Lasereth

Those are 7900 GTs, not 7600 GTs. BIIIIIIIGGG difference.

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Cynthetiq

I must be dyslexic because I double checked the new egg entry...

anyways, yes a HUGE difference....

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Carno

Okay Las, you have changed my mind. I didn't do my homework and I made a poor decision.

What nVIDIA card for under $300 do you recommend? I understand that ATI may outperform them, but I don't like ATI, so they are 100% out. I won't buy one. I am thinking of just buying one card, possibly the 7900 or 7950, GS, GT, GTX? What do you think is better?

How about this guy?

How the hell would it run in SLI mode though if the fan is so big?

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Cynthetiq

I love my 7900GT... I run it with dual 19" monitors. If I could have afforded the 7950GTX I would have bought them. (i had to buy double for the wife's computer.)

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Carno

Or maybe this one: eVGA GeForce 7950 GT

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Lasereth

I'd go for the 7950 GT at your price range. It's comparable to the X1900 XT. eVGA is a good choice because of their excellent rebates, switch-program, and warranties.

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Carno

I decided to get the 7950 GT.

Thanks for the help

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Antikarma

I've been told to hold off buying a video card until January or February because a lot of the cards out now will not be DX10/Vista capable. This seems a bit hokey to me, but still got me curious.

Do you know anything about it L?

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BulletCatcher

One thing to keep in mind is it will take awhile before DX10 and Vista are widley supported. There will always be the early adoptors but the majority of people will still be using XP and DX9 cards for at least another year or longer. Developers are not going to shut out the majority of their potential customers but making their games Vista/DX10 specific until the adoption rate is at a level that makes financial sense for them. There will be games that will take advantage of the upgrade (better graphics, more physics, etc...) but there is nothing scheduled for release in the next year or so that I've seen that will require Vista/DX10.

In my opinion, there is no reason to wait before upgrading other than price. Once the newer DX10 cards are released in a few months then the current-gen cards will most likley see a price drop so you'll be able to pick up that 1950XTX or 7900GT that will set you back $450 now for $50 - $100 less. If you don't mind paying a premium now then have at it. You'll still be getting a proven performer that will easily handle anything you throw at it well into next year and beyond.

Lasereth

Yeah there's not much of a reason to wait unless you don't want a card that bad. Prices won't go down THAT much. If you don't mind waiting, then wait and see what happens, but if you planned on upgrading soon, I'd do it now. The new DX10 cards will be expensive as hell and the price/performance ratio will be less on the newer cards as well.

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Manic_Skafe

This is my first build so please excuse my ignorance.

I just picked up an intel core 2 dup processor to compliment this mobo and now I'm in search of a crossfire-ready graphics card that'd make the most of my $100-250 budget.

I've been looking around and doing a fair bit of research but I still lack enough confidence to just make a decision....any help is appreciated.

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Cynthetiq

Manic,

the X1900XT.... work your way down from there...

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Lasereth

If you want the most for the price, the X1900 XT is really the best choice. Go slightly cheaper and get a X1900 GT if you want to save money. I don't list ripoffs in my guide, so just go to the price you want and look at the cards in the guide. <B>If the card you're looking at isn't in my guide, 90% of the time it's a waste of money.</B>

Expect an update soon. I realize that some of the cards on the guide are no longer at NewEgg.com. I'll update the guide as soon as I look at a few more benchmarks on different price ranges.

Updated my guide completely in every price range. Took some cards out, put some new ones in, and added nVIDIA's new GeForce 8 series.

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Lasereth

Made some updates in the sub $200 price ranges.

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Lasereth

Basically re-did the entire guide due to extreme price fluctuations. It's mind-numbing how cheap videocards of extreme power are today. Check out the updates, especially the Radeon X1950 XT and the brand new GeForce 8800 GTS 320 MB version. Truly incredible deals.

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MageB420666

Lasereth,

I've been considering updating my graphics card from a Radeon X1300Pro to a Radeon X1950XT, however, I do have a couple questions.

