New video card time, I hope.

[Silk_the_Absent1]

I sold my old X850XT yesterday, which gives me some cash to put toward buying a new video card. I'm not that hardcore of a gamer anymore, but I would like to be able to run the ones I do play (HL2, UT3, and a few other newish ones) at my monitor's native 1680*1050, which my current 7800GT can't do.

I have been looking at 9600GT, 8800GT, 9800GT (which as far as I can tell, is identical to the 8800GT, unless you can get one with G92b, but even then is there a difference?), as well as a 4850. I don't want to spend a whole lot, since I'm not that much into gaming these days, so I'm thinking the 4850 may be out, unless it really is that much better than 8800/9800 to justify the added price.

My other thing is, I use Purevideo to upscale DVDs so they don't look like utter drek on my monitor, which I know ATI has AVIVO for, but I don't know how to set it up, or if it gives a better picture than the newer version of Purevideo.

Anywho, if anyone can give me a bit of help on this, please let me know. I can't order until this coming weekend at the earliest, since I am getting paid then, but I can at least plan things out.

-Adam

[Valset]

I would recommend the 4850. it is that much better. and you can get it for 140 AR with after market cooling at the egg. not exactly that much more then the 8800GT

If you want to go with Nvidia then you might want to look at the 9800GTX+, more or less on par with a 4850 if your not using a ton of AA. It cost a little more though but is better matched to your monitor unless your really going to be playing only old games.

[Boinkers]

i was in the same situation lately with my vid card upgrade. i wanted a 4850 but the large fans on the cheaper ones wouldn't fit, and the ones with "single slot" heatsinks and fans were more expensive. i knew an 8800GT would do fine, but i was thinking of the 4850 b4 so i had to consider

so i checked around and found this chart:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/Best-Graphics-Card,2011-6.html

i was at the 8800GS level, as that is what i had. it says a good upgrade is a card three tiers above your current. the 4850 is three above the 8800GS, the 8800GT is two. i wanted the extra memory and bandwidth for my new 1680X1050 monitor, so breaking a fps record wasn't really necessary. i just wanted smoother gameplay

so after checking comparison benchmarks i found the 4850 is indeed a better card at higher resolutions then 1680X1050. and oft times at lower. but the 8800GT came awful close in a lot of fps comparisons and in fact equaled and beat the 4850 in a few. others were just too close to matter

so for my needs i chose the PNY 8800GT for $110, no rebate to wait on and hope for

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814133232

i gave it an overclock and its pretty damn good. i also notice your processor. if thats the machine its going into i'm not sure your proc could take full advantage of a 4850. or even an 8800GT. you very well might see equal performance from both. which should still be good. but no use spending more then you have to

i sold my old card, too. $50 bucks, which made the total cost of my upgrade $70 including tax and free shipping. pretty nice, and it is a substantial upgrade

on the chart the 4850 is just one tier above the 8800GT. thats a "not worth upgrading" position if you already have an 8800GT. some might think it is, others no. but i reasoned since i didn't want to spend too much the 8800GT would be perfect at this time and if i wanted something "more" later i could get a 4850 when prices drop to $100 or upgrade to a 4870 when its cheaper. until then i figured the cheapee 8800GT would be great and i'd get all my money's worth

needless to say i love the card and don't even think of upgrading anymore. to anything. plays all my games (Cod4, Cod2, Call Of Jaurez, GRID, Stalker, Fear, etc) on max settings with some AA applied at 1680X1050. does pretty well with Crysis at 1440X900, too. and yeah DVD's / video look good

i am very satisfied :cool:

[Silk_the_Absent1]

Regarding MIRs, I don't consider prices after rebates because you still have to have the full price to buy them, and then wait for them to send you a check a month or two later (if you are lucky to get them that fast).

Since I saw that the 9800GT is identical to an 8800GT (unless you get one that supports hybrid SLI), I looked at a few 9800GT cards, to see if prices were any better. I saw this MSI (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127379), which comes with a pretty healthy overclock, as well as what looks to be a great cooler (dual slot with heatpipes) for $5 more than that PNY.

I'd kind of prefer to get a BFG, XFX, or EVGA for the lifetime warranty, since I have at times had bad luck. I was also looking at this Zotac (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814500006) with its even heavier overclock, but until I saw that card, I hadn't heard of them before, plus when I went to their website to lookup the warranty, the support site said that US residents don't qualify for the extension to 5 years, so I don't know that they can really be trusted. Plus, it's a single slot cooler, so I don't know that I'd trust it here (I live in central New Mexico, and Summers get quite hot here).

Yeah, I know I overthink things. It's one of my less than attractive character flaws. Sue me.

