Graphics Card Dilemma...

[benopeth]

I have completed building my PC, minus buying/installing a graphics card. It's comprised of an E6750, Asus P5K, 2GB 6400 Crucial Ballistix, Corsair 520W PSU, etc.

Now, I've been debating whether to save money and go for an ATI X1950Pro (512mb) or just push that bit further and snap up an 8800GTS (320mb).

There are a few reasons why I'm still deliberating over whether to choose one over the other. I know the X1950Pro (512mb) will play BF2142, Prey, Half Life, et al, really nicely and for a good price at £70. However, according to tomshardware (I am aware of the old drivers used in these GFX comparisons), the 8800GTS (320mb) is nearly double the FPS in virtually all games. I know that a lot of people use it on here and from the various reviews I've read, it's a fantastic card.

The drawback of the 8800GTS, that seems to be mentioned every now and then on these forums, is the RAM size, 320mb. Apparently that won't be sufficient for future games, which I can understand, but it's the definition of this insufficiency I want to know, because I can't imagine Crysis is going to look 'terrible' surely? Obviously I would like stunning graphics, but I'm on a budget and I'm sure both will provide that as I'm upgrading from an X850Pro! Another downside is this slowdown bug I keep hearing about.

If I am honest though, I really do want to get a DX10 card, especially when it's nearly twice as powerful as the X1950Pro (that's just what I've read), despite the issues mentioned above.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks very much!

P.S. Also, my maximum budget is £175, not a penny more.

 

[hikaru452]

most will say an 8800 would be the best choice however the res you game at may play a part in deciding the card you get as generally the higher the res the more memory you need (this may be offset by a more powerful card though) and how likely are you to change your card in the future (with the release of the G98 or whatever the high end cards are called around the corner) will also decide which card you might get.

your budget will only get you a the x1950 pro any way however an increase of £5 will get you a 320 mb 8800gts (excluding delivery)http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-054-OK&groupid=701&catid=56&subcat=927

 

[benopeth]

Thanks for the reply.

Well, I've just snapped up a Samsung 206BW, so it'll be my first experience of both a flatscreen and widescreen. I used to play at 1024x768 on my old 20" Phillips CRT, so I should imagine I'll set it to 1280x1024 for my new rig.

This, unfortunately, is the only forseeable upgrade for 9 months. I thought about snapping up an even cheaper card than the X1950Pro, then saving and waiting for the 8800's to come down in price but if I'm honest, I can't be bothered to wait and I want awesome graphics now!

I am set on buying UT3 when it comes out, Crysis and COD4 as well. I should imagine that the X1950Pro won't really cut it performance wise for these games, seeing as they are going to be DX10 and quite demanding also?

 

[gurusan]

The 8800 is really leagues ahead of the x1950. Go for it, you won't regret it.

 

[hikaru452]

at 1280x1024 the 8800gts with 320 mb of memory will be a nice choice and should run the games on your list fine as in with acceptable tempory drop in framerates if any (picture quality and resolution may or may not need to be sacrificed in the future) to reduce the drop in framerates that may occur in future games (only the future will tell)

 

[benopeth]

Excellent, well all things considered, I think I shall snap up the 8800GTS! Thanks for the advice, I will post in the near future with feedback on it!

 

[Amnesia]

206bw resolution 1680*1050
1950 would have struggled in some games unless u were willing to drop down the resolutions.

8800gts is the right card for your setup