[I got da Pa-ul]

My situation is that I have an embedded graphics card on my computer, and I thought it was time to upgrade so i can run things higher than the lowest setting without lag due to a onboard graphics adapter.. (My motherboard only supports PCI-Express)


http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=...amp;dcaid=15890

this is the copied and pasted specs of the one above..


Buy.com Total Price: $149.99

Chipset: GF 8600 GT
BUS Type: PCI-E
Eclk (MHz) 620
Memory Bus 128 bit
Memory Type DDRIII
Memory Size 256MB
Memory Speed 1.6 GHz
Cooling Type FANSINK
TV OUT YES
DVI OUT DUAL
DUAL-LINK DVI DUAL
RoHS YES
HDCP NO
NVIDIA-SLI READY YES
Low Profile Compatible NO








basically what I'm looking for is a PCI express graphics card with the capacity to run games such as Sword of the New World, the upcoming WolfTeam, and Cabal Online (Guild Wars, CS source, HL2) with High-Higest setting available for about 150$ or less in US dollars.


my q is: should i get this graphics card for 150 or is there another graphics card for about the same price that has a better value..? (PCI-express)

(because i dont' think my computer has the power thing for the higher end cards..)

[angelqian]

that's not too bad of a deal, check up reviews for reliability. It's always a good idea to invest in a good power supply.

[wheelsun]

Hm, try to research how much the 8600 GT is faster then the 8500 GT.

You can get a XFX 8500GT for $60 after rebates. Pay $80 up front, and get the $20 rebate later from ZipZoomFly.

The seller is reputable, I have bought lots of computer hardware from them..

Heres a link to the 8500 GT 256 MB model:
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetai...prodlist=nextag

Heres the $20 rebate.. you need Adobe Reader to read/print it out
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/rebate/321125_06152007.pdf

Heres the specs for the 8500:

Shader Clock: 983 MHz
Memory Clock: 800 MHz
Dual Link DVI Supporting digital output up to 2560x1600: 1
Clock rate: 450 MHz
Chipset: GeForce 8500 GT
Memory: 256 MB
Bus Type: PCI-E
Memory Type: DDR2
Memory Bus: 128 bit
Output: VGA, DVI

Your choice, but just from looking at the specs of both cards, the 8600GT cant be much of a better performer.

[I got da Pa-ul]

replying to wheelsun..

the reason i chose the 8600 GT was the fact that it could support directX 10 in the future.. but I dunno about that either.. will it make that much of a difference?

[wheelsun]

All the GeForce 8xxx cards support DirectX 10, so don't worry too much about that

Heres a list of the features from the latest nVidia cards:

http://www.nvidia.com/object/geforce_family.html

It won't make much of a difference either way if your not big on gaming, its just for all those little effects that don't really matter. Just for the "oooo" factor if you know what I mean.

But with either card you'll be ready to run Windows Vista with all the visual crap turned on, Aero etc

[I got da Pa-ul]

oh relly? thanks a lot!

[OsiX]

By the time actual DX10 comes out, that midrange card will probably be too weak to run them in their full glory (aka max details)

[apparition]

By the time actual DX10 comes out, that midrange card will probably be too weak to run them in their full glory (aka max details)

technically DX10 has come out (w/ vista) in patched games (ie. COH, etc) .

but ya, that card wil be adequate for the games you listed. also, makes sure you have enough power on your powersupply (check V and amperage)...and hopefully you got a pci-ex slot too

[I got da Pa-ul]

yeah, i have a pci express slot... but for the power supply.. i have a atx-300-12z power supply.. (basically 300w) found here

http://www.circotech.com/bestec-atx-300-12...-5187-6114.html

would this be enough power for the graphics cards? (both the 8500GT and 8600 GT) cause i read at tom's hardware specs that the 8600GT would require 300W.. would the power supply be enough for the graphics card + the otheres things i'm running at the same time?


8500 GT
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetai...prodlist=nextag

8600 GT
http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=...amp;dcaid=15890 (i think it needs 300W)

[Jay-C]

If you want power at a cheap price, you can't go past 7950GTs, they are powerful little cards. Most of the DX10 games that are coming out looks like it can even stress out a 8800 Ultra... therfore, DX10 doesnt seem to be all that important... It ran HL2 VERY well, my old 7900GT on a 22".

[Kiribati]

Hm, try to research how much the 8600 GT is faster then the 8500 GT.

You can get a XFX 8500GT for $60 after rebates. Pay $80 up front, and get the $20 rebate later from ZipZoomFly.

The seller is reputable, I have bought lots of computer hardware from them..

Heres a link to the 8500 GT 256 MB model:
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetai...prodlist=nextag

Heres the $20 rebate.. you need Adobe Reader to read/print it out
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/rebate/321125_06152007.pdf

Heres the specs for the 8500:

Shader Clock: 983 MHz
Memory Clock: 800 MHz
Dual Link DVI Supporting digital output up to 2560x1600: 1
Clock rate: 450 MHz
Chipset: GeForce 8500 GT
Memory: 256 MB
Bus Type: PCI-E
Memory Type: DDR2
Memory Bus: 128 bit
Output: VGA, DVI

Your choice, but just from looking at the specs of both cards, the 8600GT cant be much of a better performer.

for the price it's a really good card.

yeah, i have a pci express slot... but for the power supply.. i have a atx-300-12z power supply.. (basically 300w) found here

http://www.circotech.com/bestec-atx-300-12...-5187-6114.html

would this be enough power for the graphics cards? (both the 8500GT and 8600 GT) cause i read at tom's hardware specs that the 8600GT would require 300W.. would the power supply be enough for the graphics card + the otheres things i'm running at the same time?
8500 GT
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetai...prodlist=nextag

8600 GT
http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=...amp;dcaid=15890 (i think it needs 300W)

Along with all the other components on your computer, I don't think 300 will be enough. Hell, my 350w couldn't even handle Pentium 4 + XFX GeForce 6600...

[OsiX]

technically DX10 has come out (w/ vista) in patched games (ie. COH, etc) .

but ya, that card wil be adequate for the games you listed. also, makes sure you have enough power on your powersupply (check V and amperage)...and hopefully you got a pci-ex slot too

I am talking about games that has been developed from the ground up to be DX10 ie: Alan Wake, Crysis, Hellgate: London, Bioshock etc.

[Tepper]

Regardless of DX10 or not, a 8600GT shouldn't be considered unless it is priced around ~$120 USD. It's barely faster than the 7600GT which is going for Sub-$100. DX10 will definitely not be able to be cranked to it's fullest(or near it) on a low-end first gen card.

[jeffy]

You need at least a 8800 in order to have nice fps in future DX10 games.

I would go for a high end 7 series nvidia if I was in your position.