-Adam

[Boinkers]

well i know the MSI has a one year warranty only but i like that card. i may have gotten it myself if i'd known it was available. or if it was. it hasn't been out but a week or so. i found a detailed and in depth review for it. they compare it to the ATI 4850:

http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/1609/1/msi_geforce_9800_gt_512mb_graphics_card/index.html

you can check the msi website to see if you register the product if they extend the warranty. for the pny its three years, but they extend it to five if you register. hell three is fine with me. and 1 year does seem short. still, if it works for a year it should work for two and so on. although you sound as if you might keep the card for awhile as your old card is...old. so i can understand that concern

however the price is just real good. and after rebate its pretty great. you can see the comparison to the 4850 shows for the card very well. and the 4850 really only beats it real good at higher AA / AF levels at higher resolution and in very demanding games. otherwise the 9800GT holds its own very well

i like it for the cooler and the game. if you want the game. although evga makes a real good card, too. i had their 8800GS. nice and quiet, good design, lifetime warranty. but they are asking a bit too much

imo the MSI and PNY 8800GT are the bargains here. they make the 8800/9800GT very much worth getting. one of the best things about these cards are the LOW price some can be gotten at. because some are still priced too high for the market / competition. but with these you get the best of both worlds. nothing really "budget' about
these cards performance

and i would say don't worry about the overclocked cards. its easily done as you may already know

[Silk_the_Absent1]

According to their support site (http://www.msicomputer.com/support/sup_genwar.asp), they have a 3 year warranty.

Anywho, I think it will end up being my next card, unless one with a lifetime warranty and good cooling goes on sale by the time I am ready to order.

-Adam

[Boinkers]

yup. always a sale on something. if not this card it will be another. and another....

[Silk_the_Absent1]

Hrmph, price went up $15, and the free shipping went bye-bye. I like that card (pre-overclocked, much better cooling), but not so much at ~$140.

Also looked up the cheap dual slot EVGA (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130397) model, and it's only a one year warranty (two with registration), and I tend to keep cards for a long time; I cycle components down to other systems at home when I upgrade.

-Adam

[Boinkers]

well...if you're looking at the 9800GT's this one is also priced nice. especially after rebate. i've dealt with evga before and they are good with rebates and even have their own forums with a thread for people who have had trouble collecting. they take care of it. just take pics of your packaging and rebate form and stuff and save copies. but anyway this single slot evga is nice at $109 after rebate:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130380

it has a lifetime warranty and evga covers overclocking

[Silk_the_Absent1]

Yeah, that one does have a lifetime warranty. The ones ending in "TR" don't, so if I want a dual slot cooler, I have to get an AKIMBO one for a lot more.

Ahh well, I'll see. That one you just linked is one I'm considering now. I'm also still considering an 8800GT; same card, but some have some decent cooling options.

-Adam

EDIT: You know what I want? I want Corsair to start doing video cards.

-Adam

[Boinkers]

hey...in case you are still looking at that evga 9800GT i got an email today that gives this promo code for an additional $10 off

EMCBAACBD

its good until 10/8 and makes the price of the card $114, and $99 after mail in rebate. thats pretty good. free shipping :)

[Silk_the_Absent1]

Well, I just got paid, and had yet another unexpected bill. So, unless there is a *really* good sale, I'm probably going to have to wait until later in the month. Meh, it's not like my 7800GT is a bad card, just a bit restrictive for what I want to do.

Still, I would appreciate it if folks would give me heads up if they see any great deals on good cards.

-Adam

[Silk_the_Absent1]

Came across this 3870 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131095). It's $109 shipped, and then a $30 MIR (which I am not a fan of). It's older tech, but how well does it perform? I've seen mixed reviews; some putting it well behind the 8800GT/9800GT, others putting it on par with them.

Also, does anyone know how to setup AVIVO for upscaling in Media Center? I've been using Purevideo for a while, so I know how to set it up, but I don't have experience setting up AVIVO.

-Adam

[Silk_the_Absent1]

Nevermind. The money I'd saved for an upgrade is going to have to go into yet more repairs on my '93 Nissan Quest. Started getting a clunking when making a right turn, coming from the front passenger side. The wheel bearings are new, the CV boot looks okay, which leaves either the tie rod end, or the lower ball joint. Looking at the tire wear, it's slightly to the inside, so I'm betting it's the latter.

Anyway, I bought a new ball joint, only to find out that Nissan made it pretty painful to do yourself, so it's going in to have it done. The new ball joint was only about $30, but the labor for the shop I use when I can't do a job myself will run me around $100 (got off the phone with them a little while ago). So, there goes the video card upgrade for now.

Anyhow, I appreciate the help you guys gave me in deciding. I'm probably going to hold off until Black Friday for now; hopefully there will be some good sales then.

-Adam

[Hutch]

I highly recommend getting an open box/recertified asus/evga nvidia card on newegg... I just picked up a recertified EVGA 8800GTS 512MB (identical to the 9800GTX) for $104.99. It actually OC's higher than my brothers 9800GTX, and it only needs one 6 pin power connector.