Videocard Upgrade for my Main System

Thanatos.

Thanatos.

Gawd
Joined
Jun 24, 2005
Messages
744
Ive been out of the game for awhile now and want a cheepish ($200) upgrade to the EVGA 8800GT 512MB in my main system (my HTPC would then inherit the 8800GT) ive been looking into a EVGA GTX 260 Core 216 but my question is this will this card enable me to run most games mid to high settings at 1920x1200 on my monitor for the most part my 8800GT has handled most games but on Fallout 3 i had to drop to mid disable AA and lower res to 1680x1050 to get smooth gameplay. Now im not expecting Crysis on high but at least Left 4 Dead and Fallout 3 on high. So GTX 260 Core 216 or some other card (as long as its close to $200)
 
I would not pay $200 for a GTX 260 core 216. $130 is about tops.

I'm going to play devil's advocate and recommend a Radeon.

I have the EVGA GTX 260 192 core and find 2x AA on Fallout 3 is not smooth. Granted, the 216 version will give you 10% boost, but I'd still lean towards a better card. I would rather spend $260 on a Radeon 5850 than $200 on a GTX 260.
 
If buying now, and willing to spend $250, you're an idiot if you don't go with the 5850. If not willing to spend $250 I'd recommend picking up a high end previous gen card for less than $150 (GTX 260, 4870, 4890) and wait it out.
 
While i appreciate the responses i posted this in the Nvidia section for a reason, i hate ATIs drivers and have always been a Nvidia guy so im going to stick with them, also $250 is way over my budget for this i could see going over say $20 over $200 but not much more.
 
I recommend you look for used/unopened resale such as in the FS forum or ebay. A 260 probably wouldn't be a huge improvement over an 8800, when you consider that it's 200 series name is the 250. I would at least try for a 275.

The reason I recommend buying used or new resale is that I just lucked out and bought an unopened BFG GTX 285 for $230 in the FS forum, and it's even still eligible for warranty! Look around before you buy!
 
Thanatos. said:
While i appreciate the responses i posted this in the Nvidia section for a reason, i hate ATIs drivers and have always been a Nvidia guy so im going to stick with them, also $250 is way over my budget for this i could see going over say $20 over $200 but not much more.
Click to expand...

I had 8800 GTX Tri-SLI, and I can tell you that Radeon HD 4890 Crossfire has been far far less trouble... so unless you have recent experience with ATI drivers, let it go. They've changed a lot since the X800 I had before going Nvidia for several years.
 
I've got an HD 5850, 8800GT and GTX 260 (192), there is no doubt the GTX 260 is an upgrade over the 8800GT, but if your intended resolution is 1920x1200, I don't think you are going to be happy with it or the core 216 version. At a minimum you should be looking at the GTX 275 or a screaming deal on a GTX 285.

To be honest, I know you prefer Nvidia, but at the moment the HD 5850 is probably the card for you. It offers future DX11 compatibility and benches pretty well at 1920x1200. If your dead set against ATI, perhaps you should wait a few months until Nvidia releases their new cards, then you can either move up to one of them or get a better deal on the GTX 285. If you have to buy now, the radeon 5850 meets your needs, but costs a bit more than your budget, although it's usually much cheaper than the GTX 285.
 
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Thanks for all the responses the HD 5850 is looking better and better as long as ATI has sorted out their dual screen options. But looking into things i think ill wait a couple of months till the Furmi is out and look into it if its mid range is at all affordable and if not im sure all the other cards will drop in price and i can afford to get a better card then i could right now with my budget.
 
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I have to agree with everyone recommending the 5850.

Save up a few more bucks and pick up the 5850.
 
You're going to have to wait at least 5 more months for new cards from Nvidia that fit your budget. Variants of GF100 (Fermi) are not scheduled to come out till end of march at the earliest, most likely april.
 
Thanatos. said:
While i appreciate the responses i posted this in the Nvidia section for a reason, i hate ATIs drivers and have always been a Nvidia guy so im going to stick with them, also $250 is way over my budget for this i could see going over say $20 over $200 but not much more.
Click to expand...

Those are God awful excuses. If you can go $20 over, why cant you save one week the additional $30.

Fact is, The 5850 out performs the 285 in nearly every single application by about 15-20%. It takes a shit on that 216 core 260 you are looking to buy for 200 bux. If remaining a fanboy is more important than making a logically sound choice then that is your cup of tea. I'm just a big supporter of using my brain rather than clinging to a company regardless of the better offerings of the other player.

Thats just Silly Willy
 
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If you're dead set on NVidia, then with your budget a GTX275 is the best you're going to get. Whereas if you get ATI, you could get a 4870 or 4890 for about $30 cheaper than the 260/275 respectively, or you could get a 5850 for $30 more, which will completely destroy the GTX285 in almost any game you care to name while being a lot cheaper as well. Really, at the moment ATI is king. No offense, but if you buy a mid/high end NVidia card right now at retail prices, you really are a bit of an idiot.
 
ONLY IF YOUR GETTING/WANT COD MW 2

Best Buy has a deal when you pre-order Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 for Windows, you can save $60 on a BFG video card.
I would get the BFG - NVIDIA GeForce GTX 275 OC 896MB video card for $200 ($259.99 - $60).
 
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