Help choose my video card plz :/

[nicko]

Hey everyone

i am planning to buy a completely new computer, as my current one struggles to play a game like css, so it basically has no hope of running aion.

ive already decided on a few parts:

Intel E8400 3.0gHz
2gb ram
500gb hd
some random motherboard
22" monitor
and a new case with a 500-550 W ps

all thats left is the video card...
ive narrowed it down to three or so:

8600gt - $74
9600gt - $155
8800gt - $200

In Australian dollars btw

now, i dont know how much different these three are, but if one is significantly better than the other one, then i wont mind paying a tad extra to be a bit more future proof.
please tell me what your thoughts are on this, and feel free to recommend a new card

[Kamekazi]

why not be cool like everyone else and get the 8000 series...I hear the 9k don't give much bang for their buck

[Killshandra]

dont know if can be of any help :

Desktop VGA Charts - Tom's Hardware

if you check down there is an option to add the cards you want to check and compare .... plus you can choose which benchmark you wanto use it

hope can help for a choice

[Howling]

ATi 4850, blows all 3 of your options out the water. And probably cheaper (not sure about prices in Aus)

[persepha]

BFG GeForce 9800 GTX great for OCing but you'd probably need decent cooling ^^,

[Howling]

Originally Posted by persepha

BFG GeForce 9800 GTX great for OCing but you'd probably need decent cooling ^^,

Anyone who buys a 9800GTX these days is retarded... I'd explain but I can't type - my hands broken so :/

The only nVidia anyone should buy is the GTX280, and even thats for people with more money than sense. The new ATi cards are cheaper and more powerful than everything EXCEPT the GTX280.

[persepha]

Some people aren't rich and my bfg 9800gtx works like a charm, and that's not my retardness speaking.

[Howling]

Originally Posted by persepha

Some people aren't rich and my bfg 9800gtx works like a charm, and that's not my retardness speaking.

it might work like a charm, but the 4850 is alot cheaper and quicker. Hence, only a retard would buy an inferior product for more money.

I'm not saying 9800GTX owners are retards though, which seems to be what you think I said. It was a good purchase a while ago - but today its a bad purchase.

Again, I'd go into mass detail - but i broke my right hand at the weekend and typing with only my left is painfully slow.

And I'm not rich, and my BFG 8800GTS works a charm... But I still wouldn't recommend one to someone else like you're doing.

[indigö]

Originally Posted by Howling

it might work like a charm, but the 4850 is alot cheaper and quicker. Hence, only a retard would buy an inferior product for more money.

+1 for being a better purchase (if you're building a rig from scratch or already have an X38/X48 mobo). However its not that much better - especially if you're already running an SLI setups or you're an nVidia fanboy lol. The 9800GTX+ and the HD4850 trade blows here and there and the 9800GTX isn't that much worse than either of those cards.

If I were to upgrade from my current setup with an 8800GT though, I'd buy myself a new mobo and get 2 HD4850's lol

[persepha]

Originally Posted by Howling

it might work like a charm, but the 4850 is alot cheaper and quicker. Hence, only a retard would buy an inferior product for more money.

I'm not saying 9800GTX owners are retards though, which seems to be what you think I said. It was a good purchase a while ago - but today its a bad purchase.

Again, I'd go into mass detail - but i broke my right hand at the weekend and typing with only my left is painfully slow.

And I'm not rich, and my BFG 8800GTS works a charm... But I still wouldn't recommend one to someone else like you're doing.

Can't be easy using one hand, hope you get better soon

My card was rather cheap but could be since I bought it through ebay with the dollars value (would cost way more in sweden) so I think it was quite a nice catch (ordered it late april/start of may),it was also cheaper then the 8800. I looked up some graphs and tests with the different cards and from what I could tell the bfg 9800 was better. It's also recommended by sweclockers.

I'm 100% sure that you got way, like really WAY better knowledge about gfx cards then me. But it's still not a bad card or that expensive

[Xerish]

I am, as well, partial to the ATI. the 4850 and 4870s cars have some magnificant stats for the price.
For Nvidia i would stray away form any card with X600 or X500, at least currently.

The 8800 is more powerful than the 9600 and will blow away the 8600 (do NOT waste any money on a cheap card)

the 9800 is better than the 8800s in general but will cost more. I think the bang for buck will be the ATis or the 8800 GT 512mb.

check these out

ATI

Nvidia

[nicko]

thanks for the replies everyone

ive looked into the hd4850 a bit, and ive come to another conclusion:

HD4850
and
8800GT

both are $210 AU dollars, and the 8800GT comes with neverwinter nights 2
but the radion is supposedly better.

what do u guys think about this?

[JacobZ]

Errr... use newegg, and in my opinion I'd go with HIS and EVGA.
Newegg.com - GeForce 8800 GT, GeForce 8 series, EVGA, Desktop Graphics / Video Cards, Video Cards & Video Devices, Computer Hardware
Evga has a lot of different 8800 gt models.
Newegg.com - HIS Hightech H485F512P Radeon HD 4850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card - Desktop Graphics / Video Cards

[nicko]

i would use newegg but they dont ship to australia :'(

[phadyd]

I made a few other posts about computers, as they are one of my many passions. I would never use a ATI card cause they suck, the customer support is fail. nvidia has great support continuous updates to drivers and bios. Also people that think they can take all this good stuff and put it on "some random motherboard" I feel sorry for you. the motherboard is the foundation of your computer, so buy the most solid one you can get. You can get a GTX 280 for $500, in 5 months they will be $400, if you buy one from EVGA it is gauranteed for life and if you buy one now it will be a good card for at least 2 years. If you all play games like I do, then you know that $500 for 2 years is pretty good considering I spend about 2-4 hours on my computer a day. If anything breaks I just RMA it and get a new one in 7 days. Sounds good to me, any news on when ATI is going to get back to you on that card you burned up last year? Go to the ATI website then go to the Nvidia site, which has more info? which is easier to use? which gives more the the gaming community? organizes events? hosts lan parties? WHO DO YOU WANT TO SUPPORT? anyways check out my thread on building a new PC right now and see what you can do with that. This is what I do, I GAME, and it is worth every penny to have the best experience I can have.