[savio21]

hmm i have never bought an ATI card before but from the reviews i have seen online it seems like the nVidia series out performs the ATI series i could be wrong though, and im personally lookin for a video card thatll hopefully last me couple of years with the new games comin out and it doesnt have to mean that i want to play on highest quality where i can see the ripples of the water i just need somethin to be able to handle the games on atleast medium settings

[Compiler]

Until 6 months ago, ATi had the fastest Video cards... and they still have some of the fastest, just not THE fastest.

So the trick is based off of budget.... And to decide which you want at the price point. The TOP end ATI is going against the GF8800gts at about the same $400 price... but Nvidia has a lower-end 8800gts for $100 that is still very good.

For $200 price range, get an X1950XT or Pro... for $150, the 8600gt... for $300 and up, 8800gts.

[savio21]

does the x1950 have DX10 support and is there somewhere i can find how it compares to the 8600GTS OC

[savio21]

would this card be a good buy

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130082

if so what would be a good motherboard and cpu to support it im lookin towards either a dual core amd 4000+ or maybe a core 2 duo but somethin around the same speed

[Compiler]

No... only the GeForce 8x00 and ATI HD2x00 cards are DX-10.

Difference in performance from one brand to another is minimal.

So you're looking to build your own PC? You need to create a budget spending limit and if that includes the GPU and a monitor.

I want to spend up to ----->>$xxx, but would spend up to $xx more if it makes a difference.

For an AMD x2 CPU, Go for 3800, 4200, 4600 or 5600...

If you plan to OverClock, an Intel C2D will be the way to go.

[savio21]

i plan on spending about $600 and if it makes a significant difference $700 and it does not include a monitor or harddrive as i have both which i want to keep

[Compiler]

Okay - a quick look-back (this thread went into SLI stuff).

You have a Monitor, a 250GB HD and 1 stick of DDR2 RAM (hopefully 667mhz or faster, but 533mhz is fine for starters). But another question, do you need to include the purchase of WindowsXP? ($90 for Home, $110 for MCE - which I recommend).

An AMD system is a bit cheaper... and is what I know most about.

Core parts:
AMD CPUS (a listings) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...k=&srchInDesc=

$109 = AMD 64 x2 4600 (65watt) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103749
$63 = ASUS Basic Mobo : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131179

$50 = Coolermaster case (One of the Centurions would be good) - good air-flow design, well made, look good - not cheap plastic. Not junk PSUs. Spending $25~40 for a case+PSU combo = trouble. note: Those with clear doors costs the same as those without.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...k=&srchInDesc=

$40 - PSU - 430watt Thermaltake. But Newegg is offering a good deal... if you buy a Thermaltake Soprano case - the PSU is free! ($90 for Coolermaster+PSU vs $75)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817153023

Special deal: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811133022

$34 = Pioneer DVD burner (or less) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...eer+dvd+burner
(If you go with AMD, get the PATA version... cheaper. Go with C2D, it maybe safer to get the SATA version, but WindowsXP maybe tricky to install)

$282 Sub-total (with Thermaltake combo pack)
$ 18 Keyboard and mouse (I don't know if you need these)

$280 evga 8800GTS card that you selected

Total = $580

That leaves $120 for WindowsXP MCE if you need it... or buy more RAM... like 2sticks of 800mhz RAM.
$80 = get her done G.SKill http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231098
$100 = Fancy & a tad faster with heatinks PNY: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820178148

And it'd be a pretty killer system.

[savio21]

WOW thats perfect the only thing worries me is that your figures are in american dollars and does newegg deliver to Canada as far as i can see it seems only to do it to the US

[Compiler]

True... but you can take that parts list to a Canadian online dealer... ;(

[savio21]

just stopped by one of the stores and this is what its looking like

EVGA GeForce 8800GTS PCI-E 16X 320MB DDR3 DVI-I DVI-I HDTV Retail $335.00 1 $335.00

AMD ATHLON 64 X2 PROCESSOR 4200+ / 2.2GHz DUAL CORE 64 BIT AM2 $117.00 1 $117.00

Thermaltake TR2 430W ATX + DUAL FAN PSU $42.00 1 $42.00

ASUS MOTHERBOARD M2A-VM AMD SOCKET AM2 AMD690G DDR2 800 4*SATA PCI-E GB LAN $85.00 1 $85.00

LG GSA-H55N BLACK BULK 20X/20XDVD-RW, INTERNAL $37.50 1 $37.50

CoolerMaster Centurion 5 Blue Tower no PS $67.00 1 $67.00

Subtotal:
$683.50

[Compiler]

Thats not too bad... are Canadian online stores any cheaper?

In the US, that Coolermaster case sometimes includes a 420~440watt Thermaltake PSU for $100.

AFAIK - You still need a modern 450~500watt PSU.

[savio21]

the store i went to has one of the lowest prices and atleast i know where it is so if theres a problem i can always go to them, as for teh PSU its the 3 item and its for $62 are you sayin i should up it to 450W or 500W or will the 430W do

[Compiler]

The 430watt should be okay... People have done worse. 450~500watt would give you a bit more breathing room. I'd toss an 8800GTX into my system with its 430ish PSU...

[win2kpro]

I have a question.

At the eVGA website
http://www.evga.com/products/prodlis...+Series+Family
they have 3 8800GTS 320mb units listed. They are;

e-GeForce 8800GTS 320MB KO ACS3
e-GeForce 8800GTS 320MB Superclocked
e-GeForce 8800GTS 320MB

For all 3 units the requirements listed are;

Requirements
Minimum of a 400 Watt power supply.
(Minimum recommended power supply with +12 Volt current rating of 26 Amp Amps.)

Please notice the word MINIMUM.

Now at the ThermalTake website http://www.tr2tt.com/products/psu/w006970/w006970.htm

the specs listed for the TR2 for the +12v rail is 18 amps MAX load.

My question is, how do you reconcile that a PSU with a manufacturers stated 18 amps MAX load available on the +12v rail is going to be sufficient for a video card with a manufacturers recommended MINIMUM power requirement of 26 amps on the +12v rail? Am I missing something here?

Obviously, you are going to have additional components that require power from the +12v rail. IMHO you need one of the following; (A) A PSU with a single LARGE +12v rail such as those provided by PC Power & Cooling, or (B) A PSU with LARGE multiple 12v rails such as the new "upper end" ThermalTake "toughpower" series, or (C) A PSU such as the Corsair HX-620 series that provides power sharing between the multiple 12v rails.

[Compiler]

OOPs... owie...

Okay... but it doesn't specify that it needs a single rail of 26Amps.... but perhaps enough to cover everyting. This Thermaltake is 500watts for $70 (29watts combined):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817153052

Even the Thermaltake toughpower 750watt doesn't have a single 26amp rail - but 4 18Amp rails...
Otherwise, most of the PSUs comes with rails that large are about $200...