Looking for about $200 16x12 card

R

Russ

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Apr 14, 2005
Messages
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Well recently I've been trying to get off this laptop and back to my desktop.

I think my 7800 gtx is dead though. :/ It definitely has some visible damage from when I had some faulty barbs in my WC loop and got some leaks.

I also couldn't get anything visible on the monitor after replacing my mobo and cpu. So I'm going with "dead GPU" at this point.

Looked around a bit, I haven't been keeping up with GPUs much since I bought my 7800 GTX new. Seems this new G92 8800 GTS is the card of choice these days? (For bang for your buck.)

Probably won't be playing super new games on it, I'm still addicted to WoW. Might try them just for the looks if I have a new card, Crysis and such.

I was looking around at 8800 GTS's on Newegg, they're all pretty much $200-220 AR, but they all have like a $30 MIR! Are there any sites offering 8800 GTSs at those prices without a MIR? I'll probably get one with a MIR if necessary, I'd just prefer not to because I always forget to send the damn thing in.

Oh and is eVGA or BFG still the only "real" way to go? I got XFX with my 7800 to save $30 and it's been hell. Lots of card problems (when it actually worked), bad OC, etc....

It's going to be watercooled, so whatever the stock cooling on it is doesn't matter at all. I certainly don't want to pay for a custom cooling system I'll just take off before using it. It would be nice to get a card that can OC comfortably, though looking through the reviews on [H] that doesn't seem to gain much performance. Good to have though, since cards that OC well tend to also be able to run cooler and quieter in my experience.

And if you think I should get a different card, just throw that out there too.
 
8800 GTS 512 is a fine choice. Can't be beat up to 1600x1200, considering its price. Runner up is definitely the 8800 GT. For less than $200, you get quite a performer, that should handle 1600x1200 easily (with the exception being Crysis) and it's only at 5-6 fps of the GTS 512.
 
Evga, Bfg and Xfx are the only cards im willing to spend money on, while the last manufacturer is recommended for resale value.
 
Thanks for the feedback. Not sure if I'll go with eVGA or BFG. They're practically the same price on Newegg (still looking for a non-mail in rebate card). I like the step up program, but I most likely won't need to upgrade for a long time.

Anyone know anything about that WC card that BFG sells? I know it was pretty overpriced when it came out, I didn't see it on Newegg though so I dunno what it's at now. I have a MCW55 block on my old 7800, dunno if that still fits on the 8800 GTS 512 or if I'll need a new one.
 
Do not buy BFG if you intend to watercool -- their watercooled cards are insanely expensive and they will /not/ warranty any cooler swap. BFG is my least favorite of the "big three" for Nvidia hardware.

XFX is not bad at all, the 7800 GTX was simply a troublesome card across the board. XFX or eVGA would be my first choice, tied.

That said, if you do not care about Step Up and don't really care about lifetime/transferrable warranty you might consider MSI, ASUS, PLAiT, or Zotac. Even (god forbid) PNY or ECS. Almost all vendors offer at least a 3 year warranty, but I'd check in to individual policy and be sure before ordering.

So far as I know the Swiftech MCW55 does not fit on any of the current cards, nor is an adapter plate available to make it fit. The MCW60R with G80 / G92 adapter plate does, however, as does the D-Tek Fuzion GPU block, and several others. They run ~$50-60, but may cost more after figuring in RAMsinks. Full coverage blocks tend to be a bit more, but sometimes you can pick them up used for ~$70-80.
 
Thanks. That's really unfortunate that I'll need a new block. :/

I've got 8 ramsinks from this 7800. I never used the AS ashesive properly so they're still transferable. :p Zalman copper iirc, about 1 cm tall (eyeballing it).

From what I just saw of a review of the MCW60 and D-Tek, the D-Tek was ~2c lower in all cases. Not sure if there will be any problems with my CPU block with the D-Tek though as I'm still using a Swiftech Storm I bought a few years ago.

MCW60 is what I'm leaning towards in that light. I'd prefer not to mix and match, seeing as I'm using the Swiftech 220 rad, Swiftech microres, Swiftech (although they're really Laing, no?) D5 pump, and Swiftech Storm CPU block. 2c isn't THAT much on a GPU, especially since the same review said the MCW60 was much better when it comes to flow and I only have 1 loop.
 
The D5 is plenty strong for a single loop setup with just CPU and GPU -- I would not worry about flow when choosing a block. I would not worry about flow or mixing parts, and just get whichever is less expensive -- it really won't matter in the end. Yes, the D5 is just a rebranded Laing. Just so long as you aren't mixing copper and aluminum (you wouldn't be with either of those blocks and your current loop) it does not matter if you mix vendors at all.

You're going to need more RAMsinks no matter which you go with.
 
I've got an 8800GTS 512, I play at 1680x1050, which is like 100k pixels less then 1600x1200, so it's pretty close, it rocks this rez no problem, I play cs:s with 4x msaa everything full, Assassins creed, C&C 3,

Also I oc'ed it to 750/2200 stable so far :D (this effectively makes it faster then a 9800GTX that is not overclocked)
 
silent-circuit said:
The D5 is plenty strong for a single loop setup with just CPU and GPU -- I would not worry about flow when choosing a block. I would not worry about flow or mixing parts, and just get whichever is less expensive -- it really won't matter in the end. Yes, the D5 is just a rebranded Laing. Just so long as you aren't mixing copper and aluminum (you wouldn't be with either of those blocks and your current loop) it does not matter if you mix vendors at all.

