Advice on new computer and some questions...

[Quakindude]

You'll really like that 7950GT video card. I have one in my rig, as you can see from my sig, and I've been very impressed with it. Although ATI makes a card for the same price but with more features and a bit better performance. It's the X1900XT 512 MB. It runs the same price and you get VIVO along with better performance, especially at higher resolutions.

I would have gotten that ATI card were it not for my plan of eventually running two 7950's in SLI.

[Running Rampant]

Originally Posted by Quakindude

You'll really like that 7950GT video card. I have one in my rig, as you can see from my sig, and I've been very impressed with it. Although ATI makes a card for the same price but with more features and a bit better performance. It's the X1900XT 512 MB. It runs the same price and you get VIVO along with better performance, especially at higher resolutions.

I would have gotten that ATI card were it not for my plan of eventually running two 7950's in SLI.

Thanks for the recommendation, I've only been able to find X1950 PRO's or an XTX so far, the PRO's seem to be cheaper than the 7950GT where as the XTX is a fair bit more expensive. Is it worth it?

[gvblake22]

Originally Posted by Running Rampant

Thanks for the recommendation, I've only been able to find X1950 PRO's or an XTX so far, the PRO's seem to be cheaper than the 7950GT where as the XTX is a fair bit more expensive. Is it worth it?

For a 19" screen, NO. It's really not worth the extra money to go from an X1950 Pro to an XTX if you're gaming at 1280x1024; however 1920x1200 might be a different story.

[Quakindude]

I use TomsHardware VGA charts for getting a good idea of where video cards stand with each other in different games, both OpenGL and D3D. Notice that in the chart I've linked to, the Pro version is down by 20FPS. You can change the chart around to fit your inquiries into the differences of the cards you're considering.

Blake has given some good advice there. Just be aware that if you game on a 20" LCD or above, the Pro will start to lag behind significantly. If you're using a CRT, then the Pro will be perfect for you. Also, take into account any future display upgrades you may consider prior to making your final Video Card selection. 20-24" LCD's, get the X1950XT. NewEgg has it for $249 with a $30 MIR bringing it to $219. Not sure what that would translate to in your currency.

I just noticed that the card I linked to has 256MB of VRam, not the 512 that was used in the Toms charts I linked. So that one will fall behind the 7950GT. I just can't seem to find a x1950xt 512Mb card.

Edit: Looks like the 512Mb version of the X1950XT is for crossfire setups. You could use a single card, but they are all in the $330USD range. A third more expensive. For a few more frames per second, it just isn't worth it unless you plan on getting a mobo that has crossfire capabilities.

If you just plan on a single card, I think the nVidia 7950GT 512Mb card is the best value at this price point.

[Hitman]

Excellent Link Tom I always forget about this chart, I am glad you brought it up.