2900 xt 512mb vs 8800 gts 640mb

sharp910sh

Distinguished
Jun 2, 2007
378
0
18,780
which graphics card should i go for? i will be playing at 1680 by 1050, like call of duty 2, lost planet, half life 2. i want to play at full settings.

Thank you
 

sailer

Splendid
I myself have a 8800 GTS 640 and I have a 1680 x 1050 screen, so understand that I hold no prejudice when I say that either card should do fine. One card may be better in one game, and the other will be better in a different game. The early drivers with the 2900 were pretty bad, but they have been straightened out and the card is now a good, mid-range card in my opinion. I'd mainly shop with price being the main consideration, though if you have an AMD cpu, the 2900 may perform slightly better than the 8800 GTS, as the release notes with the 8800 specify particular problems with AMD K7 and K8 chips.
 

Ananan

Distinguished
Apr 2, 2007
646
0
18,990
If you're looking to play Lost Planet in DX10 good luck.

The PC Gamer review said LP turned into a slideshow when DX 10 was enabled. I'm sure they were at least using a GTS 640 (I'm too lazy to look for the mag right now).
 
Agreed with Sailer.

If one comes with good bundled games take that one.

I understand that the GTS is a bit quieter and consumes less power, but I don't know if it matters that much to you.

Can you afford an 8800 GTX?
 

Rabidpeanut

Distinguished
Dec 14, 2005
922
0
18,980
The asus 2900 comes with stalker, portal, team fortress, half life 2 ep 2 and day of defeat. As far as i know the 8800 comes with graw 1.
 

vonwombat

Distinguished
Jul 3, 2007
85
0
18,630
Get the 2900. Bundled games, and it performs better than the GTS in most games, and even comes close to the GTX in others. I wish I have bought one instead of my GTS. :(
 

emp

Distinguished
Dec 15, 2004
2,593
0
20,780


Well they are retarded, because the DX10 version actually runs a tad faster than the DX9 one.

On topic: Get whichever is cheaper, because they are pretty much on par.
 

Ananan

Distinguished
Apr 2, 2007
646
0
18,990


I think my response may have been a little muddy but IMO it was on topic. Anyone who says they want to play Lost Planet smoothly is most likely referring to DX 10 in some way and I was just passing along something I had read.

If the OP wants to play DX10 games "smoothly" he/she may want to consider waiting for the next gen of cards. I'll try to be more clear next time.

Here's the quote by Norman Chan:

"With Windows Vista and a DX 10 video card, I gazed in wonder at the amazing shadows cast by objects in-game even as my monitor screen turned into a slideshow"
 

emp

Distinguished
Dec 15, 2004
2,593
0
20,780
That guy is an idiot, he probably set shadows to high, but in Lost Planet the difference between high and medium shadows is non-existant (Except for a performance hit). The game is very poorly optimized, we can all agree on that, but I urge you play Lost Planet on your own and see it for yourself, it's not about DX9 or DX10, it's just poor optimization. But Lost Planet is one of those few games where I say that you don't need constant 50fps+ to enjoy it. (Mind you I almost never say that!)

Also, now that Bioshock has been released and plays just as smoothly under DX9 as it does under DX10 with improved effects, I think I can say that it is not "necessary" to wait for next gen cards to play DX10, however what really will be necessary is not to go below the 3 top cards (GTS 320/640, GTX, and 2900XT).

 

spuddyt

Distinguished
Jul 21, 2007
2,114
0
19,780
seriously is there such a thing as a temporary sticky? (untill the next gen comes out) because there must have been 10 posts asking this question already...
 

bobkat

Distinguished
Jul 30, 2007
19
0
18,510
I also had this question and am tracking back in the forums looking for which card to buy. The only thing that seems to go for the x2900xt is that it should have more longevity because the drivers are still not really optimized - whereas the 8800gts has mature drivers.

Does anyone know have any benchmarks comparing an x2900xt with catalyst 7.8 to the 8800gts cards? i've looked very hard and haven't found anything...it would be pertinent to the topic of this thread.