Best value for single slot, 1680x1050 gaming?

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have2p

Limp Gawd
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Aug 15, 2005
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I'm currently running an E6600 @ 3.6Ghz, 4GB ram, paired with an 8800GTX which I am looking to upgrade. I only have a 22" monitor, so 1680x1050 is all the resolution I need.

I've done a bit of research but unfortunately a lot of reviews focus on 1920+ resolutions which doesn't apply to me. At this point, I'm leaning toward the Radeon 4890. What do you suggest?
 
You dont need more than a GTX260 or 4870 1GB for that res.
 
Nenu said:
You dont need more than a GTX260 or 4870 1GB for that res.
Click to expand...

Even a 4850.

That being said, I run everything (minus Crysis) at max settings with my 8800GT OC @ 1680x1050 and the FPS is usually over 60.
 
Well I would also like this card to be future-proof for the next generation of games.
 
I'd just keep that 8800GTX unless you're really unsatisfied with it, in which case an HD4870 or GTX260 will give you the best bang for your buck as far as upgrades are concerned.
 
What games do you play?

I don't play Crysis but my 4850 has been able to play everything I throw at it... WoW, Mirror's Edge, The Witcher and others all play with zero problems at all. I think at 1650x1050 the 4850 can handle probably anything you want to play. You certainly have the CPU and RAM to not bottleneck it.
 
I primarily play Left 4 Dead and running with everything on Medium, my frames dip into the 40's during intense scenes.

I'd like to run it on very high without dipping below 60.
 
I have an 8800GTX, a 3.3Ghz Core 2, and 4GB of ram.
I also run a Samsung 22inch monitor at 1680x1050.

I went ahead and upgraded to a 4890. I can't play Fallout 3 maxed out, Empire Total War is hard on my card, and obviously Crysis is a no go at the higher settings, I also can't max out Company of Heroes. Not quite sure where all these guys are coming from, but I am not happy with my 8800GTX performance. My 4890 will be here Wednesday, hopefully it is a a bit better.
 
I would try and hang tight for one more generation. Unless you are not happy, the 8800GTX is still a decent card and with its 768MB of video ram, its will still holds its own at that resolution in newer up-coming games.
 
have2p said:
I primarily play Left 4 Dead and running with everything on Medium, my frames dip into the 40's during intense scenes.

I'd like to run it on very high without dipping below 60.
Click to expand...

this is not making any sense to me. A year ago people were using the 8800GTX @ like 1900 by whatever and with alot of stuff turned up and they got great frame rates. And now you're saying L4D with everything on medium @ 1680X1050 gets you at 40 fps at times? really?

don't know how much other parts would make a difference, but gpus make no sense to me at all with all these random numbers
 
BaronBamboo said:
this is not making any sense to me. A year ago people were using the 8800GTX @ like 1900 by whatever and with alot of stuff turned up and they got great frame rates. And now you're saying L4D with everything on medium @ 1680X1050 gets you at 40 fps at times? really?

don't know how much other parts would make a difference, but gpus make no sense to me at all with all these random numbers
Click to expand...

Yea, I play with my 8800GT with every single setting maxed and see 40fps during intense scenes. On medium with an 8800GTX that shouldn't be the case.
 
I just upgraded from an e6400 oc to 3 ghz with 8800gt to a core i7 920 and sapphire 4890. I also game at 1680x1050. I highly recommend the 4890. It runs GRID beautifully with 8x aa. Should be great for Oblivion and Fallout 3 also. At my local computer store the 275 gtx was $50 more. But, for some games the 275 gtx is better. It really depends on what specific games you play. But 4890 has the advantage in Fallout 3 and Grid.
 
I agree. The only 2 cards here for you to even consider is the 4890 or the GTX 275 only. Anything lower and I just don't think its worth the jump.
 
The 9800GTX+ (rebranded into the GTS 250) is nVidia's direct competitor to the 4850. The 9800GTX+ is a bit faster than a 9800GTX, which is a bit faster than an 8800GTX. Going from an 8800GTX to a 4850 is a very minor upgrade and not worth it. I agree that going for less than a 4890 or GTX 275 is not worthwhile.
 
msi 260gtx oc v3 for 150 bucks shipped after rebate cannot be beat for bang for buck right now and it will be all u need for that res
 
have2p said:
I primarily play Left 4 Dead and running with everything on Medium, my frames dip into the 40's during intense scenes.

I'd like to run it on very high without dipping below 60.
Click to expand...

Just got done playing L4D at 1680x1050 on a 9600GSO with most of my settings at high with solid FPS (at least I don't notice the dips). :eek:

Personally, I'm thinking of either going back to a 4850 (had to sell my older one) or a 250GTS to hold me over until the GT300 stuff comes out.
 
have2p said:
I primarily play Left 4 Dead and running with everything on Medium, my frames dip into the 40's during intense scenes.

I'd like to run it on very high without dipping below 60.
Click to expand...

Well now that's not right. I have a 8800GT, and can run L4D @ 1680x1050 with max settings just fine. ;)
 
Yeah...I have a E6600 @ stock 2.4ghz and 8800GTS with everything maxed out 4xAA and dips to about 40fps during hordes.
Your 3.6ghz and 8800GTX should be no problem for L4D so theres something wrong there.

Honestly a 8800GTX is still a strong card especially at 1680res.
 
I was using a GTX260 @ 1680 with most games at max settings, but not all with max AA & AF.
L4D with everything maxed out ran great.
Far Cry 2 with high settings and 2-4x AF/AA ran great.
I can't remember what I ran Crysis at though. I do know that everything maxed out in Crysis with my 285 stutters too much, so I ran it at High with 8xAF & 8X AA.
 
I have a 8800GT @ 1680x1050 and I can run L4D at max settings without any lag/hiccup watever you want to call it. The gameplay is very very smooth. Your card should perform even better. Maybe there is a driver issue???
 
I noticed a decay of sorts in performance with my old setup (X2 4200+, 2GB, 8800GT) in TF2 and Left 4 Dead in that when I first got the games I could run them at high settings and 1680x1050 without huge spikes in fps but several months to a year later I noticed lower fps became the norm. You may want to look around your system to find what's causing you the problems before you drop that kind of cash because your setup should be smoking those games.
 
I’m using an overclocked GTX 285 (SSC edition) with better CPU ([email protected]), in my opinion its not an overkill at all, I even feel it’s hardly enough sometimes and I’m not talking about Crysis, I picked it over the GTX 280 for future proof, but I guess I’ll jump to the GTX 300 as soon as I spot it

Nenu said:
You dont need more than a GTX260 or 4870 1GB for that res.
Click to expand...

FPS dropped to 41 when using GTX260 @1680X1050 @ NFS: Undercover (CPU: Core 2 Quad Extreme QX9770 @ 3.852Ghz ) (link), that might be enough for some not for all, I even suspect if this review is accurate cuz sometimes I myself get low FPS in this game
when i ran the in-game performance test in H.AW.X, i remember it said min FPS something like 40!!!!

depends on the user, some don’t mind lowering the settings and getting low frames, others max all settings and start complaining if their FPS went under 60
 
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