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Help me pick (nVidia 275/280/285)

Z

Zyde

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jul 8, 2009
Messages
151
So, I have a Samsung 26" T260 monitor on a PC that I use primarily for gaming. I've been using the 8800GT card for ages, and would like to upgrade to something better (budget == $300, but could stretch to $350 if necessary).

I have read a lot about how ATI cards are performing better these days, and that you get more bang for your buck... but I would still like to stick with nVidia for my own personal reasons (reliability, no driver problems when I boot to linux, longevity, and terrible experience with an ATI card in the past)... there's no changing my mind about this, so even if I am wrong in choosing nVidia, I am going to stick with my decision for now - please bear with me.

Having said that, I have been reading reviews about the GTX 275, 280 and 285 as these are within my set budget. The type of games I am likely to play, and hopefully at max graphic settings are:
- World of Warcraft
- Dawn of War 2
- Mass Effect 2
- Civilization 4
- Bioshock 1 & 2
- Shattered Horizon
- TF2
- Aion Online

Knowing that the GTX 285 > 280 > 275 in both performance and price, can I get away with buying a GTX 275 and still be able to play all of the games listed above at 1920x1200 with at 4xAA and high particle effect settings? Would I really need a 285? I am leaning towards the GTX 275 right now, as it is the cheapest of the three and I have read some pretty good reviews about it online. Any help here would be greatly appreciated, and thank you in advance!

---

Random question: Has nVidia discontinued the GTX 280? It seems to be relatively more difficult to find online than the other two. When I was looking at nVidia's comparison page to cross-compare specifications, the GTX 280 wasn't listed... [link]
 
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grOOvstEIn said:
So, I have a Samsung 26" T260 monitor on a PC that I use primarily for gaming. I've been using the 8800GT card for ages, and would like to upgrade to something better (budget == $300, but could stretch to $350 if necessary).

I have read a lot about how ATI cards are performing better these days, and that you get more bang for your buck... but I would still like to stick with nVidia for my own personal reasons (reliability, no driver problems when I boot to linux, longevity, and terrible experience with an ATI card in the past)... there's no changing my mind about this, so even if I am wrong in choosing nVidia, I am going to stick with my decision for now - please bear with me.

Having said that, I have been reading reviews about the GTX 275, 280 and 285 as these are within my set budget. The type of games I am likely to play, and hopefully at max graphic settings are:
- World of Warcraft
- Dawn of War 2
- Mass Effect 2
- Civilization 4
- Bioshock 1 & 2
- Shattered Horizon
- TF2
- Aion Online

Knowing that the GTX 285 > 280 > 275 in both performance and price, can I get away with buying a GTX 275 and still be able to play all of the games listed above at 1920x1200 with at 4xAA and high particle effect settings? Would I really need a 285? I am leaning towards the GTX 275 right now, as it is the cheapest of the three and I have read some pretty good reviews about it online. Any help here would be greatly appreciated, and thank you in advance!

---

Random question: Has nVidia discontinued the GTX 280? It seems to be relatively more difficult to find online than the other two. When I was looking at nVidia's comparison page to cross-compare specifications, the GTX 280 wasn't listed... [link]
Click to expand...

Wait a month and buy brand spankin new "hot" Fermi in march!
 
I would have to agree. Fermi will support DX11 and newer games will eventually as well. The price you pay for Fermi will probably be ridiculous but it will definitely be an improvement from what you have... I would personally snag a high end ati card once fermi released... because the prices should decrease.
 
The GTX 275 is pretty much equivalent to the 280. It's fabricated on a smaller process so it overclocks higher and runs cooler. The 285 is a good deal faster than the 275 and appreciably faster than the 280, but nothing points to your needing more than a 275 for performance.


But wait a few months.
 
5850 end of story, it is not very smart to pick an nvidia card at this point and if you do make sure you can step up assuming nvidia releases Fermi in 3 months.
 
the GTX 285 is a few percent better in most scenarios, however there is not much in it. The GTX 260 is a reasonable step down though. Primarily because the GTX275 has the full 240SP's shared with the GTX285.
http://www.guru3d.com/article/geforce-gtx-275-review-test/14
http://www.guru3d.com/article/geforce-gtx-275-review-test/11
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-275,2266-7.html
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-275,2266-8.html
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-275,2266-9.html
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-275,2266-10.html
those games mentioned will be fine on either choice.
 
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You wont notice the difference in real world situations between the three. Save your cash and get Fermi!
 
DASHlT said:
Wait a month and buy brand spankin new "hot" Fermi in march!
Click to expand...

