To buy now......or to wait for 4800 series?

[goatfarmer]

I am building a new computer, and have heard all the rumors about the new 4800 series ATI cards. Now that the date has been pushed back, I am in a dilemna. I was sorta waiting to see if they came out in May as speculated, but as of today and the post on here, it looks like mid-June. My dilemna is:

I was going to purchase an EVGA 8800GTS G92 512MB card to build my system with. Will the performance of this card be comparable to the new 4870? If not, how far behind will it be? Based on rumors, the 4870 will not be much more $$$ than the 8800GTS on its release date. If I should wait, should I just purchase a 9600GT to tide me over till the 4870 is available, and then use the 9600GT as an upgrade in an older computer?

Soooooo.....should I just buy the 8800GTS and be done with it and upgrade a year later? Or wait for the 4870 if it is going to be that much better and purchase a 9600GT to tide me over with my system build?

FYI I play EQ and WoW and will be using an E8400 processor. Thanks for any input/opinions.

 

[dechy]

Wait for more information. The 8800GTS is definitely one of the best buys for graphics card on the market right now, but if you can wait for more information on the 4870, then do it.

If it ends up being close to same price with a 10%+ performance increase, then it's a win-win. (I wouldn't touch a new card with new drivers without at least 10%+ performance increase, too much headaches)

Only thing you'll have to risk manage at that point is using a card with proven drivers or a card with potential driver disasters at first.

 

[jjokubauskas]

well for those games you should be fine with even a 3850, 3870 or 8800gt. but if u want bragging rights or futureproofing id wait for both the 4870's and the 9900GTX to come out (now the 9900GTX is supposed to come out first) and decide then. i think the 9900GTX will be faster than the 4870 but the 4870 will be much cheaper. i think the 4870 is gunna be somewhere around $250-300 and the 9900GTX is supposed to be around $500 but im just guessing on those prices. but u realy dont need an uber-jesus video card for WoW & EQ. if u alredy have an intel chipset get a 3870, & if u need more horsepower in the future get another one, or a 4870 for xfire.

 

[royalcrown]

Wait and don't even buy a 9600 to tide you over, just wait a month and save the 150 bucks you'd spend on the 9600 anyways, that'll pay for most of your 4000 series right there probably.

 

[dirtmountain]

I'm in about the same position myself, i'm limping along with an old card and was waiting to see what the 48XX series would do and hoping they'd lower some competing prices as well. If you have a good home for an interim card i'd buy the 9600 or 8800GT to tide you over until the 48XX and the 9900 release and the market settles down. Then after seeing proper benchmarks and prices start to drop you can make an informed decision and get a better price. As long as you have a good home for the card that's what i'd do.

 

[sailer]

For EQ and WoW, an old 7900 series or ATI 1900 series would do just fine. Those games do not strain the graphics card. As for the 4800 series cards, they should be good, but until benches come out, no one knows how good. If you need a card now, I'd recommend either a 8800 GTS 512 or a 3870, as they can be found for reasonable prices and both provide good performance, far above what you will need. I personally don't like the 8800GT because its single slot and runs hooter and the cooler makes more noise, but that's a subjective opinion. If you can wait two or three months for the new cards, then just wait and read the benches when they come out and then decide.

 

[godless]

i'd wait for benchmarks and final prices, before i would make my decision

 

[Steven Bancroft]

I'd say buy now. The 2xxx and 3xxx Series of ATI cards have all been grossly overhyped to be more than they actually perform. 3870 was supposed to be the GTX killer, the x2 was supposed to be the Ultra killer, both of which got pounded by the 9800GTX and GX2. The 8800GTS 512MB is a fantastic buy and will probably will be about the same as the 4800 ATI series, regardless of premature rumors of how "awesome" 4800 will be. I'm glad I didn't buy into the 3870 hype..

 

[goatfarmer]

I am using an Athlon 64 4000+ San Diego single core cpu with an EVGA 7600GT 256MB video card now with 1.5GB DDR400 memory. It lags horribly in high traffic areas and on raids, hence the reason for upgrading. I just want something that will not be outdated for what I do in a year. Thanks for all the great input thus far.

