GFX Advice plz

[Ruddrage]

Hi all,

I'm currently running a 8800gts and while this card has worked its heart out for me over the years but the time has come to start thinking of upgrading. My question is which graphics card to go for once the Fermi has been released and the prices of the current generation drop.

[ajones]

That's a really difficult question without knowing what Fermi is bringing to the table! It looks like it's going to be quicker than the current ATi offering, but most likely it'll take a while to populate the range, so for a couple of months we could be restricted to a top range Fermi, and a plethora of old tech rebrands.

The 5850 would be the card of my choice, but that's due to the fact I don't want to shell out a fortune.

What is it going to be used for?

[danroyle]

That's a really difficult question without knowing what Fermi is bringing to the table! It looks like it's going to be quicker than the current ATi offering, but most likely it'll take a while to populate the range, so for a couple of months we could be restricted to a top range Fermi, and a plethora of old tech rebrands.

The 5850 would be the card of my choice, but that's due to the fact I don't want to shell out a fortune.

What is it going to be used for?

I agree on the 5850 i just got one yesterday as my upgrade from a gtx 260 it's a lovely card and i just couldn't justify going all the way to £300+ for a 5870

[Ruddrage]

Thanks for the quick replay ajones.

My rig is mainly used for gaming. I'm going to skip the Fermi I think, but I am hoping that their current line will drop in price. Maybe see what the prices of a GTX 285 will be in April.

What graphics card do you run?

[cptwhite_uk]

I agree on the 5850 i just got one yesterday as my upgrade from a gtx 260 it's a lovely card and i just couldn't justify going all the way to £300+ for a 5870

Didn't know you could fit one in an xbox 360

[mikemikemi]

My problem is that I still can't decide on the 5850 or 5870, I haven't played that many demanding games for ages (still on 7900gtx), but I think if I had a new card I might do.

I probably won'y change the card again for a while, is it better to go balls out on 5870 and probably regret it later when I don't use it. Or just stick to the 5850?

I have seen some 5870 price drops and availability on cheaper 5850s still aren't there, so at the moment the price difference is that great.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

The HD5830 is coming out in the first week of February so I would see what is performance is like and how much it costs.

[matty-hodgson]

The HD5830 is coming out in the first week of February so I would see what is performance is like and how much it costs.

That's most likely gonna fill the £150-£160 price range. Which will replace the 4890 that's still selling quite well.
They've got the 5770 at £115.
5830 at £150.
5850 at £200.
And the 5870 at £300.
Let's just forget about the 5970 for now as well

And tbh, I don't think I can count anything in their current range lower than the 5770 to be better than his 8800GTS.

[Pob255]

But the current prices
the 5750 is around £105
the 5770 is around £130
the 5850 is around £230
The 5870 is around £320

See a lot of speculation the the 5830 will go in half way between the 5770 and 5850, so around £180.

We actually need nvidia to release Fermi just to push these prices down.

When Fermi comes out you might be able to pice up a cheap 200 series however they are pritty thin on the ground over here atm, so what few there are still about will go fast.

[aidanjt]

You can also blame TSMC for sucky yields, and OEMs for sucking up a non-trivial volume of the chips and AIBs.

[Ruddrage]

Not to start a flame war or anything but I have always had a Nvidia since the original GeForce 256. Is now the right time to move over to ATI?

[matty-hodgson]

Not to start a flame war or anything but I have always had a Nvidia since the original GeForce 256. Is now the right time to move over to ATI?

Yes, probably. If you don't use any of the extra features you get with NVIDIA then ATI are definitely better.

[shaithis]

And if your PSU is up to it, you can use GenLs hybrid patch and use the old 8800 as a Physx card

[mikemikemi]

We actually need nvidia to release Fermi just to push these prices down.

I'm not convinced when Fermi comes out it will be priced that competitively to force a significant price drop from ATI.

[chrislmc]

I aree with Mike, If the hype is correct, Fermi is going to be high end (and hot and power hungry), I would gamble that it will be more powerful than the 5870, and also cost more. Its not going to be until NVidia release their mid range cards based on fermi that we are going to get any decent price wars. ATI/AMD will be free to keep prices high in the middle ground for quite a while... I also want to replace an old 8800GTS, but theres nothing at a decent pricepoint (for me sub £200) that will offer the earth shattering increase in performance that I need to justify the spend.

I am quite intrigued to see what the 5830 will bring to the table, but I expect performance will be around that of a 4890, ie a little better than my card, but not enough to justify the upgrade... I hope I'm wrong!

[danroyle]

Didn't know you could fit one in an xbox 360

since i purchased my 24" monitor for the pc i have very much fallen out of love with my xbox and back in love with my pc if it wasnt for forza 3 and final fantasy 13 i'd probably flog my xbox