Graphic card debate... please help!

U

Urobo[l]us

New Member
Hi there,

I'm looking for a new graphic card to replace my Radeon 9600. I've been searching quite a bit, but can't really decide so I thought I'd come here for opinions.

Basically I'm wanting to spend < $150. I've narrowed it down to the X1950Pro, but the more I get researching, the more things I keep coming across that I just don't have the time to research. I see them on www.pricewatch.com for like $130; is there anything better in the price range? I see these new HD 2600 cards, but can't find much info on them or how they compare to other ATI and nVidia cards.

Any help would be appreciated!

Thanks!
 
ACtually, the more I'm reading, it sounds like these Direct X 10 compatible cards are the way to go like the HD2x00 series cards, and the new nVidia ones coming out? Anyone know how the HD cards hold up to the X1950's. Sorry, I really couldn't find anything on the net. Thanks!
 
Ok, I think I'm jsut going in circles here, lol.

I was able to find some stuff on the new generation cards, the DX10, HD, etc. ones. Pretty much anything I'm reading says to stay away from them for now because most only go up to 128-bit (that are in my price range) and there are no DX10 games out yet (at least none that I'd play). So I guess I'm back to the X1950Pro and the same question: anything better in the approx. < $150 price range.

Thanks!
 
hmm, well as much as i hate to say this, being an nvidia guy, the x1950 really is the best card in that price range. the 8600gt doesnt compete in the benchmarks, so for that pricerange yeah, id say get the 1950. or you could wait until the 8800gt comes out, and save your money in the meantime, and get a REALLY nice card for the price.
 
I'd save your money, the 8800GT is supposedly coming out sometime this month... Also the 8800GTS' rev 2 are coming out sometime...
 
Thanks for the replys and help!

THis might seem like a stupid question, but what is the biggest difference between the two? Is the 8800GT worth the $100-$150 price different between the two.

Looking at the specs the 8800GT is DX10 compatible, has way more stream processors, and has a memory bandwidth of +10GB/sec over the X1950PRO. However, the X1950PRO has a faster core clock, memory clock... that's about it.

I guess my biggest question is, will the difference be that noticable between the two? I can get an X1950Pro for about $135, and the 8800GT (which just came out today) is at approx. $260. I guess I could wait a few weeks for the price to come down, but I'm pretty impatient, LOL.

Really, the only game I'm playing right now is Final Fantasy XI, which my current card does well with, but once a few people get on screen the FPS drops pretty bad. I don't know if DX10 would do anything different for it. But down the road, I'd like to try the Elder Scrolls games, maybe a few other FPS' like Unreal 2008, some other things.

Thanks again!
 
Yeah it is. Word of advice; you can't accurately compare specs from two different cards, unless they are using the same core architecture. G73-G71 for example, you can compare the specs of a 7600gt with a 7900gt, the two cores are very similar, and spec difference will actually equate to performance edge. But an ATI card to an Nvidia, or a geforce7 to a geforce8 even, doesn't work that way. Use benchmarks in these occasions, to see performance difference. :)

Gt looks really good, better than the more expensive 8800gts'! I'm probably going to get one myself...
 
Oops, I'm getting my computers mixed up. The one I'm replacing is a PCI-e, the cheapest one I can find, can't remember which one, but it works about as well (a little less better) than my 9600 in my other comp.

Thanks for correcting me.
 
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