Good graphics card for $200

[ktmbro]

Right now i have a BFG 512MB 8800GT core clocked at 625 MHz, which is still a pretty good card but im thinking about maybe upgrading soon. whats the best nvidia card at the moment for like $150-$200 that would be noticeably different than my 8800?

 

[flyinfinni]

If you don't care about DX11/eyefinity/etc. then the ATI Radeon HD 4890 is the card to get- its the fastest card you can buy at $200. If you want to be a little more future conscious and get dx11, then probably the best option right now is the 5770 as its the best dx11 card for under $200 (and its well under at ~$160) You could jump up the the 5830, but its a lot more money (~$240) for not a lot more performance compared to the 5770, plus its over your $200 limit.

 

[ktmbro]

yea i have windows 7 so im definitely concerned with dx 11. but i want a nvidia card tho not ati, im just more accustom towards em because ive had them my whole life as a gamer lol

 

[ktmbro]

unless i could run an ati card on an Intel Mobo, then that'd be pretty sweet lol

 

[flyinfinni]

What is your system configuration? What CPU and motherboard are you running?
If you are concerned with DX11, then you cannot currently get an nVidia card, as they have yet to release a DX11 GPU. Fermi (which is supposed to be released at the end of this month) is their first shot at DX11, and it will probably not launch anywhere close to your $150-200 price range.
Also- I think you can run any single card in just about any motherboard. The only place you will run into compatibility problems between ATI and NVidia is if you try to crossfire or SLI. So, in other words, if you are planning on running a single card, you should be fine with ATI in your intel MOBo

 

[sunny9874704905]

Trust me, When it comes to graphics ATI is the best..... Nvidia Is known for their cheaper cards [under 80$] .....

take XFX 5770 Xream Edition..

Model

Brand XFX
Model HD-577A-ZNDC

Interface

Interface PCI Express 2.0 x16

Chipset

Chipset Manufacturer ATI
GPU Radeon HD 5770
Core Clock 875MHz
Stream Processors 800 Stream Processing Units

Memory

Effective Memory Clock 1300MHz (5.2Gbps)
Memory Size 1GB
Memory Interface 128-bit
Memory Type GDDR5
3D API
DirectX DirectX 11
OpenGL OpenGL 3.2

Ports

HDMI 1 x HDMI
DisplayPort 1 x DisplayPort
DVI 2 x DVI

General

Max Resolution 2560 x 1600
RoHS Compliant Yes
CrossFireX Support Yes
Cooler With Fan
System Requirements Minimum 450 Watt Power Supply Requirement
Power Connector 6 Pin
Dual-Link DVI Supported Yes
HDCP Ready Yes
Dimensions 8.5"W x 4.376"H x 1.5"D

 

[ktmbro]

This is my Rig:

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6550 @ 2.33GHz
MoBo: Gigabyte P35-DS3L, chipset P35/G33/G31
RAM: 4gb ddr2
GPU: 512mb 8800gt

As of now i am about to buy:
CPU: i5-750
MoBo: Gigabyte GA-P55A-UD4P LGA 1156 Intel P55
RAM: 2x4gb DDR3.

thats going to cost me about $500 so once i do that, everything in my computer will be updated except the graphics card. would i really be able to run a 5770 though? because i was always under the assumption that you could only run Intel with Nvidia and ATI with AMD

 

[ktmbro]

In addition, I also heard that the GTX 260 is still a worthy contender to the 5770

 

[flyinfinni]

GTX 260 and 5770 are very similar in performance, trading blows in the benchmarks depending on the game. The GTX 260 however, is more expensive and does not support DX11. As far as your rig, thats a great rig, and very similar to what I'm running right now. I am actually right now running an i5 on a MSI P55-GD80, and I've been running an ATI Radeon HD 4870, and am now running a 5750, soon to be 2 x 5750 in crossfireX. The Intel P55 chipset supports both Nvidia SLI AND ATI CrossfireX.

 

[ktmbro]

ok sweet, i never knew that! haha, i guess you learn somethin new everyday. so then i'd probably just be better off going with the 5770 since its like almost identical to the 260 but $40 cheaper. thanks a lot =D

 

[jyjjy]

Yeah, the HD5770 is your best choice in that price range. Performance similar to the GTX 260 but much cheaper, DX11 compatible and it uses much less power/runs cooler. It should be about 50% faster than your 8800GT while using less power. It also supports 3 monitors like so;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5UeHJEeuLc8
if you are interested in such a thing. This is a nice deal;
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102858
Unfortunately there aren't any Nvidia cards worth buying over $100 at this point. But you should have no problems using an ATI card on an Intel motherboard. Just make sure to uninstall all the Nvidia graphics drivers before installing the new card. Running a program like Driver Sweeper afterward just to be certain is a good idea.

 

[ktmbro]

omg i'd love to have 3 monitors haha. yea from what ive heard and seen, the 5770 seems to be overwhelmingly liked over any of nvidia's other budget cards. ill definitely be choosing it over the 260. but also good tip, thank you. i probably would have forgotten to uninstall the drives knowing me lol. now i just gotta find somewhere/one to sell my old mobo, cpu, ram, and gpu =[

 

[jyjjy]

I will kindly take the 8800GT off your hands so it doesn't worry you any more. I'll even generously pay the shipping

 

[uncfan_2563]

Trust me, When it comes to graphics ATI is the best..... Nvidia Is known for their cheaper cards [under 80$] .....

What are you smoking? Nvidia is known for their high end stuff...

 

[jyjjy]

Well, they used to be. For the moment the only Nvidia cards that make much sense compared to the ATI counterparts are on the low end.

 

[uncfan_2563]

They still are.. Isn't that why we are believing that the GF100 is faster than the 5870?

 

[jesmoke]

I also would have to agree that the 5770 is your best choice for your budget.