I am just worried about getting the 320 MB version of the 8800 GTS.

320 MB just doesnt feel enough.Their are cheaper cards with 512 MB but they are not DX10.I want my PC to last me ridiculously long.That's why i will be using a 17" CRT.I just cant get the 640 MB GTS.

There are already games with recommended requirement of 512 MB anda game with a minimum requirement of more than 320 MB VRAM is probably not far away and i'll be totally scwred if that happens.I am willing to play in mid-low settings in 1024*768 but i want to play for a long time.

And i hear that ATI is releasing a 512 MB DX10 card for less than $300.When is that card coming?Damn i cant seem to decide on the graphics card for my new PC.Somebody help.

Okay.

First of all, ram is not that important. Second of all, on a 17 inch CRT playing at 1024x768 the 8800 GTS 320 MB should last you a good 2 years AT LEAST. You will see ZERO benefit from getting the 640 MB versian.

Heres a little exercise if you don't believe me. Ok, brainstorm for a game that as you say "recommends 512 mb vram". Now, look for benchmarks in that game. Look for the 8800 GTS 320 MB stats, what you will find may surprise you.

That said, I would wait just to see if the 2900 PRO is worth it, but an 8800 GTS 320 MB will last you a LONG time.

First of all, ram is not that important. Second of all, on a 17 inch CRT playing at 1024x768 the 8800 GTS 320 MB should last you a good 2 years AT LEAST. You will see ZERO benefit from getting the 640 MB versian.

Heres a little exercise if you don't believe me. Ok, brainstorm for a game that as you say "recommends 512 mb vram". Now, look for benchmarks in that game. Look for the 8800 GTS 320 MB stats, what you will find may surprise you.

That said, I would wait just to see if the 2900 PRO is worth it, but an 8800 GTS 320 MB will last you a LONG time.

shanelevy

I want to know a little about drivers.Should i just install the drivers which come out of the box and start playing or what.

I will initially play a few classics before playing the new games.Mafia will be my first game which i hopefully will play in 100% maxed out settings.:D

get a 2900pro instead. It's cheaper, and slightly better, AND it comes with TF2!!!!!!

only downside is that it draws more power, runs hotter, and is louder.

320 MB just doesnt feel enough.Their are cheaper cards with 512 MB but they are not DX10.I want my PC to last me ridiculously long.That's why i will be using a 17" CRT.I just cant get the 640 MB GTS.

There are already games with recommended requirement of 512 MB anda game with a minimum requirement of more than 320 MB VRAM is probably not far away and i'll be totally scwred if that happens.I am willing to play in mid-low settings in 1024*768 but i want to play for a long time.

And i hear that ATI is releasing a 512 MB DX10 card for less than $300.When is that card coming?Damn i cant seem to decide on the graphics card for my new PC.Somebody help.

Thinker_145

get a 2900pro instead. It's cheaper, and slightly better, AND it comes with TF2!!!!!!

only downside is that it draws more power, runs hotter, and is louder.

Mr_NoName111

[QUOTE="Mr_NoName111"]

get a 2900pro instead. It's cheaper, and slightly better, AND it comes with TF2!!!!!!

only downside is that it draws more power, runs hotter, and is louder.

lithuania_pride

mine is at around 67*C Idle, and 77* Load. It's at 576mhz/850mhz.

get a 2900pro instead. It's cheaper, and slightly better, AND it comes with TF2!!!!!!

only downside is that it draws more power, runs hotter, and is louder.

Mr_NoName111

I also dont care about it being louder as long as it's BETTER.I have not bought a PSU for my new PC yet so power may not be a big problem either.But what's the downside of it being hotter?Will i have to get a cooler or something for it?

Actually, no one knows if the 2900 pro is a better card. Lets wait and see before we make assumptions...shanelevy

http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/1189/his_radeon_hd_2900_pro_512mb_early_test/index.html

Wait for what?

I want to know a little about drivers.Should i just install the drivers which come out of the box and start playing or what.

