Wifes PC needs an upgrade, I'm debating...

Tr1cK · 12-01-08, 11:17 AM

The PC is a 3800x2 @ 2.4ghz, 2gb RAM, 7800gt, 17" LCD @ 1280x1024.

She's starting to game a little and the 7800gt is showing it's age. Even WoW is getting it's ass kicked running around with around 30fps or less in the starter zones and cities.

I was debating on just getting a 9800gt for her or to give her my 4850 with me upgrading to a GTX260. With the $100 I spend extra on the GTX, I could give her the 4850 that's worth about $150. The big question is will I see much of a difference? I run 1680x1050 BTW, rig in sig.

EciDemon · 12-02-08, 03:47 AM

I got my card a week ago and did not see much fps gain from my 8800gt (same resolution as you). So I'm thinking my cpu is a bit of a bottleneck here.

However with FSAA that's when I saw the big difference, before I could play most games just fine on max settings @ 1680x1050 but usually with no AA, now AA is no problem at all.

I also OCed the cpu a bit more from 3.2 to 3.36 (can't seem to go higher then that, I think my ram is crapping out). That also helped up the fps a bit.

For reference, I get ~11600 Vantage points with the evga 260 216c SC and the core duo @ 3.36Ghz

CaptNKILL · 12-02-08, 04:57 AM

Its probably a CPU bottleneck if its most noticeable in areas with lots of people running around.

Tr1cK · 12-02-08, 06:22 AM

The new shadow system has almost doubled the demand on the GPU it seems. Supposedly anything older than an 8 series struggles with WoW 3.0.

I've seen quite a bit of negative on the 9800gt with heat issues and what not. I think I'd rather go for the 260 for myself and pass the 4850 down at this point. I always like to run AA and think the extra horsepower and VRAM will help a lot.

Is there any new NV card coming down the pipe soon?

**nekrosoft13** · 12-02-08, 06:32 AM

not 100% but there might be a new 55nm GTX cards out in a month or so.

then again if you grab EVGA, you will be able to step up.

GTX260 would go nicelly with your quad, might even fix your Aero issues.

EciDemon · 12-02-08, 06:40 AM

Dunno about WoW and G200, check out this thread. I never played WoW so I don't know. In all other things it's a real performer I think

Tr1cK · 12-02-08, 07:10 AM

WoW is kicking ass on my 4850, but I could always use some more power.

It's the 7800gt that's struggling.

As far as the step-up goes, I thought there were only certain SKUs allowed to step-up.
http://www.evga.com/stepup/

This is a problem because I was going to grab a deal on the old 260 SSC.

**nekrosoft13** · 12-02-08, 07:13 AM

that list shows what you can step up to, not from.

Tr1cK · 12-02-08, 07:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nekrosoft13

that list shows what you can step up to, not from.

ORLY? That's good news, it wasn't very clear to me when I read it.

Now the choice is to wait or get one and step-up.

CaptNKILL · 12-02-08, 07:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tr1cK

WoW is kicking ass on my 4850, but I could always use some more power.

It's the 7800gt that's struggling.

As far as the step-up goes, I thought there were only certain SKUs allowed to step-up.
http://www.evga.com/stepup/

This is a problem because I was going to grab a deal on the old 260 SSC.

Damn, the prices are already coming down. I bought my 260 for $254 (before mail in rebate) last month and the 260-216 is only $15 more now straight from eVGA.

wolfgar · 12-02-08, 11:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tr1cK

Is there any new NV card coming down the pipe soon?

There does appear to be a 55nm GPU refresh coming from NV soon. Best guesses are that there will be no noticeable performance/price change as the primary reason seems to be to just increase yields per die. (NV is in a real cash crunch right now, especially with their laptop chips failing everywhere)

I just upgraded from a 8800GTX to a EVGA baseline 260-216.
now I run everything at 1900x1200 high quality with AA. Before I need to dial setting/resolution down to keep the frame rate reasonable and not have the card overheat.

Skip the 9800 series.

2.4gz CPU is a little low for the current A-list titles.

Go Google for specific card reviews that match up may of the titles you/she are interested in.

Tr1cK · 12-02-08, 11:41 AM

Wolf, you didn't read my OP.

The 2.4ghz system has a 7800gt which I was considering a 9800gt for.

My rig is a 3.36ghz quad (sig) which has a 4850 which I am considering a 260 or 280 for. The 4850 would then go in the 2.4ghz system.

12-01-08, 11:17 AM	#1
Tr1cK not coming back Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 4,872	Wifes PC needs an upgrade, I'm debating... The PC is a 3800x2 @ 2.4ghz, 2gb RAM, 7800gt, 17" LCD @ 1280x1024. She's starting to game a little and the 7800gt is showing it's age. Even WoW is getting it's ass kicked running around with around 30fps or less in the starter zones and cities. I was debating on just getting a 9800gt for her or to give her my 4850 with me upgrading to a GTX260. With the $100 I spend extra on the GTX, I could give her the 4850 that's worth about $150. The big question is will I see much of a difference? I run 1680x1050 BTW, rig in sig.