First, is there any real difference in the various X1950 XT's on Newegg based on the manufacturers? i.e. Sapphire, Diamond, HIS.....or is it just an opportunity to save on prices?

Second, I've been lightly reading the reviews on the cards and have seen several people say to wait and see what happens with DX 10. I'm not a really a hard core gamer when it comes to shooters, but I do play RPG's a lot. Would you suggest waiting to see about DX 10 or would the X1950 XT be able to hold its own when ATI releases their DX 10 line?

P.S.- My current setup is:
AMD Athlon 64 3800+ Venice processor
1GB Dual Channel RAM
Antec Smartpower 2.0 500w PS

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soccerchamp76

IMHO, you cannot go wrong with the newer Nvidia 8800 models.

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Lasereth

You could buy an 8800 GTS 320 MB version but I highly doubt your system would make use of it unless you turned the resolution in all of your games up passed 2500x2000 literally. I'd buy the Radeon X1950 XT. Might even wanna consider the X1950 Pro since it's way cheaper and more comparable to the rest of your PC.

The brands don't matter at all.

So basically: buy the 8800 GTS 320 MB if you have $300 even though your PC won't take advantage of it but it will have DX10, buy the Radeon X1950 Pro or XT for $150-$200ish and not have DX10 (which won't be that big of a deal for a while), or.............

NVIDIA is releasing new midrange DX 10 cards in April in the lower and midrange price points. If you wanted to wait a month or so, the GeForce 8600 and 8500 will be debuting in April with DX10 support at the $150-$250 price range. I have no information on how they perform right now though.

__________________
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MageB420666

Cool beans, thanks for the advice. I think I will go with the 1950 XT because I do plan on upgrading my system over the next year or so(memory and processor mainly and the difference in price between the Pro and XT isn't a big deal for me.

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Lasereth

Added the new Radeon X1900 GT to the list. It's a measly $125 on NewEgg right now. It's incredibly fast for the price...buy it if you're looking to upgrade on a budget.

__________________
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Lasereth

Updated. Revamped the budget section considerably due to major price fluctuations.

BTW the lack of ATI's 2900 XT series is due to a price to performance issue. The price to performance ratio sucks so it's not going on the list.

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Mondak

nice work on keeping up with this for so long

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Lasereth

Updated again. Videocard prices are really low for how much you get for the price right now. Lots to choose from in the sub $150 market now as well!

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Lasereth

Updated -- best deal on the market is the Radeon X1950 XT at the moment. Buy it if it's in your budget range!!

Prophecy

With the release of DX10 cards what do I need to start looking for my "quick" which card is better info? I can't seem to find pixel pipeline info on any of the GeForce 8800 cards. However, I'm seeing shader processors -stream processors numbers for 96 and 128, or should I look for core clock speed or something else all together.


Edit: Also does anyone know the name of a good power supply maker? Seems the 8800 GTS requires minimum 400W or greater system power supply and the GTX is minimum 450W or greater system power supply respectively.

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Lasereth

I haven't read anything that suggests the GeForce 8800s are different. The 8600s are though but all you need to watch for is them having GDDR3 RAM instead of GDDR2.

I prefer Enermax BTW. Buy an Enermax Liberty 400w and above.

Prophecy

ty

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Non salti Ciecamente In Incertezza,
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Shadowex3

OCforums Everything about Power thread. Enermax is a good lower end company, among the low-cost PSUs I would consider them the best choice. If you can afford it though it is definitely a good idea to get whatever supplies the amps you need in your volt and price range from somebody like corsair, seasonic, or FSP group (fortron source).

If nothing else read the blue names and NEVER buy from those companies.

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Silverbrain

Lasereth, thanks for keeping your front page updated, came in handy as I make my rounds for the new video card. I started thinking 7600GT...109 after rebate, then thought the x1950pro...135 after rebate, then saw you highly suggest the x1950xt model, and it does look like the best bang, if I could find it for that price!

Are you watching the PCI-E side of things, or AGP, or both?

Thanks!

