8600GT, HD3850, or 9600GT?

[quadomatic]

I'm finally getting some money my way, so I think I'll be getting a new video card to go along with the rest of my new system.

The eVGA 8600 GT is $70 at Newegg AR. That can be volt modded and OC'd pretty easily to very high speeds.

The HD3850 is another card I could get, but I'd have to save up for a bit longer. Right now I only have $130 on hand. I could sell my X850 Pro though, and pick up some more money.

Finally, the 9600GT might seem like a better deal than the HD3850. I hear that its supposed to be around $165, and it's a pretty good card from the benchmarks I've seen.

What do you guys think? Cheap solutions would be nice

 

[hans007]

well a 8600gt is probably less than half the speed of the other 2 cards.

i think you might as well get th 3850 at least. its debateable if the 9600gt will be faster if they have the same amount of ram , especially with AA not on. so if it was down to that i'd get the 3850 and just save 30-40$

 

[Extelleron]

It depends on what your needs are. The 8600GT is by far the cheapest but also by far the slowest. If you're not a gamer, it's the obvious choice... if you are, then it's a decent card but not the best. Also, I would caution you against volt modding...not saying increasing voltage is going to kill a card, but I remember way back when with the 7900GT, and people getting insane overclocks. A lot of those cards weren't around a year later.

Between the HD 3850 and 9600GT, I'd wait until the 9600GT launches later this month. See what the performance is like an what pricing vs. HD 3850 looks like. Supposed pricing for the 9600GT is $169 to $189; even if launch prices are in that range, you can buy an 8800GT 512MB for $188 today... so I'm not sure the 9600GT will be such an attractive option.

 

[quadomatic]

Originally posted by: Extelleron
It depends on what your needs are. The 8600GT is by far the cheapest but also by far the slowest. If you're not a gamer, it's the obvious choice... if you are, then it's a decent card but not the best. Also, I would caution you against volt modding...not saying increasing voltage is going to kill a card, but I remember way back when with the 7900GT, and people getting insane overclocks. A lot of those cards weren't around a year later.

Between the HD 3850 and 9600GT, I'd wait until the 9600GT launches later this month. See what the performance is like an what pricing vs. HD 3850 looks like. Supposed pricing for the 9600GT is $169 to $189; even if launch prices are in that range, you can buy an 8800GT 512MB for $188 today... so I'm not sure the 9600GT will be such an attractive option.

Well, the 8800GT is only $188 after rebate, and that would be a hot deal. A 9600GT after rebate would probably be closer to $130-ish, though I'm not sure how long it will take to see prices go that low.

 

[Sylvanas]

There is no credible information on the release of a 9600GT so might aswell get a 3850 now, its a great deal faster than the 8600GT.

 

[justlnluck]

Just spend the money on a 8800GT and call it a day. Trust me, if you play any games, you'll need all the horsepower you can get. The cards you listed will get choppy at max detail.

 

[Triton67]

you also have the 8800GS 384MB. I think it's slightly faster than 3850, and the upcoming 9600GT might compete in same range. All of these cards almost equal the old G80 8800GTS...but also I don't think these cards will hold many months (read; alot new games coming in). ..I'd never choose the old 8600GT..

 

[Syntax Error]

Go for the 8800GT now and avoid all the hassle of waiting, speculating, and hoping. Get the best for relatively cheap nowadays (as others have said, $188 AFTER rebate) and smile.

 

[Borealis7]

and it's a pretty good card from the benchmarks I've seen.

Where exactly have you seen 9600GT benchmarks?

 

[batmang]

3850 out of those three. Personally... I'd save for a 3870, its about $210-220 if you search around. AWESOME card, I have one.

 

[Acanthus]

Id go for a used 8800 on FS/FT personally.

 

[angry hampster]

Originally posted by: batmang
3850 out of those three. Personally... I'd save for a 3870, its about $210-220 if you search around. AWESOME card, I have one.

You can get an 8800GT for that price.

 

[quadomatic]

I decided to get a used X1900XT. They're pretty fast, and I can get one for cheap.