I will initially play a few classics before playing the new games.Mafia will be my first game which i hopefully will play in 100% maxed out settings.:D

Thinker_145

In regards to your drivers, you should only ever use the most recent versions unless they cause horrible issues, this being the case, you should try the previous version.

Often, the set of drivers that come with a card is months old and by using a more recent copy, you will generally get better performance in more recent games.

To get the most recent updated drivers for the 8800 series cards go to http://www.nvidia.com/content/drivers/drivers.asp

Select Graphics driver from the first column, then from the second column select Geforce 8 series and then on the third column select your operating system.

8800GTS has a different architecture from DX9 cards, so you can do just fine without 512MB, that's why the extra ram you get on the 8800GTS 640MB is not worth an extra $100, look at the performance benchmarks, it doesn't even make a difference above 1920x1200.WhiteSnake5000

exactly, i have a geforce 8800 gts 320mb and played GRAW2 and bioshock which both required 512mb and i played everything on high settings without any major framerate drops below 40 FPS which is really good. And played world in conflict on high settings too. Go with the 320mb

[QUOTE="lithuania_pride"][QUOTE="Mr_NoName111"]

get a 2900pro instead. It's cheaper, and slightly better, AND it comes with TF2!!!!!!

only downside is that it draws more power, runs hotter, and is louder.

Mr_NoName111

mine is at around 67*C Idle, and 77* Load. It's at 576mhz/850mhz.

dam ur card gets hotter then my xt my idle is 47c and load is 60c and it's not loud

Okay.

Oh, and there are no games out there that require 512MBs of memory at all.Hiryuu_

That's generally speaking true but some require it to run well:

http://guru3d.com/article/Videocards/459/5

**** you need to get a new monitor man, 17 inch crt is god awful, trust me there is a big difference going from crt-lcd. anyways the 320gts is great, no worries about it, however I would wait for some more reviews of the 2900pro and if it seems better go for that instead, nvidia's drivers suck monkey balls.

[QUOTE="Hiryuu_"]

Okay.

Oh, and there are no games out there that require 512MBs of memory at all.Gog

That's generally speaking true but some require it to run well:

http://guru3d.com/article/Videocards/459/5

Uhh.. WiC in DX10? Meh. I run WiC DX9 @ 1280x1024 medium 2xAA/16xAF without a problem on my 7600GT. Averages 30 FPS.

Okay.

Oh, and there are no games out there that require 512MBs of memory at all.Hiryuu_

GRAW and GRAW2 to run settings at high

As you can tell, 512MB VRAM is just nowstarting to be needed, and 320/256MB is being phased out. GRAW2, WiC, and I'm sure Crysis all need 512MB to run at high settings.

As far as your gpu choice goes, wait for the HD 2900 PRO. It's supposed to come out September 30th (in 4 days), costs $250, and performs better than the 8800GTS 320MB and 640MB version. It has 512MB VRAM, but more importantly it performs better for substantially less.

Also, you get TF2, HL2: episode 2, DoD:S, and Portal for free with it. But yeah, that's not the motivation to buy it, just an added extra :)

**** you need to get a new monitor man, 17 inch crt is god awful, trust me there is a big difference going from crt-lcd. anyways the 320gts is great, no worries about it, however I would wait for some more reviews of the 2900pro and if it seems better go for that instead, nvidia's drivers suck monkey balls.

filmography

I just love the easeness of changing resolutions in CRT.Lcd's restrict freedom of changing settings.Maybe one thing i can do is buy a LCD now and 2 years get a cheap CRT so i can play the game properly.Seriously what's so good about LCD's except slimness andsleekness cuz i dont care about it.

With CRT monitors i can play games on the same PC for a very long time.And that's a very important thing for me.

As you can tell, 512MB VRAM is just nowstarting to be needed, and 320/256MB is being phased out. GRAW2, WiC, and I'm sure Crysis all need 512MB to run at high settings.

