Graphics Cards - I am soooo lost!

[jon_s]

Ok, a new computer is being built in a few weeks.

However, I am completely lost when it comes to f/x cards. I think I want to stay on the radeon side of things. I have between £100-£200 to spend.

Current spec list is:

Motherboard
Foxconn 955X7AA-8EKRS2 SKT775 DDR2 PCI-E 7.1 Channel Audio
http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/produ...duct_uid=91943



Product Information
Processor

* Intel® Pentium® 4, Socket 775, 800/1066MHz FSB
* Supports Intel Prescott & Celeron D processors
* Intel Hyper-Threading Technology supported

Chipset

* Intel® 955X Express + ICH7R

Memory

* Dual channel, unbuffered, 1.8V DDR2-533/667 w/ or w/o ECC; (4) 240-pin DIMM sockets, max 8GB

Graphics

* Discrete (non-integrated) - use expansion slot

Expansion Slots

* 1 x PCI Express x16, 3 x PCI Express x1, 3 x PCI

IDE/ATA Support

* 1 x ATA/100 + 2 x ATA/133 (w/ RAID) + 4 x SATA/300 (w/ RAID) + 4 x SATA/150 (w/ RAID)
* Supports RAID 0, 1, 5, 10, and Intel Matrix Storage Technology (1+0 on 2 HDDs)
* Supports IDE RAID 0, 1, and 1+0
* Includes second SATA RAID controller (0, 1, and 1+0)

Audio

* Integrated, 7.1 channel High Definition (Realtek)

LAN

* Dual integrated Gigabit Ethernet (10/100/1000) controllers, dual ports (Broadcom)

IEEE-1394

* 3 via internal headers + rear cable/bracket assemby (1 x 1394b + 1 x 1394a 4-pin + 1 x 1394a 6-pin)

USB

* Up to 8; 4 in rear I/O area + 2 internal 2-port headers; ver. 2.0

Rear I/O Ports

* 1 x PS/2 keyboard
* 1 x PS/2 mouse
* 1 x RJ45 (LAN)
* 4 x USB 2.0
* 1 x line-in/line-out/mic (audio)
* 1 x parallel (SPP/ECP/EPP)
* 1 x COM (16550-compatible UART)
* Additional line-outs for 7.1 channel audio
* 2 x S/PDIF (1 x coax out + 1 x optical out)
* 2 ports USB 2.0 via cable/bracket from internal headers (shared w/ front)
* 3 x IEEE-1394 via cable/bracket from internal headers (shared w/ front)

Internal Connectors/Headers

* 1 x floppy disk drive
* Front audio header
* 2 x USB 2-port headers, ver. 2.0
* 3 x IEEE-1394 headers

BIOS

* 4Mb flash EEPROM w/ LAN boot, PnP, ACPI, WfM, DMI 2.0

Special Features

* Wake-on-LAN (WOL), suspend-to-RAM (STR, S3), suspend-to-disk (STD, S4), SuperUtilities - SuperBoot, SuperBIOS-Protect, SuperRecovery, SuperSpeed, SuperStep, SuperLogo, and SuperUpdate

Overclocking Features

* Adjustable bus speeds
* Adjustable memory timing
* Adjustable voltages (may be Vcore only)
* Adjustable ratios

Form Factor

* ATX, 12'' x 9.6''

CPU

Intel Pentium D 920 (BX80553920) Dual Core 2.8Ghz FSB 800 x 2Mb LGA 775

http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/produ...uct_uid=102621

Ram

Kingston Value Ram 1BG 533MHz DDR2 Non-ECC CL4 DIMM

http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/produ...duct_uid=64182

(x2)

Hard drive

Maxtor 300 GB

http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/produ...duct_uid=89520

DVD

Pioneer DVR-110D 16x DVD±RW Dual Layer Internal IDE
http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/produ...duct_uid=94664

LG GDR-8164BL 16x52 DVD-ROM Internal IDE
http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/produ...duct_uid=98199

Sound Card

Creative Labs Audigy 2 ZS Platinum 7.1 Surroundsound 24-bit Sound Card
http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/produ...uct_uid=100904

So that is it (roughly) so far.

Bear in mind, the last time I looked a f/x cards the 850 was top dog. Any insight to what is going on today would be helpful!! I have worked out that the 1900 or something is top dog; but where do the lesser 1xxx rage fit in with the 850. i.e is the 1300 better e.t.c

Any comments on current spec welcome too....