You're going to need more RAMsinks no matter which you go with.
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I was looking around petra's tech shop and noticed some custom ramsinks by a guy named iandh. Those any good?
http://petrastechshop.com/cu88cokitbyi1.html

For the D-Tek there's always their own custom ram cover, the Uni-Sink, saw that on their site.
http://www.dtekcustoms.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=211

Both were pretty expensive though.

So I need 16 ramsinks for a 8800 GTS 512 (or one of those one piece designs)?
 
Which do you guys think is a better "bang for your buck," 8800 GTS 512mb (G92) or an 8800 GT?
 
Russ said:
Which do you guys think is a better "bang for your buck," 8800 GTS 512mb (G92) or an 8800 GT?
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8800GT. You can check out the hard numbers here. The video card's proporites ratings on GPUreview.com really do mean nothing.

You might consider a hold over card though, the G92 is a slightly revd piece of technology from 2006. Both ATI and Nvidia are primed to make some big moves by the end of the third quarter.
 
Wow you're right. I hadn't looked at the 8800 GT's pricing at all. $159 vs like $209-219 for the GTS 512mb.

Hell, for $159 I'm considering picking up 2. And they're eVGA too. I know there's new cards coming out, but I really don't feel like playing the same game I did with my 7800 GTX (bought that right when they came out).

I also really want to get my desktop running. My laptop works, it's just annoyingly laggy FPS wise a lot of the time.

I'm going eVGA anyway, so there's always the option of stepping up within 3 months. Not that prices will be friendly at all 3 months from now. :/
 
The cooling on the 8800 GT sucks. Hard. Loke... it was designed purely for sucking. Spend the $40 or so to replace the stock cooler and turn it in to a 2.5 slot card that is pushing heat back in to your case rather than out the back and it now costs as much as the 8800 GTS. That, and it doesn't clock as high, has fewer SPs, and does not perform as well. 8800 GTs are not a good deal. Period. End of story.
 
2 x 9600GT is best bang for buck SLI option if thats what ya wanna do.

2 x 8800GT also good choice if you can get the 8800gt's for 150ish each

the 9600GT's OC better and run alot cooler though imo and from reviews etc seen.
 
dajet24 said:
2 x 9600GT is best bang for buck SLI option if thats what ya wanna do.

2 x 8800GT also good choice if you can get the 8800gt's for 150ish each

the 9600GT's OC better and run alot cooler though imo and from reviews etc seen.
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9600GT SLI is not a good idea. The whole point of SLI is extremely high res, high performance gaming. The 9600GT is crippled by its 512MB of video memory and 256bit memory bus the same way the 8800GT and 8800GTS 512MB is, but it has half the stream processors of the 8800GTS 512MB. Why put two mid range cards in SLI when you can buy a single high end card (8800 GTS 512MB or8800 GTX or 9800 GTX) that'll be nearly as fast -- in some cases faster-- while costing about the same, and let you avoid an Nvidia chipset motherboard?

I realize Nvidia is pushing 9600GT SLI really hard, but... SLI just doesn't make sense with anything less than an 8800 GTS 512MB right now, and 8800 GTX/Ultra SLI is /still/ ideal for extremely high resolution gaming.
 
silent-circuit said:
9600GT SLI is not a good idea. The whole point of SLI is extremely high res, high performance gaming. The 9600GT is crippled by its 512MB of video memory and 256bit memory bus the same way the 8800GT and 8800GTS 512MB is, but it has half the stream processors of the 8800GTS 512MB. Why put two mid range cards in SLI when you can buy a single high end card (8800 GTS 512MB or8800 GTX or 9800 GTX) that'll be nearly as fast -- in some cases faster-- while costing about the same, and let you avoid an Nvidia chipset motherboard?

I realize Nvidia is pushing 9600GT SLI really hard, but... SLI just doesn't make sense with anything less than an 8800 GTS 512MB right now, and 8800 GTX/Ultra SLI is /still/ ideal for extremely high resolution gaming.
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Two 9600GTs in SLI are as fast, or faster, than a single 8800GTX - its no slouch

“In real-world performance, a pair of GeForce 9600 GT cards often outperforms a GeForce 8800 GTX.”
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http://hardocp.com/article.html?art=MTQ3Miw3LCxoZW50aHVzaWFzdA==

@OP: You might want to wait for the new cards anyway, seeing as the rumoured release date is mid June for both camps. If the new cards turn out to be a lot faster, then snag one of those, but even if they aren't (or you aren't interested), they are sure to push the prices down a bit lower on current cards.
 
like said above aslong as u keep the res at or under 1920x1200 9600gt's can hold own for bang for buck options.
 
dajet24 said:
like said above aslong as u keep the res at or under 1920x1200 9600gt's can hold own for bang for buck options.
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Yup. 9600GT better performance/cost than 8800GT, dats for sure. The 9600GT is the perfect gaming entry card.
 
Obl1v1ous said:
argh.. now i'm tempted to get a 9600gt... i think my 7900gt needs a face-lift.
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Hold in there man! New cards on the way!

I'm in the same boat, though. I just keep telling myself I don't have any money (not quite true - but almost :D ). Or I make up ridiculous requirements like I won't buy the card because it can't run Crysis @ 1280x1024 on Very High DX10 (I don't really care - I would be fine with medium/high it can deliver, but it makes it easier to resist :cool: )
 
silent-circuit said:
The cooling on the 8800 GT sucks. Hard. Loke... it was designed purely for sucking. Spend the $40 or so to replace the stock cooler and turn it in to a 2.5 slot card that is pushing heat back in to your case rather than out the back and it now costs as much as the 8800 GTS. That, and it doesn't clock as high, has fewer SPs, and does not perform as well. 8800 GTs are not a good deal. Period. End of story.
Click to expand...

Cooling is not an issue. I will be water cooling.
 
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