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☖ Forums → Discussion Forum → Video card recommendations
Video card recommendations
2010-12-01, 9:19 PM #1
So I've got this Nvidia Geforce 8800gtx

It was awesome when I first got it in 2007.
It's a bit dated now.

I need a replacement and i'd like to spend no more than 300 dollars.

I just got acquainted with the new Nvidia cards, they went up to the 9800's, then they had a Geforce 100, 200, 300, 400, and now 500 series.

The 400/500's appear to be the top of the line right now.

I also see some off-brand Geforce Cards, are these supported by Nvidia/use the same drivers?

Anyway, recommend something to me! I do a fair amount of gaming. Lately it's been L4d, L4d2. Those are having problems with the 8800gtx for some reason. I used to run Crysis, I ran Mass Effect 2 pretty well. I'd like to be able to run Crysis 2 when it comes out.
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2010-12-01, 9:47 PM #2
Whats the rest of your system (cpu/mem) look like? $300 can get you a real powerhouse card but it might end up being held back a little if the rest of your computer is circa 2007.

Prices are changing alot right now- new Nvidia and AMD cards are being released next week but right now:

Sounds like you are leaning towards Nvidia- given your price range you should be looking at GTX460 1gb (not SE) or GTX470's. Ignore GTX465's unless its cheaper than GTX460 or you are sure it can be unlocked to a GTX470. On the AMD side - 6870 is pretty much the best you can afford at the moment.

Im pretty sure Nvidia/AMD partners are forced to meet certain guidelines/specifications that enforce compatiblity with reference drivers. Basically its in their own best interest anyway.
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2010-12-01, 10:11 PM #3
5770 for value, a 6800 series card would be awesome if you can get one for <= 300 bucks
2010-12-01, 10:36 PM #4
Voodoo 2
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2010-12-01, 11:22 PM #5
I have a working Voodoo 4 4500, am I cool?
2010-12-02, 12:07 AM #6
I have a gtx 460. Played crisis on high at 1920x1080 but if i recall, FWIW, when i put everything on ultra at this resolution framerate dipped into the 20s at times, so i put it back on high and FPS stayed at 60+ at all times.

I play l4d2 at the same resolution maxed out smooth as silk.

I think the card can be had for about $200 plus you could double them up in a couple years when the price comes down to hold yourself over even longer.

Oh yeah and i get over 2000 FPS in MOHAA which i still play regularly. :master:
2010-12-02, 12:16 AM #7
Originally posted by EAH_TRISCUIT:
Whats the rest of your system (cpu/mem) look like?


8GB DDR3
I5 2.67GHz
Vista 64 bit

Some good suggestions here, thanks!
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2010-12-02, 12:33 AM #8
If you do end up getting a 460 be extremely careful you don't get the 768 meg model.
2010-12-02, 6:43 AM #9
So buying one now and planning to get another in the future for SLI may not be the best idea. I haven't done that since voodoo2 but at the time you had to get a card with the exact same specifications, memory, clock speed, etc. It was hard, a year or two later, to find an identical card.
2010-12-02, 7:31 AM #10
Not to hi-jack but I don't know too much about SLI, would I be better off geting a single 460/480gtx or just get another 260gtx for SLI..?
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2010-12-02, 9:26 AM #11
Zanardi, I guess from a pure price/performance perspective - 2x GTX260 SLI would be the best choice. The GTX480 is a little more powerful overall, +DX11, no SLI issues, and possible less noise but you are talking about ~$300 vs ~$125 upgrade.

Here's a link comparing GTX480, 2x GTX260, and GTX460:

http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/2010-gaming-graphics-charts-high-quality/compare,2484.html?prod[4504]=on&prod[4527]=on&prod[4511]=on
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2010-12-02, 9:32 AM #12
Does Nvidia support HDMI sound yet? I could never get it to work on my old card, even with the cable plugging into the motherboards SPDIF. When I upgraded I went with ATI, and HDMI works properly out of the box. Nice for quickly hooking up to a TV for games.

o.0
2010-12-02, 9:38 AM #13
Originally posted by Greenboy:
Does Nvidia support HDMI sound yet? I could never get it to work on my old card, even with the cable plugging into the motherboards SPDIF. When I upgraded I went with ATI, and HDMI works properly out of the box. Nice for quickly hooking up to a TV for games.


I'm pretty sure they do. I know they do on low-end stuff like the ION chipset, so it would surprise me if the 4xx series cards didn't support it.
2010-12-02, 9:45 AM #14
SLI is a good budget choice to last you another year or so. I bought the 8800 GTS like four years ago, bought another for $40 on Ebay two years ago to SLI it up, and I can still play most recent games on high settings (TF2, L4D2, Arma2, Fallout 3, SC2, etc.) with decent framerates (consistent 30+). I play at 1680x1050 fyi. That said, some of the really pretty games out there like crysis warhead are unplayable (~15 fps).
2010-12-02, 10:33 AM #15
Originally posted by Brian:
at the time you had to get a card with the exact same specifications, memory, clock speed, etc. It was hard, a year or two later, to find an identical card.