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Redjake

I have to correct this - Enermax is one of the best on the market, in all price ranges. They are one of the leading brands of power supplies, and have never let me down. They are by no means a "lower end company." Raidmax is a lower end company!

Bought my 410W Enermax Silent PSU about 3 years ago; it has supported the following in ONE system for 3 solid years:

Athlon 64 3700+
GeForce 6800GT (256 MB)
2 GB Corsair XMS (1 GB, 512, 512)
300 GB HD
250 GB HD
3 x 160 HD
120 HD
80 HD
Soundblaster Live card
AGP/PCI-E Dual Motherboard
RAID/IDE Controller card
DVD-RW
4 80 MM fans

I realize some of those components aren't what they used to be, but any PSU that will power all of that with a 410W rating isn't a "lower end company." Today's Enermax PSUs will power dual core processors with SLi/Crossfire video cards just as good as the best. That's a Redjake guarantee!

To bring the convo back to video cards: Enermax PSUs are perfect for gaming PCs. Go for it.

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Lasereth

I watch PCI-E mainly but I still keep up with AGP cards.

Some cards vary from week to week so the price may be different than what I list. If it is, chances are I can't recommend it, especially if it's much higher. The X1950 Pro is probably your best bet.

Lasereth

Bad news comrades:

Many deals in the market are completely gone or sold out (and may not return). This could be nvidia and ATIs method of phasing out the older generations and pushing in the new generations. Either way the deals are starting to go away and prices are going back to regular levels. We'll see if NewEgg restocks the super deals or not.

Lasereth

Not sure how the ATI Radeon X1900 GT managed to slip through the cracks but man what a killer card for $99. It makes the brand new GeForce 8600 GT and its competitor the Radeon HD 2600 XT weep in agony at their shortcomings. If you're in the market for a new card and want to keep it around $100 then you can't beat the Radeon X1900 GT.

Lasereth

Made some changes. The Radeon X1900 GT remains the best deal in the $100 price segment. The new Radeon HD 2900 Pro is an excellent card and finally gives the 8800 GTS 320 some competition. Removed both the GeForce 7950 GT and the Radeon X1950 XT from the list due to NewEgg's abandonment of both cards.

Willravel

I'm frustrated because I can't slap a NVIDIA GeForce 8800 Ultra in an iMac. The only thing I think Mac is still far behind in would be video cards, and the problem is that you can't just put whatever card you'd like in the machine. Not only can you not add it, but even if you could it's not compatible. So even if I had a Mac Pro, I couldn't put it in there. If I wanted the 8800 or a similar performance video card, I'd need to go get a Windows machine.

Lasereth

The Radeon X1900 GT is GONE!!!!!! Best deal on the market faded away slowly.

The Radeon X1950 XT is back at the $199 price point making it the only choice in between $150 and $280.

Deltona Couple

I have found an x1950 xtx for a good price, but they say you cant run them as a single card. is this true? would i have problems running it as a solo card?

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Lasereth

Tom's Hardware has reviewed the new GeForce 8800 GT. All I can say is the buyer's guide is gonna be EDITED with FURY once this card is available on NewEgg. For $230, the 8800 GT performs nearly as well as the $550 8800 GTX!!!!!!! It blows away the GeForce 8800 GTS 320, 640, and the Radeon HD 2900 XT!! This $230 single-slot powerhouse will change the videocard market permanently once it's released. Expect an update soon!

I've never heard that about the XTX. But if I were you I'd wait until the GeForce 8800 GT hits NewEgg and buy that instead if you can afford $230.

Lasereth

Deleted every card off the list in the $200-$500 price range. If you're in the market for a card above $200 buy the GeForce 8800 GT...there's no reason to buy anything else. This card is revolutionary and will go down in PC history as an industry-altering launch. The power you get from an 8800 GT rivals an 8800 GTX and is $200-$250 on average. Truly incredible.

Deltona Couple

Thanx for the input. but since my budget only allows about 100 bucks, I'll have to stick with the one I found. Picked it up for $105 plus shipping! Not a bad deal in my opinion.

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