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Thread: Recommend me a graphics card please

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    Nothing runs like a Deere cotswoldcs's Avatar
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    Recommend me a graphics card please

    I'm intending to replace my computer but will keep my twin 19" LCDs. I'm looking for a graphics card for my proposed new system (high end but let's not worry too much about specs yet) and wondered how far I need to go if I'm only gaming at 1280 x 1024? Of course with games like Supreme Commander able to utilise both screens I want to ensure that I have enough to cover myself. I also understand that newer games that make use of DX10 will be even more demanding on the GPU.

    So is an 8800GTS overkill for 1280x1024 gaming? I want to play at maximum detail to be able to see what I've been missing with my 6600GT! There's enough in my budget for a GTX or higher but would it be a waste of money?

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    Re: Recommend me a graphics card please

    It's probably not worth getting a GTX, but if you want to play with dual screens a GTS should do you proud. Remember that dual screens are going to be 2560x1024.

    I use a 512Mb GTS on a 30" monitor (2560x1600) and playing HL2, TF2, UT3 and CoD4 which doesn't cause too many problems. A GT will do the job at 1280x1024, but for the sake of £25 extra you get the GTS which is better at higher resolutions.
    ASUS P5K Premium || Q6600 || 4Gb RAM || 8800GTS

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    Re: Recommend me a graphics card please

    Overclockers Uk have some 8800GTX cards for £235(plus around £10 for postage)

    OcUK GeForce 8800 GTX 768MB GDDR3 HDTV/Dual DVI (PCI-Express) - OEM

    They had some for under £200 as part of their sale but these seem to have been sold out!!

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    Re: Recommend me a graphics card please

    3870 at £130 at that res

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    Nothing runs like a Deere cotswoldcs's Avatar
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    Re: Recommend me a graphics card please

    Thanks for your input everyone. I'll have a look at the ATI/AMD card as I've been nVidia focused recently.

    Which card would run coolest or is there little in it?

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    Re: Recommend me a graphics card please

    The HD3870 has a dual slot cooler and will run cooler and consume less power at idle than a 8800GT. Peak power consumption is similiar though.

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    Re: Recommend me a graphics card please

    The Rev. 2 GTS and the GTX are in the same class, so I would definitely not pay a premium for the GTX. If anything, I'd say that the cooler and allegedly quieter GTS has an edge for the same price. Granted the GTX comes with more memory, I've not really clear instances where 512MB of video RAM is a bottleneck in reviews at high resolution, let alone at 1280x1024.

    As always, the 8800 GT is worth looking at, at the right price (some were sold for as little as £138 - I'd say at ~£150 they compete for top spot in terms of bang for buck but at £175 you may as well shop for a GTS - there are bargains to be found too). There are some dual-slot design out there (even one with the Arctic S1 pre-installed), which should run quieter and cooler than the single slot version. It does consume more power (so should be a little hotter), but with similar cooling, they are close enough that it shouldn't make or break a decision (unless you have very specific thermal requirement).

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    Re: Recommend me a graphics card please

    Thanks TooNice.

    I think the GTS sounds like a winner. Any particular brands?

    Regarding cooling, I'm considering buying a Zalman GTS-specific waterblock and utilise my trusty Zalman Reserator 1 v2 as I'm opting for a near-silent computer. I know water cooling isn't popular these days but I won't compromise on noise and I can't think of a quieter way of cooling than a Reserator (well, probably two in fact - one for the VGA & Northbridge and one for the overclocked quaddie. Am I mad to consider this as an option?

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    Re: Recommend me a graphics card please

    I have the impression that most GTS uses a reference design, so it comes down to costs vs the value of other perks in my opinion (things like eVGA's step-up, any included games, warranty length and flexibility) - personally, I'd probably end up settling for the cheapest option which does is not infamous for being reliable/offering especially poor services. Scan has an overclocked BFG (pretty good warranty) for just under £200 which I think is comparatively decent.

    I have not used or seen a Reserator so I can't really comment on their cooling prowess nor the noise (I remember some reviews stating that they were not entirely silent). If the goal is to simply have a silent GFX card, then there are (much cheaper, and possibly not inferior) solutions you may want to consider on air. Arctic Cooling Accelero S1 certainly convinced the SPCR crowd: it should be able to run those G92 chip passively (silent) and should remain practically silent with an undervolted slow 120mm fan strapped to it (whilst adding some overclocking headroom). The Thermalright HR-03 should manage the same, but I find it space hungry.

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    Re: Recommend me a graphics card please

    8800 GTX is out of control... can't go wrong... if you want to spend less go for the 8800 GT

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    Re: Recommend me a graphics card please

    i have a 22'' and i think that 8800gts 512 is good for me and you. All you have to carry is memory of gfx. As for the money that you have buying a sli 8800gt is the best choice
    if your board support that. See the benchmarks for more info.

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    Re: Recommend me a graphics card please

    Remember the differnce between the new gts and gtx is not just memory size but bandwidth as well
    That said a gts 512 should more than cope with 2 monitors at 1280x1024

    EDIT: One thing to mention is that after sale and warranty will mean little if you plan to put a waterblock on it as that will automatically invalidate the warranty.
    You can get cards with waterblocks prefitted (BFG and EVGA do them) which means you can still use the warranty, however they do come with a higher price tag.

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