Graphics Card around £200

[icysniper]

hey, needing a graphics card for a build, have a budget of £200 and i dont know whether to get an ATI or a NVIDIA

was looking at the ATI 4870x2, but when looking at reviews NVIDIA nearly all the time had better frame rates, so i was wondering about whether getting a GTX 260, 280 or even a 285 if the price drops.

What graphics cards everyone else using, which are good, experiences with them and ones that should be avoided.

Any feedback would be great!!

Thanks

 

[D13]

what are the rest of your system specs (inc psu) and how big is your monitor?

 

[icysniper]

gonna get the i7 bundle

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=FS-050-OE

22" Samsung T220 with an Antec 300 case,

was thinking about the OCZ 700w PSU, but not sure for power supply yet.

 

[D13]

22 inch so thats probably 1680 x 1050.
A gtx 260 or ati equivalent 4870 will perform well at that resolution for around £130.
Further up the scale you have ati 4890 for about £160 or gtx 275 for about £200.
Performance is very similiar between the two.

Also how long do you want the card to last? There will very likely be new cards released at the end of the year so you may do what I am doing (using a cheap gtx260 £130) until then before upgrading to a new beastly card at christmas.

P.S regarding the antec 300, you might want to look into how much space you have for video card, some of them are very very long.

 

[icysniper]

i was thinking about that after i replied, i was thinking maybe get a good one now, which will last me ages, or like you said, get a cheap one then upgrade. My question is, how much will the new cards cost at christmas???
and which manufactuer do you recommend ATI or NVIDIA????????

 

[Tute]

22 inch so thats probably 1680 x 1050.
A gtx 260 or ati equivalent 4870 will perform well at that resolution for around £130.
Further up the scale you have ati 4890 for about £160 or gtx 275 for about £200.
Performance is very similiar between the two.

Also how long do you want the card to last? There will very likely be new cards released at the end of the year so you may do what I am doing (using a cheap gtx260 £130) until then before upgrading to a new beastly card at christmas.

P.S regarding the antec 300, you might want to look into how much space you have for video card, some of them are very very long.

Good advice.

The 4870X2 is well worth stretching for, but only if you feel you'll need or use the power.

Otherwise any of the cards D13 mentioned would be good.

 

[icysniper]

kk, again though wat are the new graphics cards going to be like at christmas (specs) and how much will they cost????

 

[Tute]

Specs? Nobody knows at this point. Could be a die shrink, could be something new.

It's a while to wait, and personally, i'd get something half decent now and re-evaluate at the end of the year.

 

[D13]

i was thinking about that after i replied, i was thinking maybe get a good one now, which will last me ages, or like you said, get a cheap one then upgrade. My question is, how much will the new cards cost at christmas???
and which manufactuer do you recommend ATI or NVIDIA????????

well the latest cards usually are pretty costly, but it all depends on whether ati and nvidia release at a similiar time, this brings the price down.

I would guess that for the best single gpu card you will be looking at £250-£350.
It is very hard to say.

Which is better ati or nvidia? well this is a very very contentious topic, you will have ppl arguing passionately either way.
Personally I have a preference for nvidia cards, however ati are really building in strength and this year they could really do a number on nvidia and I wouldnt hesitate to buy ati if they have better performance. The best way is to just take a look at reviews and see how cards perfom.

 

[icysniper]

kk, thanks for all the advice, im not building the comp just yet, im gonna build in the summer, maybe a month or two, so ill check the prices and read the reviews, thanks for all the info, i now have somewhere to start!!