Video Card Advice ($100-$200)
By
Cade Lawson,
Posted on: 2010-03-17 11:49 in ALL ACCESS Gameplay Technical Issues Bugs
If you are under $120, Geforce GTS 250 or RadeonHD 4850: http://www.pricewatch.com/search?q=RadeonHD+4850 :: http://www.pricewatch.com/search?q=Geforce+GTS+250
If you are $120 - $150 : RadeonHD 5750: http://www.pricewatch.com/search?q=RadeonHD+5750
If you are $150+ : RadeonHD 5770 : http://www.pricewatch.com/search?q=RadeonHD+5770
If you don't mind touching just over the $200 mark, the RadeonHD 4890 is the best performance bang for buck going: http://www.pricewatch.com/search?q=RadeonHD+4890 Granted, it only does DirectX 10 / OpenGL 3.0... but in terms of frames per second on DirectX 10 / OpenGL 3.0 games (like CoH ultra mode), it'll match frames with Nvidia's DX 10 / OGL 3.0, the GTX 275 ($300 average) and GTX 285 ($375~$400 average). The 4890 will also trade blows with the RadeonHD 5850 in many games... while still costing near as makes no difference, $100 less.
Old 8800GTS with 320 or 640MB of memory or the "new" 8800GTS with 512MB of memory?
Father Xmas - Level 50 Ice/Ice Tanker - Victory
$725 and $1350 parts lists --- My guide to computer components
Tempus unum hominem manet
The latter.
And no, I don't mind getting near the $200 mark, or maybe fudging the barrier a little, at least for S&H.
I highly suggest holding out until the end of March if you can. When nVidia releases their new card(s), it will probably flux the market some; making the cards you're looking at drop in price (if history stays true).
If you're looking for a Direct X 11 card, I would hold out for several months. ATI's 5850 is selling ABOVE retail right now due to demand. The crazy part is the price keeps going up! Retail on the card is $259, while I paid $299. If you're just in it for CoX, Direct X 11 means nothing to you.
Quote:
While Fermi is being "unveiled" at PAX East, weekend after next, actual availability of the new cards has been pushed back to early-April. There also may or may not be enough of them released to make an actual splash in the market.|
Originally Posted by Nibb_Nibb
I highly suggest holding out until the end of March if you can. When nVidia releases their new card(s), it will probably flux the market some; making the cards you're looking at drop in price (if history stays true).
|
Quote:
| If you're looking for a Direct X 11 card, I would hold out for several months. ATI's 5850 is selling ABOVE retail right now due to demand. The crazy part is the price keeps going up! Retail on the card is $259, while I paid $299. If you're just in it for CoX, Direct X 11 means nothing to you. |
5850s are still selling for above MSRP, but only by 8-10%, not thirty-plus.
Well the 512MB 8800GTS is essentially a lower clocked GTS 250 (650MHz Vs 738MHz GPU, 1940MHz Vs 2200MHz memory). Actually a number of "cheap" GTS 250s are hitting the marketplace with GPU clocks set in the range of your 8800GTS or the slightly faster 9800GTX. In any case the performance gain from your card to a true GTS 250 isn't really all that great (5-10%). That's the only nVidia card available in your price range as the GTX 260 is in the $205-220 range. A GTX 260 (216 streaming processors version) would be about 30-35% faster than your current card.
The HD 4890, also in the just over $200 mark is about 15% faster than the GTX 260 or about 50-55% faster than your current card.
Between the GTS 250 and the GTX 260 you will find the HD 5750, HD 5770 and the HD 4870. The HD 5770 and HD 4870 are within a percent or two of the GTX 260 with the HD 5770 being a hair slower and the HD 4870 being a hair faster. The HD 5750 is the slowest of these three, it'll be around 15% faster than your current card.
There is also the HD 5830 but most everyone thinks it's still priced to high for it's performance gain relative to the HD 5770. The HD 4890 beats it.
