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How does a 280gtx compare to an 8800gt?

JonJ678

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Is this move one which is considered significant? My resolution is 1680x1050 and so far the only game I've tried to play was COD4. I thought it looked nice.

However I should be playing games slightly more often in the future, and 280s are remarkably hard to come by after the 285 replaced them.

I'm not asking if the 280 is a sensible card to buy, just if it's far better than an 8800gt or just a little bit better :)

I know I should be googling benchmarks, but I fear I'm not well informed enough to deduce anything from them. The clock speed seems to be lower than my 8800gt, so I assume I don't know enough about graphics hardware to judge based on numbers either.

Guidance would be appreciated :)
 

matt100

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the 8800gt was underneath the 8800gtx when it was launched and my gtx280 hammers any performance my 8800gtx could put in.. I'd say the gtx280 was 1.5x the 8800gtx and the 8800gtx was 1.5x the 8800gt. Singificantly more if you're talking about a 256mb 8800gt, they weren't very good at all.
 

Geckovich

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The GTX280 trades blows with the 9800gx2 (2 8800gts 512mb on a stick - similar to the current gtx295) depending on which games you look at. In titles that scale well with SLI the 9800gx2 may creep ahead but in those that don't it will be thoroughly beaten by the gtx280.

To echo what others have said - performance will be about double that of your 8800gt.
 

JonJ678

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Ah. So yes, it hammers it. Fair enough given the price difference.

In a similar theme, what's the wattage difference like? I'm pleased with temperatures with the 8800gt, but have a feeling that the 280 will make the loop rather hotter. Since there's an i7 in it, this may be a fair concern. It's two 240 radiators with reasonable 25mm fans. Does the 280 also throw out twice as much heat?

From google...
8800gt tdp of 110W
280gtx tdp of 236W

Ah. Thinking needed.
 
Last edited:

Rimsy

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i went from a 8800gt to a 280GTX and was really happy with the increase in performance. Likewise i game at 1680x1050 and it handles crysis close to maxed out admirably and modern warfare great. Regards to heat and power consumption I didnt notice any increase in case temp so i wouldnt worry about it. Not the most technical appraisal admitedly, but its a worthwhile upgrade!
 

Geckovich

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Jon, I notice you're also enquiring about the RAM backplate for a watercooled GTX280. The one I had was watercooled (XSPC block) and it utilised the backplate of the stock cooler, perhaps others do too? I don't see why they wouldn't/couldn't.
 

matt100

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JonJ678 said:
Ah. So yes, it hammers it. Fair enough given the price difference.

In a similar theme, what's the wattage difference like? I'm pleased with temperatures with the 8800gt, but have a feeling that the 280 will make the loop rather hotter. Since there's an i7 in it, this may be a fair concern. It's two 240 radiators with reasonable 25mm fans. Does the 280 also throw out twice as much heat?

From google...
8800gt tdp of 110W
280gtx tdp of 236W

Ah. Thinking needed.
Click to expand...

its hotter for obvious reasons but I've had a GTX280, overclocked quad and chipeset in 1 loop with a 120.3 and its all been fine. that TDP will be absolute max performance and you'd be surprised how few time that ever happens in gaming. With 2 240 rads you'll be absolutely fine.
 

gurusan

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280s are awesome now that they can be had for 140-150ish 2nd hand....however they are very hot power hogs and I personally think it would be better spending another 50ish on a 5850.

But to answer your question, the GTX 280 is loads better, especially minimums and especially when you apply AA above 4x.
 

jigger

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The GTX 280 is much better card for serious clocking.

Soft mod-able and a larger die with less electro migration problems.
 

JonJ678

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I'm fairly convinced I think. Unsure it's what my system needs most at present, but I want one of these before they vanish completely.

Cheers Geckovich, google seems to think the backplates are a waste of time anyway. So no worries.

Thanks Matt, that strongly suggests it'll be fine. If it's too hot, can always do things about that afterwards.

I'd like the 280gtx rather than the 285gtx because it has a significantly better chance of running using quadro drivers. No-one's managed that yet, and the cards are a bit too different, but it's still worth a try. 65nm rather than 55nm appeals as well, since it'll be kept fairly cold and it would be a shame not to overclock it.

Google thinks the card's 10.5" long, which will fit in my case just about. So probably all good, off to make an offer.

Cheers

edit: Damn! The guy I had in mind has sold all of them. Still, I'll be quicker off the mark next time.
 
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