(cross posted from [H]) Right now I have this intel E4300 @ 3ghz Abit IP35-E 2x1gb Crucial Ballistix PC6400 2x1gb OCZ Gold PC6400 (total 4gb pc6400 ram) BFG 7900GTX 512mb Silverstone ST50EF+ Element psu 160gb Seagate 7200.8 320gb Seagate 7200.10 300gb Maxtor Diamondmax 10 (I think) Vista ultimate x64 Scythe Infinity on the cpu Thermalright HR-03 on the 7900gtx Acer AL2223w 22" 1680x1050 monitor Viewsonic VA702b 17" 1280x1024 monitor Pretty good for what I do (Team Fortress 2, instant messaging, [H], etc), but getting a bit old; Can't really play games at the resolutions that I'd like, slow framerates. I need a quick upgrade. I was thinking of the XFX 9800GTX. It's only $205 at NCIX, and should be a lot faster than my 7900gtx. But I'm primarily concerned about how loud is it; Is it very loud? I want something nice and quiet. Can I put my hr-03 on it? Is there a second chip on the pcb to cool, like the original 8800gts? The other thing I was looking at was upgrading from 4gb (4x1gb) ram to 8gb (4x2gb). Good idea or no? thanks. Since posting: it's confirmed that there's no "bridge chip" on the 9800gtx like on the original 8800's I have the original hr-03 with 4 heatpipes.
I agree with psychoti. I just bought a 4850 because I got tired of waiting, but if you can hang on for a little bit longer, wait to see what happens and save some money.
Can't say I'm too much of an ati fan these days, nor do I want to wait too much and be underwhelmed, and I also don't want to spend that much; The reason I consider the 9800gtx+ is because it's only $200.
I was looking at the HD 4850 and 9800GTX options, but I can't find a 9800GTX+ anywhere, just the standard 9800GTX, which seems to perform a bit lower then the HD 4850 and uses more power/produces more heat. Any particular reason you don't want an ATI card? I'd keep with 4GB of ram as plenty, your CPU is probably the next thing to update before upgrading the ram or anything else.
Mostly because of the drivers. Every time I've owned an ati card, it's only ended badly. Give them another chance, and then it happens again. Repeat several times, and you'll see why. Thanks
ok guys visiontek 4850 $199 asus 4850 $219 - $20 rebate = $189 after 6-8 months And will the original hr-03 fit on either of them? neither bundle games or anything special.
check the thermalright website for compatiblity. i quickly looked and there are 3 or 4 different versions of the HR-03, so i guess (Rev A) it dose in fact say it will be okay. if it dont fit, mod it!
Got it. Truely amazing. Catalyst control center is no longer as bad as it is on xp, it's amazingly fast, and the stock cooler is also rather quiet. Surprise. Only problem is that it runs at 70c idle, and I ran out of thermal paste to reseat the cooler, or put on my hr03.
what did you get? a 4850? thats what I have. I love it so far. it does get hot. just push your finger againts the back plate if you dont believe the temps that are being reported. but the card is supposed to be able to take it. I still plan on getting a better cooler and overclocking it though.
