Widescreen Gaming Forum

I have a kick ass rig, Core 2 Extreme 3Ghz(45nm), 4GB RAM, Asus Muximus Formula mobo, 750GB HDD and an 8800GTX video card with a Zalman heatsink/fan.

me being the nice guy that i am, i'm giving away my video card to my best friend cuz he's building his PC and can't afford a high end video card. Which leads me to my next point, i need to buy a kick ass high-end video card but i have been out of the PC gaming loop for a while and dunno what's new....last i heard the latest thing is the nVidia GTX 280.

now what is the difference between the GTX 280, 9 series cards and the GX2(with 2 GPUs)?

i also want want a quiet card and one that doesn't heat up, do they make video cards in 45nm GPU? or at least a cool GPU.

so for you PC gurus, what do you recommend? and what is this i hear about 8800 GT out performing the 8800 GTX??? WTF?

please keep in mind i need a cool and quiet card yet powerfull!

thanks!

edit: should i worry about the new DX10.1 and DX11? do games support them yet?

My 9800GX2 from EVGA tops out at 70C and is not really that loud.

Nvidia is going to be coming out with quite a few cards through the end of '09. A good way to go is get a GTX 260 OCed or OC it yourself, then if you like the other stuff they come out with better, like the GT300 DX11 models, you can swap it out without huge loss. You could also add another GTX 260 if you find the others aren't to your liking.

I've seen GTX 260s for under $200 and some at 650MHz for only $220.

My 9800GX2 from EVGA tops out at 70C and is not really that loud.

what watt is your PSU? mine is 650 or 750....can't remember, i hope it mine can handle the GX2 since it's 100 watts extra over the 8800GTX power consumption.

whats the worst thing that could happen if my PSU is not powerful enough?

Nvidia is going to be coming out with quite a few cards through the end of '09. A good way to go is get a GTX 260 OCed or OC it yourself, then if you like the other stuff they come out with better, like the GT300 DX11 models, you can swap it out without huge loss. You could also add another GTX 260 if you find the others aren't to your liking.

I've seen GTX 260s for under $200 and some at 650MHz for only $220.

good idea....GT300 DX11 is tempting. i might get GTX 260 OCed or just get the GTX 280.

are the GX2 that much more powerful than the GTX 280? as in double performance? and do the GTX 280 overheat like the GX2? (i assume not?)

I am using a 610 watt PSU with 12 USB devices (~4 full powered) 4 HDD 1 ODD and 5 fans. But it it a high quality PSU.

Honestly if you draw too much from your PSU the only thing that should happen unless you have bad components all round is damage to the power supply.

I'd go with a GTX 260 or an HD 4870, don't get the 280 it's not worth the bang for the buck.

I think my 4850 with DX 10.1 hardware compatibility will last me until the DX 11 era arrives. Right now I can run all my games on all max, so I figure I shouldn't be in too much danger.

It would be a good idea to wait and see how nVIDIA approaches the GT300 release. I'm sure that when those are released, the GTX x60 model (or whatever they'll term the second best model) would be a great buy - here's to hoping for another 6600GT :)

In terms of 8800GT vs. GTX stock for stock, the GTX is a better card, but pretty much everyone knows that for the price that you get a GT for, it's a better buy (I have one). On my XFX model I installed an Accelero S1 + Turbo Module cooler combo, and it's performed wonderfully.

As for heat "issues" with the GT200 models, my GTX280 Superclocked idles at 60°C and loads at 88-90°C on the dot with everything stock and auto fan control. With my OC (670/1458/1188) and 100% fan, I have it idling at 51°C. Under UT3 I have a maximum of 60°C. Assassin's Creed drives it up to 70°C. Crysis pushes it to 83-85°C. The GTX280 is marginally a better card, notwithstanding SLI issues if you're prone to those. If you have a huge monitor, the GTX cards are superior (double the memory interface bandwidth, and all that). For reference I run everything at 1680x1050 and maxed except for Crysis/Crysis Warhead where AA is off. 650W PSU, btw; 52A on the +12V rail.

My friend's two 260s (FTW edition) in SLI heat up about the same, but he's got a better and bigger case than I do.

I think the best card for the money is the ATI 4850, you can find them for about $150

Nothing touches that price vs performance ratio.

I mean I have two of them for $300 and thats easily able to max out any game at 1920x1200. Even just a single 4850 was letting me play the most demanding game yet on my system maxed out.

Crysis DX9 1920x1080 all Very High was in the 30's and thats good for Crysis :P

I know the market has shifted some since I was price hunting but I think the GTX260 is still quite a bit more, and I know the 4870 is about $50 or $60 more than the 4850, and thats a 25% increase in cost when the card is only about 10% faster (and the 4850's overclock like demons)

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