I'm hoping that was sarcasim with the quotation on hot :D? Wait, Fermi has no sold release date? So it might be wait 'two' months or 'three' months for a "Hot" Femi hehe. Also, I think flagship comes first and mid-range comes later, so it could easily be a month from flagship launch until anything in the $300-$350 dollar range comes out. Really, if you wanted a $300-$350 dx11 card for future proofing, ati is your only option for at minimum 1 month and possibly many more.

That being said, if your hardcore on the nVidia only thing, I'd recommend the 275 as a nice powerful card to tide you over for a year or so till the Fermi line is well established and you can upgrade again :)
 
Thanks for the advice thus far.

Sorry if this has already been posted somewhere else, but has it been officially confirmed that the Fermi will release in March?

*Edit: Thanks for those links, PlatinumPC.
 
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WBurchnall said:
I'm hoping that was sarcasim with the quotation on hot :D? Wait, Fermi has no sold release date? So it might be wait 'two' months or 'three' months for a "Hot" Femi hehe. Also, I think flagship comes first and mid-range comes later, so it could easily be a month from flagship launch until anything in the $300-$350 dollar range comes out. Really, if you wanted a $300-$350 dx11 card for future proofing, ati is your only option for at minimum 1 month and possibly many more.

That being said, if your hardcore on the nVidia only thing, I'd recommend the 275 as a nice powerful card to tide you over for a year or so till the Fermi line is well established and you can upgrade again :)
Click to expand...

Yes and no :) I mean we all know its going to be 1 hot Video card.

But I still would wait tell March when the new Nvidia cards come out. Just seems like a waste to purchase one now when it will be 2nd gen in 30 days (of course he can do the 90 day step-up with Evga)
 
They're pretty much the same, so pick the cheapest. GTX 285 may be worth a premium because it is slightly faster.

Wait four weeks to see what Fermi has to offer. They may although be very hard to find for a quite long time.

There are better cards out there. It's not adventurous to try one. The whole brand loyalty rationalization lack real substance.
 
grOOvstEIn said:
Thanks for the advice thus far.

Sorry if this has already been posted somewhere else, but has it been officially confirmed that the Fermi will release in March?

*Edit: Thanks for those links, PlatinumPC.
Click to expand...

No, the release date has not been officially announced anywhere.
 
Not the 280. gtx 275 or 285. 280 runs hotter, and is no faster than the 275.
 
the $300 spot is hands down 5850 territory.
buying a retail nVidia card now is a horrible idea.

If you must need a nVIdia card, look for a used one or wait for Fermi.
 
DASHlT said:
Yes and no :) I mean we all know its going to be 1 hot Video card.

But I still would wait tell March when the new Nvidia cards come out. Just seems like a waste to purchase one now when it will be 2nd gen in 30 days (of course he can do the 90 day step-up with Evga)
Click to expand...

You can't lose with an evga gtx275 and Fremi-90 day step-up option.
 
ihira said:
the $300 spot is hands down 5850 territory.
buying a retail nVidia card now is a horrible idea.

If you must need a nVIdia card, look for a used one or wait for Fermi.
Click to expand...

I agree, if you have to pick one of the NV cards then just get a GTX275 knowing that the investment won't last as long (aging architecture at this point), tho even that seems like a rip for the prices they're going at... $200+ and even $250? I paid like $150 for my GTX260 and I got two games free with it... :eek: Definitely consider the 5850 tho. I almost went w/a 4870 1GB when I got my GTX 260, ended up w/the GTX 260 because of pricing, XFX's warranty, and the two free games... Performance was that close back then, now days it's a canyon and it makes NV's offerings look rather overpriced. /shrug
 
I'd wait to see what Nvidia has to offer, since it's such a short period to a possible release date...plus anything offered usually will result in a price drop amongst the competition. $350 most likely won't get you into Fermi range, but unless you absolutely must have DX11, then the GTX275 won't disappoint. If you look around online, it can still be found fairly reasonable and is the best in terms of price vs performance of the three Nvidia cards proposed. Having said that, I wouldn't pay more than the low $220-230 for a new one with lifetime warranty and Step-up program to be considered worthwhile. With that option, if you change your mind in less than ninety days, you won't be pigeon-holed. The mid 230s is what I paid for mine in April 09. It's been a great card for me. It runs cool and very,very fast and does everything I ask of it....and then some.You've clearly stated your reasons and although I hear they've gotten better recently, I fully understand your reluctance to ATI's driver issues...having myself had a few which were not resolved in a satisfactory or timely manner.
 
