meade95 Posted January 8, 2006 Share Posted January 8, 2006 I am in the process of buying a new computer - I"m interested in advice on which video card I should purchase? I've heard some bad things about the GForce FX series......but I have liked past Gforce cards.... I'm going to get a 256RAM Card.....just not sure on which one I should purcahse. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevenmu Posted January 8, 2006 Share Posted January 8, 2006 (edited) I am in the process of buying a new computer - I"m interested in advice on which video card I should purchase? I've heard some bad things about the GForce FX series......but I have liked past Gforce cards.... I'm going to get a 256RAM Card.....just not sure on which one I should purcahse. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks ← The FX series cards are way out of date now, and even when they were 'in date' most people agree that there performance was poor compared to the equivelent ATi cards. The newer nvidia/geforce cards, the 6800 and 7800 series are much better and are generally thought to be as good as the equivelent ATi cards. (edit: people do argue that one is better than the other but this largely comes down to personal preference and hair splitting). No one knows yet how good a card will be needed to run GRAW well, so all anyone can really advise is to buy the best one you can afford. You'll find good reviews and comparisons of the current cards at http://www.tomshardware.com that'll hopefully help you decide. Edited January 8, 2006 by stevenmu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meade95 Posted January 8, 2006 Author Share Posted January 8, 2006 I am in the process of buying a new computer - I"m interested in advice on which video card I should purchase? I've heard some bad things about the GForce FX series......but I have liked past Gforce cards.... I'm going to get a 256RAM Card.....just not sure on which one I should purcahse. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks ← The FX series cards are way out of date now, and even when they were 'in date' most people agree that there performance was poor compared to the equivelent ATi cards. The newer nvidia/geforce cards, the 6800 and 7800 series are much better and are generally thought to be as good as the equivelent ATi cards. (edit: people do argue that one is better than the other but this largely comes down to personal preference and hair splitting). No one knows yet how good a card will be needed to run GRAW well, so all anyone can really advise is to buy the best one you can afford. You'll find good reviews and comparisons of the current cards at http://www.tomshardware.com that'll hopefully help you decide. ← Thank you for the link - Okay, so it is the 6800 / 7800 series GeForce cards that I should look into - I've always had a good experience with GeForce cards...currently have the ASUS Ti-4200 on my aging system.....and it has always worked well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Logos Posted January 8, 2006 Share Posted January 8, 2006 I am in the process of buying a new computer - I"m interested in advice on which video card I should purchase? I've heard some bad things about the GForce FX series......but I have liked past Gforce cards.... I'm going to get a 256RAM Card.....just not sure on which one I should purcahse. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks ← 7800GT if you can afford it. If not -- 6800GT. And if not a 6800GT, pm and we'll talk about a 6600GT. --Logos Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Razors-3Dge Posted January 9, 2006 Share Posted January 9, 2006 i got a 6600GT it works great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpl Ledanek Posted January 10, 2006 Share Posted January 10, 2006 got my 6600GT SLI just in case Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
insane snyper Posted January 10, 2006 Share Posted January 10, 2006 (edited) I highly recomend the Geforce 6800GS. It is one of their most recent cards out, intended to compete with atis ~$250 area cards. It performs about equal (usually 1-2fps less in benchmarks where games are running 80-100) to the 6800GT, but only costs $200. In fact I just put my new computer together last thursday and I got one of them. If you are looking at building your own computer I would recomend buying your parts from newegg.com as they have good prices and great customer service. Plus they ship really fast. I live in Alaska, ordered my parts last tuesday, and had my computer running by thursday afternoon. I would get an nForce 4 Ultra motherboard, Athlon64 3500+, and 6800GS. If you end up with money left over consider upgrading to a 7800GT which is more like $300 (though some of them come with Call of Duty 2 if youv been looking to get that anyway that saves like $50), or upgrading the processor to a 3800+ or the 3800+ x2 (thats a dual core processor, which is pretty nice for multitasking but theoretically could cause your games to run 1 or 2 frames per second slower unless the game has multithreading). Anyway I got the 6800GS, EPoX EP-9NPA+Ultra, 1GB Corsair Select RAM, Athlon 64 3800+ x2 plus case, power supply, hard drive, and combo cd/dvd burner/reader, and overall it only cost me 1k including shipping to Alaska. It runs great, boots up and loads xp home in about 20-30 seconds, and can run the slowest maps on Americas Army at 100+ frames per second with 2x Antialiasing. Its not the best machine out there but I will probably be able to run every game that comes out in the next year and a half at the highest settings with playable framerates, and 2-3 years at playable framerates if I turn down some settings. Again I highly recomend newegg.com if you are planning to build it yourself. Edited January 10, 2006 by insane snyper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpl Ledanek Posted January 10, 2006 Share Posted January 10, 2006 Start Here I know its an older build but its a nice tutorial on your first build. If not, then you should know where to go already. Pricegrabber for up-to-date pricing on competing online retailers. I always get myPentium/AMD Templates from this company. I pretty much get my "list" and inspirations from them. If you want to venture into SLI SLI Zone is a nice starting place and Asus A8N SLI, this forum is a treasure. If you want to go with DFI this is THE place to be. If you ever run into any problems, GR.NET Computer Forum is always you home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
