My possible graphics upgrade, and why it disturbs me slightly.

[Fluff_eei]

Hi guys.

On seeing the crazilly low prices for the Powercolour x1800XT 512MB I am seriously considering buying one and a new PCI-E motherboard to upgrade from my 6800GT. And then it dawned on me, why am I, and we as a community, doing this?

Primarily I know we all love new, shiny, top end hardware. But can those of us without vast salaries to speak of (students, people who don't work in finance/engineering to name a few) justify this. I realise this kind of discussion has been had before, but I mean a little more specifically. What is comming out before August (my birthday, and therefor next major upgrade opportunity) that's worth buying these things for? I can play F.E.A.R. no problem. The only other game I can think of is Elder Scrolls: Oblivion. Obviously I'm sure there are plenty of games I am not aware of.

Basicly, can anyone give me some good reasons, probably in the form of a solid list of games, but a good arguement in any way shape or form is alos appreciated, to spend £370?! (Discuss! Heh)

Cheers, sorry for the wall of text,

Fluff_eei

 

[Raikiri]

Cos we are computer enthusiasts and gamers.
Much like people spend a fortune that they dont really have modding their car, or with any hobby. Do they need a new bodykit? no more than we need a new case or graphics card but we buy them anyway because it makes it look better, or run better.

 

[lemonkettaz]

yeh,

im a student and this is my reward for being in a greasy kitchen part time. computers and guitars. im going to struggle in the real world when i cant buy any of them because of living costs... oh well

 

[ACESHIGH]

Everyone spends money on something, as long as you enjoy it, go for it.

 

[lordedmond]

Because we can

you cannot take it with you

you think computers are expensive try live steam ( coal fired ) loco's at 9 to 10k each plus a worshop to make them in , hey i use a pc to drive the cnc milling machine that most people play games on

 

[melchy]

I just looked at the list of games i had on pre-order, such as Unreal Tournament 2007, Oblivion, Hellgate and numerous others and decided that my AGP X800XTPE just wouldnt cut it in the near future especially at 1680 x 1050 on my new screen. So i went for a X1800XT as the price was to good to miss and a PCI-E NF4 board. I couldnt justify spending the £450 or so that the X1900XT is going to be so i went for the X1800XT with the intention of it lasting me now until Vista and DX10 become established. I did sort of promise myself that i wouldnt upgrade as i had the 360, but the price of the X1800 kind of swayed me.

 

[Reiver]

I can't max out FEAR at 1280x1024 and i want the shiny graphics etc. or i feel like i'm missing out on part of the game. On anything other than the native res my monitor is pretty ugly so if i want to play the upcoming games and enjoy the prettiness i have to upgrade.
It was this upgrade (x1800xt) or an Xbox and with the cost of Xbox games and the deal i got from OCUK on the g-card there was no contest. I reckon i've saved in the long run.

 

[GAMEfreak]

hellgate: london looks like an excellant game which will push gfx cards to their limit.
then theres also the next doom to look forward to.
the next gta games, max payne game... i'm pretty damn sure they will push a bit at least.

 

[cleanbluesky]

Is the answer because if you dont have 10k on 3dMark05 you are gay?

 

[Kesnel]

Is the answer because if you dont have 10k on 3dMark05 you are gay?

I think quite patently the answer is yes.

On a serious note though, it comes down to what others have said previously. Everyone has a hobby, usually a hobby that requires spending money in order to pursue it. In that respect we are no different from other enthusiasts, whether they be interested in cars, cycling, collecting miniatures or whatever it is people do for enjoyment these days.

 

[LoadsaMoney]

Is the answer because if you dont have 10k on 3dMark05 you are gay?

I hope not, im no poof!!.

 

[cleanbluesky]

Everyone has a hobby, usually a hobby that requires spending money in order to pursue it. In that respect we are no different from other enthusiasts

I think this is an apt answer - the only thing is that I feel that we are being milked as far as graphics cards are concerned. I have a 6800nu which will do me for the moment (not so happy about the single core CPU though) but I feel that the prestige of a top of the line card only lasts a month at max right now... which is a shame for merely incremental increase in power.

 

[Big.Wayne]

can anyone give me some good reasons

Hi,

Well I am part of a small group who prefere not to get tooooo caught up in all the hype, we do not live *within* the marketing-matrix but the REAL-World!

In terms of value for money, buying into the absolute bleeding edge of VGA tech is probably the worst investment you can get.

What you have is a bunch of companies churning out hardware and selling it, then you have the pro-sumers/geeks who just love the have the *vary* latest computer tech, some for good reasons but mostly out of boredom or braggin rights.

If you are really a hardcore gamer and have no other hobbies apart from gaming then you will probably get your value for money, but if you fall into the group of people that *want* the best but actually don't play that many games then it makes no sense.

I consider myself a gamer, but other activities in my life make it hard for me to play every day.

This is my *Still To Play* list of games, should keep my busy for most of 2006

1) Call Of Duty
2) Half-Life (source)
3) Half-Life 2
4) Doom 3

I have been using a AGP Radeon 9800/Pro since August 2003, I believe I paid approx £215.00 for that. I bought the DELL 24" 2405FPW in march 2005 (deffo top upgrade!) and now finally last week I switched from P4/AGP to A64/PCI-Express and popped in a new X850XT (£145.00 from OC.co.uk special offer), all I can say is I can't wait to play HL2 @ 1920x1200.

If you think of games like Films at the cinema, it seems that if you watch them close to the date of release the tickets cost £300-£600, but if like me you can wait to play the games a year or so later you can make a *SUBSTANTIAL* saving, and also all the drivers and games are optimised and stable. Will My Half-Life2 gaming experience be any less than someone who played through it a year ago?

I love VGA tech as much as anyone here, its just that I have many things that need my cash so I have to spend money *very* carefully.

The longer you are in this (hardware) game the more you realise what a con it is. or should I say how *clever* the manufacturers are at parting you from your hard earned cash.

Remember this is a technical forum where a lot of *obsessed fanatics* gather, so by coming here and reading a lot of posts one can get the wrong impression. . .

Everyone has their own point of view, it's just I do try and provide aother side to the coin.

The worst posters here are the ones that upgrade every 3-6months, you should be aware that these people are obsessed and you should take their posts with a pinch (or SHOVEL) of salt

 

[Kesnel]

I think this is an apt answer - the only thing is that I feel that we are being milked as far as graphics cards are concerned. I have a 6800nu which will do me for the moment (not so happy about the single core CPU though) but I feel that the prestige of a top of the line card only lasts a month at max right now... which is a shame for merely incremental increase in power.

I do very much agree that the consumer is getting milked for all they're worth in the graphics card market. In the last few months we've seen the release of the X1800 series, which is now being replaced by the X1900 series, and the 7800 512mb GTX which is soon to be replaced by the 7900. The game of one-up-man-ship being played between Nvidia and ATI at the moment is great for the development of new graphics card technology, however this supposedly ground breaking new technology is being outdated and replaced much too quickly for my liking.

Currently I'm upgrading from a x800 Pro AGP so I'm hoping, albeit most likely in vein, that my new X1900XT-X will last me for a bit.

 

[LabR@t]

6800gt to x1800xt , i end to go for the 2nd rung on the ladder, saves loads of cash for almost equal performance, had 6800gt 2 years almost costme £320 IIRC, so the new x1800st + Motherboard hopefully do be till 2008 ??????