512MB Graphics Cards - Buy one now or later?

Recently I have been seing some 512mb GPU's, and they look pretty nice... but on the downside they carry a hefty price tag. On newegg.com I found this one (there are only three on the site right now), for under 800 bucks. But for less than that I can two chaintech SE6600G's for 390 bucks, and run them in SLI configuration, but the only problem with that is I would have to buy a motherboard that is SLI compatible wich would cost 300 dollars, like the ASUS A8N-SLI DELUXE. So I would end up spending around the same for both. As you can see I need some help deciding, so if you could post anything to help please do so! here are the specs for the 512 and it costs 799 Core clock: 400MHz DirectX: DirectX 9 DVI: 2 Memory Clock: 1100MHz Memory Interface: 256-bit OpenGL: OpenGL 2.0 PixelPipelines: 16 TV Tuner: No TV-Out: S-Video Out VIVO: No

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Usually with technologies like this it is best to wait a while untill the product is being producted by more then a few companies, when that happens prices usually go down but not always... so it is up to you I would wait to see what will happen (if the price goes down or not) at least 6 months (i know that could be a long time) but usually that is how long it will take for some one to make deals for these types of technologies..... but in the end it is up to you.............................................................................

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oh damn ! 799 for some graphic card ?? that's crazy ! I don't think I would pay such an amount just for a graphic card, unless I need it for my profession... and I'm not even sure if it's already possible to use its full resources today... dunno which game would require such a powerfull card.

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512Mb is more a value to tell your firends, not a double performance. I think that 512 might be faster up to 5% than 256, not more.
So my suggestion:

get GeForce 6800 ULTRA SLI supported card with 256Mb memory
+
get ASUS A8N-SLI Deluxe motherboard (the best choice today)


Here are the links from newegg.com:
ASUS EN6800Ultra - $470
MSI NX6800Ultra-T2D256E - $525
A8N-SLI Deluxe - $175

Later, if you'll find your video card too slow, buy another ASUS EN6800Ultra (it will be much more cheaper) and make SLI system.
So it's up to you to decide. Don't buy ASUS EN6800Ultra or MSI NX6800Ultra-T2D256E if you don't want, find cheaper one, but ASUS and MSI are good brands and worth the money. Just be sure what you're buying:
main and most important settings for 6800 ULTRA:
Core clock 400MHz
Memory Clock 1100MHz
OpenGL OpenGL 2.0 (be aware of OpenGL 1.5, which is also available on 6800 ULTRA...)
Memory Interface: 256-bit
PixelPipelines: 16
SLI support (not every card has it!)

Hope you'll find something usefull
Good luck!

Sadas

 

 

 

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From what I've heard/read the 512mb cards arn't worth the extra cash yet. They have a small performance boost but nowheres near the amount you'd expect for being hundreds more $'s then comparable cards. The highest end games are the only ones to show heavy improvement from what I've read and it's still not that much.

Then there is also the fact that buying any hardware that is the newest of new is somewhat pointless at least from my POV, since as soon as a newer piece comes out the price drops by 50% or so on average. Paying way more for the extra ounces of power isn't usually worth it unless you have the cash to kill and understand what you are getting. Double the ram does NOT mean double the performance.

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From what ive read, these 512 meg cards take a major performance hit from the memory controler, and you would be better off finding the same GPU / memory clock with 256megs instread of 512.

buying a 512 meg SLI card is like using a concorde to nip down to the corner shop to get a pint of milk, and loaf of bread.

Remember, your monitor only scans vertically at 60 htz,
so any game running over 60 frames per second is just pointless waste of cpu cycles.

These 512 megs cards seem to be more of a *Proof of concept* than anything usefull.

PLUS, by the time they start making games, with a minimum system requirement of 512meg graphics cards, you should have grown out of games, got a full time job, and not have time for kids stuff anymore.

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In buying peripheral for your computer what wou should consider first is for what purpose your compter will be. Will it be only for gaming or for some other tasks.
My advise is wait... that price will surely go down in a few months or perhaps week. If you can still manage with your current card, I think you should better wait.. For me its an awful price since it has no TV tuner or a VIVO....
Well.... everything is still up to you.. but be wise..... what will the extra memory will be for?

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Instead of buying a 512mb graphics card, just spend a litle more, and get dual 6800's running in SLI. It will probally be better in the long run, because 6800's are tried and tested.

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I enjoy how people still refer to gaming as something that you should 'grow out of' even though it's overtaking the film industry money wise... seems kind of like a popular hobby to just be something kids do

dual 6800's?!...just get one...and stop complaining I have a 9800pro and it runs pretty much everything I've tried to play fine...y'all are spoiled lol

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I have been looking into building a computer filled with the latest technologies, and I was trying to find out more about these monster graphics cards. Mainly, I would like to know what type of power supply it would take to power one of these monsters!

Are there any motherboards out that can fully support the speed of these new graphics cards, or will I have to wait for some new type of motherboard to be developed?

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