As far as your gpu choice goes, wait for the HD 2900 PRO. It's supposed to come out September 30th (in 4 days), costs $250, and performs better than the 8800GTS 320MB and 640MB version. It has 512MB VRAM, but more importantly it performs better for substantially less.

Also, you get TF2, HL2: episode 2, DoD:S, and Portal for free with it. But yeah, that's not the motivation to buy it, just an added extra :)

Baselerd

If you're going to play at 12 x 10, you'll never need more than 320 MB.

And Iagree on the CRT vs LCD issue. LCD'slook nice, are generally brighterandand take up much less desk space. But I think the CRT's still have better resolution. I haven't seen an LCD yet that displays text as good as a CRT. The CRT's are much sharper.

If you're going to play at 12 x 10, you'll never need more than 320 MB.

And Iagree on the CRT vs LCD issue. LCD'slook nice, are generally brighterandand take up much less desk space. But I think the CRT's still have better resolution. I haven't seen an LCD yet that displays text as good as a CRT. The CRT's are much sharper.

Yura_Narsole

not true try playing with full aa and af 320mb is not enogh 512mb is nedded

But you have to play LCD's in their native resolution.I simply cannot afford to keep playing in the native resolution at max settings cuz that will require regular upgrades.Why should i play in medium in 1600x1050 when i can play in high in 1280x1024?

I just love the easeness of changing resolutions in CRT.Lcd's restrict free

dom of changing settings.Maybe one thing i can do is buy a LCD now and 2 years get a cheap CRT so i can play the game properly.Seriously what's so good about LCD's except slimness andsleekness cuz i dont care about it.

With CRT monitors i can play games on the same PC for a very long time.And that's a very important thing for me.

Thinker_145

who said you have to buy a 1680x1050 monitor, just get a 1280x1024 monitor thats an lcd. lcd monitors proved a criper image and emit less readiation so are easier on the eyes. I had lots of eye sores and headaches from my crt but when I switched to an lcd monitor with a res of 1280x1024 my eyes felt much better and I noticed things looked much better, for one the matrix looked gorgous on my new monitor, and this is when I had a geforce 5500. So trust me lcd's are now aa days better than a lcd, you wont regreat it, and your eyes will be much better cause of it.

http://www.wisegeek.com/which-monitor-type-is-better-lcd-or-crt.htm

If you're going to play at 12 x 10, you'll never need more than 320 MB.

And Iagree on the CRT vs LCD issue. LCD'slook nice, are generally brighterandand take up much less desk space. But I think the CRT's still have better resolution. I haven't seen an LCD yet that displays text as good as a CRT. The CRT's are much sharper.

Yura_Narsole

You've never seen a quality LCD monitor, only the crappy LCDs with TN panels that have flooded the LCD monitor market.

Even @ 1680x1050 the 8800GTS 320MB can get maxed out settings for the majority of games out there, with 4xAA. :)

[QUOTE="Thinker_145"]

But you have to play LCD's in their native resolution.I simply cannot afford to keep playing in the native resolution at max settings cuz that will require regular upgrades.Why should i play in medium in 1600x1050 when i can play in high in 1280x1024?

I just love the easeness of changing resolutions in CRT.Lcd's restrict free

dom of changing settings.Maybe one thing i can do is buy a LCD now and 2 years get a cheap CRT so i can play the game properly.Seriously what's so good about LCD's except slimness andsleekness cuz i dont care about it.

With CRT monitors i can play games on the same PC for a very long time.And that's a very important thing for me.

filmography

who said you have to buy a 1680x1050 monitor, just get a 1280x1024 monitor thats an lcd. lcd monitors proved a criper image and emit less readiation so are easier on the eyes. I had lots of eye sores and headaches from my crt but when I switched to an lcd monitor with a res of 1280x1024 my eyes felt much better and I noticed things looked much better, for one the matrix looked gorgous on my new monitor, and this is when I had a geforce 5500. So trust me lcd's are now aa days better than a lcd, you wont regreat it, and your eyes will be much better cause of it.

http://www.wisegeek.com/which-monitor-type-is-better-lcd-or-crt.htm

You have definately made me think about this.But my main concern with lcd's is the fact that you cant change resolutions or well if you do the graphics will suck hardwhich is not the case in CRT's.That's a huge sacrifice as far as i am concerned cuz i cant upgrade regularly.

