What's best GPU @ 1680x1050 ***

[notguru]

I play games like Crysis and Far Cry 2 at a resolution of 1680x1050. As you know, these games are very demanding of high-powered graphics cards. I was looking at the GTX 295 and realized while it's basically 2 cards running as one, it's also way too expensive... And that card is meant for higher resolutions anyway.

I need a card that's better than 8800 GT (what I currently have) and can still run Crysis at 1680x1050 with maxed settings and neither AA nor AF turned on.

Do you think I should wait until a GPU with the power of a GTX 260 or GTX 270 come down.

Because in my opinion, the GTS 250 (aka 9800GTX+) is slightly better than the 9800 GT (aka 8800GTX), which is slightly better than 8800 GT.

Do you think a GTS 260 vs 8800 GT will make a big difference @ 1680x1050 in Crysis?
Do you think a GTS 270 vs 8800 GT will make a big difference @ 1680x1050 in Crysis?
Do you think a GTS 280 vs 8800 GT will make a big difference @ 1680x1050 in Crysis?
Do you think a GTS 295 vs 8800 GT will make a big difference @ 1680x1050 in Crysis?

 

[Twoboxer]

There are several reviews around that show Crysis running at 1680x1050 using various vid cards at various settings. Here's one:

http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardware-canucks-reviews/16400-nvidia-geforce-gtx-275-896mb-review-12.html

 

[brendano257]

Starting at the low end...The GTX260 will offer good performance at 1680x1050, not quite maxed, but mostly high. The GTX260 is roughly 2x the performance of an 8800GT. At your resolution, consider the 260 and option, but I would aim for the GTX275 for maxing out the graphics. I think anything over a GTX275 would be overkill at 1680x1050.

 

[swifty_morgan]

GTX275/1792..... or a GTX285

An msi Lightning, overclocked, can play Crysis @ 16x10 w/8aa without a hiccup. And even at that res- YES -it does make a difference at how well it looks. FarCry2 plays better with 1792 memory than 896 cards. DON'T buy a Lightning edition card. Get one of the two listed above.

better add........ get the fastest cards you can afford to get. They're clocked higher for a reason and retain their warranty.

 

[B-Unit]

Starting at the low end...The GTX260 will offer good performance at 1680x1050, not quite maxed, but mostly high. The GTX260 is roughly 2x the performance of an 8800GT. At your resolution, consider the 260 and option, but I would aim for the GTX275 for maxing out the graphics. I think anything over a GTX275 would be overkill at 1680x1050.

Wow...

Just wow...

GTX260 |= 2x8800GT

More like 1.25x8800GT, maybe 1.5 if your lucky.

 

[notguru]

Starting at the low end...The GTX260 will offer good performance at 1680x1050, not quite maxed, but mostly high. The GTX260 is roughly 2x the performance of an 8800GT. At your resolution, consider the 260 and option, but I would aim for the GTX275 for maxing out the graphics. I think anything over a GTX275 would be overkill at 1680x1050.

In 6 months, how cheap will the GTX 275 be?
Or if its no longer in stock, how cheap will a GPU with equivalent power be?
Right now it's $200

 

[notguru]

Wow...

Just wow...

GTX260 |= 2x8800GT

More like 1.25x8800GT, maybe 1.5 if your lucky.

2x 8800GT vs. 1x GTX 275

who wins?

 

[stevensl2]

I think the "Best GPU" for that res would be, The gtx 285 SSC, that is currently the fastest single Gpu card for that resolution, the dual gpu cards would not really be put to much use unless its at 1920x1080 or so

 

[notguru]

I think the "Best GPU" for that res would be, The gtx 285 SSC, that is currently the fastest single Gpu card for that resolution, the dual gpu cards would not really be put to much use unless its at 1920x1080 or so

Ok. And how many inches of monitor do I need for 1920x1080?
More than 22" I'm guessing....

 

[Mafia2020]

24"

 

[B-Unit]

2x 8800GT vs. 1x GTX 275

who wins?

Assuming the game supports SLi, 2x8800GT 95% of the time.

 

[teja92]

A GTX 295 or a GTX 285( IF u can afford any of these)
If on an SLI mB then 2xGTX 260 216Core is the best option for u dude

 

[notguru]

Assuming the game supports SLi, 2x8800GT 95% of the time.

do new games like crysis and far cry 2 support SLI?

 

[Tech-Boy]

Ok. And how many inches of monitor do I need for 1920x1080?
More than 22" I'm guessing....

