What card to buy ?

J

Jazeker

New Member
Hi,

Sorry for the newbie question...

I am looking to buy a new card, since my Geforce 4MX440 doesn't do the trick anymore on games like COD:UO. However... being quite demanding, I want a card that :
* will last me at least another 2 years (like this one did)
* can do dual monitor : one TFT for day to day work, and my CRT for watching DVD's.
* will not eat my wallet ??? ;)

Any ideas ? While I'm at it : how does dual monitor behave ? Does windows have a some software thingies with which I can choose what will be displayed on which monitor ? I really don't know...

Thanks !
 
Praetor said:
How much chewing can your wallet take?
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Depends... a good card can cost 100-150 euros (that will be 10 trillion dollars at the current rate :P

Most important is that I am not paying excessively for performance that will mainstream in two months, I mean.

The X800Pro/6800 should fit that bill but it depends on teh budget
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6800 = 256MB, 333 ? Does it do dual monitors and how ?

Thx
 
6800 = 256MB, 333 ? Does it do dual monitors and how ?
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6800s are typically 128MB i have know idea what you mean by '333' .. a few exceptions include the ASUS V9999GE which the same clock and memory as ahte 6800GT (the only difference is that it used the 6800GPU) .. you might be able to get it for that price bracket
 
Praetor said:
6800s are typically 128MB i have know idea what you mean by '333' .. a few exceptions include the ASUS V9999GE which the same clock and memory as ahte 6800GT (the only difference is that it used the 6800GPU) .. you might be able to get it for that price bracket
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Sorry... meant the memory speed... so DDR 333. Is 256MB not getting commonplace in the coming months then ? I bought my 64MB card when 128MB cards were getting popular.
 
Sorry... meant the memory speed... so DDR 333
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Well the specs of the 6800 dont have a single "333" in it so i duno what you're talking about (the speed of the 6800 is 325/350)

Is 256MB not getting commonplace in the coming months then
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I didnt say they werent, i was just saying that the 6800 is spec'd to come with 128.
 
Praetor said:
Well the specs of the 6800 dont have a single "333" in it so i duno what you're talking about (the speed of the 6800 is 325/350)
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Wouldn't that be the cpu speed of the card then ? Was referring to memory clock speed.

I didnt say they werent, i was just saying that the 6800 is spec'd to come with 128.
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I think I still have some reading to do :-(

Do those cards support dual monitors and do you have any experience with that ?

thx so far :)
 
Wouldn't that be the cpu speed of the card then ? Was referring to memory clock speed.
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No. The 6800s are clocked at 325/350

I think I still have some reading to do :-(
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The amount of memory doesnt have THAT big of a bearing with games when you compare it to the GPU on the card. Case in point, consider the follwoing two comparisons

nVidia reference 6800GT against the ASUS V9999GE:
nVidia Reference
Chip: GeForce6800GT
Pipes: 16/6
Clocks: 350/500
Memory: 256MB GDDR3

ASUS V9999GE
Chip: GeForce6800
Pipes: 12/5
Clocks: 350/500
Memory: 256MB GDDR3
Here we have equal memory and equal clocks, the nVidia reference will pull way ahead because of the superior GPU present


nVidia reference 6800 against the Gainward Ultra220
nVidia Reference
Chip: GeForce6800
Pipes: 12/5
Clocks: 325/350
Memory: 128MB GDDR

Gainward Ultra2220
Chip: GeForce6800
Pipes: 12/5
Clocks: 325/350
Memory: 256MB GDDR
Here we have equal GPU and equal clocks the advantage does go to the Gainward but not as significant of an advantage as above

Do those cards support dual monitors and do you have any experience with that ?
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Damn near any new card you buy now will have multimonitor support. With respect to the nVidia 6x00s, they do.
 
Well the specific card depends on the budget and intent of the machine. The above two comparisons were only given to note that the amount of memory on the card is not the ultimate deciding factor in performance.

The reason i suggsted the 6800 (or the X800Pro) is because its not as expensive as the 6800GT/X800XT, will still last two years (considering you're upgrading now with a GF4MX) and will be earth-shatteringly improved compared to your current card. Again, it depends on the budget
 
I have been looking around some online stores over here (Europe). I was amazed when looking at the prices... 6800GT clocks in at >500 euros (6800 not available it seems).

Cards that do carry a price that does not make my wallet run away in blind panic :

VGA AOPEN FX5500 8X 128 DDR DVI TVo ut Retail = 104,97 €
VGA AOPEN FX5500 8X 256 DDR DVI TVo ut = 136,05 €
VGA AOPEN FX5700LE 8X 128 DDR DVI T Vout = 114,38 €
VGA AOPEN FX5700LE 8X 256 DDR DVI T Vout = 165,90 €
VGA AOPEN PCX 5750 128 DDR DVI TVo ut = 169,88 €
VGA AOPEN PCX 5900 128 DDR DVI TVo ut = 282,68 €
VGA AOPEN PCX 6600 256 DDR3 256bit DVI TVout = 215,81 €
VGA AOPEN PCX 6600GT 128 DDR3 256bi t DVI TVout = 251,25 €
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Any nice deals among them ? Personally I was thinking about the 6600, but not sure. I am far from an expert...
 
Cards that do carry a price that does not make my wallet run away in blind panic :
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Uh... is that "not" supposed to be there?

Any nice deals among them ?
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As for that list, some of the cards will work some wont -- depending on if you've got PCIe (which i dont think you do) or not. If you have PCIe then you can pick from the last four; otherwise, you pick from the top four. Of that list, the fourth entry of each category would be the best card although if you're getting an AGP card (top group) then prolly the 5700LE 128MB is the more cost effective solution.


Dang! Those are expensive parts!

Only $120.00 on New Egg.
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Newegg dont ship work crap out there :(
 
Finally got to upgrading my video card. Trying to play GTA: San Andreas on my old Geforce 440 MX 4 was the point where my will was broken and I had to admit that I needed a new video card.

I ordered myself a discount Gainward 6800GT golden sample or something... supposed to be a 6800GT overclocked to look like an ultra or something. DDR3 on board (256 MB).

I am wondering whether my CPU (AMD Athlon XP 2400+) will now be the bottleneck for my games... anyway.... if I can play my games at 1280x1024 at 32 bit colours, then I'm happy. My 19" TFT won't allow a higher resolution (yes yes... TFT for gaming - 8 ms reaction time).

I am looking forward to the results...


One question I still have : I had to take an AGP card since my mobo does not have PCI Express... Are there or will there be mobo's with both AGP and PCI Express ? I would hate to see my card be money for nothing... :eek: :eek: :eek:
 
thats the card im gettin its only 139$ and runs like every game and is the most bought card on neweggg
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1. Being the most bought card doesnt mean that much
2. You can get a 6600GT for that ballpark price and thr 6600GT is handsdown better :)
 
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