This card worth it?

tatsumaru · 10-14-2007, 07:51 AM

I need a new card for my new gaming rig, but I don't know what to go with.... I don't really want to get a card without dx10 compatibility and then end up buying one in a years time... but I also want a card which is affordable....

Sparkle GF 8800 GTS SLI 640MB DDR3 - £246
If I got this card (which I'm reluctant to because of the price. 246 is my maximum) is it going to be worth it in the long run?

How long would it be before I needed to get a second one for SLI, or a new card altogether?

Would it be more viable to get:

EVGA e-GeForce 8600 GTS 256MB - £146
and then risk not having enough vram to play later games such as Crysis? (which has a recommended spec of 512vram.) How does the video memory affect the games anyway?

Also... when games are using dx10, will someone without dx10 cards be able to play those games? I'm guessing not, but I'm also guessing that the developers are going to make games playable on dx9 and 10 until a lot more people are using 10 which they'll then start making all games in dx10.

Thanks!

**koala** · 10-14-2007, 08:41 AM

Another option is the Geforce 8800GTS 320mb with DDR3 for about £170-180. The performance is identical to the 640mb when you play games at lower than 1600x1200, and can easily be overclocked if you have a good enough cooling system and PSU. The extra video memory is only needed for the textures on very high resolutions.

**manic** · 10-14-2007, 08:48 AM

Dx10 is only available afaik with vista as the os. You can still play
dx10 games with dx9, you just dont have the functionality of dx10.
Which is probably negible at this time.

10-14-2007, 07:51 AM	#1 (permalink)
tatsumaru Registered User Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: England, Bristol Posts: 70 OS: XP Home SP2 My System	This card worth it? I need a new card for my new gaming rig, but I don't know what to go with.... I don't really want to get a card without dx10 compatibility and then end up buying one in a years time... but I also want a card which is affordable.... Sparkle GF 8800 GTS SLI 640MB DDR3 - £246 If I got this card (which I'm reluctant to because of the price. 246 is my maximum) is it going to be worth it in the long run? How long would it be before I needed to get a second one for SLI, or a new card altogether? Would it be more viable to get: EVGA e-GeForce 8600 GTS 256MB - £146 and then risk not having enough vram to play later games such as Crysis? (which has a recommended spec of 512vram.) How does the video memory affect the games anyway? Also... when games are using dx10, will someone without dx10 cards be able to play those games? I'm guessing not, but I'm also guessing that the developers are going to make games playable on dx9 and 10 until a lot more people are using 10 which they'll then start making all games in dx10. Thanks!

10-14-2007, 08:41 AM	#2 (permalink)
koala Moderator Hardware Team Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: UK Posts: 12,336 OS: XP/7/Ubuntu My System	Re: This card worth it? Another option is the Geforce 8800GTS 320mb with DDR3 for about £170-180. The performance is identical to the 640mb when you play games at lower than 1600x1200, and can easily be overclocked if you have a good enough cooling system and PSU. The extra video memory is only needed for the textures on very high resolutions. __________________ New members: Subscribe to your thread (Thread Tools) to receive an instant email notification when you get a reply. TSF Folding@Home Team 85015 - details here

10-14-2007, 08:48 AM	#3 (permalink)
manic Mod Hardware Team Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Florida Posts: 5,238 OS: xp	Re: This card worth it? Dx10 is only available afaik with vista as the os. You can still play dx10 games with dx9, you just dont have the functionality of dx10. Which is probably negible at this time. __________________