[proudmonkey1980]

I have a pretty solid computer built for gaming, but I'm using an older GPU right now(nvidia 6600GT). The game runs great on performance setting(30-50FPS), but FPS drop incredibly when I up to balanced or higher. So I'm looking for a new GPU with limited knowledge as to what's available right now. I know I want to stick with nividia and I'd like to get the best card I can find for around 200$. Do any of you have any suggestions?

Thanks in advance!!!

[Akuma]

Originally Posted by proudmonkey1980

I have a pretty solid computer built for gaming, but I'm using an older GPU right now(nvidia 6600GT). The game runs great on performance setting(30-50FPS), but FPS drop incredibly when I up to balanced or higher. So I'm looking for a new GPU with limited knowledge as to what's available right now. I know I want to stick with nividia and I'd like to get the best card I can find for around 200$. Do any of you have any suggestions?

Thanks in advance!!!

Radon 1950 XT 256 Mo is around 225$ and is the best quality/price ratio you can get for that price imo.

[proudmonkey1980]

Originally Posted by Akuma

Radon 1950 XT 256 Mo is around 225$ and is the best quality/price ratio you can get for that price imo.

really leaning towards nvidia, but ATI isn't necessarily out of the question. i'll check it out.

thanks for the response

[Akuma]

Originally Posted by proudmonkey1980

really leaning towards nvidia, but ATI isn't necessarily out of the question. i'll check it out.

thanks for the response

I think buying an nvidia card which isn't a 8800 atm is pointless because of its incredible performance, dx10 compatibility etc. On the other hand, the 8800 is still 300+ $.

I'd rather get a radeon 1950 Xt (not pro) atm simply because it's the best card around 200 $, not 100% sure but i recall its performance are slightly superior to the 7950; that and i personally always liked ATI cards.

But really if you ask me, i'd wait until the next ATI chip (the R600) is released (due in april iirc), and then buy a 8800, because the price will drop and it's a godlike card

That's what i plan to do

[Ryngard]

Originally Posted by Akuma

I think buying an nvidia card which isn't a 8800 atm is pointless because of its incredible performance, dx10 compatibility etc. On the other hand, the 8800 is still 300+ $.

I'd rather get a radeon 1950 Xt (not pro) atm simply because it's the best card around 200 $, not 100% sure but i recall its performance are slightly superior to the 7950; that and i personally always liked ATI cards.

But really if you ask me, i'd wait until the next ATI chip (the R600) is released (due in april iirc), and then buy a 8800, because the price will drop and it's a godlike card

That's what i plan to do

Here is the card I bought: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130066

Its about hte best you can get without dropping 500 bucks for an 8800.

ATI Radeon x1950 512mg or Nvidia 7950 512mg are your best options in the $200-250 range. Go to www.newegg.com and pay close attention not just to the model number and ram but the Core Clock and Memory clock.

FOR Instance... (and there are many brands that differ but here is an example of what I went through)

GeForce 7600 512 megs
Core - 400
Memory - 800
Cost - 120ish

GeForce 7950 512 megs
Core - 600
Memory - 1450
Cost - 260ish

I thought the 7600GS 512 was awesome until I realized that it isn't as good anymore. In the past you could get the highest megs (512 for example) and you'd be set. Vanguard takes the Core/Memory speeds into account more than the video ram (to an extent).

[Saevan]

If you can wait until March sometime (hard to do, I know) nvidia is putting out an 8600 Ultra that looks good from preliminary leaks. Rumoured to be around $US179 for a DX10 card.

I might wait for the R600 ATI cards, since they have been delayed again, and that might mean they will be putting out a midrange card at the same time. That's just a guess atm though.

*Edit* After more poking around it seems that the 8600's will be later and more expensive than originally posted. http://www.tgdaily.com/2007/02/16/geforce_8600/

[Triskal]

http://www.tomshardware.com/2007/02/...for_the_money/

Biggest change since that article is the 320 MB version of the 8800 GTS for ~$300. The extra $50 over a 1950XT might be worth it for a dx10 card.

[proudmonkey1980]

Thanks for all the info guys. I think I might be aiming for the 7950. It seems to be the best nvidia card out there that I can actually afford. As far as ATI, I dunno, I had a bad experience with an older ATI card a couple years back and I never bought another. One thing is for sure tho, if you don't have the money to blow away every 3-6 months, these damn GPU's are hard to keep up with. The technology just grows with leaps and bounds.

Anyway, thanks all for the suggestions.

PS. What's the deal with DX10 anyway? Is every gamer under the sun going to have to upgrade to a card that is DX10 compatible? If so, then why the heck can't they just program DX10 to work with older cards? :/

[rabb1t]

Wait if you can. In the next month or two the 8600 GT will be out at $200. Additionally, if you want to / can wait till May the ATi DX10 GPUs will be out as well.

It would be ... a mistake ... to upgrade now if you can wait a month or two.

Of course, you would have to have a strong enough PSU to run one of the new GPUs, as well as being on PCI express. (I doubt any DX10 cards will come out for AGP.)

Originally Posted by proudmonkey1980

PS. What's the deal with DX10 anyway? Is every gamer under the sun going to have to upgrade to a card that is DX10 compatible? If so, then why the heck can't they just program DX10 to work with older cards? :/

That's a pretty long answer.

The short version...

DX10 does things better, faster, easier, and with more freedom to do more.
- Think of it like instead of writing out 10 hand done, full color, invitations you have the option to do just 1, scan it in, and have it copied 10 times.

Will every game have to upgrade?
- No, no games have to upgrade. However, if they do, they will run better, faster, and with less resources. Also new effects can be used. Games can choose to be DX10 only, in which case you would need a DX10 GPU and Vista in order to play them. This will be easier on the devs and the game would run better, however, I doubt any company would release a DX10 only game for at least 2 or 3 years as that would alienate a lot of the customer base.

Why can't they just program DX10 to work with older cards?
- It isn't a software issue alone - it involves hardware. This would be like saying 'well, I want to turn my car into a monster truck so I'll buy 2 extra tires and just put them on'. It just doesn't work like that. Unless your car is a monster truck with 6 wheels to begin with, buying 2 more tires won't magically turn it into one. Or, using the example above, you can only scan and copy the invite 10 times if you have the scanner and the printer. You can't just will it to happen without the hardware even though you may know how to use the hardware.

Here are some demos on Nvidia's site showing what the new cards can do. Note that the bottom left one, the "DX10 Geometry Sharders" are one of the advances that DX10 brings. This can't be done on a non-DX10 system.

Here is a huge thread on DX10 that I've had going for a very long time.

If you only want to look at a quick thing, here is an article at GameSpot where you can mouse over images. The images on that page are DX9 types by default, and when you mouse over you can see what they look like with DX10. Shadow and lighting is far more realistic, and due to the reduction in power to run the scene, a DX10 version can render more stuff that is better looking. Notice in the second shot how much more detailing in the background can be done through DX10.

If you really want to go all out, here is an article at Tom's Hardware that talks all about DX10 and how it works.

[rabb1t]

Originally Posted by Triskal

Biggest change since that article is the 320 MB version of the 8800 GTS for ~$300.

Actually it is already starting to drop. Evga 8800 GTS w/320 meg $280 post rebate