=warcloud= Posted January 10, 2006 Share Posted January 10, 2006 I am in the process of buying a new computer - I"m interested in advice on which video card I should purchase? I've heard some bad things about the GForce FX series......but I have liked past Gforce cards.... I'm going to get a 256RAM Card.....just not sure on which one I should purcahse. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks ← Which video card to purchase?, there are so many. Are you a gamer? are you into video editing? If it's just general use, buy the cheapest card you can. I can't realy advise on video editing because i have never done that, maybe a google search will come up with some reviews. I have had a nvidia FX5800 128MB gfx card it was ok, played farcry low to medium settings was good enough but the card struggled to keep up. Most of last year i used a nvidia 6800GT 256MB agp gfx card was a lot better, but with new games and new game engines the 6800GT started to struggle so i had to opt for lower in game settings, the problem i have is that i like to see games in all there glory, so turning up a games settings to high and resolution at 1280 x 1024 60HZ and expecting decent framerates was troublesome for me. So i got me a X1800XT a better card but i'm not that impressed tbh, infact a complete waste of money, well it's an ok card i guess but like i said turn up the games high settings and you can bring most top end cards to a slow down. So all i could advise is be aware of the hype, don't waste your money, do a lot of research, find that middle ground, if it exists, lol sorry for the yapping on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhiteKnight77 Posted January 10, 2006 Share Posted January 10, 2006 The number one complaint I see on other forums I visit is why can't I run games at higher settings. Granted, some people are running games on a bottlenecked system, but a big problem is, people are using mid or low range video cards that run a price range from $50 to $250. To me that is a big mistake as you practically have to upgrade your video card to play games with the detail you want at a decent framerate. I recommend getting a top of the line card. So what if it is a bit more expensive to begin with. If it lasts 2 to 3 times longer than that budget or mid-range card, it will be worth it in the long run. If you can't afford it right away, save up more money to get it, you will enjoy your games more for doing so without the worry of how soon will I need to upgrade it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokin Posted January 10, 2006 Share Posted January 10, 2006 Honestly, I would NEVER recomend anyone get a top of the line graphic card. It doesnt make sense to me unless you have money to burn. A mid level card is prob the best way to go IMO. A top of the line card this year is 500, in 6 months from now itll be 250 when a new top line model comes out. if you think about the big pic , that same 500 bucks can get you a great mid level card that will most likly play all new game at a good graphic setting, AND give you the top line card you droolin over, only 6 months later. For the most part, software does not exsist to take advantage of newer graphic capabilitis. So the extra funds really dont give you much. Im also surprised noone is sugesting ATI card. My understanding was they were the best of the best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhiteKnight77 Posted January 10, 2006 Share Posted January 10, 2006 Honestly, I would NEVER recomend anyone get a top of the line graphic card. It doesnt make sense to me unless you have money to burn. A mid level card is prob the best way to go IMO. A top of the line card this year is 500, in 6 months from now itll be 250 when a new top line model comes out. if you think about the big pic , that same 500 bucks can get you a great mid level card that will most likly play all new game at a good graphic setting, AND give you the top line card you droolin over, only 6 months later. For the most part, software does not exsist to take advantage of newer graphic capabilitis. So the extra funds really dont give you much. Im also surprised noone is sugesting ATI card. My understanding was they were the best of the best. ← How does $750 mean less money for a video card? A $500 top of the line video card can be used at least 2 years if not more. I did that with my GF3 Ti 500 64MB (at that time a top of the line card) lasted me 2 years until I got my GF FX 5950 Ultra. While it actually died, it was 2 years since I bought it. I am due for a new video card. Now for you, you would have bought 4 video cards in that time at $1000 at $250 every 6 months. Who would have spent more, the person spending money every 2 years or $1000 for the same period of time? If my card had not died, I was going to see if it would make it a 3rd year. I stand by my recommendation of getting a high end card. You will save money over the long run and can handle most games that come out afterwards longer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokin Posted January 11, 2006 Share Posted January 11, 2006 Tech JUNKIE! How does $750 mean less money for a video card? A $500 top of the line video card can be used at least 2 years if not more. Its not $750, it the same 500 bucks you would spend for the best card today. 