GT cards

Hi,

I am sure you are all getting very bored with all these GT threads, but it does seem to be a current hot topic. A certain retailer :) has got some stock of a gigabyte GT 8800 card. I am aware the BFG and EVGA brands are supposed to be the best, is it worth getting this card. I have also just read that the new GTS release is imminent. My main concern is getting the PC before xmas as I have time off then and it will give me an chance to play all the games I haven't had a chance to play over the last few years. Would it be a bad decision to buy this card (the only one I can find currently) while available, or if I miss this opportunity will I have no luck for the rest of the year.

Many thanks

Rob

It basically comes down to what performance you want from the card, how much you want to spend and how long you want to wait before upgrading again. I wouldn't rush to buy an 8800GT just because the stock levels are low at this time.

In terms of the GT vs the new GTS

The 8800GT will easily play all the games you haven't had chance to play over the last few years and it's cheap too. If you want to upgrade to a next generation graphics card in 2008 your also losing less money in the upgrade than purchasing a more expensive card.

It's all rumours about the 'new G92' GTS at the moment, no benchmarks or anything but several sources suggest it will be quicker than the GTX. If you also want to play current and upcoming games at a high resolution with all the AA/AF turned and can afford to spend a bit more then it's worth waiting to see how the new GTS performs.

In terms of the brands, they all offer similar performance so a Gigabyte 8800GT shouldn't be much different than any other brand. The advantage comes down to the after sales support and warranty. EVGA in particular have the handy step-up program. If you wait for an EVGA 8800GT to become available you've got 3 months to upgrade to the new GTS, 2x cards by Nvidia and AMD in January, or possible the next generation if they are released (very!) early q1.

Thanks for the information there. I know there is never a good time to buy PC parts as they are always being superseded. I am fairly happy with my choice of parts and its just a case of waiting for the GT to become available, assuming other cards don't outperform for a similar price. My dad has a fairly similar spec'd machine with a GTS (640) and my brother reports that it ran crysis rather well, so I am fairly confident my proposed system will achieve similar if not better results. I really do want to evga overclocked card, so hopefully these will be available in the next few weeks. - Anyone else think pre-ordering with scan is the best bet to obtaining the card?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by robcrowley

Anyone else think pre-ordering with scan is the best bet to obtaining the card?

---

go for it :)
thou i think edp33 covered all the bases

I wouldn't pre-order from scan as they charge at point of pre-order rather than dispatch. But if you don't mind the money then pre-ordering from OcUK is probably the fastest way of getting it, followed by Scan.

It depends at what resolution you intend to play.

At 1280x1024 both the ATI 3870 and Nv 8800GT will play games at full detail, especially if overclocked.

The new GTS is a tough call, it might actually not be that much quicker than the above 2 cards but will hold quite price premium over them both.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Bleek

It depends at what resolution you intend to play.

At 1280x1024 both the ATI 3870 and Nv 8800GT will play games at full detail, especially if overclocked.

The new GTS is a tough call, it might actually not be that much quicker than the above 2 cards but will hold quite price premium over them both.

---

The new GTS, if the specs are true, will be considerably quicker than the GT and slightl;y quicker than the GTX, so if all is to be believed you are wrong there.

Also, the price premium for the new GTS is expected to be £40-60 more than the GT. Considering it is likely that the new GTS will out-perform the GTX in most applications i think you will probably be incorrect in stating that the price premium will not be worth the decent performance increase.

Basically....if you can wait for the new GTS then do as its going to be a considerably better card than the GT for around 50 quid more. (well worth it if thats what happens)

Only have to wait til 3rd December to find out aswell.

Well all we can do is speculate of course.

My comment on resolution still holds water.