Do I go for

[ac1d1dty]

I was wondering if you guys could help. I was a member here years ago but cant remember my username

Anyway I have the current pc specs of:

Q9550 Quad
P35 motherboard
4Gb Ram DDR2
2x1tb hdds
(upgrading from GTX 8800)

I was wondering if you could tell me what card would be best for gaming @ 1920x1200 max quality.

I have not got much money at the moment, and I realistically cant see myself buying another graphics card this year.

I've done some research and have got 3 contenders.


GTX 260 BFG for £189

GTX 285 BFG for £300

GTX 295 BFG for £420 (but I get a free Sandisk Cruzer 16gb)


I am looking for a card that will last me long time. Can I justify paying £230 more for a 295 over a 260? Is the 285 the sweet spot?

I am lost all I know is that I wont be upgrading for a bit of time.
thank you





p.s forgot to add, that I barely ever turn my pc off. Im assuming that costs associated with various cards is minimal to a point?

 

[Ging3r]

Nvidia fanboy?

My suggestion would be to go pick up an old 280, not much point in spending the extra on a 285

 

[gurusan]

4870 1gb?

I have used the 512mb at 2048x1152 and it plays most things quite well...in fact in CoD4 it's a hell of a lot faster than a GTX 280 (which I have owned)....that's just 1 game though of course. I have a 1gb coming to me as I prefer it to the GT 200 series.

However if you want an effective, quiet cooler then go for a GTX 260 maxcore or GTX 280.

 

[rounddodger]

280

 

[LoadsaMoney]

Either a 280 or a 4870x2.

The 285 is not worth it as its just a 280 on a smaller 55nm process (280's on 65nm), and been higher clocked, plus its also a lot more exensive, so you may as well buy the orignal 285 before it got renamed and overclock it yourself for free with Rivatuner if you can find one.

The 295 isn't worth it also, as the 4870x2 is around the same performance as it, but its about £100+ cheaper (its also cheaper and faster than the 285).

 

[Big.Wayne]

I was wondering if you could tell me what card would be best for gaming @ 1920x1200 max quality

Hi ac1d1dty,

Welcome back to OcUK forums!

The short answer to your question is there is no such thing as best, it depends what games you play and various other factors.

I have not got much money at the moment

Well that sounds like a lot of the UK at the moment, never fear as they are plenty of good bang for buck cards out for sale that will allow you to have an enjoyable gaming experience while at the same time leaving you some cash (or less debt).

I've been gaming at 1920x1200 since April 2005 and at that time you really need to spend big bucks to get games smooth but I'm pleased to say most modern midrange card cope just fine!

I've done some research and have got 3 contenders.


GTX 260 BFG for £189

GTX 285 BFG for £300

GTX 295 BFG for £420 (but I get a free Sandisk Cruzer 16gb)

**** me! I thought you just said you didn't have much money!

Forget about the nVidia GTX 285/295 . . . at that price you would have to be a millionaire to even consider one. To be fair if you are a Benchmark Professional or Pro-Gamer then perhaps you may pay out big bucks for gaming hardware as you could get this money from your endorsements the manufacturers pay you as a Pro-Benchmarker or perhaps from winning competitions as a Pro Gamer.

The other reason a non-millionaire would pay that absurd amount of money for a GPU is to inflate their ePeen. You want to impress others with your wealth i.e: a tit "yar last week I bought my fifth Ferrari"

I realistically cant see myself buying another graphics card this year.

I am looking for a card that will last me long time. Can I justify paying £230 more for a 295 over a 260? Is the 285 the sweet spot?

That appears to be total nonsense to me?

Why on earth can't you upgrade your graphics card in 6-12 months? The money you spend becomes an asset which you can use and enjoy. Come a point in the future you get bored or actually feel there are better cards for sale you just buy a new card and sell your older card?

Forget Future-Proof, just buy a card thats good enough for the games you play right now . . . today!

There is no need to spend really big money to pursue your recreational hobby known as PC gaming. Anything over £200 is absolutely not needed and you are basically just making that company rich. The value of your investment in a high-end GPU normally depreciates quite quickly . . . if your tight on cash then the way forward should be obvious!

Radeon HD4830 (512MB)
Radeon HD4850 (512MB)
Radeon HD4870 (512MB)
Radeon HD4870 (1GB)

There are nVidia options also but right now they are on my **** list so someone else can recommend a suitable product!

I barely ever turn my pc off. Im assuming that costs associated with various cards is minimal to a point?

How Much Power Does Your Graphics Card Need?

 

[setter]

Id personally reccomend a gtx 280 at that resolution, i came from an 8800gts 512 and the difference is unbeleivable. I thought about the gtx 285 but at its current price it was far to expensive, besides my 280 clocks so well. Ive never owned a 4870 but my nephew has the 1gb version and it isnt a bad card either, albeit it runs a bit warm.

 

[ac1d1dty]

Thank you for your replies. The problem is unfortunatly is appears is my resolution. Im not a rich bloke but I can afford to get a GTX 295 if it will give me longer gaming.

Im struggling to actually find any GTX 280's which are actually less than the GTX 285 :S, or at least £30 less :|


Either way I would be looking for a lovely step up from my 8800gtx. It struggles like hell in Cryostatis @ 1920x1200 top quality. Crysis is not particularly important but it would be nice to play at some detail.

Other favorites include AIX 2.0 @ max bots and quality and I am hoping to get another 24" so I can run Counter Strike Source @ 5760x1200. (2nd monitor is currently used for work).

cheers

 

[gurusan]

CSS is old school with crapola graphics...my 7900GT owned that game so I wouldn't be too concerned about that....

Anyway, buy this
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=BG-025-GW&groupid=595&catid=683&subcat=

 

[Hectic Glenn]

If you are a man short on cash and you have a 8800GTX which is still an awesome card then you should hold off buying anything till summertime. There really isn't a desperate necessity to upgrade a beautiful 8800GTX.

But then again you seem worried that it can't play Cryostasis 1920x1200 on top quality which is a bit of a steep one. I get the sense with those kind of high expectations you'd still like to buy something now which seems a little silly to me. Anyway, that's my advice...what credit crunch eh!?

 

[Alexrose1uk]

Providing it works fine I'd suggest the GTX280 for £220. There was also some 1GB 4870s floating around for about £180 and they're very good cards too, I play 1920x1200 on every game I have with a 512mb version, and the 1GB is better, especially at high res.

Out of your original cards I wouldn't even bother with the GTX295. If you want to save money and put it towards a card later on (same budget!) get a 4850 as that will still play most games at 1920x1200, or if you want a card to last a while go for a 4870, 260, 280 or 4870X2.

The 4870X2 is generally the fastest out of these, but is a dual core card so its performance varies from similar as the 4870 more or less, to just as good as the 295 (which again can suffer similar symptoms as its also a dual card). As far as it goes though, the general rapport is that performance is getting higher and higher on average with each driver update. The 280 is roughly the same perf as the 285, but at least was cheaper, and is a bit faster than the 260 (216core) and 4870. The 4870 and 260 (216) win some and lose some against each other; but offer better value than the other cards you mention, the 4870 in particular having been available recently for ~£160.

Don't be decieved, the new ATI cards are still very powerful, and caused Nvidia to A) Heavily drop prices and B) Release new cards, just to cope with just how competetive the current ATI range is.