So you have a LCD with 1280x1024 native.What happens if you play in 1024x768.How big is it and how much did it cost.I have heard that smaller than 19" LCD's experience ghosting.Anyways my eyesight is pretty weak and i am gonna seriously consider LCD.It's just unfortunate that i will have to drop the surround sound and get some 2.1 speakers to make room for the extra price of the LCD in my bugdet.

I have a nice 1280x1024 LCD works so much better than a CRT of the same size/res

also LCD's emit only 1/3 of the radiation that crt's do, so they are better for you too.

[QUOTE="filmography"][QUOTE="Thinker_145"]

But you have to play LCD's in their native resolution.I simply cannot afford to keep playing in the native resolution at max settings cuz that will require regular upgrades.Why should i play in medium in 1600x1050 when i can play in high in 1280x1024?

I just love the easeness of changing resolutions in CRT.Lcd's restrict free

dom of changing settings.Maybe one thing i can do is buy a LCD now and 2 years get a cheap CRT so i can play the game properly.Seriously what's so good about LCD's except slimness andsleekness cuz i dont care about it.

With CRT monitors i can play games on the same PC for a very long time.And that's a very important thing for me.

Thinker_145

who said you have to buy a 1680x1050 monitor, just get a 1280x1024 monitor thats an lcd. lcd monitors proved a criper image and emit less readiation so are easier on the eyes. I had lots of eye sores and headaches from my crt but when I switched to an lcd monitor with a res of 1280x1024 my eyes felt much better and I noticed things looked much better, for one the matrix looked gorgous on my new monitor, and this is when I had a geforce 5500. So trust me lcd's are now aa days better than a lcd, you wont regreat it, and your eyes will be much better cause of it.

http://www.wisegeek.com/which-monitor-type-is-better-lcd-or-crt.htm

You have definately made me think about this.But my main concern with lcd's is the fact that you cant change resolutions or well if you do the graphics will suck hardwhich is not the case in CRT's.That's a huge sacrifice as far as i am concerned cuz i cant upgrade regularly.

So you have a LCD with 1280x1024 native.What happens if you play in 1024x768.How big is it and how much did it cost.I have heard that smaller than 19" LCD's experience ghosting.Anyways my eyesight is pretty weak and i am gonna seriously consider LCD.It's just unfortunate that i will have to drop the surround sound and get some 2.1 speakers to make room for the extra price of the LCD in my bugdet.

my LCD looks fine when i run it in 1024x768.

I have a nice 1280x1024 LCD works so much better than a CRT of the same size/res

also LCD's emit only 1/3 of the radiation that crt's do, so they are better for you too.

kruesader

Just be sure to use DVI if you want to upscale the image to a lower resolution.

With VGA (analog), upscaling looks like crap.

[QUOTE="kruesader"]

I have a nice 1280x1024 LCD works so much better than a CRT of the same size/res

also LCD's emit only 1/3 of the radiation that crt's do, so they are better for you too.

Thinker_145

I live in Australia so it was AU$350 or so nearly 2 years ago, its only 17" (enough) but its definitely superior to the CRT of the same size, do you live in the USA?

[QUOTE="Thinker_145"][QUOTE="kruesader"]

I have a nice 1280x1024 LCD works so much better than a CRT of the same size/res

also LCD's emit only 1/3 of the radiation that crt's do, so they are better for you too.

kruesader

I live in Australia so it was AU$350 or so nearly 2 years ago, its only 17" (enough) but its definitely superior to the CRT of the same size, do you live in the USA?

2 years ago? Hmm. Highly unlikely that it's superior to a CRT of the same size in any aspect.

