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| Thread ID: 90705 | 2008-06-13 07:57:00 | 8600GT 512 DDR2 or 256 DDR3? | technicianxp (6463) | Press F1 |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 678118 | 2008-06-13 07:57:00 | Hi everyone. I'm finally at the ordering stage for a new PC I've been planning to get. The specs are as follows: Athlon 64x2 4800+ (Brisbane) Transcend 2GB DDR2-800 RAM Abit AX78 Motherboard Seagate 320GB 16MB HDD Gigabyte GZ-X1 case The only area where I'm unsure as to what I should choose is graphics. I have an option between either a XFX 8600GT 256MB DDR3, or an Asus 8600GT 512MB DDR2 card. They are similar in price so that doesn't matter too much. What would you guys recommend I go for out of these two? The XFX does have the advantage of a Zalman fan, and I am pretty keen on having a quiet machine. I don't really play the latest and greatest games, but I want the best value for my money. I realise the CPU probably isn't a top performer, but I am sticking to a budget of $550 with delivery included. I've sourced the best parts from a supplier I can pick them up from (C1 Shoppingmall). I am reusing the relatively new 500W PSU and DVD writer from my current PC. Thanks in advance! |
technicianxp (6463) | ||
| 678119 | 2008-06-13 09:02:00 | DDR3 memory....can you not afford a cheap 9600GT? | SolMiester (139) | ||
| 678120 | 2008-06-13 09:43:00 | Hi solmiester. That really would be pushing it, as a comparable 9600GT is nearly double the cost. It would probably be overkill too as I am upgrading from a Celeron D 2.66GHz with a 128MB Geforce 6200, so any boost in performance would be awesome. I don't really have any of the latest and greatest games, and a friend of mine has a computer already with almost identical specs and he finds it great for most games with a monitor twice the resolution of mine. But thanks for the advice anyway. I'll see if anyone else has something to add but looks like I may settle for the XFX in the end. |
technicianxp (6463) | ||
| 678121 | 2008-06-13 10:18:00 | Yeah, I'd get the XFX 256MB one. 8600GTs are equivalent to 7600GTs in performance, and if you're not much of a gamer the extra 256MB in the Asus is not at all useful. | qazwsxokmijn (102) | ||
| 678122 | 2008-06-13 12:28:00 | Thanks for the responses guys. :thanks However I just realised that I can also get a couple of supposedly good ATi models as well. What I've got to choose from here are: Sapphire ATi Radeon HD 3650 512MB GDDR2 Asus ATi Radeon HD 3470 256MB GDDR3 Both the cards are silent models with no fans. According to the C1 site the 3650 has a 128-bit memory bus while the 3470 has a 64-bit one. Would you guys be able to tell me how these cards stack up against the 8600GT's in the original post? One advantage an ATi card would give me is that of being able to use CrossFire if I get another one. |
technicianxp (6463) | ||
| 678123 | 2008-06-13 13:26:00 | I have an ATI HD 3650 512MB GDDR2 card. On my 19" 1440 x 900 monitor, I can play The likes of Bioshock and Source engine games (HL2, ep1 ep2 etc) with nearly all and all respectively eye candy turned on, although that is without anti-aliasing turned on, although 2-4x AA on source games seems ok. I haven't tested any other modern games, although I suspect other games based on the Unreal 3 engine will be similar to Bioshock. It seems to be a nice card, accept for the problems with H/W acceleration of live DVB-T TV. I wouldn't bother with the 3470, the lower memory bus and (far) less stream processors make it unsuitable for gaming. Quite frankly I'm not sure what the point of having GDDR3 memory on a 34xx series card actually accomplishes.... I also like the card because it is based on a 55nm fabrication process, and runs comparitively cool in my crap case with no case fans and terrible airflow. Am also running it in a system with a cheap OEM 250W PSU :blush: (shame on me I know!!). I don't seem to have power issues though as I've run Bioshock for hours at a time without any glitches etc. (Just a note - the AMD site says the card requires a system with a 400W PSU...) |
Sherman (9181) | ||
| 678124 | 2008-06-14 01:16:00 | (Just a note - the AMD site says the card requires a system with a 400W PSU...) Wow, and I thought I was pushing it using a 300W supply for my dad's 8400GS :D It's great to know the 3650 can handle those new games well. The Asus model I am looking at is actually a bit of a monster in terms of size, it takes up two slots with a vent for the huge heatsink on the second one. Do you also have this model by any chance? It looks like then that my choices are down to: Asus 8600GT 512MB GDDR2 (fan) XFX 8600GT 256MB GDDR3 (Zalman fan) Asus 3650 512MB GDDR2 (no fan) Essentially I'm still not sure thanks to the ATi option coming up now. Can you guys give me some final pointers on what my best bet is out of these three? Bear in mind that my motherboard has an AMD 770 chipset and supports ATi crossfire, which is why I'm keen on the 3650 now too. |
technicianxp (6463) | ||
| 678125 | 2008-06-14 02:58:00 | I have a Gigabyte card, just a stock, single slot card with basic heatsink & fan. Please not also that I am not a huge gamer myself, and to me it was a HUGE upgrade over the intel integrated graphics of my laptop... And I also don't know how it performs compared to a 8600GT. |
Sherman (9181) | ||
| 678126 | 2008-06-15 10:13:00 | Hi again guys . I couldn't get any more responses and I really wanted to have the system ready for pickup by the time my exams finish (Tuesday afternoon), so after much thinking I decided to get the Radeon 3650 . Main reason for this is the lower power consumption, ability to use CrossFire, and the fact that it has no fan so there's a guarantee it'll be quiet . Not sure if my decision is great, but I based it on whatever details I could gather from the net . Anyway, thanks to everyone who helped . |
technicianxp (6463) | ||
| 678127 | 2008-06-15 11:51:00 | It's an Asus card, so you shouldn't have any problems there. Let us (me :p) know how you get on with it when it arrives :) |
Sherman (9181) | ||
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