Is it worth it....

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BMWM3

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Nov 16, 2008
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I currently have a AMD Opteron 170, 2GB OCZ memory and SLI setup with 7800 GTX's with a Viewsonic vx922 monitor. I am Looking to maybe upgrade but not sure if the timing is right or if the benefits will be significant...here are the core pieces of each proposal and the pricing....

System#1
MSI Motherboard P7N SLI $110
Intel Quad Q9300 2.5Ghz 6MB Cache 1333 FSB $200
4GB Corsair $90
EVGA GeForce 9800GTX+ $300

Total $700


System#2
Gigabyte Motherboard GTA-EX58-UD5 $280
Intel Core i7 920 $300
6GB Patriot Viper Series PC3-12800 DDR3 1600 $270
Radeon HD4870x2 GDDR5 $530

Total $1,380



Any thoughts?
 
imho, #1. Sure the performance of #2 iss going to be marginally better, but I don't think that it's worth spending twice as much. loose the 9800gtx, and go for a GTX260....
IT's a substantial upgrade over your current rig, and you will be quite happy with it. Hell, if you have the budget for #2, you can turn #1 into a really kick ass gaming rig.
 
Wait as long as you can, buy when you can't wait any longer.

Nehalem just launched, so prices will be high. I'd wait a few months before buying, if at all possible.

Worth... worth is subjective, and depends on budget. Only you can answer if its truly worth it. If your current rig does what you want it to do, then no, neither of those upgrades are worth it. What are you hoping to gain out of this upgrade?

For a VX922, a 9800GT should be all you need if you just want better gaming performance (assuming that opty is OC'd to 2.6Ghz or higher).

For System1, ditch the SLI mobo. You don't need SLI for a 19" monitor. HG or Danny or someone can come by with better build options for you... I'm too lazy. ;)
 
Wait, where are you buying the parts for those builds? For $700, you might as well do this:

CPU/Mobo (combo deal) - Intel Core2 Quad Q9550(2.83ghz) + Asus P5QPro mobo combo for $400($15MIR on mobo)
RAM - OCZ Fatal1ty Edition 4GB(2x2GB) DDR2 800 for $43
Video - MSI N9800GT-T2D512-OC edition GeForce 9800 GT 512MB for $115($20 MIR)

Total: $558

The MSI n9800GT is plenty already for 1280 x 1024 res gaming.

Note: 2 x 7800GTX in SLI is weak compared to a single 9800GT card. It will smoke that SLI by a longshot. Especially at only 1280 x 1024 resolution.
 
Ok, as for the GTX 260, any thoughts on the Radeon 4850 HD? The Radeon 4870 x2 is supposed to be awesome but so is the $530 price. Along with saving some $$ on system #1, would I appreciate an upgrade to a 22" or 24" monitor? If so, any suggestions?

btw, as for gaming, I play Counter-Strike Source and others like Call of Duty



fyi, i misquoted the gtx+ it's $200 with a rebate....not $300.
 
What size monitor do you have now? If you decide to get a 22" LCD go with an HD4850, If you go 24", go with the GTX 260. As far as monitors, what's your budget?
 
I have a Viewsonic 19" vx922. I was thinking somewhere between $250 - $350
 
Check out my thread... My build is at about $700 and I'm going with a q6600, gtx 260, 4gb ddr2 800, asus p5q pro (and a $60 psu). The GTX 260 can be had for $220 on newegg- $180 after a $40 MIR
 
ok so it sounds like you think the 22" is large enough or is there a 24" of the same quality that will go for ~$350?

For cards, how does this sound....

DIAMOND 4870PE51G Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Retail $289

OR

XFX GX260NADBF GeForce GTX 260 Black Edition 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail $309
 
Both cards are about equal performance-wise, but XFX offers the better warranty, so I would lean towards that. (VisionTek is the only brand that comes close to it on the AMD/ATI side, and it's often more expensive than the other brands.)

Acer and BenQ have some 24 inch montiors on sale (at NewEgg) for under/around $300 (before shipping), but the quality of their monitors are the same as the 22 inch LCDs -- good for gaming, but horrible color quality.
 
Actually, I went through every LCD screen size. Well.. almost. 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 24 and 28". I think 22" WS is a decent upgrade from a 19" 4:3 aspect ratio at 1280 x 1024. I have a Sony 19" (1280 x 1024) LCD and I woudn't game on that thing. Its too squarish hehe. On a 22" you do gain 3 more inches in size plus, you increase the resolution from 1280 x 1024 to 1680 x 1050 on the 22". It wouldn't be worth it if you had a 20" 1600 x 1200 lcd and upgrade to a 22" lcd. You should shoot for a 24". As far as 24" LCDs under $350, you can look at this:

Acer P243WAid 24" for $320

But, realistically, you need to spend like a good $400 for a decent 24" lcd.

As far as the 2 cards you just listed, get those IF you get a 24" lcd. The GTX260(216) is too much, look at this instead:

MSI N260GTX-T2D896 OC GeForce GTX 260 for $230($40 MIR) w/free shipping
192 stream processor version.