Thanks in advance!

[r2r]

Well jon, I just bought a graphics card a week ago, I found a good deal in a store. I bought a nvidia geforce 7800GT OC for $300 ( i think thats about 200 pounds, or a bit more).

The geforce 7800 is currently the top of the line card for nvidia, although the 7800 GTX is the higher version of mine, its quite a bit more pricey ( about $200 more) You can easily find the 7800GT for the same price i got it on ebay.

As for the ATI graphics cards, you can find really good deals for those as well.

Check this link for a comparison http://www.gamespot.com/features/6140517/p-3.html

if you are looking for something a bit less price, ATI Radeon X800 XL is a really good choice (you can find them for less then $200)

http://reviews.cnet.com/ATI_Radeon_X...50.html?tag=pc

[jon_s]

Cheers, I shall check those out. 8)

[exhausted mules]

you should first tell us what you plan on doing with your comp.

if your a hardcore gamer and never leave your house unless its to go buy a pound of coffee then you should probably get an 850xt or the x1800/x1900.

if not. (so its seems) then you could probalby get away with something ALOT smaller. if your planning on doing just average games with some editing or whatever

then you can't go wrong with an x1800xl. get the 256 version, it should last you a long time and you should be able to find a good price soon.

ati is dropping prices again in a couple months.

[jon_s]

Well, I will be playing the latest games but not on a 'gamer' level. After all, I hold down a hour hungry job.

I do however, fancy getting my teeth into games like Farcry e.t.c

My thinking behind getting a better card than I need, is a bit of future proofing.

I will also be doing a fair bit of video editing, although (I think) that is more a CPU/RAM thing.

I was thinking something like:

Asus Extreme 850PRO HTVD 256MB PCI-E
http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/produ...uct_uid=100957

or (a bit cheaper)

Sapphire X800GTO² 256mb GDDR3 PCI-E VGA/DVI/TV-out
http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/produ...duct_uid=98063

[Toronto]

i think it is really a big mistake updating computers now...
wait till the intel dual HT is up to speed, what is another 4 months really?
i would rather wait so when vista is out you will run it @ the top speed

[jon_s]

Oooh, Toronto, you are not supposed to say that!! My computer has been on its last legs for a year or so now...I have been putting this off for ages lol

Won't all the new fancy stuff be top $$?? I am trying to get this in under £900 RRP

[Toronto]

i guess if your on a budget now if better than then.

but think how much cheaper the stuff now will be then

[exhausted mules]

that sapphire gto2 is a sick overclocking.


or so...

i heard

[AlienDB7]

Originally Posted by Toronto i think it is really a big mistake updating computers now... wait till the intel dual HT is up to speed, what is another 4 months really? i would rather wait so when vista is out you will run it @ the top speed

Or just get a dual core AMD chip

[Toronto]

^^^ if you like overheating problems then ok

[r2r]

Originally Posted by Toronto ^^^ if you like overheating problems then ok

What do you mean? i have dual core and never had a problem.

[crazidude]

Originally Posted by Toronto ^^^ if you like overheating problems then ok

uhh.. yeah... overheating on an a64...


I have no idea how much video cards cost where you are, but if you want to save money then something like a x1600xt, 6600gt or a 6800gt used is probably where in that range. If you want to spend more, then a 6800gs or a x800gto2 would do nicely. If you can a 7800gt will obviously be better than both.

If you're planing to buy something soon then you could probably wait a few days and see how the 7600's perform. I believe they come out with a week or 2 from now.

[DeMoN]

I would stay off ATI Radeon if I were you. Their driver's sux really bad.

Go for the GeForce 7800 GS for value and the GTX for performance as cartur suggested.

I currently have two 6800 Ultra in SLI mode and they work great. However, they are x8 PCI-E so I will upgrade to two SLI 7800GTX with x16 sooner or later.

[TNT]

I have a ATI Radeon 9700 moble 128mb, in a Powerbook G4 15'' at 1.67Ghz with 512mb RAM. i am also at 1440x960 and 32bit color. And i have never had a problem running my Adobe creative suite and PS with images up over 100mb. Runs really smooth, its a great set up. and i got it for 2800 ($) also but i am kind of a Mac fan so. But i have had the best graphics with ATI in my gaming and work days.