6 months ago the Radeon X850 pro was 500 buck. today someone can get it for 250. This card is powerful and can run ANYTHING. there is no game out there that this thing cant run maxed out, or damn near close to it. Sure someone can opt to pay twice that to get the newest ATI card ( Radeon X1800) for $550, but what does that person get thats better? Yes its a better card, but without the software to utilize what the thing can do you're just wasting money. Chances are itll be another 6-10 months before a game is made that would need a card like that to run with graphics maxed out. By the time it comes out, the card is at least half the cost of when it came out. Say you bought the newest ATI @ 500. I bought the model before it at 250. We'll both be able to run any and all games maxed out with no visable difference. 6 months from now, I have the option of deciding that the card I have is good enough, or just go ahead and purchase that same card you got, cept for half the price. Now I would have an extra card still worth at least 100 bucks. OK, been frugal enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Specter Posted January 11, 2006 Share Posted January 11, 2006 The number one complaint I see on other forums I visit is why can't I run games at higher settings. Granted, some people are running games on a bottlenecked system, but a big problem is, people are using mid or low range video cards that run a price range from $50 to $250. To me that is a big mistake as you practically have to upgrade your video card to play games with the detail you want at a decent framerate. I recommend getting a top of the line card. So what if it is a bit more expensive to begin with. If it lasts 2 to 3 times longer than that budget or mid-range card, it will be worth it in the long run. If you can't afford it right away, save up more money to get it, you will enjoy your games more for doing so without the worry of how soon will I need to upgrade it. ← Getting a top of the line card, unless you happen to have money to throw away, is actually a pretty dumb idea, and a complete waste of money. I recommend a generation, sometimes, depending on the card, maybe even 2 generations behind. You can still runn all the current games, in most cases, depending on the rest of your system, maxed out, and save a crap laod of money. Spending 500-700 dollars on a video card just so you can say you have it first is dumb. It isn't going to run anything any better in most cases than the last generation card at 50% or more off. Don't waste your money on that brand new, top of the line card. Go a generation behind, take the savings and buy RAM or a bigger HDD. Or even find a good deal on a mobo/proc combo. For instance, if you were really needing to be frugal, you can get an ATI 9800 Pro 128 that will run everything on Highest settings in BF2(provided the rest of your system is decent and you have enough RAM, for about 150 bucks. Knowing that, unless you have money to throw away, why spend 500 dollars+ on a video card? Makes no sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpl Ledanek Posted January 11, 2006 Share Posted January 11, 2006 Pls do not to turn this to another nVidia vs ATI debate. If this is your first build and have not done your research and still have that one hair on the back of your neck standing, Go Back and research and save some more. If you got no one watching your back on this first build, Go Back research and save some more. When your ready, just a suggestion. If your in the US, PC GAMER list 3 build budgets---entry/mid/high-end. See their list, see if your budget is somewhere on that list. I started with my first build mid---A7N8X mobo 4-5 yrs still running, finally upgrading my vidcard from GeForce4 Ti 4200 to 6600 OC GT. At the time of release of the Ti 4200 it was a mid-level, 4-5 yrs ago. Still kicks ass when I changed to an Omega Driver, see the benchmarks at the end of that forum. I resisted upgrading for 4-5 yrs. When I got a good raise and opened my piggy-bank (and cleaned my car seat for loose changes), I was able to build a SLI (6600GTs) system. Now I'm really set for another 7 yrs. So, now I leaped frog between two mid-range systems/vidcards. I love 6600GT I used that as a base for my final upgrade for the A7N8X dex board. Now this board has newer technology. I'm with WK on this subject, go mid-range. I could have went SLI'ed 2x 7800, but what games can I buy? A $10 budget/clearance bin UT2K? Return to Wolfstein? Midtown Madness? With 2 6600GTs I had spare to buy Far Cry ($15) and SC: Chaos Theory ($15). Then 4 months later HLF and BF2 dropped their prices. When you get comfortable with your build, and have cash for it, then splurge. Personally, with what I have learned from these two builds, I would splurge on the CPU---its just a pain to replace and makes me uncomfortable. The vidcard was the last thing I bought. Just me. Like Austin Powers said, "it just not my bag baby" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Specter Posted January 11, 2006 Share Posted January 11, 2006 (edited) Not a debate at all. I just used that ATI example because I had one. And it's a couple generations behind. I also have an Nvidia 6800GT 256MB that is also a couple gens behind that is an awesome card. Just examples only. Not for debate. Just remember: Video cards are important, but your system has to be able to keep up with them, so make sure that your system and any upgrades for that are considered equally when looking for a video card. Edited January 11, 2006 by Specter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cpl Ledanek Posted January 11, 2006 Share Posted January 11, 2006 7800GS AGP Just in case anyone is looking to upgrade their AGP card. See what I mean by researching. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mordred Posted January 13, 2006 Share Posted January 13, 2006 (edited) Im using pc's for quite a while and assembled most parts of em. My 2cents is: " Get a top line card , like a 7800gt card." I agree you waste money by buying the TOP line card like a 7800gtx since itll only give u a few more fps in a game but costs u now like 550€ instead of 350€ for 'almost' the same card. things to take into consideration: - Do i wanna play on my tft native resolution? - Do i go widescreen? (like 1600x1050) - Do i want it to last and not start lagging after 1year..... I remember i started out in gr with ti200 card, it ran great...........i thoughed so..until we went into FF with 50+ enamies,..... Than i moved to 9600XT....man it blew me away, i could turn all GPU settings to max and game lagfree wit even 80+ AI's...... Its like sound on your system, spend a few bucks for a decent soundcard, it releaves your mobo and cpu from extra work, GR lagged like hell on my ac97, when i installed a 24bit soundcard my lag dissolved..........strange but true. so bottomline: By the second or third best card at the moment, otherwise you're outdated already b4 u start to game............... (pc IS a fast moving business, its a shame but its true.....) Hey anybody wanna buy a 3.3mpix HP camera for 600€ ???? -M- oh yeah: Whats the use of a bottleneck card in like say a 4400+x2 sli configuration? Im gonna buy an sli board, not that i need it cause im gonna go for 1 GPU, but in like 2 years i can buy that same GPU for like less than 50% of its money and i practically double my GPU power to run newer game sagain at a cheap solution..... Edited January 13, 2006 by mordred Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whoa182 Posted January 13, 2006 Share Posted January 13, 2006 (edited) I hope my Power Color ATI X850XT PE run GR3 ok When they going to release the recommended specs for this game Edited January 13, 2006 by whoa182 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foxtrot360 Posted January 13, 2006 Share Posted January 13, 2006 (edited) well, be prepared to blow up 500$ on a video card thats gonna be outdated the next few months (if your gonna play GRAW) not to mention the motherboard to handle it and the RAM to a 1 gb with some half-assed "fast" proccessor by AMD.. Edited January 13, 2006 by Foxtrot23 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrowmanUK Posted January 13, 2006 Share Posted January 13, 2006 I'd definitely go for a card with PCI-express for the graphics card too, nvidia havent made any 7800's for AGP and its gonna die pretty soon so make sure your motherboard supports PCI-e, I recently built a new one and went for an Asus A8N-SLi Premium nForce4 SLi board and its a belter, I've put a 64 bit chip in it but it will take a dual core later on, its sli too so whatever graphics card you buy now you can always put another one in later when the price drops. Make a list of the bits you want and price them up every week at a couple of places, once the price gets to what you want jump in and get it, it took me nearly 4 weeks before it was right and I couldnt be happier with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Specter Posted January 14, 2006 Share Posted January 14, 2006 I'd definitely go for a card with PCI-express for the graphics card too, nvidia havent made any 7800's for AGP and its gonna die pretty soon so make sure your motherboard supports PCI-e, I recently built a new one and went for an Asus A8N-SLi Premium nForce4 SLi board and its a belter, I've put a 64 bit chip in it but it will take a dual core later on, its sli too so whatever graphics card you buy now you can always put another one in later when the price drops. Make a list of the bits you want and price them up every week at a couple of places, once the price gets to what you want jump in and get it, it took me nearly 4 weeks before it was right and I couldnt be happier with it. ← Actually, I think it will be awhile before AGP dies out. Too many people can't rush out and upgrade most of their machine, plus the Vid card mfr's are making alot of new AGP cards. I agree that if you are building a machine, and have the money to do so, go with something that is PCIe. But there is no major meed to run out and upgrade all of that stuff to play a game. There are plenty of good AGP cards that will run it just fine. You have to remember, that while the games advance in hardware requirements, they aren't going to go as far as to cut out most of the market. Both ATI and Nvidia are still making good, decently priced AGP cards that will get you through at least another year of gaming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingsheridan Posted January 14, 2006 Share Posted January 14, 2006 Get ATLEAST an Nvidia 6800 to run 2006 games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Specter Posted January 14, 2006 Share Posted January 14, 2006 (edited) I agree. Or even the new 6600GS. Or the ATI x800 series in AGP. My point was, that the AGP standard is alive and well, and as strong as ever, and will deliver good service through the year. Save your cash up for a new rig for next year. Edited January 18, 2006 by Specter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
insane snyper Posted January 17, 2006 Share Posted January 17, 2006 I said it once and I'l say it again: geforce 6800GS. $200 and it will play any game that comes out this year, and part of next year on highest settings. Will last 4-5 years turning down the settings. And keep in mind that the reason you have to turn down the settings is because the graphics are getting better, so a game three years from now with its settings turned down to get a playable framerate will actually look better than a game you can run maxed out right now! Absolutely get PCI Express for the upgradeability. And about the 7800GS nVidia announced that it will not be released to the public. It was just some project of theirs. I am waiting to see if they come out with a 7600 line though...? or 7200? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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