8800 GTS or GTX?

L31mr0d

Ok, i'm going to be parting out my sig rig into a HTPC in about a month and my 7900 GTX will be going into it as well.

I don't really want to waste money on another DX9 card, BUT i'm not going to be moving to vista and DX10 until theres games that can make use of it.

So i'm looking for a good step up card thats not going to break the bank.

I plan to get a DELL 24" LCD sometime in the next 6 months so I will need a card that can handle a resolution of 1920 x 1200 in games.

I'm also not going to have an SLI mobo, so buying a second card down the line isn't an option. Should I blow more money and invest in a GTX, or will a good GTS be good enough?

DirkVoodoo

Hmm, personally If i was upgrading I would get a GTS, but seeing as you want 1920x1200 on a 24" native res, then I would go with the GTX.

Check out Anandtech's comparison.

1920x1200 seems to hit the sweetspot for the GTS, after that it dips below the 30 FPS mark. The two cards seem to scale the same though, I guess thats due to the architecture. So you could buy a GTS and overclock it, dont know how close to GTX performance they get.

And I quote "Gamers who invest in a 30" panel will likely also want a higher end graphics card, but for current games at resolutions under 2560x1600 the 8800 GTX can be a bit overkill."

I think I may get a GTS soon, I don;t know why people with sub-30" screens or single screen setups buy GTXs, very expensive.

uberpixie

In all honesty which do you fell more comfortable with :-).

I think a 640MB GTS would do the trick nicely.

There is a bit of a price premium for the GTX and not a huge amount of extra performance for that premium.

TBH the gfx card will always be on of the first parts to get binned for something better, usually I try not to spend too much on it.

But if you feel the GTX is better and you are willing to pay the price for it go for it:D

L31mr0d

i'm starting to lean more towards the 8800 GTS myself, i'm amazed how little prices for the G80's have dropped in the last few months. Maybe its due to AMD's lack of competition.

I was going to get the Thermalright HR-03-PLUS and install it on it, but a few places seem iffy about saying whether its compatible with the 8800 GTS or not, even though the thermalright website says it is.

8T8

I would go with the GTX especially if you plan on using AA in games at such high resolutions.

DirkVoodoo

But AA is more memory dependent, so he can get a GTS with 640MB and still be on a par with a GTX for less.

L31mr0d

hmm.. anyone know where I can get a GTX for €400?

Anti

kI would go with a 8800GTX myself. Well saying that i did. I used a 22" dell and with hugh res you will reallu need the extra grunt of the gtx. Plus, 500€ isnt that expensive.

DirkVoodoo

Dabs "value" GTX is €531.

Their value GTS with 640MB is €380.

If you really need that extra grunt, i think second hand is the way to go.

L31mr0d

presently sourcing a 2nd hand GTX, there is always someone who has to have the best of the best and will be selling their GTX's for the Ultra

L31mr0d

Ok i've noticed a lot of the people selling 2nd hand are the selling the black PCB ones rather than the Green PCB ones. Was there any major difference between these cards other than the colour of the PCB?

8T8

GTX's no they are all the same.

AA isn't just dependant on the amount of RAM in the GPU I wish! it would be so easy if it where, all the other elements required for AA to run well are dependant on the performance on the GPU's pixel pushing powers.

The GTS does not have the same umph the GTX has to handle AA at such high resolutions the minimum fame rate will always be higher on the GTX in such situations. To boil it down the GTS can have AA in some games whereas the GTX can have AA in all games. If you can live with 2xAA or no AA at 1920x1080 for certain games then get the GTS 640.

TerrorFirmer

No point starting another thread but I'm getting one of these cards soon (I hope...), was looking at the GTS, then the X2900, now back to the GTS again. I I'll be gaming at 1680x1050, and I never bothered to use AA or AF really so that's not an issue. Would the 320 be enough for that? I think I might get the 640 anyway....the Dabs Value one might be a good bet. What brand is their value? Inno3d?

DirkVoodoo

Benchmarks show that the 320MB can compete with the 640MB variant, except at very high resolutions/high levels of AA, e.g. according to anandtech battlefield 2 at max settings is unplayable. This is fine if you have a sub-30" monitor or are an AA-fiend like 8T8 (sorry, couldn't resist:D ).

Quake4 is also hit hard as it can make use of uncompressed textures, Couple this with max settings and FPS drop by half (see here).

However, if you are buying a card for the next year to see how DX10 pans out, I would buy a GTS, its still a very good card and the price cant be beat. Then when AMD-ATI get their act together we might see some more competition and hopefully better prices at the top end.

And l31mr0d, if anyone is selling a GTX to buy an Ultra, please give them a smack round the ear, I am strongly opposed to the ultra. I really hope this is not the era of the $1000 card. The less Ultras sold the better.

dazftw

So a GTX could handle a 24" easily?

TerrorFirmer

Definitely easily. Anywho, what does anyone think of this price?

http://www.dabs.ie/productview.aspx?Quicklinx=4JGT&SearchType=1&SearchTerms=8800&PageMode=3&SearchKey=All&SearchMode=All&NavigationKey=0

L31mr0d

just impulse bought a eVGA 8800GTX 2nd hand from a dude I know on some american tech forums. They always give some lame story like "their car was in a crash" or "have to pay off some debts" or "taking the family on a holiday" then a week later you see them with 2 8800 Ultras. Got it for €400 shipped. Is that a good price?

DirkVoodoo

Yes, darn good, assuming its not an empty box you will receive

DeafVision a GTX will EASILY handle a 24". My god, i mean its native res is gonna be 1920x1200, a GTS will handle that with ease too.

L31mr0d

nah he's trustworthy, he's been on the site for years and has thousands of posts, he also insisted on using paypal.

Just got word that the lian-li case for my HTPC arrived today... the pieces for my next 2 uber rigs are slowly coming together *moowahahaha*

awhir

nice

what mobo and ram ya getting :?

TerrorFirmer

Think my 8800 is once more on hold....got an X1800XT on adverts for 80 euro and couldn't resist...:D

That's always been me...getting yesterdays parts today. Don't think I've actually ever owned a gpu that was considered high end at the time I had it.....

L31mr0d

going to be getting the ASUS Commando as i've had a QX6700 for the past 3 months picking up dust on my desk, and Chosen recommended it as a good C2QX overclocker. For RAM, i'm still undecided. I want to get 4GB of RAM, but i'm in no rush to move over to Vista 64bit just yet. I'll know better when I do some more reading on what I should be looking for

SwampThing

L31mr0d, HavoK - would you give me your comments on this please..

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055094645

Thanks.


... hijack over, please continue.