12-02-08, 03:47 AM	#2
EciDemon Registered User Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Sweden Posts: 1,423	Re: Wifes PC needs an upgrade, I'm debating... I got my card a week ago and did not see much fps gain from my 8800gt (same resolution as you). So I'm thinking my cpu is a bit of a bottleneck here. However with FSAA that's when I saw the big difference, before I could play most games just fine on max settings @ 1680x1050 but usually with no AA, now AA is no problem at all. I also OCed the cpu a bit more from 3.2 to 3.36 (can't seem to go higher then that, I think my ram is crapping out). That also helped up the fps a bit. For reference, I get ~11600 Vantage points with the evga 260 216c SC and the core duo @ 3.36Ghz

12-02-08, 04:57 AM	#3
CaptNKILL CUBE Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: PA, USA Posts: 18,844	Re: Wifes PC needs an upgrade, I'm debating... Its probably a CPU bottleneck if its most noticeable in areas with lots of people running around. __________________ ---- Primary Rig ---- CoolerMaster 690 II Advance - Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3P - Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 @ 4.0Ghz + Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme 6GB DDR2 @ 942Mhz 5-5-5-20 1.9v (2x1Gb Wintec AMPX PC2-8500 & 2x2Gb G.Skill PC2-6400) - EVGA Geforce GTX 470 @ 750/1500/1850 (1.050v) Sparkle Geforce GTS 250 1Gb Low-Profile (Physx) - Crucial RealSSD C300 64Gb SSD - Seagate 7200.12 500Gb SATA - Seagate 7200.10 320Gb SATA ASUS VW266H 25.5" LCD - OCZ GameXStream 700W PSU - ASUS Xonar DX - Logitech Z-5500 5.1 Surround - Windows 7 Professional x64 ---- HTPC ---- Asus M3A78-EM 780G - AMD Athlon X2 5050e 45W @ 2.6Ghz - 2x2GB Kingston PC2-6400 DDR2 - Sparkle 350W PSU Seagate 7200.10 320Gb SATA - Seagate 7200.10 250Gb SATA - Athenatech A100BB.350 MicroATX Desktop - Creative X-Fi XtremeMusic

12-02-08, 06:22 AM	#4
Tr1cK not coming back Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 4,872	Re: Wifes PC needs an upgrade, I'm debating... The new shadow system has almost doubled the demand on the GPU it seems. Supposedly anything older than an 8 series struggles with WoW 3.0. I've seen quite a bit of negative on the 9800gt with heat issues and what not. I think I'd rather go for the 260 for myself and pass the 4850 down at this point. I always like to run AA and think the extra horsepower and VRAM will help a lot. Is there any new NV card coming down the pipe soon?

12-02-08, 06:32 AM	#5
nekrosoft13 I'm Geralt Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Chicagoland, once a year in Poland Posts: 24,364	Re: Wifes PC needs an upgrade, I'm debating... not 100% but there might be a new 55nm GTX cards out in a month or so. then again if you grab EVGA, you will be able to step up. GTX260 would go nicelly with your quad, might even fix your Aero issues. __________________ Windows 8 the next big failure, right after Windows ME

12-02-08, 06:40 AM	#6
EciDemon Registered User Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Sweden Posts: 1,423	Re: Wifes PC needs an upgrade, I'm debating... Dunno about WoW and G200, check out this thread. I never played WoW so I don't know. In all other things it's a real performer I think

12-02-08, 07:10 AM	#7
Tr1cK not coming back Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 4,872	Re: Wifes PC needs an upgrade, I'm debating... WoW is kicking ass on my 4850, but I could always use some more power. It's the 7800gt that's struggling. As far as the step-up goes, I thought there were only certain SKUs allowed to step-up. http://www.evga.com/stepup/ This is a problem because I was going to grab a deal on the old 260 SSC.

12-02-08, 07:13 AM	#8
nekrosoft13 I'm Geralt Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Chicagoland, once a year in Poland Posts: 24,364	Re: Wifes PC needs an upgrade, I'm debating... that list shows what you can step up to, not from. __________________ Windows 8 the next big failure, right after Windows ME

12-02-08, 11:41 AM	#12
Tr1cK not coming back Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 4,872	Re: Wifes PC needs an upgrade, I'm debating... Wolf, you didn't read my OP. The 2.4ghz system has a 7800gt which I was considering a 9800gt for. My rig is a 3.36ghz quad (sig) which has a 4850 which I am considering a 260 or 280 for. The 4850 would then go in the 2.4ghz system.

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