Legit Reviews

As the subject line reads, I have a 24" LCD and run at 1920x1200. Currently I have an XFX 7950GT and it was great for my old 19". But when it comes to the 24" and the resolution change I find that it's somewhat lacking. I'm looking to get bang for the buck on a video card upgrade. I'd like to keep my price below $300 - preferably around $200.

Other things to consider: I'm currently running Win XP Pro 32bit (and will continue to do so). I also plan on adding two more drives to my rig - one for Ubuntu and the other for Vista. The new drives should go in fairly soon.

In a nutshell: I'm trying to get the best performance at 1920x1200 that I can for around $200. I listed three below that I'm looking at, but if you have other suggestions they are welcome!

Cards that I'm looking at - not listed in any particular order:

HD4850
9800 GTX (leaning towards this one)
9600 GT

Current build:
Intel Bad Axe 2
C2D X6800
2GB Corsair XMS2 (have 2 more to throw in, just haven't done it yet)
XFX 7950 GT (512MB/Passive Cooled)
Win XP Pro 32

I'd recommend the HD4850 or the 9800GTX (+) if possible. The 9600GT is slower than the 8800GT, which may struggle at some games running at 1920X1200.

If you can go with a GTX-260 (they've been spotted at $260) there a phenomenal bargain for a great GPU. I got the Leadtek WinFast GTX-260 and it clocks to 711/1101 no problem but at 576/999 it still rocks.

Originally I'd have picked a different card but after the recent price drops I'd say GTX-260. Hottest it runs on mine is 74c at stock fan speed.

With resolutions there and above, SLI is the best bet.

I'll have to go with the 4850 as well............ Although my 8800GT does just fine on must games I play on my 24" LCD..................

Thanks for the replies.

Methious wrote:If you can go with a GTX-260 (they've been spotted at $260)

I haven't seen anything near the $260 price. I thought I remembered seeing that price in our "deals" section, but that appeared to be an error at initial release.

FZ1 wrote:With resolutions there and above, SLI is the best bet.

Not really an option for my present budget.

Looks like I might go for the 4850. I tend to be an nVidia fanboy and haven't had much success with ATI cards in the past. But the 4850 keeps getting good reviews, so I may give it a shot.

I also think that if you are restricted to the lower end of the $200-$300 range that the 4850 is your best bet, you can always Crossfire on the BX2 another 4850 later when the prices drop a bit . If you could go to $300 I would recommend the 4870.

Honestly I could buy pretty much whatever card I wanted. But I'm trying to be good and just go bang for the buck. I don't necessarily play the latest games that are out, so I don't NEED a beast of a card. I just know that my 7950 has really showed me its limitations since I bumped up to a higher res. Yes, I am a firm believer in a higher resolution...

DaddyRabbit wrote:If you could go to $300 I would recommend the 4870.

Yeah, the 4870 looks nice too...

DaddyRabbit wrote:...you can always Crossfire on the BX2 another 4850 later when the prices drop a bit

I was actually thinking about that one. But by that time I might be ready for a major overhaul. Who knows, but that's definitely a good idea...

Guess you won't have to worry about this post anymore.

Or grab a second 4850 and go crazy!

Dan

DMB2000uk wrote:Or grab a second 4850 and go crazy!

Kinda what I'm thinking