BFG GTX 260 OC or BFG GTX 280?

[AthlonXP1800]

Now I got refund of £236 for Sapphire Radeon 4870 and noticed the prices of GTX 260 and 280 are fall at Overclockers UK with both prices are too good to get either cards but I dont know what to get.

Should I go for BFG GTX 260 OC at £217 this week special offer or BFG GTX 280 OC for £352?

[Revs]

260 for sure. So happy with mine. I can't justify the price for the 280 unless you have the cash to spare. Slight gains for alot more money. Also lower temps and less chance of having to RMA it.

[Blacklash]

I definitely vote GTX 260, especially if you game 1920x or lower. Hexus shows a GTX 260 @ 640 vs a GTX 280 @ 615 here-

http://www.hexus.net/content/item.php?item=14144

[H]ard got the 260 they reviewed to do 675 on the core and Firingsquad got one to 712. @ 2560x the 280 starts to be a better investment with AA active.

[Revs]

They'll OC just as high as a 280. I got 740/1480/1280.

[Blacklash]

Originally Posted by Revs

They'll OC just as high as a 280. I got 740/1480/1280.

You drew a nice card there. I'll be happy doing 660-700 here. Unfortunately, I won't know what my max is until next week, the holiday is going to delay my delivery.

[AthlonXP1800]

Hmmm okay I will order BFG GTX 260 OC now and have it deliver on Saturday, total £235.36. Nearly the same price I paid for Sapphire Radeon 4870 delivered on last Saturday, wow I cant believed how cheap it is and I still got plenty of money to spare waiting for 55nm GT200 and Nehalem.

[Revs]

Originally Posted by Blacklash

You drew a nice card there. I'll be happy doing 660-700 here. Unfortunately, I won't know what my max is until next week, the holiday is going to delay my delivery.

Two nice ones

AFAIK, most cards will do 700/1400/1200 no probs. 55% fan, temps 40-70*C

[Maverickman]

The GTX 280 is on average about 20% faster at stock speeds. You can get closer to a stock GTX 280 by overclocking that 260. However, I have heard of 280s doing better than 700MHz core. The 280 does take more power though, so you have to use a 650W or greater for a 280. The 280 is for those who want the best and money is not an issue.

[Ninja Prime]

Your PS would choke on a 280, better get the 260 unless you're upgrading the PS too.

[Ambrose]

Originally Posted by Ninja Prime

Your PS would choke on a 280, better get the 260 unless you're upgrading the PS too.

Minimum System Power Requirement is 550w as is stated here.

Which means I could run one with my 620w Corsair

[AthlonXP1800]

Originally Posted by Ninja Prime

Your PS would choke on a 280, better get the 260 unless you're upgrading the PS too.

I noticed something very interesting about the minimum spec on BFG GTX 260 packing, here is a small print about 525W PSU minimum requirement. The small print say that 525W is based on PC configuration with Core 2 Quad Extreme QX9650 CPU so I really dont worry too much about that as I use dual core Athlon 64 X2 4400+ CPU which used 101W at idle and 250W at full load with GTX 260. Same thing goes with 4870, you really dont need 620W PSU for that with my CPU.

Anyway BFG GTX 260 is a fantastic card, very silent, very cooling than both 4870 and 8800GTX.

[Maverickman]

Your Athlon X2 4400+ is really going to hold that GTX 260 back. You really need a Core2 3.0GHz or better to see the potential of a GTX 260 or Radeon HD 4870. That's why reviewers test the cards with high-end CPUs. It's almost a waste of money to get a GTX 260 with your CPU.