I've been doing some research and from what I have learned, generally yes they should have the same model with same clock speed and memory.. but brand name doesn't matter.

Quote:
Tomshardware: Do the cards have to be same model?
For "Most" Nvidia cards the answer is yes,but there are some exceptions too like pairing a GTS 250 with a 9800GTX+,which can be done if both cards have the same amount of memory since the GTS 250 is actually a re-badged 9800GTX+ but again there are some cards like 9800GT and 8800GT which have the same specifications but in general you can't pair them in SLI,some users have reported that by flashing a 8800GT's BIOS to a 9800GT's BIOS,you can do it,but its risky and not recommended.
I wrote about the cards which have different names but can be used in SLI mode in the "Model's section" down this post,other than those all other cards must be same model in order to run in SLI mode.
but about AMD/ATI models,for models like X1900 series and lower you have to use the same/master card to use CrossFire but for HD 2xxx series and up,check the compatibility chart on top of this post.
For Nvidia cards,here is an example:
You have a NVIDIA Geforce 7800GTX 256, and you want to add another card , the second card has to be 7800GTX exactly.




I also found this kind of interesting right from nvidia's FAQ
Quote:
nVidia: Can I add a 3rd graphics card in my 2-way SLI enabled PC to connect more monitors?
Yes, you can add an additional graphics card to your PC to connect two additional monitors. The additional graphics card must have a GPU that is different from your SLI GPUs and must be NVIDIA PhysX capable (GeForce 8 series and higher with at least 256MB of memory). For example, two GeForce GTX 2XX GPUs in SLI and a GeForce 9XXX GT is a supported configuration.
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2010-12-02, 10:45 AM #16
Originally posted by EAH_TRISCUIT:
Zanardi, I guess from a pure price/performance perspective - 2x GTX260 SLI would be the best choice. The GTX480 is a little more powerful overall, +DX11, no SLI issues, and possible less noise but you are talking about ~$300 vs ~$125 upgrade.

Here's a link comparing GTX480, 2x GTX260, and GTX460:

http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/2010-gaming-graphics-charts-high-quality/compare,2484.html?prod[4504]=on&prod[4527]=on&prod[4511]=on


Thanks :) yeah sound isn't a problem but I'd need to get another water block and connect the two together
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2010-12-03, 1:58 AM #17
So I guess Nvidia doesn't make the cards now or something, or they have other manufactuer's assemble them? On Newegg I'm seeing all these brands that have Nvidia Chipsets that have the label "Geforce 460" or whatever card, but they're under the brand Gigabyte, MSI, EVGA, Galaxy, etc. I'm pretty sure my 8800gtx was not one of these brands. Are these just as good? Is this what I should be looking at?
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2010-12-03, 2:01 AM #18
Fairly certain that they make the cards according to Nvidia specifications and add their own stuff on top, up the clocks, change fans, etc. So they are all basically the same except for slight differences.
2010-12-03, 2:27 AM #19
Nvidia have only recently begun directly selling video cards in very limited instances. It sounds like your current card is from a generic vendor.

Can't go wrong with a GTX 470 and have the option to SLI in the future. Don't go with 2 lessor cards now IMO if you have a $300 budget. Here's a EVGA GTX 470 with Mafia II for $260: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130550&cm_re=GTX470-_-14-130-550-_-Product

I went for an equivalent mid range card a while back (Nvidia GTX 275) and have recently paired it with another GTX 275 in SLI which I picked up cheap S/H. If you went for two lower end cards straight up, this upgrade path would not exist.
2010-12-03, 5:30 AM #20
Originally posted by Tibby:
Fairly certain that they make the cards according to Nvidia specifications and add their own stuff on top, up the clocks, change fans, etc. So they are all basically the same except for slight differences.


This. Some people pick brands based on length of warranty. I usually just look for either the cheapest or best software bundle.
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2010-12-03, 5:32 AM #21
Also, in almost every instance, it's better to get a single mid-range card than it is to attempt SLI. It's not just the speed, but the features as well. (For instance, BuuBox's card IIRC does not support DX11).
2010-12-04, 2:09 AM #22
Actually Buu's card appears to support DX11, but I can't afford 2 cards anyway. I'll stick with 1
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2010-12-04, 2:16 AM #23
I wasn't recommending the GTX 275, they're very old. I was suggesting the newer DX11 capable GTX 470 in a single card configuration for $260 with the ability to upgrade to SLI in the future (which is what my story was about... :P) rather than going for two crummier cards now.
2010-12-04, 2:20 AM #24
Originally posted by Cool Matty:
Also, in almost every instance, it's better to get a single mid-range card than it is to attempt SLI. It's not just the speed, but the features as well. (For instance, BuuBox's card IIRC does not support DX11).

I agree with this, I only get single GPUs. I have the money to SLI it up but I don't because of weird issues, and the fact that you can just wait and get a single card that can outperform an SLI per watt.

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