Nicholas Collins8 said:Can someone please recommend a gaming GPU that will handle all games for the next 2-3 years? (My PC is currently being repaired, so I can't check things like the power supply right now...)
Handle everything for 2-3 years!?...you need to define what you mean by "handle."😁
Personally, I don't think such a thing exists. Graphics cards come out so fast these days; I seriously doubt any single card is going to keep you satisfied for three whole years... but if you really want to go for it, maybe an ATI 4890 or an Nvidia GeForce GTX 275 would work. Those are basically the top tier right now. Or, if you just have an unlimited budget, you could look at those dual-core beasts like the ATI Radeon 4870 X2 (which is probably the fastest card on the planet), but that's going to run you about $2500$1000...so, you decide.🙂
wiredmarlin5 said:In my opinion, grabbing an HD4770 just isn't worth the money when you could get an HD4870 512/1024 or even a 250GTS instead. 🙂
And don't even get me started on the next generation of ATI cards; much faster hardware is right around the corner, which means prices for these current models are bound to tank.
Look, I get that those other options might be better, but they’re also way more expensive. Personally, I think the 4770 offers the best bang for your buck. As for the pricing, I'm banking on the price of the 4770 dropping soon, so I'd probably pick up a second one once it gets cheaper. Running two 4770s together is honestly kind of a mess—they're basically identical, if not maybe slightly better than a 4890 or a 250GTS. 😁
It looks like we're finally getting the ASUS EAH 4770 formula after all... this is supposedly the latest iteration of the 4770 series. They claim it features improved cooling and runs quieter, which I guess would be nice. As for performance, they're saying it's basically the same as the old one—maybe even slightly better in some cases, though I suspect it's just equal—while potentially offering a bit lower power consumption at best.😁
Thanks to both of you for getting back to me... I think I’ll end up pulling the trigger on the ASUS one in the end. In my opinion, it’s the superior card, and we managed to snag it at a pretty decent price.👍
I have a question regarding picking up a new graphics card. Now that I've finally made up my mind on which model I want, I'm struggling with the fact that multiple manufacturers are churning out the exact same card, yet the prices vary wildly—sometimes by as much as $15 or $20!! So, please, which of these NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 cards is actually the best? Or, to put it more accurately, which one offers the most bang for my buck??
Thomas Martin4 said:It’s old tech. Honestly, it just isn't worth the money when you can get much better performance for the exact same price—like an Nvidia GeForce 8800 GTX or even a GTS 250 from Nvidia. Plus, you can pick up a decent 22" monitor for $333 , which I suppose is a pretty fair price
Alright, thanks for the input. I think I have a much clearer idea of which card to go with now.👍
Thomas Martin4 said:I see you're based in a place where you don't exactly have cheap shops nearby. For that specific monitor, a 9600GT, an Nvidia GeForce GT 210, or a 4730 would be plenty. Even in a big city like Chicago, you'd be looking at maybe 500-$233 depending on the retailer or if there's a bundle... and for $267, you could grab an Nvidia GeForce 250 GTS or an Nvidia GeForce 8800 GTX, which I guess are what people call "overkill" for that monitor. If you think you might upgrade the screen soon, those last two wouldn't be a bad choice. Maybe do some digging through reviews online to see which card actually fits your needs. Also, what's the main use for this PC? Gaming, or something else?
Well, the PC is for music, video, and gaming (obviously🙂)... regarding the monitor, that's just what I have right now, but my first priority is going to be picking up an LCD once the prices finally drop👎... so I really need to look at this from a long-term perspective. Just imagine if I had an LCD 😉
What do you think about this card? MSI Radeon HD3870 512MB GDDR3 $266
Thomas Martin4 said:So, how much cash are we actually talking about here? Prices vary wildly depending on which store you hit up. Just give me a specific number and let me know what kind of monitor you’re working with—what’s the screen size?
Thomas Martin4 said:The graphics card itself is decent enough, I suppose, but really it all depends on what you actually plan to do with the PC and how big your monitor is. As for the power supply, it should technically be sufficient, but since it’s just some budget Codegen unit, my concern is really about reliability and safety. Those cheap units practically lack any meaningful protection against voltage surges or similar issues. If you're planning on overclocking, then yeah, definitely swap it out immediately. Otherwise, if you stick with it, you're just taking a massive gamble that the PSU might fry itself and take several other expensive components down to the grave with it..
Aha... well, I was looking at it pretty quickly and it seems perfectly fine for that price point to me. It feels like a step up from an HD3850 or an HD3870. Do you actually have a suggestion for something better within that same budget??
Motherboard: MBO DFI, s.775 Lan PartyDK p45-t2rs, Intel P45, Bus 1600 MHz, Serial ATA II, RAID, 7.1 sound, DDR2, 1Gbps, ATX2 CPU: Intel Core Duo E 8200 2x2.66GHz, GMB LGA 775, bus 1333MHz Memory: 2GB (1+1) DDR2 800MHz RAM HDD: Seagate Barracuda 500GB, Serial ATA-II, 7,200 RPM I’m guessing a 400W power supply won't be enough... maybe.??
I read through the first post, but honestly, I was just looking for a direct comparison between those two cards. Which one actually performs better? And maybe—just maybe—if there’s something out there at a similar price point that beats both of them, I'd like to know. I didn't bother listing the rest of my specs because, frankly, I don't think they matter here... Thanks for getting back to me. I was leaning toward the HD 4670 myself, I just wanted to double-check.