My how Video cards have changed

[DREDIOCK]

Priced at $589.99 ($559.99 after $30.00 Mail-In Rebate) it is a bit steep for my wallet yet.

But this thing looks like some sort of modual you would plug into the space shuttle or something LOL




 
eVGA 768-P2-N831-AR GeForce 8800GTX 768MB 384-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card -

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130072

[Rooster]

expensive yes, and the darn thing is almost a foot long (well 11") couldnt fit one in my case with a shoe horn.

[Brenjen]

LOL, You should see my 7950GX2, it's two cards like that sandwiched together & I have water cooling on it

[Reschke]

The GTS model of that card with 640MB is a pretty good bit cheaper and still gives you great performance...I just put one in a new system last weekend and its SWEET!

This is one of the first time in a long time that I have bought video and other items right on the edge of the technology wave and its fun to do. Now its time to save up for the next purchase in a couple of years.

[MrRiplEy[H]]

I had the same idea, buy breakthrough tech now, save 2-3 years for a new one with a playable system.

Geforce256 was an awesome purchase at its time. I hope my 8800Gts will be the same.

[OOZ662]

The computers on the Space Shuttle are even slower than my Compaq from when I was 7.

[Brenjen]

My system was built with the intention of lasting three years. I have XP 32 bit, FX-60 dual core cpu purchased after the price dropped drastically, the 7950GX2 dual gpu card, raptor hard drive, couple gigs of memory w/ the ability to expand to four gigs if needed, water cooling etc. I believe it will take Vista & DX-10 games at least that long to mature & become the norm; & by then the newest hardware will be up to the task with plenty of hours of driver testing & program compatibility etc. I have had my fill of buying on the bleeding edge only to have all sorts of problems crop up. But you have to jump on the bleeding edge every few years if you want to keep a system that's in the top 1% for very long.

[MrRiplEy[H]]

I wouldn't get excited about DX10 titles just yet. Buying a XBOX360 or equivalent is a better option if one wants games with poor playability and lots of eye candy.

Funny how most of the time you can't get them both right in one package.

[Wolfala]

Originally posted by MrRiplEy[H]
I wouldn't get excited about DX10 titles just yet. Buying a XBOX360 or equivalent is a better option if one wants games with poor playability and lots of eye candy.

Funny how most of the time you can't get them both right in one package.

Kinda like finding a woman who cooks, cleans and loves to hump.

When you find 1, take a burlap sac, a black jack, knock her out and bang her till monday.

[CHECKERS]

Originally posted by DREDIOCK
Priced at $589.99 ($559.99 after $30.00 Mail-In Rebate) it is a bit steep for my wallet yet.

But this thing looks like some sort of modual you would plug into the space shuttle or something LOL




 
eVGA 768-P2-N831-AR GeForce 8800GTX 768MB 384-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card -

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814130072

I'm running on of those things ....an eVGA  8800 GTS
 Couple of things that suck,
 The nVidia drivers suck, they cause sound card problems and the new control panel is a peice of chit, no temp control , and other stuff left out !
 nvidia has over 900 hundred  no votes in their polling of customers, about if they like or do not like ( yes/no) the new CP  & a boat load of complaints posted in the nvidia news & forums about the new drivers. You can not select to roll back to the old Controll Panel , but you can select to see a tree , but again it is missing alot of features that the older drivers had .
 Sofar nVidia has dug in their heels, buried their heads in the sand  and has done nothing .......

 
 

[Brenjen]

It took three months to get the 7950GX2 drivers ironed out, there were never any major problems from my p.o.v. but they were buggy depending on what mobo you had. I heard some horror stories on the eVGA site. My ASUS board has been pretty good right down the line with all the video cards I've slapped on it.

 I finally have a system that's stable & runs cool. Overclocks well enough to make me happy & gives me 3DMark06 score of 9400; not as high as core duo, but still in the top 1% of all systems tested & 3rd best system tested when compared to similar hardware set-ups.

[MrRiplEy[H]]

Yep the drivers suck. Bigtime.

[wooley]

Unless you are running a 22"plus LCD monitor or hooking up to a 1080p HDTV, an 8800 is complete overkill.

I used to buy on the bleeding edge with the idea of things lasting 3 years. Now I buy midrange and change every 18 months. This way I'm not tied in to any obsolete technology for too long and midrange is usually plenty fast enough to cope with current titles. As noted by others, the drivers are usually a bit more stable as well.