Ready to buy..

[whosnext]

I have about $300.00 to spend on a video card and I was wondering from someone who has done some research which video card is the best bang for the buck at this price rang. I play BF 2.

[Mike]

I think the superlatives page sums it up nicely...

http://www.gpureview.com/superlatives.php

7800GT for PCI-E, X850XTPE for AGP...hopefully you have PCI-E since the 7800GT is a considerably nicer card for the money...

Check out some of the later reviews on the 7800 GT specs page, it kicks ass in BF2...

http://www.gpureview.com/show_card.php?card1=313

[whosnext]

What is PCI-E. Where can I find on my computer if I have that???

[Mike]

PCI-E is a type of expansion slot...specifically an x16 PCI-E slot is what the newer videocards are fitting into these days...

If you don't already have a PCI-E videocard, then your motherboard doesn't support it...if you're not sure, then just google for PCI-E and take a look at the pictures of the slot...it's longer and skinnier than AGP...

PCI-E is also relatively new...so if your motherboard is more than a year and a half old...you definitely don't have PCI-E...

[whosnext]

so the 7800 gt only works with the pci express,, I thought the pci express was so that you could run duel cards..my computer is a year old so I am sure i dont have what I need... :mad:

[whosnext]

:mad: ok I found out i have an agp slot so the X850XTPE is the card for me.. what is this nvide or what...

[Crash]

i would go for the X850XT PE

[Tiny]

Don't you also have to be careful to match the type of RAM you have??? DDR, DDR3, etc...

[Mike]

Don't you also have to be careful to match the type of RAM you have??? DDR, DDR3, etc...


umm...no...memory in your computer has nothing to do with your videocard...

The X850XT PE is an ATi card...check out the details here:

http://www.gpureview.com/Radeon-X850-XT-PE-AGP-card-57.html

[whosnext]

I am now checking out a new motherboard with a pci-e. I went to a local store and found this..

Asus P5N32-SLI DLX MB
Intel/NV NF4 SLI Dual16
DDR2 1066;8 PhPwr;HSPipe
1(x16)PCIE;3PCIE;.2PCI

OK at the store it was priced at 249.99 so I went to new egg and found this...

ASUS P5ND2-SLI Socket T (LGA 775) Nvidia nForce 4 SLI Intel Edition ATX Intel Motherboard for $103.00
CPU Type: Intel Pentium 4 Prescott/Celeron D
DDR2 Standard: DDR2 667
Dual Channel Supported: Yes
FSB: 1066/800MHz
Maximum Memory Supported: 8GB
Number of DDR2 Slots: 4x 240pin DDR2
PCI Express x1: 2
PCI Express x16: 2
South Bridge: MCP-04
Supported CPU Technologies: Hyper-Threading Technology

Model #: P5ND2-SLI
Item #: N82E16813131578

I dont know what all this stuff means so what is the difference besides price?
Am I on the right track in selecting the proper mother board for a 7800GT?

[Mike]

For the motherboard...it all depends on what kind of motherboard you currently have, specifically what processor...

Whatever the case, make sure you buy your motherboard online...retail stores are absurdly overpriced...

[Crash]

retail stores are absurdly overpriced...

i thought i was the only one who thought that...lol

[Mike]

i thought i was the only one who thought that...lol

One of these days I'm going to write an article about how to buy a videocard...and one of the sections will contain a photo of a shelf of video cards at best buy...and I'll go into detail about how every card they have is a horrible deal...;)

[whosnext]

Ok after further research it looks as if I would have to change out my processor and mother board to use the 7800GT. So now I want to know this. Will the X850XTPE work with my system I notice that it uses ddr3 so will it work with this.

Intel Pentium 4 2.8GHz "E" Processor
512MB PC3200 DDR Memory
160GB 7,200rpm Hard Drive

[Crash]

DDR3 ram on the card doesnt have to do anything with ur system, so it will work

and an X700pro PCI e at futureshop/bestbuy is $300(cad)
i bought an x800pro for $250 lol

[bucdan]

depending on ur processor if u have a socket 478 id say look for a msi board and if u got a socket A(468) i say get a ASUS and 775 umm ASUS and 754 umm Abit 939 get a DFi if ur a extreme gamer or umm ASUS......Im an ASUS fan :)

[brightblack]

It's been a few weeks since I posted,but I did indeed get around to finishing by PC upgrade; actually it's a dual upgrade in that I bumped a lot of stuff to my Linux box.

In summary, I went from an:

XP2500+ Barton, 1GB Samsung RAM, ATI 9800+, ATI KV7 mobo, Audigy 2 Value

To an:
Athlon64 3700+ San Diego, 2GB Hynix RAM, Elsa 6800GS, DFI Lanparty nf4 ultra-D mobo, same Audigy 2. (Same as my sig as I write).

I documented most of it on my website here (http://www.brightblack.net/tech/pcbuild05.html) .

Whilst some components are a little more pricey here in Tokyo, I do get the benefit of a lot more variety for hands on selection, being only 15mins or so from Akihabara on my motorbike (though I just couldn't squeeze the case on the back!). Overall I'm massively happy with my selection, and wanted to thank Mike and the team for switching me on to the GS, otherwise I was about to buy the 6600GT.