9800Gx2, GTX 280, or GTX 260?

krjacobs03 · Post by **krjacobs03** » 09 Jul 2008, 21:45

I am looking to upgrade my 8800GTX because PNY just replaced mine again, so I can sell it as new (I already have a buyer). But which card should I go with?
The 9800 Gx2 for $390, the GTX 260 for $330, or the GTX 280 for $470?
I am looking for performance without overclocking and hardware stability (less likely to break). I will not be using SLI because I don't want to upgrade my board or buy two cards.
I am running a 32' 1080p Sharp and would like to run Crysis and Far Cry 2 with highest possible settings (when it comes out).

BlueMak · Post by **BlueMak** » 09 Jul 2008, 22:09

I don't think you can play Crysis at 1080p at highest settings at anything close to playable with any of those cards. At least that is what I think.

If you plan to keep the card for more than a year, you might want to consider an ATI/AMD card, they are fast enough, but more importantly they have support for DX10.1 which might be almost necessary after a year or so.

Post by **Paradigm Shifter** » 09 Jul 2008, 22:22

See what the 4870X2 looks like in a few days. That's when the lid is supposed to come off the NDA, and will give you an idea of whether you want to wait for a dual GPU card with 2GB of memory in a single PCI-E slot. Rumours floating is that it'll murder the GTX280. But rumours are rumours, so... you pays your penny and has your pick.

If it was purely nVidia stuff, though... I'd probably go GTX280. Despite how much it costs.

S0ulBlade · Post by **S0ulBlade** » 09 Jul 2008, 23:16

First off, i dont think you can play crysis or the newer games on 30' even with the latest cards, with all the settings set on high. Note that there are no benchmarks for the higher resolution for crysis for instance.

I had to make the same desition, and i finally chose neither: i picked the ATI 4870.

But if you are a nvidia fan (I was until i was blown away by the 4870 performance/cost ratio) the 280 will defnietly give you more power, although the performance/cost ratio is horrible (the 260 is very close, as in 10-15 fps behind)

Give ati a chance, a single 4870 beats a 260 and it costs 100 bucks less. So you can buy two 4870 for the price of one 280, and still have some extra money to buy the motherboard. Not going on a ATI propaganda, but the benchmarks are pretty clear:

http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/25/ati-radeon-hd-4850-and-4870-reviewed-all-that-and-a-bag-of-rv77/

please look at the bioshock benchmark... its simply mesmerizing

there are a few sites there that benchmarked the cards you are considering, plus the ati ones. Make your own conclusions.

BTW, to play crysis in 32' screen with highest settings youy will probably need a double or even triple sli config, for that you will not only need 2/3 cards but also a new motherboard, all that will easily add up to 1000 dollars...

To sum up:
If money is not a problem, get the 280
If you want to save some money, get the 9800 gx2
If you want to use your money wisely get the 260
If you want to really squeeze every dollar, get the 4870.

And seriously, you WILL need SLI/Crossfire if you are on a 30' monitor for the newer games

Post by **scavvenjahh** » 10 Jul 2008, 01:18

That's not what he asked for :

I am looking for performance without overclocking and hardware stability (less likely to break). I will not be using SLI because I don't want to upgrade my board or buy two cards.

GTX 280 is the king of the mountain at the moment, period. Notice how I was able to avoid using any "if".

Hey there's a LOT to discuss about current cards, but let's just answer the question here. :wink:

p2987 · Post by **p2987** » 10 Jul 2008, 01:41

As the price war is not finished yet, I suggest you wait a little longer until the dust is more settled. Then, you can get an even more cheaper card (nVidia or ATI).
(One side benefit is that 4870x2 should have arrived by then and judging by the benchmarks of a single 4870, it should top GTX280.)

krjacobs03 · Post by **krjacobs03** » 10 Jul 2008, 02:22

Thank you everyone for your input. It will still be a few weeks before I am ready to upgrade so I guess I will get a chance to check out the new Ati cards.
Also, this may sould like a dumb question, but what does screen size have to do with the performance of the card? Shouldn't only the resolution matter?

S0ulBlade · Post by **S0ulBlade** » 10 Jul 2008, 05:03

Thank you everyone for your input. It will still be a few weeks before I am ready to upgrade so I guess I will get a chance to check out the new Ati cards.
Also, this may sould like a dumb question, but what does screen size have to do with the performance of the card? Shouldn't only the resolution matter?

Well, the bigger your screen the higher your native resolution. So if you want to play on your screen's native resolution, say 1920x1200, you will need a more powerful GPU.

Scan very well the benchmarks and the resolution they test the games. Ideally you want to play always above 30 fps but thats not always possible.

Also in my opinion the most important data is min fps, not avg but thats just an opinion.

That's not what he asked for :[quote]I am looking for performance without overclocking and hardware stability (less likely to break). I will not be using SLI because I don't want to upgrade my board or buy two cards.

GTX 280 is the king of the mountain at the moment, period. Notice how I was able to avoid using any "if".

