| Video card upgrade advice.
There's always at least one per day. Someone will post a new thread asking what video card they should get. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind. But the answer is usually based off the same set of criteria every time. And we could save some of our...well..not breath, but some of our finger strength by having a sticky dedicated to clarifying what video card to get on what budget and why.
So I'll take it upon myself to create some of it. I will probably leave bits out because my memory sometimes doesn't serve me well and there is always something to add or detract. For the sake of ease, and because for 90% of users it isn't practical or worth the money, I will leave out sli options, as well as the 9800gx2 card for now.
PLEASE NOTE: Most average users will likely have a computer that came with a stock power supply. This power supply is likely of poor quality and insufficient wattage to run a new and powerful card like the ones below. Make sure that if you are looking for a new card that you have an adequate power supply, or that you are purchasing a new power supply with it. Stay away from high wattages offered at cheap prices as those are liable to explode or die on you in a fantastically tragic manner. 80 bucks for 500 watts is perfect, and higher wattages should go for equivalently higher prices.
ALSO NOTE: You MUST have at least 1 PCI-Express 16x or PCI-Express 2.0 slot. All of these cards will fit either one of these slots as there is only a minimal difference in why there are two types of slots. PCI-Express 2.0 offers a boost in voltage and bandwidth that can seriously increase the performance of a video card. Only newer motherboards will come with a 2.0 slot, and only recent models of motherboards are likely to have a PCI-Express 16x slot. Please check what slot you have before-hand, otherwise you're going to have to buy a new board. Or failing that, you're out of luck with buying a new card. Sorry, but that's the way the cookie crumbles for some.
For the most part, I arranged these cards in performance order, so a lot of the way things fall into place should come as no surprise.
Starting with the Geforce 9800gtx 512mb. This is one of the newest cards out on the market today. It is also one of the most powerful on the market. The upper quality margin models tend to reach prices of about $340-$380 dollars, but I've seen some BFG models that go for as low as $209.....wait $209?!? That's a STEAL! Considering the bang it offers for the buck, it is very nice. It isn't guaranteed to be priced at $209 forever and will likely go up soon unless they supply us with more. Get these while you can!
But meanwhile, they've come out with a new edition of the 9800 that has a better cooler, and it really delivers a framerate for crysis that's quite outstanding. At high quality, 1920x1200 resolution, this card delivers a hefty 31 frames per second. Not too shabby considering that others deliver between 2 and 15 frames lower than that at this resolution. No doubt it's more expensive than a number of the other 9800s out there because of the cooling.
The former flagship, the Geforce 8800gtx 768mb, on the other hand, is being phased out it would seem. In all likelihood, it's an attempt to force users into buying the latest and greatest, the 9800 or their gtx260 and 280. While it was in use, it was the most powerful card ever made, and remained so for quite a long time. Even with games like crysis, at 1920x1200 res, it can deliver 24 frames. Not bad for such an old card. If you can find one (and you won't find one on newegg.com anymore I'm afraid), then get it as it will be worth its weight in gold.
However, the new gtx260 and 280 aren't too shabby either. The gtx260 ranges from $300 all the way up to $420. Not very cheap. And the gtx280 ranges from $450 all the way up to $580. Shockingly expensive. But at least these cards deliver a serious punch for the money. Between 39 and 44 frames per second on Crysis at 1920x1200 resolution on high quality. That is some serious power. Given the prices however, it might be more sensible to just get a SLI setup with a lower-notch video card. It will amount to the same thing.
Moving right along, one rung further down the ladder, you'll find the Geforce 8800gts 640mb, which is currently priced at about $180- $225 dollars or so. It's obviously a step down from the 8800gtx. Performance-wise, it does very well. It's seldom heard from though, and it's younger brother, the gts 512mb, stole most of its glory when it came out. And it's because the Geforce 8800gts 512mb is actually a slight step up from the card above it in terms of performance. And it is another option for those looking for a card that will rip through games and come out no worse for wear than when it went in. This card actually beat the 8800gtx in Crysis believe it or not. It was a good 3 frames higher up, pinning it at about 27 frames per second. Just like the 640mb, this card costs between $180 and roughly $225. Some go up to about $250 but they offer a free game with them so it really costs lower than that.
That card is lower on the list because it has less memory and it fits sequentially, but I remind you, it performs better. Between the 640mb, and the 512mb variants of the gts, get the 512mb.
