9800GTX+ too old to buy??

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Guest

Guest
Hi, I want to be able to play some games on my pc but with my current setup every game looks like a slideshow. I found a 9800gtx+ for a very good price (about 130$) and I was wondering if this card will last for the next few years or will new games be too much for it to handle, should I invest more money in more powerful cards? I am on a budget so is there a good card you guys can suggest for under 150$? or do I need more money, I like games like nfs shift/pro street, gta iv, bioshock and other racing/shooting games.
current monitor 17inch 1280 x 1024
next monitor 24inch 1920 x 1080

The card will be used on a core i5 system with 4gb of DDR3
I am more familiar with nvidia cards so can someone plz explain the ati naming system to me,
if 57XX low end and 58XX the high end which models can compare to similarly performing nvidia cards , 5870, 5850, 5730 etc.

THANKS.
 

andy5174

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Mar 3, 2009
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9800GX2 on 380W PSU?! Are you serious?

It might be that you never play games that would utilize the full potential of that card.
 
I have the following on a 450 watt psu:

Q9550 (stock clock but about to test OC ;) )
EVGA 730i mobo
4G Corsair ram
1- blu ray drive
2- dvd drives
1- seagate 500g (boot drive)
4- 1.5tb hard drives
7- 120mm fans
1- EVGA 8800GTX ACS3 video card

Runs stable and 3dmark06 score is 15,500 avg. I was leary at 1st and added a little at a time and then finally the video card. You have to admit thats a lot of hardware for a 450 watter but its a Corsair psu. Most other brands I wouldn't consider trying that...
 

andy5174

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Agree.

However, he is with the 9800GX2 which requires at least 580W according to nVidia's website. Even though it is overrated by nVidia, a 380W is definitely a pain.
 

andy5174

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Mar 3, 2009
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You are absolutely asking for trouble with 380W.

Why would you get a 380W instead of a decent 550W+ PSU if you are rich enough to get a 9800GX2
 

amdfangirl

Expert
Ambassador
Well, it was a temporary thing. You see, my boyfriend's brother had a 9800GX2 he didn't want (gonna sell cause he was upgrading to HD 4890 CF). Until it was sold, he lent it to my boyfriend so I could use it for folding@home (he bought the HD 4890s) and game at the same time.

It worked for 1 month, 24/7 100% load until it got sold. Now, I just use the G31 IGP. All I need really.
 
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Guest

Guest
yes thats the problem with this pc, pci or pcie x1 are not nearly fast enough for these flashy new games and a 2.8ghz pentium 4 (that cant be overclocked cause its a dell pc) is not nearly good enough.

custom build is the best way to go for me.