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If you are gonna spend $300 why not hunt down a GTX295 on the used market? That is how I got mine so that I can push 3d vision without having fps issues with all eye candy on.
Other than that FERMI but either way I would get it used in case you feel like getting Fermi later.
 
As Saabjock stated: even if I wait, $350 won't get me in the Fermi range. I was thinking of snagging a 275 or a used 295 right now, just to be able to play the games I have listed at their full graphical capacities. I am still using a PC I built at the end of 2007 (Intel Q6600 Quad Core, 4GB ram).

Once interesting DX11 games start to hit the shelves, I wouldn't mind investing in a full-blown PC upgrade to an i7 processor with tri-channel DDR3 RAM and a Fermi processor. But as of right now... I really can't warrant spending that much.
 
grOOvstEIn said:
Once interesting DX11 games start to hit the shelves, I wouldn't mind investing in a full-blown PC upgrade to an i7 processor with tri-channel DDR3 RAM and a Fermi processor. But as of right now... I really can't warrant spending that much.
Click to expand...

bad company 2 call of pripyat alien versus predator crysis 2 battleforge dirt2

you don't really need an i7, just oc your Q6600 a bit, at 3ghz you should be fine
 
you are willing to spend $300 on old tech (when you can get the new tech for the same price)? that just doesnt sound smart to me.

would you pay $30,000 for a 09 car when the 2k10 model cost the same?

275/280/285 is last years "car". why wouldnt you want the 2k10 model?
 
I switched from TWO GTX280s to an XFX 5870 and haven't looked back. I got the 5870 for $343 after Bing Cashback and you can probably find a similar deal. The drivers are giving me less of a problem than Nvidia drivers.

Why did I just say all that? Because you'd be a damn fool to buy any GTX series card right now unless you got one hell of a deal.
 
Those running Linux and a "new car" could give him some feedback on how the current drivers are to help him decide.
 
If he has any plans of joining the number one folding team, he'd be set using Linux. ;)
 
SoFGR said:
bad company 2 call of pripyat alien versus predator crysis 2 battleforge dirt2

you don't really need an i7, just oc your Q6600 a bit, at 3ghz you should be fine
Click to expand...

And at what B&M store are those games beings sold at? He clearly said "ONCE THEY START SHIIPING" and unless you live in another universe, most of those games you just listsed aint shipping yet.
 
I would suggest the GTX275. My factory o/c GTX275 is running at 710/1566/2484, which puts it in GTX285 territory. I'm really impressed with this card. I had a 4850X2 & 4890 & ditched both for my 275.
 
Dethred said:
I switched from TWO GTX280s to an XFX 5870 and haven't looked back. I got the 5870 for $343 after Bing Cashback and you can probably find a similar deal. The drivers are giving me less of a problem than Nvidia drivers.
Click to expand...

i have a hard time believing that.
 
The more titles you play, the greater the chance of seeing bugs.
Whether they are game breaking bugs or glitches, will have some claiming no problems if the game will run.
 
Used GTX275. paid 165$ for mine a while back. Quite happy with it. I have not played Dawn of 2,BS2, or Shattered horizon but I assure you I can play those just fine if I wanted to.
 
I just can not believe some of these posts. The OP stated he wants nVidia and yet people come in here pushing ATI and calling him names cause of his choice. Lets actually try reading what the OP stated
but I would still like to stick with nVidia for my own personal reasons (reliability, no driver problems when I boot to linux, longevity, and terrible experience with an ATI card in the past)... there's no changing my mind about this, so even if I am wrong in choosing nVidia, I am going to stick with my decision for now
Click to expand...



So in that respect OP, you should look around the forsale section. I picked up my 2'nd 275 for $160 and it's been great. Also if you decide to get in on the F@H team you won't be disapointed with this card in that segment either. I own 2 of them and they run great :).
 
edifyingkarma said:
post deleted -Oldie
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Well and good, but unfortunately the OP already put in his disclaimer against rational judgment.

grOOvstEIn said:
I have read a lot about how ATI cards are performing better these days, and that you get more bang for your buck... but I would still like to stick with nVidia for my own personal reasons (reliability, no driver problems when I boot to linux, longevity, and terrible experience with an ATI card in the past)... there's no changing my mind about this, so even if I am wrong in choosing nVidia, I am going to stick with my decision for now - please bear with me.
Click to expand...
:(
 
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OP wait it out cause when fermi is released ATi will most likely drop their prices somewhat.....
 
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