 

[dirtmountain]

The problem with waiting is that just as the prices settle out and all the benchmarks are in and you've found a card you like at a price you're willing to pay...............49XX out soon! wow wow wow grinds the old 48XX into the dirt ! new Nvidia 10000 out in 2 months ! crushes the competition ! etc. etc.

 

[Steven Bancroft]

The problem with waiting is that just as the prices settle out and all the benchmarks are in and you've found a card you like at a price you're willing to pay...............49XX out soon! wow wow wow grinds the old 48XX into the dirt ! new Nvidia 10000 out in 2 months ! crushes the competition ! etc. etc.

Exactly, I went through the same thing when I built my comp 4 months ago. Do I get a 8800GTX or wait till the 9xxx Series in 4 months? The 8800GTS 512 comes out soon too, should I wait? At any given point in time SOMETHING better is coming out "Soon" which "Crushes" the current generation card. If you end up waiting for the 48xx to mature and drop in price, the 49xx will "be out soon" and thus the vicious cycle continues.

 

[spaztic7]

I normally don’t say this, but, wait. Although waiting forever sucks, just hold out. The worst that can happen is the prices drop in your favor because of the new line coming out.

 

[royalcrown]

Exactly, I went through the same thing when I built my comp 4 months ago. Do I get a 8800GTX or wait till the 9xxx Series in 4 months? The 8800GTS 512 comes out soon too, should I wait? At any given point in time SOMETHING better is coming out "Soon" which "Crushes" the current generation card. If you end up waiting for the 48xx to mature and drop in price, the 49xx will "be out soon" and thus the vicious cycle continues.

Normally, I agree, but comon, 30 days is not 6 months from now, and he'd probably kick himself if the 4000 series is great, why not suffer along and save that 150 till the benches are out ?

 

[mihirkula]

The 2xxx and 3xxx Series of ATI cards have all been grossly overhyped to be more than they actually perform. 3870 was supposed to be the GTX killer, the x2 was supposed to be the Ultra killer, both of which got pounded by the 9800GTX and GX2. The 8800GTS 512MB is a fantastic buy and will probably will be about the same as the 4800 ATI series, regardless of premature rumors of how "awesome" 4800 will be. I'm glad I didn't buy into the 3870 hype

What are you talking about...the 3870x2 beats the sh!t out of the 9800GTsuX

http://en.expreview.com/2008/04/03/geforce-9800gtx-review/13/

Its ok to be a fanboy but its carnal sin to mislead people.

 

[TheGreatGrapeApe]

I normally don’t say this, but, wait. Although waiting forever sucks, just hold out. The worst that can happen is the prices drop in your favor because of the new line coming out.

Yeah I usually don't advocate waiting unless there's something game changing just around the corner, and both companies are about to release their idea of what the next year or so should look like so it's worth waiting for either that or the resulting price drops IMO.

 

[Steven Bancroft]

What are you talking about...the 3870x2 beats the sh!t out of the 9800GTsuX

http://en.expreview.com/2008/04/03/geforce-9800gtx-review/13/

Its ok to be a fanboy but its carnal sin to mislead people.

First off, Im not a fan boy, and no need to start flaming. And your link is to one set of benches. I bet we could each find a whole ton of links each supporting one or the other. Example http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/nvidia-geforce-9800gtx-review,1800-5.html

My point was that the ATI 3xxx series was overhyped for realword benches, not who the king of the hill is. Flame off.

 

[a 6pack in]

What are you talking about...the 3870x2 beats the sh!t out of the 9800GTsuX

http://en.expreview.com/2008/04/03/geforce-9800gtx-review/13/

Its ok to be a fanboy but its carnal sin to mislead people.

thanks for the link. its definately noticable.

ive been contemplating the 3870x2 route. i think im gonna do it here late spring early summer when the new 4xxx series drops. im sure the price will come down a bit at that point.

