Tax time upgrades

R

Rev.

Limp Gawd
Joined
Sep 12, 2005
Messages
401
My 8800 GTX isnt cutting it any more. Moniter is too much for it.


I used to be a huge AMD/ATI fan, but have been nVidia now for years now. I have become quite the BFG fan.

What is the best card for my platform?
I have looked at everything from the 4850 x2 - 4870 X2 to the GTX 285 and GTX 295.

Whatever I get, I need a new PSU. This one is 3 years old and at 600 watts wont cut it with a higher end card.

Suggestions?

Price is somewhat of a factor, hence why I havent just decided on a BFG GTX 295 LOL! But I havent ruled it out. ;)
 
Well, if the gtx 285 drops below the 320 mark i'd say snatch one, as it only requires a 550watt psu i believe with 40A on +12V rail. Plus single gpu is preferable to multigpu solution anyday if you want rockhard stability. Plus it overclocks pretty high. from what i've concluded on various reviews those reviewers without core i7 and with the older arch cpu's experience better comparisons of gtx 285 vs 4870x2 cause the 4870x2 gets cpu bottlenecked and the gtx 285 doesn't experience it as much.
 
My favorite three video card board partners are EVGA XFX and BFG, all simply for warranty support. XFX has recently signed with ATI, XFX branded HD 4k cards are now on store shelves and they come with all the nice warranty features XFX offers.

that said, you wont notice much of a bump from anything less than an HD4870 or GTX 260.
 
I have been told by a lot of people that the 4850 x2 is the way to go.

What is holding my back is the double GPU issue and the added headaches that can come with them. That and I have been away from ATI for so long...

GTX 285 is very tempting for me. I would certianly not mind going with BFG :)
 
Ye i saw that the other day the XFX deal ends the 22nd of this month. I'm sure though the prices of the gtx 285 will drop by the 10th of next month.
 
I am suprised that nobody has recommended an ATI card.

I am pretty sure I will go with either an EVGA or BFG GTX 285. Thanks for the suggestions. That way I can try to keep my current PSU and save some more cash.....

That will make my wife "happy" over an upgrade LOL!
 
OK, I can't take it. I am plagued by the 4850 X2s. They seem to be stinking powerful cards and they are cheaper than the GTX 285s.....

Are there any decent drivers for these?

I am running XP still.
 
I'd stay away...Catalyst Control Panel is just no good.. Drivers alone is why I recommend an Nvidia solution. Get GTX285 and have a good ol' time!
 
Rev. said:
OK, I can't take it. I am plagued by the 4850 X2s. They seem to be stinking powerful cards and they are cheaper than the GTX 285s.....
Click to expand...

Yeah they are a better bang for the buck. But you gotta consider that if you do run into headaches there wont be a lot of help available. It's a vendor specific product not officially supported or marketed by ATi so you may end up on your own if stuff blows up.
 
You get what you pay for. GTX285 may be little higher price, but it's a solid performing card with quality drivers from nvidia.
 
well for many, there is nothing wrong with CCC, to each their own, NVIDIA and ATI have their share of driver issues, some people like one over the other, i like CCC easy to navigate and do what i need, but so is NVIDIA control panel... to me they are even... i see no issues with either

i have owned both, the issue is when you get into dual GPU , you can have game issues where the game doesnt support it and such..

and this is why personally, as much as i love ati (my 4850 rules) if a single core GPU is as fast as a dual gpu deal, i would rather get the single GPU card, as you know it will work with %100 of all games...
 
Well, thanks for all the help. Between this thread and the one I posted in the PSU forum I have been helped in my decision making process.

It is funny, a few years ago I was an AMD/ATI fanboi....

I am going for the GTX 285 and keeping this present PSU (unless it gives issues after I get the new card).

This is gonna be a decent upgrade and it wont break the bank.

I may even spring for a nice 1 TB drive to replace my storage drive (presently at 80% capacity).

Thanks for the suggestions :D
 
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