What GFX card to get?

Ells · Post by **Ells** » Wed Aug 29, 2007 3:30 am

Ok, I think it's time to retire my 6800GT, I'm having a few issues with LOMAC and FSX and time to get a new one.

I'm hearing ATI is better than nVidia which I've always got in the past.

Any recomendations on cards for LOMAC, FSX and future games?

Thnx,
Ells.

Post by **Lawndart** » Wed Aug 29, 2007 3:57 am

There's currently only one answer to that question and it's called the nVidia 8800 Ultra if you're looking for a card that's 2nd to none! You can pick up any respectable computer hardware or gaming rig magazine and the reviews for "Top of the line" will read the same. ATI has yet to match even the 8800 GTX (predecessor to the Ultra, which essentially is an overclocked GTX).

Best Gaming Cards for the Money: Aug. 2007 by Tom's Hardware is a great buying guide. There's a hierarchy table on page 7 that lists several generations of ATI and nVidia models. Plus, between the other pages it also has a "Best buy for the price" for each price range covering both PCIe and AGP interface cards.

Intro to Tom's Hardware article wrote:Detailed video card specifications and reviews are great - that is, if you have the time to do the research. But at the end of the day, what a gamer needs is the best video card available for a particular price.

If you don't have the time to research the benchmarks, or if you don't feel confident enough in your ability to make the right decision, fear not. We at Tom's Hardware Guide have come to your aid with a simple list of the best gaming cards offered for the money. We update every month, and it's now time for the August 2007 version of the best gaming video cards for the money.

You'd better be prepared to upgrade your PSU to a 650W+ if you're thinking about some of these newer behemoth video cards by nVidia!

Burner · Post by **Burner** » Wed Aug 29, 2007 10:12 am

Yeah chances are your 6800GT is an AGP card. If you want to go to any of the 8000 series of cards you'll have to buy a motherboard that supports PCI-Ex16 instead of AGP. At that point you might as well pony up for a new processor and ram- its a slippery slope

If all you want is to upgrade your Vid card, I think the 7900GTX is still available in AGP trim, though not sure on that one.

necigrad · Post by **necigrad** » Thu Aug 30, 2007 1:37 am

AGP? Isn't that like dead technology? Wait a sec, I think I might have a PCI Voodoo card lying around. A 3000 perhaps.

Burner · Post by **Burner** » Thu Aug 30, 2007 10:50 am

I can still get my hands on new-ish PCI grfx cards. Its archaic tech but for anything less than a ATI 9600 the interface speed makes little difference.

In anycase, I think everyone agrees that getting an AGP card is a bad move and saving your money for a solid Core2 based system with maybe a 8600GT vid card is the way to go. If you build it yourself you can make a Core2 system that will smoke anything made b/f 2007 for about $500.

Ells · Post by **Ells** » Thu Aug 30, 2007 11:59 am

Thanks guys.
The 6800 is PCIe so I replaced my mobo about 6 months ago when I got the card.

And some great timing, my PSU decided to blow itself up last night when I hit the power button - scared the bejesus outta me!!
So at least I can get the right wattage one now for the 8800, I was wondering what to get.

Here's some shots of my rig inspecting for damage.

In da box

580w Hiper modular PSU - now FUBAR!!

Evo 120 copper cooling tube heat sink fan with adjustable fan speed (I just leave it cranked up)

6800 PCIe

1Gb Corsair modules

On the 8800GTX, I can get different Mhz speed ones by the looks of it, and assume it's just what the budget can spread too?
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Products ... &OrderBy=1

And help on what PSU - I might as well go all the way with 1000w and think I need ATX 2.2 for my case.
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Products ... &OrderBy=1

Burner · Post by **Burner** » Thu Aug 30, 2007 2:39 pm

Be sure to measure how much space you have front to back in that mini-tower. The 8800s are bigger than license plates these day, even British plates

Anyway you're definitely going to have to relocate the hard drive that sits across from you 6800 as it will be in the way. You might have to upgrade to a full tower to fit your 8800 card. Dimensions for the 8000 series cards can be found on newegg.com

As far as PSUs I like Silverstone, Antec is also solid. I doubt you need a full 1kW of power, even if you bought two 8800s for SLi a 750W from a quality manufacturer is more than enough. Also be sure whatever PSU you do get that it is Dual Core and SLi capable. To run an 8800 you have to have a PSU that has at least two 6-pin 12V rails made for PCI-E cards. Any PSU that says SLi certified has those rails.

Speaking of SLi- the bridge that comes with your MoBo is only used if you have two cards to bridge together. I see from the pics that you have the bridge in its slot with no other vid card next to it

Post by **Lawndart** » Thu Aug 30, 2007 3:08 pm

Ells wrote:6800 PCIe

Burner wrote:Speaking of SLi- the bridge that comes with your MoBo is only used if you have two cards to bridge together. I see from the pics that you have the bridge in its slot with no other vid card next to it

It looks like it's connected on the side that reads "Single Video Card".

Burner · Post by **Burner** » Fri Aug 31, 2007 10:36 am

Whoops, you're right. Thought it was an old SLi bridge design, but its just a selector card.

There goes my tech clout

Ells · Post by **Ells** » Tue Sep 04, 2007 8:18 am

lol, yeah it's set to single, I did check that 3 times before powering up with the new mobo.

Thnx for the advice on the size of the card, I'll move the SATA's down and take out the old IDE.

And again on the PSU - around £250 for a 1000w PSU, what's up with that??
I'll go for a 750w for now with 2 PCIe connectors and will prob get the 8800 later on. I've just found some 6800 drivers for LOMAC which will hopefully sort my black hud issue out.

Any ideas on which 8800 to get, so many options

Ells · Post by **Ells** » Tue Sep 04, 2007 8:29 am

Ok, so I'm thinking of this one based on your suggestion:
http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/ProductI ... tID=565199

750w Silverstone SST-DA750, Modular, 60A ,+12V rail, 80% efficiency, 4x 6pin PCI-E, 1x 8pin PCI-E

That should do for any future upgrades and will slot in the case nicely.