Which card should I get?

[sth128]

Hi all first time poster. Great forum you have here.

I'm looking to buy a new card, more specifically, a nVidia card. The reason being half of Radeon X series do not support SM3 (guess which half I am) and now I can't play the new splinter cell (very mad at Ubi too, won't buy their products again).

Before I list my options, I would first like to get some comments on how long a current gen card will last. Obviously I won't be able to afford the DX10 cards since they cost close to $1000 each. I'm assuming my new card will have at least 3 to 4 years of life span based on the assumption that DX10 games won't be out till early 2008 while DX9 support will continue in all games till late 2010 (except Ubi, those cut throat bastards will probably stop supporting DX9 in 2007).

Ok here is a list of cards available to me based on my limited budget (I live in Canada btw):
(brand / chipset / core Mhz / RAM Ghz):
Asus EN7900GS - 450 / 1.32
Asus EN7900GT - 450 / 1.3
BFG 7600GT OC - 580 / 1.45
BFG 7900GS OC - 525 / 1.32
eVGA 7600GT CO - 600 / 1.56
eVGA 7900GS - 450 / 1.32
eVGA 7900GS KO - 500 / 1.38
Gigabyte NX79G256DP-RH (7900GS / no info)
Leadtek PX7900GS TDH - 450 / 1.32
XFX 7900GS - 480 / 1.4
and
ASUS 7900GT TOP - 520 / 1.44 (this costs most but fastest, apparently)

Which do you think I should go for? Right now I'm leaning toward eVGA's 7900GS KO since it seems to be the best bang for buck...

 

[Stoly]

If you can wait till february there will be a mainstream g80 for like 300 bucks

 

[sth128]

BTW, I will not be watching blue ray (frankly, neither HD-DVDs) so don't take HDCP support into account (afterall I won't be getting a BR drive anyway).

I'm looking for longevity meaning being able to play all titles (not necessary at highest settings, I'm happy being mediocre LOL) till I build my next PC.

On an unrelated subject, any other ATI users out there feel like they've been screwed by ATI?

 

[sth128]

If you can wait till february there will be a mainstream g80 for like 300 bucks

Thanks for the reply. Febuary eh? So my copy of double agent will stay in the box for 4 months?

Will the G80 out perform the 7900GS by a significant margin? How much longer life span would these G80 have compared to the 7900 chipset?

Afterall, newer doesn't always mean better. My X850 will out perform all the X1000 series up till maybe X1800... Will these G80's be a step backwards in terms of performance while boasting minimum support for DX10?

 

[Stoly]

Well, taking into account recent history based on the geforce 6 and 7 series, the mainstream products perform really well. For example the 7900GS is on par with a 6800GT. Since the G80 is a new architecture, I expect a 8800GS to perform on par as a 7950GT. plus you get DX10

 

[Stoly]

BTW there is no such thing as a "minimal DX10 support" a card either fully complies with DX10 or its not DX10

 

[pRS317]

you can get a sweet deal in the sale forum and then flip it in 4 months when the mainstream 8800 comes out, for not much less than what you get it for, today. there have been some 7800gtx's going for $175, and the gt's for less than that.

 

[Unabomber]

I'd go with the BFG 7900 GS.

My reasons were:

There's a rebate going on, and you can get it for the mid-upper 100's, after all is said and done, from Newegg. Yes, you can get the other branded 7900 GS from Best Buy for 150, but after sales tax, you're paying only slightly less for an inferior card.

The BFG 7900 GS comes overclocked already, and actually beats out several other manufacturers' 7900 GT cards.

BFG's customer service and tech support have been there when I needed them.

The 7900 GS is a nice sweet spot in terms of price / performance.

 

[Endurancevm]

The 7900GS is the fastest of the bunch that you listed, I would get that.

 

[shalako]

oops

 

[sth128]

The 7900GS is the fastest of the bunch that you listed, I would get that.

I listed a bunch of 7900GS cards...

@Stoly:

So you're saying my X850XT does not support DX9 AT ALL? Besides, what I meant by "minimal support" is that even though some cards claim to support certain things, it is more than likely you cannot actually utilize those functions in games. For example, while X1300 would be able to run Double Agent, I very much doubt the card will perform to any degree of satisfaction should I turn on all the graphical splenders. Will the G80 cards actually be able to run DX10 games WELL?

@Unabomber:

Ok here is a list of cards available to me based on my limited budget (I live in Canada btw):

==============================

Regarding 7900GS being merely on par with 6800GT, I'm quite shocked by such comment (shouldn't it be at least a little bit better)? Can anyone else confirm this?

Also perhaps I did not make this clear. Price is not a factor here. I have already chosen a store from which I will purchase so no need to quote me deals. I am looking for two things: performance and logevity. Base on those two points alone which of the ones I listed scores best? As well, with regards DX10 are the consequences significant enough to warrant me to wait till the "next gen" cards?