21.5in

A gtx 260 will do you just fine. At 1920x1080 on my 21.5in monitor i get 60-110fps in far cry 2 completely maxed out and With crysis everything on high expect Game effects/physics/post processing very high, i get 30+ fps. This is all with a gtx 260.

 

[Tech-Boy]

do new games like crysis and far cry 2 support SLI?

Yes

 

[coozie7]

@ Notguru: Which motherboard do you have? Only Nvidia chipsets support SLI while ATI and Intel only support Crossfire, the exception being the X58 which can support both.
8800 GTs' are getting a little hard to find but as a cheap boost if you have an SLI MB it seems like a good idea. Just one point, with 512Mb of memory, you might find them struggling if you go for a larger monitor.
For 1920x1200 or 1920x1080 I'd say go for 24" unless you have Gods eyesight because text is going to be very hard to read at that resolution/screen size.
If your MB does support SLI and yopu want a new card/s then get either the GTX260 or GTX275, according to tate and budget, and keep the 8800 as reserve or for PhysX. Either card can run 16x10 perfectly well as long as you use a little common sense with AA in the case of the GTX260.
Check your power supply, the GTX260 needs a fair bit of juice to run and two 6 pin PCI-E connectors to feed it plus the power draw of the 8800 if you keep that installed.
If your MB is Crossfire, the 1Gb HD4870 or HD4890 are obvious choices and have much the same performance as the GTX260 and GTX275.

 

[Tech-Boy]

@ Notguru: Which motherboard do you have? Only Nvidia chipsets support SLI while ATI and Intel only support Crossfire, the exception being the X58 which can support both.
8800 GTs' are getting a little hard to find but as a cheap boost if you have an SLI MB it seems like a good idea. Just one point, with 512Mb of memory, you might find them struggling if you go for a larger monitor.
For 1920x1200 or 1920x1080 I'd say go for 24" unless you have Gods eyesight because text is going to be very hard to read at that resolution/screen size.
If your MB does support SLI and yopu want a new card/s then get either the GTX260 or GTX275, according to tate and budget, and keep the 8800 as reserve or for PhysX. Either card can run 16x10 perfectly well as long as you use a little common sense with AA in the case of the GTX260.
Check your power supply, the GTX260 needs a fair bit of juice to run and two 6 pin PCI-E connectors to feed it plus the power draw of the 8800 if you keep that installed.
If your MB is Crossfire, the 1Gb HD4870 or HD4890 are obvious choices and have much the same performance as the GTX260 and GTX275.

I agree with everything you suggested exept about the 1920x1080 on a screen smaller than 24in. I am very picky with resolutions and having 1920x1080 on a 21.5in lcd is a dream. Everything is crisp and clear, almost no need for aa in most games. Also the text is very crisp just the right size, and playing crysis on 1920x1080 is, well too good to be true, the view distance and clearness of the image almost makes it look 3d. Even my mom came in after got this new screen and said, "Is that the same game you were playing before! It looks so real, it all looks so clear and undistorted", and she has seen me play on a 20in monitor at 1680x1050 the only thing that changed was the pixels per inch.

 

[coozie7]

@ Tech-Boy: I think your post highlights the importaince orf actually seeing a monitor in use before purchase, I would find text at that size and resolution quite hard to read.

 

[Twoboxer]

. . . Everything is crisp and clear, almost no need for aa in most games. Also the text is very crisp just the right size . . . Even my mom came in after got this new screen and said, "Is that the same game you were playing before! It looks so real, it all looks so clear and undistorted", and she has seen me play on a 20in monitor at 1680x1050 the only thing that changed was the pixels per inch.

While your comments are useful, the thing you need to understand is YOUR eyes and YOUR needs are different than others. And maybe your mom isn't over 40 yet either lol, or didn't sit and try to read the text.

The game *will* look "better" at higher res, even on a smaller screen.

But I play on a 27" screen at 1920 (its native res) or lower. I bought that screen for exactly that reason, the largest text available at 1920 native. To my eyes the game looks great, I can read the text comfortably (most times) without having to move my head in or out, or up and down to get the right spot in the bifocals. When not gaming, I still find 1680 a more confortable res for me.

So do not discount the text issue. It is real for many, and one day - believe it or not - it will be real for you, too.

 

[xsistor]

Just get a GTX 275. It's value for money, and at the resolution your targeting it will handle any game including crysis - even at 2x or 4xAA which will give the best combination of performance + quality.

in fact, it will do very well even at 1920x1080.

