GeForce 8800 Ultra vs. GTX 295

DT Roberts · 10-12-2009, 11:25 PM

Hello all.

I built my computer (specs on the right) last year with the best components available (generally). I was looking to upgrade my 8800 Ultra to a GTX 295, but everywhere I look I see the 8800 Ultra is still more expensive. Why is this? Is there something I'm missing?

Also, would I be better off taking advantage of the SLI feature and adding another 8800 Ultra instead of the upgrade?

Thanks for your help.

Phædrus2401 · 10-12-2009, 11:34 PM

The 8800 Ultra is just an overclocked 8800GTX, aka 9800GTX+, aka GTS250. So the GTX295 is indisputably better. I can't imagine why it's more expensive, I wouldn't buy one for more than ~$120 at the absolute max.

Personally, I wouldn't buy any high-end graphics card, and certainly wouldn't go SLI, without a better PSU. Ultra is one of the brands we find crap, with shoddy specs, questionable testing procedures, and high failure rates. The 1000W Ultra you have would make an average 700W at best, which is insufficient for SLI.

I would wait for the GeForce GT300 cards to come out, or else pick up a Radeon 5870 and a Corsair TX750W (though you may run into instability issues with an ATI card on an Nvidia motherboard).

Mart2912 · 10-13-2009, 04:28 AM

It is most likely more expensive due to the fact that it has been discontinued. An example would be the old AMD socket 939. You will find that socket 939 processors are more expensive than a newer/faster AM2/AM3.

10-12-2009, 11:25 PM	#1 (permalink)
DT Roberts Windows Tech Team Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Massachusetts Posts: 1,171 OS: Windows 7 RTM (x64), Vista SP2, XP Pro, Windows 7, Ubuntu 9.04 My System	GeForce 8800 Ultra vs. GTX 295 Hello all. I built my computer (specs on the right) last year with the best components available (generally). I was looking to upgrade my 8800 Ultra to a GTX 295, but everywhere I look I see the 8800 Ultra is still more expensive. Why is this? Is there something I'm missing? Also, would I be better off taking advantage of the SLI feature and adding another 8800 Ultra instead of the upgrade? Thanks for your help. __________________ A+ Certified Technician Using Device Manager Shrinking Partitions

10-12-2009, 11:34 PM	#2 (permalink)
Phædrus2401 Hardware Tech Team Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: New Orleans Posts: 3,802 OS: Vista Ultimate x64 SP1 + Ubuntu 9.04 My System	Re: GeForce 8800 Ultra vs. GTX 295 The 8800 Ultra is just an overclocked 8800GTX, aka 9800GTX+, aka GTS250. So the GTX295 is indisputably better. I can't imagine why it's more expensive, I wouldn't buy one for more than ~$120 at the absolute max. Personally, I wouldn't buy any high-end graphics card, and certainly wouldn't go SLI, without a better PSU. Ultra is one of the brands we find crap, with shoddy specs, questionable testing procedures, and high failure rates. The 1000W Ultra you have would make an average 700W at best, which is insufficient for SLI. I would wait for the GeForce GT300 cards to come out, or else pick up a Radeon 5870 and a Corsair TX750W (though you may run into instability issues with an ATI card on an Nvidia motherboard). __________________ Good PSU brands: Corsair, SeaSonic, CWT, PC Power and Cooling, Thermaltake Toughpower, CoolerMaster Real Power Pro On 80+ Certification - PSU Information and Selection - Power Supply Myths You don't get what you don't pay for.

10-13-2009, 04:28 AM	#3 (permalink)
Mart2912 Registered User Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 49 OS: XP - SP3	Re: GeForce 8800 Ultra vs. GTX 295 It is most likely more expensive due to the fact that it has been discontinued. An example would be the old AMD socket 939. You will find that socket 939 processors are more expensive than a newer/faster AM2/AM3.