 

[AdamNesvick]

eVGA 7900GS KO - 500 / 1.38

I have this card and its great, and its actually more on par with a 7800GTX than a 6800GT folks, they are fast lil cards. Evga is 2nd to none in my book, I only buy their graphics cards if I'm getting Nvidia flavor( Please EVGA make ati cards? )

 

[sth128]

*bump*

Could I at least get another person to comment on my choice?

 

[odachimaster]

Check out this card: XFX Geforce 7900GTX PCI-E Video Card PV-T71F-YDF9, 512MB GDDR3, Dual DVI Out, SLI Ready, HDTV Ready, PureVideo

Regular price:$539.00
On Sale: $469.99 1.67 / clock speed 670 (675) from directron.com

We put a chunk of change and about three thousand price checks into crafting this
computer. and directron was priced high on only four items and no more then nine dollars
But as always check around.

 

[Blackforge]

Check out this card: XFX Geforce 7900GTX PCI-E Video Card PV-T71F-YDF9, 512MB GDDR3, Dual DVI Out, SLI Ready, HDTV Ready, PureVideo

Regular price:$539.00
On Sale: $469.99 1.67 / clock speed 670 (675) from directron.com

We put a chunk of change and about three thousand price checks into crafting this
computer. and directron was priced high on only four items and no more then nine dollars
But as always check around.

Isn't a 8800GTS faster than this and near the same price?

 

[gorilla show]

Check out this card: XFX Geforce 7900GTX PCI-E Video Card PV-T71F-YDF9, 512MB GDDR3, Dual DVI Out, SLI Ready, HDTV Ready, PureVideo

Regular price:$539.00
On Sale: $469.99 1.67 / clock speed 670 (675) from directron.com

We put a chunk of change and about three thousand price checks into crafting this
computer. and directron was priced high on only four items and no more then nine dollars
But as always check around.

7900GTX for 469.99!?!??!

Why not just get an 8800GTS for ~$500 or less?

EDIT: Blackforge, you beat me as I was typing this, lol

 

[Blackforge]

7900GTX for 469.99!?!??!

Why not just get an 8800GTS for ~$500 or less?

EDIT: Blackforge, you beat me as I was typing this, lol

Heck I'm thinking about selling my 7900GTX for a 8800GTS and overclock it so I can drive my Dell 3007WFP at 2560x1600 better. Plus I have a $100 Concession coupon, plus FW rebate, etc. I think I would need to get a new power supply if I aimed for the GTX...

 

[sth128]

My budget is $300... I'm not gonna buy a $500 card unless you're gonna help with the extra 200.

The eVGA card I'm considering is only $240...

 

[Arcygenical]

Have you ever considered buying from DirectCanada.ca ?

I've made 3 orders with them... and each have been flawless. Ordered Wed. recieved Fri. Free shipping too...

They usually have cards cheaper then places like NCIX.com or Tigerdirect.ca

 

[sth128]

You mean DirectCanada.COM...?

Not exactly a bundle of savings there. For example:

Card ---------------- DC ----- Store near my house
Asus EN 7900GT        $360      $280
Asus EN 7900GT TOP    $395      $300

If you live in Ontario, you should buy computer hardware from here:
http://www.canadacomputers.com/

 

[tisb0b]

have you tried looking at the x1950pro or x1950xt both of which should be in your price range?

 

[sth128]

@tisb0b:

I'm looking to buy a new card, more specifically, a nVidia card. The reason being half of Radeon X series do not support SM3 (guess which half I am) and now I can't play the new splinter cell (very mad at Ubi too, won't buy their products again).

There's an old saying that George W Bush never quite figured out: Cheat me once, shame on you, cheat me twice... Shame on ATI!!!

Screw ATI. The X850XT says "DX9" support on the box, well spank me sideways I guess SM3.0 must be DX 20... Cause I don't see any support from my damn card. It'll be a cold day in the sun before I buy another product from ATI or Ubisoft.

 

[odachimaster]

GeForce 8800 GTX / GeForce 8800 GTS
Price $600 / $450
DirectX DirectX 10, SM4 / DirectX 10, SM4
Transistors 681M / 681M
Core speed 575MHz / 500MHz
Stream processors 128 / 96
Shader speed 1.35GHz / 1.2GHz
Memory 768MB 640MB
Memory speed 900MHz (1.8GHz DDR) / 800MHz (1.6GHz DDR)
Memory interface 384-bit / 320-bit

LEFT SIDE GTX / RIGHT SIDE GTS
XFX Geforce 7900GTX 1.67 / clock/ENGINE/CORE speed 670 (675) THIS IS ONE ARTICLE. SO THIS CARD UPLOADS A LITTLE FASTER. BUT THE OTHER CARD HAS MORE MEMORY. FOR ULT GAMING THIS EDGES IT OUT BUT JUST BARELY OVERALL THE 8800GTS IS A BETTER CARD. THE BEST PRICE I HAVE FOUND SO FAR IS $446.00 IT LOOKS AS IF THE RETAILERS ARE GOING OVER MFG. SUGG. RET. SORRY ON THEIR PART. THANKS FOR BRINGING THAT UP.

 

[direowls]

My budget is $300... I'm not gonna buy a $500 card unless you're gonna help with the extra 200.

