Upgrading for Xmas

Mason29 · 11-03-2009, 01:04 PM

Hey guys,
I'm thinking of upgrading my graphics card for Christmas from a 8600GTS...

I'm currently playing Left4Dead, TeamFortress2, Call of Duty 4 and Counter Strike Source, and I'm hoping to get Left4Dead2 soon after release.

My budget is £200GBP ($330USD), and looking for a PCI-Express
I've looked at the NVidia GTX260, GTX275, and some of the ATI HD 5700+5800 series, but cant decide between them all so....

Any suggestions? :) I'm looking for a high quality card to get smooth FPS on 1440x900 and high settings, and perhaps AA if my budget allows it :)

Thanks!

ebackhus · 11-03-2009, 01:45 PM

To give a recommendation we'll need to know about the rest of your PC such at the CPU, RAM, and most importantly the power supply.

Mason29 · 11-03-2009, 01:58 PM

Ahhh yes, completely forgot about that... Lol :)

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.4GHz
ASUS P5N-E SLI
4GB Corsair XMS2 800MHz
SLI 2 x NVidia 8600GTS 256MB (512MB)

PSU>>> 700W Thermaltake Toughpower

Windows 7 Professional 64 Bit

ebackhus · 11-03-2009, 03:05 PM

Best bang for the buck is the Radeon 58xx series right now. nVidia may come out with a 300 series card by Christmas but my vote is always ATI. :)

Phædrus2401 · 11-03-2009, 03:08 PM

You can get this for GBP220: http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Gigab...-Graphics-Card
Currently one of the fastest graphics cards around.

Under your budget the best cards are the
4890: http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/1Gb-S...90-1GB-VAPOR-X
5770: http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/1GB-P...-DL-DVI-I-HDMI
GTX275: http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/1792M...Cores-HDMI-DVI

**emosun** · 11-03-2009, 10:26 PM

I also agree the 5800 series. If your going to upgrade go next gen.

Mason29 · 11-05-2009, 02:38 PM

Ok thanks for your suggestions, still a little confused over ATI or NVidia.
And are there any manufacturers that I should be using/ avoid?

Thanks =]

Mason29 · 11-05-2009, 02:46 PM

Ohhhh yeah...
And someone told me that some NVidia cards are specifically designed for some games, so the cards would run better on them. And something about how many cores they have?

Cheers

Phædrus2401 · 11-05-2009, 03:10 PM

ATI and nVidia are two different companies that design graphics cards, and they compete with each other. ATI designs the Radeon brand cards, and nVidia designs the GeForce brand cards. Then they license the designs to companies like XFX, EVGA, Sapphire, Asus, and Gigabyte to actually make and sell the cards.

For the brand of card, there are very few that are actually "bad" but there are some that are better.
ATI:
Best - Sapphire, PowerColor, Asus, Gigabyte
Ok - XFX, MSI, HIS, Diamond
Meh - Biostar, VisionTek

Nvidia:
Best - EVGA, BFG Tech, Asus, Gigabyte
Ok - XFX, MSI, PNY, Sparkle
Meh - Palit, Jaton, ECS

In some games nVidia works better. In others ATI works better. Nvidia does play a few tricks on rare occasions where they get into a license agreement with the game developer and lock out ATI cards from certain features or code optimizations. For instance, ATI cards don't have access to antialiasing in Batman: Arkham Asylum. But it's up to you whether that's a reason to go with nVidia (for access to those features) or ATI (because nVidia is sometimes a dick).

Currently ATI cards are the best bang for the buck. They've slashed all their prices on the 4000 series cards so you're paying about 25% less than you would for nVidia for the same performance (Radeon 4870 costs ~$130-$160 and performs about the same as the GeForce GTX260, which costs ~$175-$200). They also have the Radeon 5000 series cards, which are the only cards that can use DX11, at least until nVidia releases the GT300 series in spring of next year. So unless nVidia cuts prices before Christmas I'd say go with ATI.

Mason29 · 11-06-2009, 08:38 AM

Great, thanks alot =]
I've seen these...
4890
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showpr...56&subcat=1403

5770
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showpr...56&subcat=1515

Which one is best? :)

Phædrus2401 · 11-06-2009, 12:21 PM

The 4890 gives a bit more performance now, but has greater power requirements and no DX11 support.

The 5770 is currently equivalent to the 4870, but as new drivers are released and as DX11 support is added to games it will become closer to the 4890 over the next year or so.

11-03-2009, 01:04 PM	#1 (permalink)
Mason29 Registered User Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 42 OS: Windows XP Home Edition SP3	Upgrading for Xmas Hey guys, I'm thinking of upgrading my graphics card for Christmas from a 8600GTS... I'm currently playing Left4Dead, TeamFortress2, Call of Duty 4 and Counter Strike Source, and I'm hoping to get Left4Dead2 soon after release. My budget is £200GBP ($330USD), and looking for a PCI-Express I've looked at the NVidia GTX260, GTX275, and some of the ATI HD 5700+5800 series, but cant decide between them all so.... Any suggestions? :) I'm looking for a high quality card to get smooth FPS on 1440x900 and high settings, and perhaps AA if my budget allows it :) Thanks!

11-03-2009, 01:45 PM	#2 (permalink)
ebackhus Manager, Design Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: SATX Posts: 14,341 OS: WinXP Pro SP3/Windows 7 RTM My System Blog Entries: 28	Re: Upgrading for Xmas To give a recommendation we'll need to know about the rest of your PC such at the CPU, RAM, and most importantly the power supply. __________________ ----------------------------- There are no dumb questions, unless a customer is asking them. Help in the fight against cancer and other serious illnesses.

