can live with 1680 1050. at the moment these resolutions on newer games is not an option.

I been leaving the upgrades for a while as I get fed up with spending all this money to be honest. When I do upgrade I like to get top notch stuff so it will last a long time. So will build a decent system first then concentrate on vid card later.

Its been a while since I done this so thanks for the advice
 
I used to think that way, till I noticed focusing too much on top notch can leave you paying a lot of money. Now I focus on value - what's on sale? Both GTX 260s and 8800 GTs can be got at low low prices right now. GTX 280 is certainly a very impressive card, and the prices have come down a ton, but for what you pay for it over a 260 it won't last you dramatically longer....however, by that logic a 4850 also starts to look really attractive.

I think your plan of SLIing a second 8800 GT makes a lot of sense though. In your situation that's what I would do.
 
RustedAngel said:
I used to think that way, till I noticed focusing too much on top notch can leave you paying a lot of money. Now I focus on value - what's on sale? Both GTX 260s and 8800 GTs can be got at low low prices right now. GTX 280 is certainly a very impressive card, and the prices have come down a ton, but for what you pay for it over a 260 it won't last you dramatically longer....however, by that logic a 4850 also starts to look really attractive.

I think your plan of SLIing a second 8800 GT makes a lot of sense though. In your situation that's what I would do.
Click to expand...

Interesting way of looking at it, i always upgrade with the attitude spending loads is always better but i can see that researching intelligent purchases could save a lot in the long run

thanks
 
ritch1 is your mobo SLi capable? People are talking about it but I cannot see where you confirmed this. If it is then yes thats your cheapest performance increase move.
 
Ive had experience with 8800GT SLI at 1680x1050, and it really didnt do much for me. A platform upgrade is a must, then go from there. If your still unhappy with performance, sell your 8800GT and grab a GTX260. The GTX260 seems to be the sweetspot card right now.
 
Your Processor is holding you back for sure!
Now the 8800GT is a decent card, but it really depends on what resolution and settings you're trying to hit.
I'm currently playing FallOut 3 on an AMD X2 4400+, 2GB Ram, 8800GTS 640mb (weaker than an 8800GT) and it plays fine at 1280*1024 with everything pretty much maxed. Oblivion was held back by CPU as well, mainly in crowded areas.
What are your current specs? apart from GPU and CPU, maybe we can all help you make the most of 400$ for a noticeable gaming improvement.
 
As others said, your CPU is holding the 8800GT back. I have an 8800GT and it runs games at 1920x1200 on a 24" screen with no issues.
I run Oblivion on those settings with everything maxed out with no issues.

If you are not getting a new PC then stick with the 8800GT since I don't think the GTX280 would be any good in your system.
 
Yuck, I wouldn't throw a GTX 280 in there... Athlon 64 single cores are faster than Pentium 4's and I wouldn't throw anything higher than an HD4850 in there.
 
For that matter, Athlon XPs were faster than P4s clock for clock.

Althlon 64s blew P4s out of the water without even trying.
 
GTX 280 is what $400?

I'd get a cheap Core 2 duo rig and get an HD4870/GTX 260 instead.

You can get a quite a bit of money for your high clocked pentium 4 on eBay...
 
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