Father Xmas - Level 50 Ice/Ice Tanker - Victory
$725 and $1350 parts lists --- My guide to computer components
Tempus unum hominem manet
Well, there ya go on both accounts!
Still, if you're just buying for Ultra, no reason not to hold off a little while.
I plan on holding off for a little bit. Doing some research on my own, I came to the same conclusion as Father Xmas on the nVidia front. Problem is that the 260s are out of stock at NewEgg until the beginning of April anyhow (or maybe just not available at all until then, at the pricepoint / SKU presented). However, I do appreciate the insight on the ATI front, as more options certainly can't hurt.
Thank you all for your feedback and opinions 
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They will not for two very good reasons.|
Originally Posted by Nibb_Nibb
I highly suggest holding out until the end of March if you can. When nVidia releases their new card(s), it will probably flux the market some; making the cards you're looking at drop in price (if history stays true).
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- $499
- $699
Nvidia is only launching two cards, the GTX 470 at $499, and the GTX 480 at $699. According to the people who have already laid hands on the prototypes, the 470 is slower than the RadeonHD 5870, while costing a full $100 more MSRP.
The GTX 480, while faster than the existing HD 5870 gamers could buy last year, is only 5%-8% faster in "real" games. That's not exactly a huge performance delta... and certainly not worth an extra $300 dollars.
If you ARE into spending $700 on a graphics card, there's the RadeonHD 5970 4gb edition cards hitting the market: http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/video/d...cs_Boards.html
These dual-chip monstrosities on Crossfire supported games, don't just blow the GTX 480 out of the water. They'll do the equivalent of sending a ship parked in Pearl Harbor to Ohio State University by air mail.
Quote:
| If you're looking for a Direct X 11 card, I would hold out for several months. ATI's 5850 is selling ABOVE retail right now due to demand. The crazy part is the price keeps going up! Retail on the card is $259, while I paid $299. If you're just in it for CoX, Direct X 11 means nothing to you. |
That being said, if AMD keeps on track for the RadeonHD 5000 series product refresh in June / July, we could see some price-cuts on the existing cards just to clear them out of the market.
Also, don't be too confident that OpenGL 3.2 / 3.3 / 4.0 support doesn't mean anything for CoH users. Television already has commented that they (the coders) are doing stuff in OpenGL that they apparently aren't ready to show yet. Given the timing of Television's comments and the release of the OpenGL 4.0 spec, there is the possibility that Paragon Studio's is planning to demonstrate Ultra Mode running against OpenGL 4.0 drivers from AMD for Going Rogue's July launch, which fits in with the expected date on AMD's RadeonHD 5000 product refresh.. and is enough time for AMD to get their OpenGL 4.0 drivers tested and ready for release.
Mmmmm... I wish I could just set down a few grand to build a killer rig Not in the cards at the moment though.
Good leads here. When my laptop died just before X-mas, I had about 2 hours to replace it so I got a desktop off the shelf. The game looks totally new compared to my laptop.
While the HD 4350 512MB installed works fine now, I have now doubt it will likely under-perform with UM.
Father Xmas, je_saist, newegg should design an app around you two. Plug in what you have, what you can spend, and then tell me what my best upgrade options are. 
Quote:
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Originally Posted by je_saist
They will not for two very good reasons.
