faetal on 16/3/2010 at 15:58
Hi there folks.
I currently have a NVIDIA 8800 GTX which is running most of what I want fine, but I am just about to upgrade to W7, so will be shifting to DX10 and I want to upgrade if I notice any slowdown in higher end games.
I'd like something which is realtively future proof - about 2 years ought to suffice. It should do HD as I intend to get a blu-ray drive.
Obviously I'd like to hit a compromise between cost and the above parameters, so I'd welcome suggestions any of you may have.
It used to be that I knew enough to be able to divine stuff like this for myself, but my studies have taken my time for the last 4 years and I feel like I'm so out of touch now :/
Matthew on 16/3/2010 at 16:06
I've been really impressed with my ATi 4870 faetal, so I would suspect that the newer 5870 would also be a good choice.
Sulphur on 16/3/2010 at 17:16
The 58xx series are nice but I would recommend a little restraint for the moment. Hang on until Nvidia comes out with the competition this month. You might as well see if Fermi is as sucky as the rumours say, or competitive enough that it triggers a full on price war and you can choose the best from either side without breaking the bank.
SubJeff on 17/3/2010 at 22:40
I have a GeForce 8800 GTS and Windows 7. It works fine. I don't have to run anything apart from Crysis (and that was just the demo) at less than optimal res for my 21" widescreen.
bikerdude on 17/3/2010 at 23:13
Quote Posted by faetal
I currently have a NVIDIA 8800 GTX which is running most of what I want fine, but I am just about to upgrade to W7, so will be shifting to DX10 and I want to upgrade if I notice any slowdown in higher end games. I'd like something which is realtively future proof - about 2 years ought to suffice. It should do HD as I intend to get a blu-ray drive.
Hi
I assume you mean DX11 as the 8800 is a DX10 card, that being the case then only cards out atm that would be faster than the 8800 and have some future proofing is the HD5850 (£230) and the 5870(£320+). But if your not in a desperate rush I would hang around untill the GTX470/480 is out to check price and performance. Also if and when nVidia sort their act out, ATi will very likely drop their prices etc.
That said if the GTX480 is faster than my HD5870 then I'll be selling it.
Renzatic on 18/3/2010 at 03:03
Quote Posted by Subjective Effect
I have a GeForce 8800 GTS and Windows 7. It works fine. I don't have to run anything apart from Crysis (and that was just the demo) at less than optimal res for my 21" widescreen.
Same here. 8800GTS 512 under Windows 7 Pro 64-bit. All games at 1920x1080 on my 24 inch widescreen. No complaints. If you're only wanting to upgrade because you're worried about performance degradations, don't. The differences between XP and both 32 and 64 bit revs of 7 on the exact same set of hardware have been nil to nonexistent.
Though if you're upgrading because you now have access to DirectX 10, I suggest you do what I'm doing. Instead of jumping into the current DX10 cards, I'd wait a bit and go for the the 2nd gen DX11 cards. Being stuck with your 8800 for another 4-6 months won't be so bad, specially considering how well the that particular series of cards have aged.
faetal on 27/3/2010 at 16:09
Thanks for the top tips guys!
I think I'll hang onto what I have now and see what happens with the upcoming cards from NVIDIA.
I get paid quarterly (research stipend) so I can revisit the decision 4 times a year.
bikerdude on 27/3/2010 at 17:52
Quote Posted by faetal
Thanks for the top tips guys!
I think I'll hang onto what I have now and see what happens with the upcoming cards from NVIDIA.
Don't both er with the GTX480 unless you have lots of cash £450 and a 750W+ psu and a big case with good ventilation. Its roughly 15-20% faster than my HD5870 but costs 40% more, under load it gets upto 96c compared the 5870's of 65c. So I'm not paying £150(40% for only 15-20% better performance. The GTX470 is the same or slower than the 5870 and about the same price, but will again runner hotter and use more power.
If you have £300 to spend on a card then I suggest the HD5870, but that said the rumors are that ATI will be releasing updates of thier current lineup, e.g. the 5890 which will match the GTX480.
faetal on 29/3/2010 at 21:50
I've got 850w and a case with very good thermal characteristics (akasa).
However, I was thinking more like £150 tops, so unless I can get noticeable improvement for that, I may as well stick to what I have.
bikerdude on 29/3/2010 at 23:55
Quote Posted by faetal
I was thinking more like £150 tops, so unless I can get noticeable improvement for that, I may as well stick to what I have.
Hmm ok for that money you can get a 216core GTX260 which will be upto 25% faster than your current card or for the same or less money and get a HD4890 which will be upto 40% faster.
I recommend the HD4890 only because of the bang for buck ratio, you can then keep the 8800GTX and use it as a physx card via the physx hack mod I posted a howto on a while back.