BFG Tech BFGEGTX260MC896OCE GeForce GTX 260 for $290 ($25 MIR) w/free shipping
216 stream processor version.

By the way, for a 22" --> MSI N260GTX-T2D896 OC GeForce GTX 260 for $230($40 MIR) w/free shipping is plenty power.
 
Ok, I was able to get an "open box" EVGA GeForce 260 Core 216 896MB DDR3 for $252...therefore, I think I need to pull the trigger on a 24" monitor. I looked and yes most are 400+....

Samsung 2443BWX 24" Widescreen LCD $409

Dell S2409W 24" Widescreen LCD $399

Gateway FHD2401 24" Widescreen HD LCD $429

Of these, the Gateway is appealing. It has a glossy screen which may work well since I do not have a backlight problem.

Any thoughts or others you might recommend.

I really appreciate all the insight. It was been very helpful.
 
Yup, but the Samsung 244BWX 24" look at picking that up at Costco for $350.00
http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11297826

The Dell s2409W 24" is a 16:9 aspect ratio. Therefore, its native res is at 1920 x1080 as oppose to 1920 x 1200 on a 16:10 24" display. Some people like this because they don't want to worry about the image being stretched when they have their console game systems connected to it. But, there are monitors that have 1:1 pixel mapping. Plus, you lose 120 pixels on height on the screen.

I don't like the Gateway TN displays. Too much backlight bleeding. I have their S-PVA line and it's good. As far as 24" glossy screen, I would look at the HP W2408H 24" instead. Looks nicer and picture quality is very good. I have the HP W2207H 22" model. Eventually, these will go on sale again at your local Best Buy or Circuit City location. Officemax had it for $429 no to long ago. Amazon.com has these new for $430
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8661673&type=product&id=1196470439175

Review
http://www.trustedreviews.com/displays/review/2008/01/24/HP-w2408h-Vivid-Color-24in-Monitor/p1


Other 24" monitors worth mentioning"

BenQ G2400WD
BenQ V2400W

Samsung 245BW
Samsung 2493HM



BMWM3 said:
Ok, I was able to get an "open box" EVGA GeForce 260 Core 216 896MB DDR3 for $252...therefore, I think I need to pull the trigger on a 24" monitor. I looked and yes most are 400+....

Samsung 2443BWX 24" Widescreen LCD $409

Dell S2409W 24" Widescreen LCD $399

Gateway FHD2401 24" Widescreen HD LCD $429

Of these, the Gateway is appealing. It has a glossy screen which may work well since I do not have a backlight problem.

Any thoughts or others you might recommend.

I really appreciate all the insight. It was been very helpful.
Click to expand...
 
1) If the monitor I select has a HDMI connection, is it worth the $50-$100 for a cable that has a DVI (Out of PC) to the HDMI (in to monitor)? It would appear to me that this would enhance the picture quality similar to a DVD player with an HDMI connection.

2) As I mentioned, I have a 260 Core 216 896MB DDR3. WIth this in mind, will there be any need to change/reduce the in-game settings on a 24" monitor thus reducing picture quality for high end games whereas I would not need to do so with a 22" monitor with slightly lower resolution?

Thanks for the help.

ps. yes, I'm a noob.
 
BMWM3 said:
1) If the monitor I select has a HDMI connection, is it worth the $50-$100 for a cable that has a DVI (Out of PC) to the HDMI (in to monitor)? It would appear to me that this would enhance the picture quality similar to a DVD player with an HDMI connection.

2) As I mentioned, I have a 260 Core 216 896MB DDR3. WIth this in mind, will there be any need to change/reduce the in-game settings on a 24" monitor thus reducing picture quality for high end games whereas I would not need to do so with a 22" monitor with slightly lower resolution?

Thanks for the help.

ps. yes, I'm a noob.
Click to expand...

If your monitor has both DVI and HDMI available you are fine using DVI<>DVI cable. If your only choice is VGA (blue plug) or HDMI on the monitor side then you would be better off using the DVI<>HDMI cable.

22" monitors generally have crappier panels than 24" panels. You might need to change settings slightly to get the same frame rates as you would on a 22" panel due to the higher resolution. 1680x1050 vs 1920x1200. There's a significant increase in the number of pixels.
 
1) $50 cable?!?!? monoprice.com. No, DVI and HDMI are equal in quality.

2) Maybe, depends on the game and your tolerance level.
 
Correct. But, some games you will be able to run it at 1920 x 1200 res. It really depends on how high you crank up the video settings in the game. A game like Crysis/Crysis Warhead and Stalker for example, It will slow down that GTX 260(216) video card if you have 1920 x 1200 res, very high settings, Anti-Aliasing and Anisotropic Filtering enabled. It will not play as smooth. You can either do this if you game on a 24"

1. Run 1920 x 1200 res, and run at medium-high settings with no AA enabled.

2. Run 1680 x 1050 res on a 24" and run all high settings with no AA enabled. Maybe run AA but you need to tweak your video settings. I wouldn't bother with AA and just go all high settings. You can also try high-very high settings at 1680 x 1050 with the Geforce GTX 260(216) card.