If you're looking for a quality LCD monitor (one that can compete with CRTs), you're looking at spending around $400 for a quality 22" (only a few 22" are good) or 24" Widescreen.

There are some quality 19-20" LCDs, but most of them aren't widescreen.. and they are still rather expensive.

[QUOTE="Thinker_145"][QUOTE="kruesader"]

I have a nice 1280x1024 LCD works so much better than a CRT of the same size/res

also LCD's emit only 1/3 of the radiation that crt's do, so they are better for you too.

kruesader

I live in Australia so it was AU$350 or so nearly 2 years ago, its only 17" (enough) but its definitely superior to the CRT of the same size, do you live in the USA?

woops it was actually more than AU$400, for US$170 you can get a monitor from Acer with superior contrast ratio and response time.

[QUOTE="kruesader"][QUOTE="Thinker_145"][QUOTE="kruesader"]

I have a nice 1280x1024 LCD works so much better than a CRT of the same size/res

also LCD's emit only 1/3 of the radiation that crt's do, so they are better for you too.

Hiryuu_

I live in Australia so it was AU$350 or so nearly 2 years ago, its only 17" (enough) but its definitely superior to the CRT of the same size, do you live in the USA?

2 years ago? Hmm. Highly unlikely that it's superior to a CRT of the same size in any aspect.

If you're looking for a quality LCD monitor (one that can compete with CRTs), you're looking at spending around $400 for a quality 22" (only a few 22" are good) or 24" Widescreen.

There are some quality 19-20" LCDs, but most of them aren't widescreen.. and they are still rather expensive.

well its a very good monitor, also i think he wants a 17" or something small because he only wants a 4:3 res of 1280x1024 so he can run off the 320mb GTS

It'd be foolish to go with a 17" or 19", because the 8800GTS 320MB can max just about every single game out there @ 1680x1050 even with 4x/8x AA.

A 20" or 22" Widescreen would be highly preferable over a small 5:4 monitor. 1280x1024 = 5:4. 1280x960 = 4:3.

Uh. 17" and 19" LCD monitors are barely even much cheaper (maybe $30-40 cheaper?) than 20" LCDs so saving money is weak reasoning for getting a small monitor.Hiryuu_

The 8800GTS 320MB already maxes most games out @ 1680x1050.

If you want to get a small monitor, then go ahead. I play @ 1280x1024 with a 7600GT and have no problems, the 8800GTS is roughly 3x as powerful. -_-

The 8800GTS 320MB already maxes most games out @ 1680x1050.

If you want to get a small monitor, then go ahead. I play @ 1280x1024 with a 7600GT and have no problems, the 8800GTS is roughly 3x as powerful. -_-

Hiryuu_

A NEC 19" 5:4 LCD.

One of the more expensive versions though, it has an S-IPS panel.. used to retail for like $450 or so but I grabbed it for $200. It's discontinued though.

A NEC 19" 5:4 LCD.

One of the more expensive versions though, it has an S-IPS panel.. used to retail for like $450 or so but I grabbed it for $200. It's discontinued though.

Hiryuu_

What the hell are you talking about? I always play games at my monitor's native resolution of 1280x1024, no matter the settings.. lowest I've set is medium which was for World in Conflict.

Wow, your ignorance when it comes to LCDs is amazing. I'm done here, enjoy your rig.

What the hell are you talking about? I always play games at my monitor's native resolution of 1280x1024, no matter the settings.. lowest I've set is medium which was for World in Conflict.

Wow, your ignorance when it comes to LCDs is amazing. I'm done here, enjoy your rig.

Hiryuu_

My apologies for offending you.:)

But i would still like to tell you that if you had a CRT monitor than you would have been able to play world in conflict on high settings.And if you dont upgrade your PC soon than most of your games will have to be played in mid settings.That's what reallysucks about LCD monitors.

get a 2900pro instead. It's cheaper, and slightly better, AND it comes with TF2!!!!!!

only downside is that it draws more power, runs hotter, and is louder.

Mr_NoName111

All of which make it harder to overclock.