To 8600, or not to 8600...

[Ricko97]

Hey people,

Once again I am back in search of advice! This time I am looking for a decent upgrade from a pair of 7300GTs (GDDR2). I have a budget of £125 (absolute max), and I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions.

Currently I have the MSI GeForce 8600GTS (overclocked) in mind (link (https://www.aria.co.uk/SuperSpecials/Other+products/MSI+GeForce+8600GTS+256MB+PCI-E+?productId=26870)). It looks like a pretty beefy card, and I am specifically looking for a DirectX 10 card that'll last me a while.

However, I'm not entirely sure about all this DirectX 10 business. I'm using Windows XP, and as there's no DirectX 10 for XP as such, I don't know if the card/drivers would work properly (though I assume they would, since a DX10 card is capable of supporting DX9 games).

So, to narrow it down - is the 8600GTS a good choice, and is going for DX10 a safe idea?



Thanks a bunch,

Ricko

[Micky007]

Hi,

That is correct, DirectX 10 is only for Vista, but i mean it all depends if you want to switch over to Vista or not.

Thanks

[mac124]

That card will work perfectly under XP though without DX10. As Micky pointed out DX10 is Vista only. The 8600GTS is reasonable card and plays games pretty well, just don't expect it to play the very latest games at very high resolutions with all the eye candy on.

If your staying with XP the 1950 range (pro and above) might be a better choice ( such as this (http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Graphics+Cards/PCI-E/ATI+Radeon+X1900+Series/Powercolor+Radeon+X1950+PRO+Extreme+512MB+PCI-E+?productId=25523) )as in pretty much all gaming bench marks i have seen the 1950pro came out on top, not always by a massive amount but in some cases it was quite a bit.

Check Toms guides (http://www23.tomshardware.com/graphics_2007.html?modelx=33&model1=854&model2=725&chart=277) out for more details, i would recommend saving a bit more and going for an 8800gts 320mb tbh.

[misty]

Agree with the above. Definitely have a look at some reviews since they often compare cards and then you can make a decision.

Thats the way I came to pick my x1950 Pro although I've always had a bias towards ATI which slightly influenced things.

:)

[Lynx]

Get the X1950 XT!!!!! Its more powerful than the new DX10's and no DX10 games are out yet. Also, its better value for the X1950 than any other card in a review i saw. Wish i could find it again though.

[Hosser]

[quote:4564ed4ad5=\"Lynx\"]Get the X1950 XT!!!!! Its more powerful than the new DX10's and no DX10 games are out yet. Also, its better value for the X1950 than any other card in a review i saw. Wish i could find it again though.[/quote:4564ed4ad5]

Agreed. Got my X1950XT for £140 back in 2005 and it plays anything I throw at it, even to this day, at 1440x900, maximum detail (I never play games on anything less, since they look crap on my monitor at anything less than native resolution).

Radeon HD 2900 Pro might also be worth a look - It's a slightly lower clocked 2900XT for £170. Overclock it a little and you have yourself a cheap 2900XT...

[Ricko97]

Thanks guys, this is a great help. Another question though - does anyone know when DirectX 10 games are likely to hit the shelves? I assume I'd have to upgrade yet again to a DX10 card if I wanted to play a DX10 game (dumb question :lol:) as well, in which case I guess I should get a GeForce 8800.

[Hosser]

[quote:bd5dcee619=\"Ricko97\"]Thanks guys, this is a great help. Another question though - does anyone know when DirectX 10 games are likely to hit the shelves? I assume I'd have to upgrade yet again to a DX10 card if I wanted to play a DX10 game (dumb question :lol:) as well, in which case I guess I should get a GeForce 8800.[/quote:bd5dcee619]

Or the Radeon HD 2900 Pro that I recommended there.

[Micky007]

[quote:d0e8c47866=\"Ricko97\"]Thanks guys, this is a great help. Another question though - does anyone know when DirectX 10 games are likely to hit the shelves? I assume I'd have to upgrade yet again to a DX10 card if I wanted to play a DX10 game (dumb question :lol:) as well, in which case I guess I should get a GeForce 8800.[/quote:d0e8c47866]

Well Crysis is DX10 and DX9 and that comes out in 48 days !

The graphics are just amazing in DX9 and there going to be sooooo much better in DX10. You can get the BETA today but the BETA is only for DX9.

But its just an awsome game !

[lankyboycie]

Bioshock is out now and can be played on dx9 but under dx10 there are nicer water effects

[alexnifty]

[quote:079a82f1f5=\"lankyboycie\"]Bioshock is out now and can be played on dx9 but under dx10 there are nicer water effects[/quote:079a82f1f5]

I've seen comparison pictures and I couldn't tell any difference between DX9 and DX10 water effects. I now have an 8800 and I still see no difference between DX9 and DX10.

The only difference I have seen is where textures like dust and particles intersect with walls, floors, etc. DX10 blends them into the neighbouring texture so you dont end up with a straight line cutting a dust cloud in half.

As for the 8800 GTS, I can highly recommend it! If the tomshardware benchmarks are anything to go by then its the best card out there right now apart from the Ultra 8)
If you can't afford it, or want to wait and see how this whole 'DX10 thing' pans out, then get a Radeon X1950 PRO 512MB and overclock it.

[coiler]

go for the x1950xt if your on a tight budget and can't afford a 8800gts.

A new DX10 card will be out when DX10 is mainstream.

This is a stupid price and probably the most card you can get for your money at sub £85

http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Graphics+Cards/PCI-E/ATI+Radeon+X1900+Series/purpleEPIC+ATI+X1950+Pro+512MB+-+OEM+?productId=28107

[Ricko97]

^ wow! Hmm.. I was hesitant to go back to ATI as I've used nVidia for years now (mainly the difference in driver quality), but that looks like an awesome deal. I'll order it later today - thanks.

Hopefully I will be able to sell my 7300GTs on eBay to save myself a bit of cash.

P.S. I'm a little skeptical about this \"purpleEPIC\" manufacturer - I don't want to buy a dodgy/tacky knockoff of what is supposed to be a decent card :?

[mac124]

The one i linked to is a decent maker and comes with an accellero silent cooler on it, pre overclocked too.

[coiler]

Its simply an ATI reference board. They are all made in the same factory and different brands simply put their stickers on.

Try lifting the sticker on a lot of gfx cards and underneath you will see the ATI standard original one underneath!!

ps. Mac linked to a decent one currently OOS though :(

but there is a brand you will of heard of if its a must here >>>

http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Graphics+Cards/PCI-E/ATI+Radeon+X1900+Series/+Sapphire+Radeon+X1950PRO+512MB+DDR3?productId=257 94

[alexnifty]

Yeah, but you need to think about warranties etc.

Theres usually a reason why one brand is cheaper than the other, and its not because one was feeling generous!

[coiler]

very true :)

I think in purpleepics case its an OEM card in a static bag. Pay the £10 more and get the sapphire I linking in previous post. 8)

[Ricko97]

Excellent - thanks coiler :D