 

[goatfarmer]

Well, the general consensus seems to be to wait. While I am patient and can do that, my new dilemna would be the lack of fun playing the game because of the lag generated by my current setup. The socket 939 Athlon 64 4000+ 2.4GHz single core paired with the 7600GT 256MB video card and 1.5GB DDR400 memory just doesn't make for fluid FPS on raids in Everquest. Could a viable alternative be to wait a month or so, and but a new video card in the lower price range that is still better than what I have? Unfortunately, I believe the processor is my main bottleneck/problem. Plus........my tax money won't stay in the bank forever lol! This computer I currently have will be an upgrade for my girlfriend, and we will retire hers. SO......if a video card would help this current system I would be willing to do that and wait.........just a thought.


BTW........this forum is great! Again thanks to everyone for their opinions and feedback. I have gotten lots of good tips.

 

[4745454b]

Add me to the list of people who say wait. AMD is supposed to be out in June, while Nvidias response is supposed to come in late June, more like July. If you can limp along until Aug or so, you should have a good idea whats what. Even if you don't get any of the new cards, they should help bring down the price of current cards.

If you can't reuse a current card, just buy a cheap 3650. (I would say 8600GT, but they tend to be more expensive, we are going for cheap remember?) The 3650 has the power of the x1950pro, and would make a decent nearly midrange performer.

 

[DarthPiggie]

If you want to even think about the 3800s, 4800s, 8800s, 9Series, or any other recent performance card, you're gonna need to upgraade that entire system, unfortunately, and yes that Tax money aint going nowhere, unless that IRS barge in there violating your constitutional rights.

 

[50bmg]

At the prices of the 3870s and 8800GTs i would get one now and xfire or sli a little later. I hate chasing the newest tech. The cards out now are fine, especially the 3870s and 8800XXx.

The 8800GTS 512 is sweet, i bought a visiontek 3870 OC 512m for $170, if the 8800GTS 512 would have been under $200 i would have bought it.

you have to set limits or you will always be chasing the newest tech or waiting on it. AND you will be spending a lot more $. That same 3870 was $250 plus 3 months ago. Why wait for the newest tech when its price will be inflated 50%.

you mentioned th e8400, great processor, but i just put an e7200 in and it was only $139. I love it. Next year when the quad 45nm cpus are half the price they are now i will get one, but the e7200 is nice.

 

[hispeed120]

goatfarmer-

You could upgrade your motherboard and processor right now (maybe up the RAM) and then wait to get the video card until more info is out, as others have previously stated. I would assume that you would still get somewhat of a performance increase from doing that--maybe enough to make your games more playable.

I am in the same boat with a X800XL and 3.0ghz P4 64-bit. Waiting sucks, but I think it's the best thing to do right now for video cards at least. I would have started my build already, but I'm waiting for a motherboard to be realeased (nVivida), which now I may not even use depending on how the 4800 turns out.

 

[royalcrown]

At the prices of the 3870s and 8800GTs i would get one now and xfire or sli a little later. I hate chasing the newest tech. The cards out now are fine, especially the 3870s and 8800XXx.

The 8800GTS 512 is sweet, i bought a visiontek 3870 OC 512m for $170, if the 8800GTS 512 would have been under $200 i would have bought it.

you have to set limits or you will always be chasing the newest tech or waiting on it. AND you will be spending a lot more $. That same 3870 was $250 plus 3 months ago. Why wait for the newest tech when its price will be inflated 50%.

you mentioned th e8400, great processor, but i just put an e7200 in and it was only $139. I love it. Next year when the quad 45nm cpus are half the price they are now i will get one, but the e7200 is nice.

Because the 4850 is looking like $250 is why wait, if it's around 220-250 and faster than a 3870 by the estimated 40 percent or so it'd be worth it vs 180 for a gt.

 

[ro3dog]

I just wrote something about how this waiting sucks in another thread.Please wait,the 4800 comes with physics engine,which will make them a major leap above what you are looking at.My friend the card you will need will the 4850.We have about a month.

 

[50bmg]

Royalcrown, $80 is still $80. I will wait until feb '09 and get a 48xx for $180.

I do have to admit, the 4870 under $250 sounds like a great deal.

ATI listed the 3870 pre launch at $180, but it was selling everywhere for $249. supply and demand. If ATI is listing it at $250, newegg will have it for $319.