Graphics Card Prices

[Dvorak]

Hey everyone-

I've been reading the forums and slowly creating a parts list for an upcoming build, but have a question about The Wise Monkey's recommendations for a Top-Notch build.

With the recent cut in graphics card prices, do the recommendations still stand? Obviously the 8800GTS and 9800GTX are good cards, but now you can get the 9800GTX+ for under $250 and the 9800GX2 for under $300, if you get some rebates. These prices are similar to what the 8800GTS and 9800GTX were listed as when the recommendation was originally written.

Is it worth it to switch to one of these newer cards, or does the increase in performance over the 8800GTS or 9800GTX not make it worth paying the extra amount?

Thanks.

[Damlite]

Depends on how you wanna go with your setup on your rig, the 9800GTX can tri SLI (3 gpus) while the 9800GX2 can dual SLI (4 gpus)

The 9800GTX+ is made as a direct replacement to the 9800GTX range, so if you had the choice between those two, get the + versions

The 9800GX2 is a good choice for single card setups, so its a good investment if you just want one card that'll perform pretty much as good as dual sli 8 or 9 series cards. However, if your planning to crunch the frame rates and will be playing a lot of modern FPS games, you might want to purchase one, two or three 9800GTX+s for your rig and hook them up in SLI. Nonetheless, that argument may be offset by the GTX280s that have come out, as those cards, with the ability to tri SLI as well are pretty much the kings of the graphic world.

So to conclude, the 9800GX2 might be a more solid investment long term, the 9800GTX+ range will give u more bang for buck but may get superseeded more quickly.

[RickyTick]

Good question Dvorak.

You're right that the recommended builds need to be updated. As an Nvidia fan, I have to admit that the ATI 4870 is the best bang for the buck right now, even though the Nvidia GTX260 is very close in price, it cannot compete with the 4850 or 4870 from a performance standpoint.

If you want to stick witht he Nvidia lineup, the 9800GTX+ seems to be good investment. I'm still not sold on the idea of SLI in a mainstream computer for the average pc user and/or gamer.