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Thread ID: 83413	2007-10-01 04:08:00	CPU a bottleneck for new video card?	Adge (6807)	Press F1

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
596636	2007-10-01 04:08:00	Hi guys, I'm after your advice about video cards. It's time to upgrade my 6600GT 128MB video card, and I've been looking at the options around $500. I mostly play 3d shooters, so am really after the best bang for my buck. That looks to be the 8800GTS Nvidia card at the mo - although I'm a little stuck on whether to go for the 320MB (about right on $$) or 640MB version (only slightly over the $$). The main problem is that my CPU is an AMD 939 3500. ...I really thought that it'd last a bit longer than it has - but I see that this is already the minimum spec on Extreme Planet. <sigh> A socket 939 motherboard seemed like such a good choice last year... Anywho, I have no plan to upgrade the rest of my gear yet, but would likely bring my video card with me when I do. So ... I guess that means the 640MB version is best - what do you think? How much am I likely to notice the CPU bottleneck? Or is it all just a big con and I won't notice any problems and should just go buy it now...? Or is the 320 more than enough? I'd appreciate your thoughts. How long do you reckon it'll last for games? Oh, and I have 1.5GB of RAM, a 19" screen and I THINK I have a 450WATT (or thereabouts) power supply. I intend to pull the side off my computer and check the number of spare bays/PSU before I buy... thanks! :)	Adge (6807)
596637	2007-10-01 04:39:00	Check out this site: www.3dchip.de It's in German, but the CPU list on the left tells you the recommended CPU you should use when you're coupling it with a graphics card on the left of the list. So for an 8800GTS, it is recommended to use an E6600 or 5600+ to not bottleneck the 8800GTS card. A 3500+ is a single core, and is much slower than the 2 CPUs recommended, and therefore is probably a major bottleneck for an 8800GTS.	qazwsxokmijn (102)
596638	2007-10-01 06:59:00	From memory you're going to need some pretty serious amperage through your 12v rail - something like 25A or so. I'd be very surprised if a 450w PSU is supplying that. If you need to upgrade your PSU to get the card - well.... that's another $200 or more for a decent one. Add that to a 640MB 8800GTS and you're getting up around the cost of the 8800GTX....	Deane F (8204)
596639	2007-10-01 16:31:00	I am using the 640 meg 8800 gts. It's OK. Not perfect by any means, but certainly adequate. If reviews are to be believed, don't touch the 320 meg model. But don't even think of running it with anything less than a 500 w psu. I have a 750 w. But, depending on what games you play, the 3500 cpu is inadequate. A new vid card will not help	JJJJJ (528)
596640	2007-10-01 18:43:00	If reviews are to be believed, don't touch the 320 meg model. what reviews are those? I have an 8800GTS 320M and its a good card, all the reviews Ive found show it matching or beating the 640M version on resolutions up to 1280 x 1024 & 1680 x 1050 for higher res the extra memory starts to pay off. The power supply comments are correct - you'll need a beefy psu to run a 8800 You can either upgrade psu / video card and try to future proof ( how often does that actually work ) or buy something like a 7900GS which will handle anything your CPU can throw at it and start again in a year or two. A good top of the line gaming rig lasts 2-3 years before it starts to struggle in my opinion, a lower end system struggles sooner. You have to weigh up the pros and cons, upgrade more often for less money, spend a lot and do it less often, or keep perservering with your current machine until it's completely unable to do what you want it to	dugimodo (138)
596641	2007-10-01 19:39:00	Cheers guys, good advice. I hadn't factored a new PSU into the price... this is really looking to be more exensive than I expected. The thing is ... my PC suits me fine for everything EXCEPT gaming. Videos, photoshop - all these work fine. You're right ... it's just a decision I need to make. At the end of the day, maybe I'll just give up on the whole PC gaming thing and get an XBox 360. I know the graphics on the PC would be nicer with a good card, but at least I know they'll be producing games for the Xbox in 3 years that get the most out of the console...	Adge (6807)
596642	2007-10-02 05:44:00	At the end of the day, maybe I'll just give up on the whole PC gaming thing and get an XBox 360. I know the graphics on the PC would be nicer with a good card, but at least I know they'll be producing games for the Xbox in 3 years that get the most out of the console... That may not be a bad decision. I struggle to justify spending the $2.5k I've just spent on an C2D-E6750/8800GTX machine to anybody other than myself. I'm happy with it - but it certainly makes little sense. But hey, I know people that have spent more than $50k on a simple 2-channel audio system...	Deane F (8204)
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