What would you chose?!

[oweneades]

Hi all,

I am in a bit of a muddle at the moment with what graphics card to choose for a basic upgrade so I can play some games (read as BF2, possibly crisis etc) casually (I have a 360 for my main gaming machine).

Please note for reference I game at 1280x1024 and I would like some AA and AF if possible.

I have narrowed down some choices in each pricing bracket but I am unsure whether I should spend the extra now or whether a cheaper card will still cut it.

My choices:

Nvidia 7300GT GDDR3 ~ £60 (seems and excellent budget choice but does it have the grunt for what I want?!)

Nvidia 7600GT ~ £90 (the best all rounder it would seem although overshadowed by....)

Nvidia 7900GS ~ £115 (originally I was thinking 7600GT but now I have seen this I am not so sure. Judging by some reviews on the interenet it can near enough match 7900GT performance when overclocked. )

ATI X1950pro ~ £130 (Appears to be the best performing of the lot but is it actually worth the extra outlay).

Please note due to PSU requirements the X1800XT is out of the equation.

The rest of the setup is looking to be:

A64 3700+
1GB PC3200 memory (1GB stick for now and will upgrade to 2GB when I Can justify it later)
Decent S939 motherboard (asus A8N or suchlike)
1 80GB HD
1 DVDRW

I currently have a 350W PSU which according to the side of the box has twin 12v rails running 18a and 16a.

Judging by different online calculators I should only require 250w at 80% load with either the 7900GS or X1950pro so I think it should be enough. (Although a OSU upgrade will come later again when I can justify it - (I won't bother if I don't need to in other words))

Also just to add I do not want to spend any more than £140 on the GFX card.

 

[man_from_uncle]

I'd probably go for the 7900gs. You sound like you'll overclock and the OcUK 7900gs absolutely flies when overclocked (30-40% more on the core and 20-30% on the memory). Sure you can overclock the X1950pro too, but I suspect that it won't give you anything more than the overclocked gs can provide.

The lower end cards are both great value too, but if you can get something that'll compete right near the top end for only £25-30 more, then why not?

 

[oweneades]

I'd probably go for the 7900gs. You sound like you'll overclock and the OcUK 7900gs absolutely flies when overclocked (30-40% more on the core and 20-30% on the memory). Sure you can overclock the X1950pro too, but I suspect that it won't give you anything more than the overclocked gs can provide.

The lower end cards are both great value too, but if you can get something that'll compete right near the top end for only £25-30 more, then why not?

Thanks man_from_uncle, you seem to be thinking exactly as I am at the moment.

*Why get a 7600GT when for a little bit more money I can get a faster 7900GS*