Hey there's a LOT to discuss about current cards, but let's just answer the question here. :wink:

I know it wasnt what he asked, but i mean why include the 260 in the list its pretty obvious that if he wanted more performance with a single card go for the 280 blindfolded. I assumed that if he listed those options, he wanted a more complete opinion on the cards.

Anyways thats my assumption :)

p2987 · Post by **p2987** » 10 Jul 2008, 09:21

I know it wasnt what he asked, but i mean why include the 260 in the list its pretty obvious that if he wanted more performance with a single card go for the 280 blindfolded. I assumed that if he listed those options, he wanted a more complete opinion on the cards.

Anyways thats my assumption :)

That's my assumption as well.

If price is no objection, then 260 wouldnt be included in the list as it cant compete with 280 based on performance. So, this implies that price is of concern as well as performance. And, the listing of the 3 cards together with their corresponding price hints strongly that cost/performance factor is being taken into consideration.
So, that is the reason for my suggestion of waiting for the dust to settle due to the current price war. 8)

Post by **scavvenjahh** » 10 Jul 2008, 10:17

:lol: I love those discussions discussing discussions... Sorry I was in the mood for teasing last night.

Also in my opinion the most important data is min fps, not avg but thats just an opinion.

You are SO right... and user feedback doesn't really favor the latest Ati cards in that respect... (while the GTX260/280... oh well.) :lol:

Ascii_Aficionado · Post by **Ascii_Aficionado** » 10 Jul 2008, 10:30

All the benchmarks use stupid ass insane settings such as 16x Ani/4x AA @ resolutions that high, simply turn that crap off and enjoy the smooth framerate.

It's not a hard concept.

Just like the Doom 3 scandal, by default in the config ID Software set Anisotropic to 8x, no card .. including the best @ that time.. which was the 6800 Ultra could run the game smoothly with Ani that high,but If you simply changed it to 0 you had a flawless framerate.

And if you don't believe me, go install Doom 3 and take a look in the config then insert your foot into your own mouth.

In summation, You don't need 32432423342 $4234000 video cards. Most cards can handle games with those 2 settings off @ excellent framerates.

Post by **scavvenjahh** » 10 Jul 2008, 23:18

Feel free to start a "save your money, lower your settings" thread, but that's not the point right here...

redgun · Post by **redgun** » 11 Jul 2008, 01:37

I'm a sworn NV-fan, but the 4870 seems to be very tempting...
its half price and only has 13% less average performance or so.

how ever benches have shown that it is rather hot, consuming and noisy.

S0ulBlade · Post by **S0ulBlade** » 11 Jul 2008, 21:51

BTW, where did you see the 470 price tag for the 280? The stores here in my country sell the card for an equivalent of 903 dollars...

Im getting tempted to buy the 280 but its so expensive here...

PS: Any good website to buy cheap cards that ship worldwide?

karnak · Post by **karnak** » 12 Jul 2008, 02:03

BTW, where did you see the 470 price tag for the 280? The stores here in my country sell the card for an equivalent of 903 dollars...

Im getting tempted to buy the 280 but its so expensive here...

PS: Any good website to buy cheap cards that ship worldwide?

GTX 280 In calgary, alberta at the local memory express ranges from $470 - $670. You must live somewhere way off the beaten path for it to be $900

S0ulBlade · Post by **S0ulBlade** » 12 Jul 2008, 06:19

[quote]BTW, where did you see the 470 price tag for the 280? The stores here in my country sell the card for an equivalent of 903 dollars...

Im getting tempted to buy the 280 but its so expensive here...

PS: Any good website to buy cheap cards that ship worldwide?

GTX 280 In calgary, alberta at the local memory express ranges from $470 - $670. You must live somewhere way off the beaten path for it to be $900

I think that store thought buyers are stupid. A pny SC 280 costs 600 dollars in ebay, shipping included...

krjacobs03 · Post by **krjacobs03** » 12 Jul 2008, 15:42

I found it on Newegg for $470 after rebate. I think it was origionally $500.

skeeder · Post by **skeeder** » 13 Jul 2008, 18:40

I haven't done alot of digging, but honestly, between the two unless you really want to toss the 8800, why not just wait this one out? The graphic card debate right now is "wait" so with you having a king of cards of the last generation, why not just wait?

Wiz33 · Post by **Wiz33** » 13 Jul 2008, 22:32

Wait another week or so. Major price drop on nVidia products is happening right now. GTX 260 for under $299, GTX 280 $469 and GX2 for under $369. I'm looking at either the EVGA GTX 260 FTW if I can get it for ~$350 or just going for the GTX 280 once it drops below $450.

Wiz33 · Post by **Wiz33** » 13 Jul 2008, 22:36

BTW, where did you see the 470 price tag for the 280? The stores here in my country sell the card for an equivalent of 903 dollars...

Im getting tempted to buy the 280 but its so expensive here...

PS: Any good website to buy cheap cards that ship worldwide?

Look on Pricewatch.com. They have a whole section for retailers willing to take international orders. I don't know if Tigerdirect will do international but they do have the EVGA GTX280 for $469 after $30 rebate.

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