Replacement for 7950GT

[Nebzor]

Hey, all. I should be getting refunded for my broken 7950GT soon, and so need to replace it. I'm on an ASUS M2N-SLI Deluxe, but choosing for SLI in the future may be a bad idea (It only has 8x SLI.) I will be getting £120 refunded from my 7950GT (256mb), and can, if need be, chuck the extra to get an 8800GTS 320MB.

The first few cards on my list are the same price as the 7950GT, and so, would ideally be the best buy.

• XFX 7900GTX 512MB (£117.46)
• PowerColor X1950XT 256MB with AC Cooler (£116.24)
• PowerColor X1950Pro 512MB with AC Cooler (£103.19)
• Sapphire X1950Pro 512MB (£96.81)
• EVGA 8800GTS 320MB (£183.99)

I was thinking it may be a bad idea to buy the 8800GTS, as it's quite expensive, and won't really perform to an adequate level in upcoming DX10 games, and so I thought it might be more wise to buy DX9 now, and DX10 when the next-gen offerings come out (ideally when I've got some more money, heh.)

What're your opinions on the matter? What would be the best buy, both power wise and value wise? Oh, forgot to mention, I am soon to receive a 22" monitor with a resolution of 1680x1050, so it would be used for that.

Edit: I'm not the most hardcore gamer, buy like to play BF2142, FarCry, and, if I ever buy a DX10 card (here's the kicker), Crysis, which I'm assuming won't play full settings on a 320MB 8800GTS :\

 

[gareth170]

Edit: I'm not the most hardcore gamer, buy like to play BF2142, FarCry, and, if I ever buy a DX10 card (here's the kicker), Crysis, which I'm assuming won't play full settings on a 320MB 8800GTS :\

crysis should run fine on a 8800GTS...

Minimum Requirements
CPU: Athlon 64 3000+/Intel 2.8ghz
Graphics: Nvidia 6600 or ATI X1600 - Shader Model 2.0
RAM: 1GB
HDD: 6GB
Internet: 256k+
Optical Drive: DVD
Software: DX9 with Windows XP / Vista


Recommended Requirements
CPU: Dual-Core CPU (Athlon X2 / Pentium D / Core 2 Duo)
Graphics: Nvidia 7800GT or ATI X1800XL Pro (SM 3.0)
RAM: 1.5GB+
HDD: 6GB
Internet: 512k+ (128k+ upstream)
Optical Drive: DVD
Software: DX9 with Windows XP / Vista

 

[HangTime]

I was thinking it may be a bad idea to buy the 8800GTS, as it's quite expensive, and won't really perform to an adequate level in upcoming DX10 games, and so I thought it might be more wise to buy DX9 now

The GTS320 is a great DX9 card - that's what I bought mine for, DX10 support is just a bonus that I'm not expecting much from.

Same as how people bought Radeon 9700s for DX8 gaming, even though it supports DX9.

 

[J.D]

At 1680x1050 I'd go for the 640mb model which isn't in your list as I think the 320mb starts to take a hit at that resolution.

What about the X2900XT?. It's looking like it could start to pull away from the 640Mb 8800GTS.

Crysis upcoming and the piece of mind having that little extra power even if it means extra cash is what I'd do. You can never have enough power and you will have a great card wether it be the x2900 or the 8800GTS 640mb model.

 

[Nebzor]

I cannot push the budget that high, hence why I was thinking of getting one of the higher DX9 cards, and waiting for the next-gen (when I actually have some money) to buy DX10. 8800GTS 320MB is the highest I can go, and I don't think getting it in view of Crysis coming out is sensible - it certainly won't run it on high settings at that resolution, hence why I thought next-gen was a better option for when I go DX10.

 

[Nebzor]

The GTS320 is a great DX9 card - that's what I bought mine for, DX10 support is just a bonus that I'm not expecting much from.

Same as how people bought Radeon 9700s for DX8 gaming, even though it supports DX9.

Yeah, but is the few extra fps in DX9 worth £60?

 

[J.D]

Yeah, but is the few extra fps in DX9 worth £60?

The 8800GTS 320mb model walks over the rest of the cards in the list. Get it and you won't be disappointed. You might have to lower your resolution on a game or two maybe but it's the best buy on that list by far .

 

[Nebzor]

The 8800GTS 320mb model walks over the rest of the cards in the list. Get it and you won't be disappointed. You might have to lower your resolution on a game or two maybe but it's the best buy on that list by far .

Well, all the benchmarks I've seen, I've seen it top the X1950XT buy about 6-7FPS at 1600x1200 (close to my 1680x1050). I'm not too sure that warrants £60-70.

Edit: Yeah, I don't think it does warrant it. So which of the other cards is the best buy?

 

[helmutcheese]

Somehow that seems wrong, the GTS 320 should blow away the 1950, you want to stay with DX9C today ?

OK 1st find on Google, older review and older drivers, they both win some benches the GTS esp at real high res+ eyecandy.

http://www.*****.net/content/item.php?item=8824

The ATI card was flagship and this GTS is not, I would still go for modern generation or squeeze for a 640, or at least one of the OC 320's like BFG or Special eVGA ones.

Another review bit old again.

http://www.cdrinfo.com/Sections/Reviews/Specific.aspx?ArticleId=20069&PageId=0

 

[Nebzor]

It's hard to squeeze money you don't own

Am talking to someone about a second-hand X1950XTX 512 at the moment, that's a good card, isn't it?

 

[J.D]

Yes the XTX is worth it.

The 320mb GTS is a good buy though so please keep it in mind if the deal doesn't fall through.

http://www23.tomshardware.com/graphics_2007.html?modelx=33&model1=724&model2=778&chart=318

I know it's Toms hardware but I can't be bothered doing much searching as I'm still awake from last night.

 

[Magnum_Force]

Look, it's obvious Benj doesn't have the cash for anything except a 8800GTS 320mb MAX, so I say save your money and go for the cheapest X1950Pro, preferable with 512mb to help at that resolution. It'll play most if not all your games fairly maxed out at exceptable levels, and save you more cash for another purchase later down the road.

If that second had X1950XTX is circa £100 then go for that, the extra oomph will do well at that resolution.

Remember though, go for the CHEAPEST card you can find, as you really will want to save the cash.

google Product search is good to find the cheapest items.

 

[ergonomics]

the 320mb doesnt fall behind *too* much at 16x10 res. if you overclock it a lot it can match the 640mb version (so ive seen in a few benchmarks)

as many have said, its a great dx9 card, and you wouldnt regret it