But by far, the best bang for the buck that has ever come out of Nvidia was and still is the Geforce 8800gt 512mb, and it is one of the two most attractive cards out there. It is priced very modestly between $150 and $240 dollars for some more extreme models. It's performance levels are also just as attractive. It offers performance that nips at the heels of the 8800gtx. It was only 3 frames below it in crysis at the same settings. And when overclocked, which it does remarkably well I might add, it can surpass the 8800gtx by a good bit. Usually it comes down to either this card, or the next one on the list in terms of what should be purchased. If you can't stretch the price gap, get this card.
The newest contender in the 175-200 dollar range is the Radeon HD 4850. Many reviews are consistently pinning a medal of honor on this card, and I verily agree with them. It has performance that can, for instance on a game like Crysis, bring some startling framerate results. In Crysis, the 4850 put out roughly 29 frames at 1900x1200 resolution on high quality settings. Some cards in the same range can barely pull that much at 1680x1050 or below. This card rivals the power of the 8800gts 512mb, and it costs just about the same. For those of you who don't have a phobia of the AMD products, then this is a very good choice, and is excellent if you want to run two in a crossfire configuration, though that might end up being a bit expensive.
However, be warned that sometimes the temperatures of the card got alarmingly high during loading periods and other similar situations. Perhaps you might want to consider purchasing a replacement cooler for the unit or make sure your case is well ventilated to avoid an unnecessary amount of heat buildup.
But if you're shorter on cash than expected, then you'll want the Geforce 9600gt 512mb as it is almost as good in how well it performs, but it is offered at a considerably smaller price tag. This card occupies the $120-$200 dollar range, and was designed to compete with both the ATI 3870, and it's older brother, the 8800gt. Meanwhile this card has been somewhat outdated, but even so, it offers very good performance. I personally purchased this card and checked it out for myself and it does remarkably well. Bioshock, Call of Duty 4, Half Life 2 Episode One and Two were all fantastic with this card. None of my framerates ever dipped below 40. I'm not so sure about what it does in crysis. But even so, I still highly recommend this.
For those of you that are devout ATI fans but can't afford that new 4850, then the Radeon HD3870 512mb is the card of choice for you. It performs at a level juuuust underneath the 9600gt, and it does so at similar if not equal prices to the 9600. It occupies the $125-$200 dollar range just like the 9600gt, and it was one of the first cards tested against crysis, and it did fairly well. I don't recall exact specifications, but the framerates were certainly playable.
The Geforce 8800gts 320mb is seldom heard from nowadays. And since this is the case, it appears that it is being slowly phased out as well just like the 8800gtx. Newegg contained only one out of stock model priced at $280.
The oldest model here, Geforce 8600gt 512mb performs decently. Previous models were made with inferior memory types, so new models were made recently to improve their performance. They can play most games out on the market, but it is already showing its age as it is crapping out on some of the latest games that have more intense graphics. BUT! For $105-$120 dollars, it is an irresistible purchase for those of you that are REALLY short on cash, but still want to game hard. It's advisable to save your cash and just go for a later model, but should you lack the patience, then this is still a decent card. If you do go for it, make SURE that it has GDDR3 memory. If it has GDDR2, it is the older model and will perform far under its actual capability.
Now obviously just by the length of this article, all the prices and all the models and stuff can be very confusing to those who aren't too technically gifted. So I will list them again by model and price again in the order of which one I would recommend you pick.
1) 9800gtx 512mb ---------$209-$350
2) HD4850 512mb----------$175- $200
3) 8800gts 512mb ---------$180-$225
4) 8800gt 512mb ----------$150-$240
5) 9600gt 512mb ----------$120-$200
6) HD3870 512mb ---------$125-$200
7) 8600gt 512mb GDDR3-$105-$120
8) Geforce GTX260/280 --$450-$540
Another quick reminder, take note of some of the disclaimers at the top of this post. I warned you once already and I will warn you again. If you don't have the correct motherboard graphics card slot, don't have a powerful enough power supply, or purchase a power supply of inferior quality, then you will have nullified any possible gains. You will either be unable to use your brand new card, or it will fry itself because of the inferior power supply, and I will not be held responsible for your ignorance.
Do
Your
Homework.
Do some research, look up your motherboard model and power supply ratings. Make sure that you will have enough power and the right slots or none of this advice is any good to you.
__________________
"Take now this Ring," he said, "for thy labours and thy cares will be heavy, but in all it will support thee and defend thee from weariness. For this ring is the Ring of Fire, and herewith, maybe, thou shalt rekindle hearts to the valour of old in a world that grows chill."
Last edited by link590o; 18th August 2008 at 05:59 AM.
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