Upgrade...?

Dougiebabe2003 · 11 Apr 2008 at 11:35

Hi there,

Can sell my HD2900XT for £110.

Should I do it and buy a 3870?

Are the bottom range 8800GT's better for the price?

Should I just keep my 2900 and sell when the next-gen stuff is out?

Cheers, Doug.

jak731 · 11 Apr 2008 at 12:14

the 3870 will be a sidestep in my opinion, the GT will be an upgrade. personally i say get a GT if your guranteed to get 110 for your 2900. the lower power usage is a bonus too

Dougiebabe2003 · 11 Apr 2008 at 18:58

Cool. Well I have a couple of days to decide.

Im ordering a Q6600 and can afford SLIGHTLY more, the only thing that puts me off is the nvidia drivers and the fact that I can fold on a 3870...

Cheers, Doug.

gt_junkie · 11 Apr 2008 at 19:05

I'd agree - certainly in gaming terms the GT (or even the PNY GTS on special @ £150) would be the better upgrade.

However, if you wanna 'fold' and 'game' then a 3870 (or even 3850) would be more than simply a side step. They use considerably less power than the 2900 and are A LOT quieter! BTW i speak from experience.

With price drops as they are at the moment i'd be surprised if the 3870X2 or even the upcoming 3850X2 didn't fall below the £200 mark. These (assuming you can fold on them just like the 2900/3870's) would be a very good upgrade.

Incidentally, what mobo are you using?

gt

Dougiebabe2003 · 11 Apr 2008 at 19:27

This one I could do Crossfire on this board I think...

The only thing I don't want to do is buy a gfx card now then be annoyed when the next gen stuff comes out.

I won't spend more than £200 now or this year on a gfx card.

Only running at 1400x900 and the 2900XT runs every game I chuck at it (bar Crysis) I don't play a lot of games but when I do I like them to look pretty

gt_junkie · 11 Apr 2008 at 19:43

It would do crossfire although the P35's do cripple the performance of the two cards slightly. With 2x 2900xt's i found only a 20%-30% improvement.

I'd personally save your cash and get either a 3850, 9600GT or one of the 8800GT's on offer.

Of the 3850's i'd go with the Gigabye with the zalman cooler: http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-033-GI&groupid=701&catid=56&subcat=416

I found the OCUK model quite loud and i've heard comments on the forum that the Powercolor Extremes are too. Both seem to run with 100% fan and they're not terribly quiet ones!

There's also the HIS 3870XT on special will be quiet and effective but for that money an 8800GT would be the gamers choice.

gt