 

[notguru]

@ Notguru: Which motherboard do you have? Only Nvidia chipsets support SLI while ATI and Intel only support Crossfire, the exception being the X58 which can support both.
8800 GTs' are getting a little hard to find but as a cheap boost if you have an SLI MB it seems like a good idea. Just one point, with 512Mb of memory, you might find them struggling if you go for a larger monitor.
For 1920x1200 or 1920x1080 I'd say go for 24" unless you have Gods eyesight because text is going to be very hard to read at that resolution/screen size.
If your MB does support SLI and yopu want a new card/s then get either the GTX260 or GTX275, according to tate and budget, and keep the 8800 as reserve or for PhysX. Either card can run 16x10 perfectly well as long as you use a little common sense with AA in the case of the GTX260.
Check your power supply, the GTX260 needs a fair bit of juice to run and two 6 pin PCI-E connectors to feed it plus the power draw of the 8800 if you keep that installed.
If your MB is Crossfire, the 1Gb HD4870 or HD4890 are obvious choices and have much the same performance as the GTX260 and GTX275.

Intel DG35EC = my motherboard. it doesnt do SLI. can it CrossFire? If so, then i might as well sell my 88gt and buy ATI
these are the specs: TELL ME IF ITS COMPATIBLE WITH NVIDIA 200 SERIES GPUS
Front Side Bus: 800MHz
1066MHz
1333MHz

Northbridge: Intel G35 Express

Southbridge: Intel ICH8

Number of Slots: 4

Number of Pins: 240-Pin

Maximum Memory Supported: 4GB - 32bit
8GB - 64bit

Memory Type: DDR2

Memory Supported: Dual Channel Supported
667MHz DDR2
800MHz DDR2

Channels: 6 Channels

Audio Chipset: Realtek ALC888S

Video Chipset: Intel GMA X3500

Supported Devices: 2

Hard Drive Types: ATA/100
ATA/66
UDMA/33

USB Version: 2

USB Data Transfer Rates: 480Mbps

LAN Type: 10/100/1000Mbps Gigabit

Port Type: RJ-45

RAID Support: No

PCI Slots: 1

PCI X Slots: 2

PCI Express X16 Slots: 1

PS/2 Keyboard Connectors: 1

PS/2 Mouse Connectors: 1

USB Ports: 10

FireWire Ports: 1 - 1394a

LAN Ports: 1

Audio Out Jacks: 1

Line In Jacks: 1

Microphone Jacks: 1

IDE Headers: 1

FDD Headers: 1

Serial ATA Headers: 4

ATX Power Connectors: 1 24-Pin Connector

PC Power Connectors: 1 - 4 Pin

VGA Ports: 1

Length: 9.600 in. (24.5 cm)

Width: 9.600 in. (24.5 cm)

I have 650 watts. is this enough juice?

What is a PhysX card?

 

[notguru]

Just get a GTX 275. It's value for money, and at the resolution your targeting it will handle any game including crysis - even at 2x or 4xAA which will give the best combination of performance + quality.

in fact, it will do very well even at 1920x1080.

how cheap will the gtx 275 be in 6 months?

 

[coozie7]

@ Notguru: That MB has only one PCI-E X16 slot so it cannot handle either CF or SLI.

You have enough power.

PhysX is a Nvidia system to provide more reasistic physics in games: Cloth, water, smoke, fog and particles like flying glass from a broken window are all improved by using some of the graphics cards power to calculate the effects. Any Nvidia card from the 8XXX series upwards can be configured through the drivers to use this or, in the case of a dual card set up a card can be set for PhysX use exclusively. It should be avoided on weaker cards.

Prices vary according to market conditions, no one can tell what they will be in 6 months time.

 

[Pailin]

It sounds like you are tempted to wait a little for a better deal, so consider this...


ATI are due to release their new 5850 and 5870 in "about" 1 to 2 months ish going by rumors

Its release is also said to be tied into the release of Win 7 for DX11 support (Vista will also support DX11)

Windows 7 is set to hit shelves on October 22



After this I imagine the 275 will get a nice price cut ^^

 

[dyrnwyn]

I've got a BFG 285 GTX...overclocked to 702. I think they're releasing a rev B of this card. It's pretty impressive...runs Crysis really well at 1650 x 1080 with aggressive settings. which is to say, this is a pretty impressive single solution.