Nvidia is only launching two cards, the GTX 470 at $499, and the GTX 480 at $699. According to the people who have already laid hands on the prototypes, the 470 is slower than the RadeonHD 5870, while costing a full $100 more MSRP. The GTX 480, while faster than the existing HD 5870 gamers could buy last year, is only 5%-8% faster in "real" games. That's not exactly a huge performance delta... and certainly not worth an extra $300 dollars. If you ARE into spending $700 on a graphics card, there's the RadeonHD 5970 4gb edition cards hitting the market: http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/video/d...cs_Boards.html These dual-chip monstrosities on Crossfire supported games, don't just blow the GTX 480 out of the water. They'll do the equivalent of sending a ship parked in Pearl Harbor to Ohio State University by air mail. From what we know, Nvidia's "mid-range" cards, the stuff to compete against the Radeon 57xx line-up, won't be landing until September or October at the earliest. Until, or unless, Nvidia gets their act together, price drops on existing RadeonHD 5000 series cards probably aren't in the cards. AMD and their vendors have no reason to lesson profits on what are the best (and only choices) for the gaming customer right now. That being said, if AMD keeps on track for the RadeonHD 5000 series product refresh in June / July, we could see some price-cuts on the existing cards just to clear them out of the market. Also, don't be too confident that OpenGL 3.2 / 3.3 / 4.0 support doesn't mean anything for CoH users. Television already has commented that they (the coders) are doing stuff in OpenGL that they apparently aren't ready to show yet. Given the timing of Television's comments and the release of the OpenGL 4.0 spec, there is the possibility that Paragon Studio's is planning to demonstrate Ultra Mode running against OpenGL 4.0 drivers from AMD for Going Rogue's July launch, which fits in with the expected date on AMD's RadeonHD 5000 product refresh.. and is enough time for AMD to get their OpenGL 4.0 drivers tested and ready for release. |
Sweet Ginuea Pig from Winnipeg...that card is an abomination. O_O
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I'm coming to the conclusion that not getting a tax refund this year was a good thing the more I read about how dry and uninteresting the Graphic Card lineup is getting from NVidia (and the more expensive ATI is getting from the non-competition) during Feb-March. I'm still not 'thankful' about it, since my PC has been dead since last November.|
Originally Posted by Obsidius
I plan on holding off for a little bit. Doing some research on my own, I came to the same conclusion as Father Xmas on the nVidia front. Problem is that the 260s are out of stock at NewEgg until the beginning of April anyhow (or maybe just not available at all until then, at the pricepoint / SKU presented). However, I do appreciate the insight on the ATI front, as more options certainly can't hurt.
Thank you all for your feedback and opinions |
If I could buy one now, GTX 260 Core 216 would be in my sights, but like you said, out of stock thanks to Fermi street date being imminent. HD 4870 or 4890, HD 5000 anything I'd peg as a maybe becoming a definetly once Issue 17 lands. At worst, you have it for this year, and hop onto something else once the Core i5/i7 line calms down a little more in price (Core i9 is coming this year as well... Gulftown hits 2Q 2010, more price friendly ones to follow) to make a better overall rig later in the year or in 2011. At best, it's one less part to buy for the new rig.
According to Fudzilla the Geforce GTX 480 will actually be launched at a much smaller price, Nvidia demanding around $450 for their new card. Of course we’re talking about the suggested retail price.
seems that Nvidia actually plans to attack the position currently held by the ATI Radeon HD 5870 not with GTX 480 as everyone thought, but with the Geforce GTX 470. Or at least that’s what we are being led to think after hearing that the Geforce GTX 470 will be sold at a similar price with Radeon HD 5870. If the rumors are true then the recommended retail price for the Geforce GTX 470 will be somewhere around $350.
http://www.softsailor.com/news/20601...-expected.html
That is the latest price rumors.
Of course until I see the real benchmarks and not from people who are supposed to be under an NDA "leaking" I have to beleive the NVidia Benchmarks, which are showing the 480 = 5870, which if it is being priced $100 more, then I woul dhave to suggest the ATI.
Still, if these lower price points are right, then I would also imaging the 2XX series of nvidias to drop in price.
Defcon 0 - (D4 lvl 50),DJ Shecky Cape Radio
@Shecky
Twitter: @DJ_Shecky, @siliconshecky, @thecaperadio
When you air your dirty laundry out on a clothesline above the street, everyone is allowed to snicker at the skid marks in your underoos. - Lemur_Lad
Hey all,
I've been out of the loop for a bit in regards to video cards. I may start piecing together a new box soon, but I at least am looking for an upgrade to my current GeForce 8800GTS since I have some extra funds coming my way. Although I'm an nVidea fan, I'll give anything a go, as long as the price is somewhere between $100 - $200.