11-03-2009, 01:58 PM	#3 (permalink)
Mason29 Registered User Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 42 OS: Windows XP Home Edition SP3	Re: Upgrading for Xmas Ahhh yes, completely forgot about that... Lol :) Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.4GHz ASUS P5N-E SLI 4GB Corsair XMS2 800MHz SLI 2 x NVidia 8600GTS 256MB (512MB) PSU>>> 700W Thermaltake Toughpower Windows 7 Professional 64 Bit

11-03-2009, 03:05 PM	#4 (permalink)
ebackhus Manager, Design Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: SATX Posts: 14,341 OS: WinXP Pro SP3/Windows 7 RTM My System Blog Entries: 28	Re: Upgrading for Xmas Best bang for the buck is the Radeon 58xx series right now. nVidia may come out with a 300 series card by Christmas but my vote is always ATI. :) __________________ ----------------------------- There are no dumb questions, unless a customer is asking them. Help in the fight against cancer and other serious illnesses.

11-03-2009, 03:08 PM	#5 (permalink)
Phædrus2401 Hardware Tech Team Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: New Orleans Posts: 3,912 OS: Vista Ultimate x64 SP1 + Ubuntu 9.04 My System	Re: Upgrading for Xmas You can get this for GBP220: http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Gigab...-Graphics-Card Currently one of the fastest graphics cards around. Under your budget the best cards are the 4890: http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/1Gb-S...90-1GB-VAPOR-X 5770: http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/1GB-P...-DL-DVI-I-HDMI GTX275: http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/1792M...Cores-HDMI-DVI __________________ 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.

11-03-2009, 10:26 PM	#6 (permalink)
emosun Moderator Hardware Team Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: usa Posts: 7,096 OS: xp pro sp2 My System	Re: Upgrading for Xmas I also agree the 5800 series. If your going to upgrade go next gen. __________________ Gpu Benchmarks Cpu-Z Power supply information and selection Gpu-Z Video card quick list

11-05-2009, 02:38 PM	#7 (permalink)
Mason29 Registered User Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 42 OS: Windows XP Home Edition SP3	Re: Upgrading for Xmas Ok thanks for your suggestions, still a little confused over ATI or NVidia. And are there any manufacturers that I should be using/ avoid? Thanks =]

11-05-2009, 02:46 PM	#8 (permalink)
Mason29 Registered User Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 42 OS: Windows XP Home Edition SP3	Re: Upgrading for Xmas Ohhhh yeah... And someone told me that some NVidia cards are specifically designed for some games, so the cards would run better on them. And something about how many cores they have? Cheers

11-05-2009, 03:10 PM	#9 (permalink)
Phædrus2401 Hardware Tech Team Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: New Orleans Posts: 3,912 OS: Vista Ultimate x64 SP1 + Ubuntu 9.04 My System	Re: Upgrading for Xmas ATI and nVidia are two different companies that design graphics cards, and they compete with each other. ATI designs the Radeon brand cards, and nVidia designs the GeForce brand cards. Then they license the designs to companies like XFX, EVGA, Sapphire, Asus, and Gigabyte to actually make and sell the cards. For the brand of card, there are very few that are actually "bad" but there are some that are better. ATI: Best - Sapphire, PowerColor, Asus, Gigabyte Ok - XFX, MSI, HIS, Diamond Meh - Biostar, VisionTek Nvidia: Best - EVGA, BFG Tech, Asus, Gigabyte Ok - XFX, MSI, PNY, Sparkle Meh - Palit, Jaton, ECS In some games nVidia works better. In others ATI works better. Nvidia does play a few tricks on rare occasions where they get into a license agreement with the game developer and lock out ATI cards from certain features or code optimizations. For instance, ATI cards don't have access to antialiasing in Batman: Arkham Asylum. But it's up to you whether that's a reason to go with nVidia (for access to those features) or ATI (because nVidia is sometimes a dick). Currently ATI cards are the best bang for the buck. They've slashed all their prices on the 4000 series cards so you're paying about 25% less than you would for nVidia for the same performance (Radeon 4870 costs ~$130-$160 and performs about the same as the GeForce GTX260, which costs ~$175-$200). They also have the Radeon 5000 series cards, which are the only cards that can use DX11, at least until nVidia releases the GT300 series in spring of next year. So unless nVidia cuts prices before Christmas I'd say go with ATI. __________________ 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.

11-06-2009, 08:38 AM	#10 (permalink)
Mason29 Registered User Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 42 OS: Windows XP Home Edition SP3	Re: Upgrading for Xmas Great, thanks alot =] I've seen these... 4890 http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showpr...56&subcat=1403 5770 http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showpr...56&subcat=1515 Which one is best? :) Last edited by Mason29; 11-06-2009 at 08:45 AM.

11-06-2009, 12:21 PM	#11 (permalink)
Phædrus2401 Hardware Tech Team Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: New Orleans Posts: 3,912 OS: Vista Ultimate x64 SP1 + Ubuntu 9.04 My System	Re: Upgrading for Xmas The 4890 gives a bit more performance now, but has greater power requirements and no DX11 support. The 5770 is currently equivalent to the 4870, but as new drivers are released and as DX11 support is added to games it will become closer to the 4890 over the next year or so. __________________ 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.