The eVGA card I'm considering is only $240...

Your budget is $300? Why don't you get a 7950GT then? Most are coming down to the 270's after rebate.

Oh, and DX9 does not require SM3.0. The Geforce FX cards don't support SM3.0 either (and they are DX9).

 

[odachimaster]

eVGA GeForce 7950GT KO PCI-E Video Card 512-P2-N635-AR, 512MB DDR3, SLI Ready, HDTV, w/ Dual DVI-I
EVGA video cards have attained "Designed for Windows XP" certification. These video cards have passed rigorous testing and take full advantage of all of the features and capabilities of Microsoft Windows XP.

Features: NVIDIA SLI Ready. Full Microsoft DirectX 9.0 Shader Model 3.0 support. True high dynamic-range (HDR) lighting support. NVIDIA PureVideo Technology. Built for Microsoft Windows Vista. Dual dual-link DVI supports two 2560x1600 resolution displays. NVIDIA CineFX 4.0 Engine. NVIDIA Intellisample 4.0 Technology. NVIDIA ForceWare Unified Driver Architecture (UDA). NVIDIA nView multi-display technology. PCI Express support. OpenGL 2.0 Support. HDCP enabled.

Specifications: Performance: NVIDIA GeForce 7950 GT. 560 MHz GPU. 24 Pixel Pipelines. 400 MHz RAMDAC. Memory: 512 MB, 256 bit DDR3. 1450 MHz (effective). 46.4 GB/s Memory Bandwidth. Interface: PCI-E 16X. DVI-I, DVI-I, HDTV-7. SLI Capable. Resolution & Refresh: 240 Hz Max Refresh Rate. 2048x1536 x 32bit x85Hz Max Analog. 2560x1600 Max Digital.

Systems Requirements: Minimum of a 400 Watt power supply. (Minimum recommended power supply with +12 Volt current rating of 20 Amp Amps.) Minimum 500 Watt for SLI mode system. (Minimum recommended power supply with +12 Volt current rating of 28 Amp Amps.) An available 6 pin PCI-E power connector (hard drive power dongle to PCI-E 6 pin adapter included with card).
Price $289.99 at directron Manufacturer Rebate Available Till 11/30/2006 -$20.00
$269.99

 

[sth128]

@odachimaster:

Did you read my post? I live in Canada. North to USA, second largest country in the world? Hard to miss.

290 USD = 332.659 CAD
Live mid-market rates as of: Friday, November 17, 2006 - 10:30:49 PM EST
(1 USD = 1.1471 CAD)

Even $270 is still over 300 loons. Not to mention international shipping, that is, if that particular site offers shipping to Canada (neweggs doesn't, I doubt a lesser known company would).

A three hundred dollar limit means everything including taxes, must add up to a sum of less than 300 dollars. No wonder your country's budget is in the red, buying video cards more expensive than what you have...

 

[Arcygenical]

Shop at DirectCanada.com...
I've placed 3 orders with them in the last month and all have been stellar. Free ground shipping on most stuff, and 6% tax (unless you live in BC).

The free shipping, from BC to Toronto takes 2 days...


Anyways, I recommend the eVGA 7900GS KO... Yeah, it might not be as fast as some of the other GT's, but it's an eVGA card. They have incredible service and support, especially for a Canadian (read: they have a 1800# and cross shipped to me, out of Kentucky, USA).

 

[tisb0b]

@tisb0b:

There's an old saying that George W Bush never quite figured out: Cheat me once, shame on you, cheat me twice... Shame on ATI!!!

Screw ATI. The X850XT says "DX9" support on the box, well spank me sideways I guess SM3.0 must be DX 20... Cause I don't see any support from my damn card. It'll be a cold day in the sun before I buy another product from ATI or Ubisoft.

No need to be a dick just because you have an ati direct x 9 sm2 card you seem to think its ati's fault because you bought it and it wasn't sm3 now it won't play all of the latest games. OH NOES it got outdated what a surprise I mean it happens so rarely so what were you to think. Anyways both of those cards I suggested currently beat nvidia's offerings in that price range.

If you buy an nvidia card now are you gonna get shitty with them because it doesn't support sm4.0 and direct x 10 because in a year or two your not going to be able to play the latest games?

 

[sth128]

Hey love ATI all you want, who am I to judge. The box says "full DX9 support" and last I check DX9.0c is still part of DX9. That's called false advertisement.

And yes I'm buying a nVidia card that doesn't have DX10 support, big deal, at least I KNOW what I'm getting (full DX9). If you think all games in a year or two are gonna stop ALL DX9 support then that's your opinion. Your opinion isn't fact, nor will it be unless all gamers decided they would all give in to big companies and get a new card when the companies make one (in which case I would suggest you spend your life savings on their stock since their sales will probably go up by 200,000%).

Lastly, if you think I'm a dick then you're completely wrong. I'm not the one being screwed here. ATI is now part of AMD, I foresee lots more customer screwing in the coming years... I'm a dick? Well you're just naive and uninformed of the cruel reality.