How would you spend €600 - €700 on a new graphics card/cards

OmegaRed

Hey all,

I am going to build a new machine come the end of the month and I am willing to spend about this much on a new GPU.

My new machine is going to be strictly for gaming. I was thinking about going SLI but have since been told I can get better performance and results from a single card.

Just wondering how you would spend 600 – 700? Would you go SLI or would you stick with just one decent card. Please give the name of the card/cards that you would choose.

OR

PogMoThoin

What size is your monitor? What res do you game at? If its 20-22 inch and 1680x1050 then even a single 8800gts will max absolutely any game except Crysis. Only consider SLI if its 24 inch plus and 1920x1200, although you could go SLI with 2x 9600gt's which would be slightly faster than a 8000gts.

I'm waiting on reviews of the new 9800gtx (out today 1st april) to compare it to the 9800gx2 as I'm looking for single card solution

TerrorFirmer

Simply, I wouldn't.

3870X2 - about 350.
9600GT Sli - About 300
9800GTX - about 300

If you really want to spend - 9800GX2 - about 450

If you exclude Crysis, all of those cards can drive any game at 1920x1200 with no strain whatsoever, and in the current market Crysis is a major exception. I have a 512mb 8800GTS, and run Call of Duty 4 at 1680x1050 max settings 4a AA @ 60-100fps.

Personally with that kind of a budget I would get a monitor capable of 1900x1200 and get a 9800GTX (assuming your current card is old, the 9800GTX is good as a new card but not overwhelmingly so as an upgrade from new-ish hardware).

OmegaRed

PogMoThoin wrote: »

What size is your monitor? What res do you game at? If its 20-22 inch and 1680x1050 then even a single 8800gts will max absolutely any game except Crysis. Only consider SLI if its 24 inch plus and 1920x1200, although you could go SLI with 2x 9600gt's which would be slightly faster than a 8000gts.

I'm waiting on reviews of the new 9800gtx (out today 1st april) to compare it to the 9800gx2 as I'm looking for single card solution

This is my monitor: https://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.aspx?sku=336729

I am running at 1920X1200 and I also own crysis which I would like to be able to run at this res with no problems. I alos want to try at make my graphics card a little future proof. (around 12 months)

PogMoThoin

You'll have to wait for the next generation to be able to play Crysis at Ultra high settings. Anyway its not really a great game, ok it looks good but COD4 just blows it away with proper gameplay

Virgil°

OmegaRed wrote: »

This is my monitor: https://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.aspx?sku=336729

I am running at 1920X1200 and I also own crysis which I would like to be able to run at this res with no problems. I alos want to try at make my graphics card a little future proof. (around 12 months)

I would always consider spending 600-700 euro on a graphics card a REALLY bad idea.Simply because it never takes long for them to go out of date regardless of how much you spend. And 12 months is alot to ask for.The exception here was the 8800gtx.
If i had that sort of money, id spend like 350 on a 3870x2 and save the other 350 for a different card in like 8-12 months time.

Sqaull20

Dont go spending €700 for Crysis, dont fall into that trap...

Its a good game ( I have played it to death at this stage ), that you get to look great and play brillant, if you mess around with the settings, physics to medium, post processing to medium, other details very high, some high etc...

Get a 9800gtx for €275, it can play Crysis fine at your res if you move a few things to the left and plays every other game max'ed out..

http://www.legionhardware.com/document.php?id=732&p=3

Or seeing as you have plenty of cash get 2 x 8800gt for €316, they will easily beat a single 9800gtx and perfect for your screen size...



http://www.ebuyer.com/product/135258

extra-ordinary_

PogMoThoin wrote: »

You'll have to wait for the next generation to be able to play Crysis at Ultra high settings. Anyway its not really a great game, ok it looks good but COD4 just blows it away with proper gameplay

Also, Assassin's Creed is coming out in the next few days which may be even more demanding than Crysis - and hopefully a better game.


I'd go for a 9800GX2 if I was playing at that reolution and definitely needed to buy a card now. €400-450

Overheal

You could just play it cool like me: if you buy everything a generation or two late, its dirt cheap. Ill wait till I have to upgrade my machine again and then thats when I usally go on a huge spree buying secondhand games. Picking up HL2 for a fiver and running it on max specs for a fraction of the cost of a compulsive gamer? Beautiful.

The problem with getting a maxed out machine is buyers remorse will kick in within 6 months: the next big game will be out and lo and behold you cant run it with your precious 16x antisotropic texture filtering algorithm :eek:

You end up wasting hundreds if not thousands purchasing like that, after you factor in inflation. Mid-Range specs ftw.

RoyalMarine

well said overheal

PogMoThoin

Overheal wrote: »

You could just play it cool like me: if you buy everything a generation or two late, its dirt cheap. Ill wait till I have to upgrade my machine again and then thats when I usally go on a huge spree buying secondhand games. Picking up HL2 for a fiver and running it on max specs for a fraction of the cost of a compulsive gamer? Beautiful.

Try out the Fakefactory Cinematic mod 7, gives a whole new modern look to HL2. Makes it worth playing again. Alyx looks hot



Screenshots here

Creamy Goodness

she has wonky tits though

Overheal

If the image would ever load past her nose.. jesus, find a better host

whats with her fat lip?

ima just keep editing till it loads..

good lord: use photobucket.

alright i give up i cant even see her ****ing chin. I'll take your word for it.

christophicus

Lol loaded straight way for me, Maybe someone needs to get a better internet connection ??

conzy

quitter!

Get an 8800gts 512mb or a 9800gtx they are really close to a 9800GX2 in Crysis at 1680*1050 2AA and still very competitive at 1920*1200 for half the price

TerrorFirmer

That texture pack for HL2 is brilliant. Saw a good few screenshots of it on Guru3d, laughed when someone posted this in response

Man is it me or on the few last HL2 pics, Alyx looks like she wanna have sex in every situations.

Who's the perv that made this mod?

PogMoThoin

Ya, but its not just Alyx, the whole game looks better, more modern

@ Overheal, its hosted on imageshack, Doubt if photobucket would be any faster. Try disabling pictures altogether

Overheal

meh it finally downloaded. Doesnt even look like the same alyx. nice though.