Now, I have gamed at various resolutions and have many monitors ranging from 17" - 28". If you run a game at 1680 x 1050 res on a 24", it looks pretty decent. I run COD4 with my 8800GT with high setting and 4x AA enabled. It looks very good. Stalker, too much for my 8800GT. I had to lower it to 1440 x 900 with high settings enabled. Crysis game, I had to run that at 1440 x 900 with settings all on high with no AA on my 8800GT.


By the way, on the HDMI to DVI cable. No way should you pay $50 for a cable or any cable. Get a cheap HDMI to DVI cable from monoprice.com that Enginurd just mentioned earlier. Right here 6ft Gold Plated for $4.00 Boom! Hehe

http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...d=1023104&p_id=2404&seq=1&format=1#largeimage


Note: I use to go by that where the more expensive a cable with all that tech jargon material etc saying it improves pic quality. But, when I bought the cable and compared it with a basic cable, I couldn't see any noticeable improvement if any. I returned the cable. Hehe.

BMWM3 said:
2) As I mentioned, I have a 260 Core 216 896MB DDR3. WIth this in mind, will there be any need to change/reduce the in-game settings on a 24" monitor thus reducing picture quality for high end games whereas I would not need to do so with a 22" monitor with slightly lower resolution?

Thanks for the help.

ps. yes, I'm a noob.
Click to expand...
 
Ok, based on everyone's help, the two monitors I am looking at are:

1) 24" HP W2408H http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8661673&type=product&id=1196470439175

I found out that my GTX 260 came with a HDMI to DVI converter so no need for a new cable!

2) 22" LG L227WTG-PF http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8739118&type=product&id=1201913867539

It would appear based on the responses that I will pretty much be able to run full bore settings with the LG 22' with just about every game. However, with the 24" I can run most games at a higher resolution but will need to reduce the resolution on the most advanced games as well as just enjoying a bigger screen. So now the dilemma....which one?

Any final thoughts?
 
Well one is 200 bucks more so they're in totally different territories... your budget should dictate which to get.
 
HP W2408H if you want to feel a bit more immersed in the game play.

LG 227WTG-PF for super fast gameplay with 0 input lag with higher fps gained than a 24" when running the game at its native res.

To give you an idea of what games I played on my 8800GT at 1920 x 1200res on a 24" and 28" lcd

1.UT3 at 1920 x 1200
2.Turok at 1920 x 1200
3.Rainbow 6 Vegas at 1920 x 1200
4.GOW at 1920 x 1200 (No AA enabled)

1680 x 1050 settings
1.COD4 with settings all on high with 4X AA enabled

1440 x 900 settings
1.Crysis with all high settings and no AA enabled
2.Crysis Warhead with Mainstream settings and no AA enabled
3.Stalker with high settings and no AA enabled

You will pay an extra $170 - $200 to get the HP 24" over the LG 22" though.
 
Thanks to all but especially HardwareGuru for all your time and input. As you can see, like most, I just want to get the best bang for my dollar without sacrificing quality....ya get what you pay for IMHO! As for my budget, I'm willing to go for the 24" if it's "worth" it....obviously, I just need to make that call. I may just try one and if I'm not sure, pick up the other and give it a shot...then return the "loser."

One final question....how does one check or verify input lag?
 
Not sure on checking input lag. But, TN panels don't really suffer input lag compared to other LCD monitors. Also, ghosting or motion blur is very minimal compared to MVA, PVA and IPS panels. What TN panels do suffer is lower horizontal/vertical view angles(especially on the vertical looking up) and it's not a true 8bit panel like a PVA, MVA or IPS. When choosing monitors, a TN panel is not suitable for people who do alot of photo editing because of the poor view angles, it suffers from color shift. You do not want that. This is where an MVA, PVA and IPS would be more suitable. Also, TN panels are only 6 bit panels not a true 8 bit where it can display 16.7 million colors. But, the newer TN panels have improved where the image quality is pretty good despite it being only a 6 bit panel. The reason why more panels are TN is to cut the cost down to manufacture. If most of the monitors use S-PVA or IPS panels, you can't get a LG 22" for no $260. It would run an easy $500 already. Most consumers won't pay this much for a 22" lcd panel.
 
My soyo is an m-vpa rated at 6ms... I haven't experienced any ghosting during what little gaming i've done (CSS) and the extensive movie-watching i've done. Superb/excellent/perfect quality viewing angles (i live in a dorm room in which we've crammed 18 people for movie night. nobody had problems from the sides or from underneath). So don't fear the non-TN for gaming speed. My old Dell e173 had awful viewing angles, and it was a TN. really no good for watching movies or anything other than straight-on close-range viewing.
 
The Soyo are pretty decent especially considering that you have the m-va model. The 3ms Soyo 24DYLM24D6 you currently find at Officemax are TN panel.
 
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