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saving money now to get a better video card later

Post Date: 2008-09-04
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rai-zero View Drop Down
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Posts: 98 		  Quote rai-zero Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Topic: saving money now to get a better video card later
    Posted: 04 Sep 2008 at 8:30am
I'm going to buy a new computer soon. 
  
this is a specific question so I started a new thread to get specific advice.
 
I am looking at the top of the line Video cards such as GTX 280 or dual sli 260s or the new 4870 X2 (etc..) cost $600-$700
 
I am trying to keep my system cost down under $3K but at the same time want to keep my top quality CPU and RAM etc..
 
I got to thinking what if I got a lower price video card in the $200 range like the 4750 or a slightly older version Nvidia card that I can play games for 2 years with that.  And then upgrade the video card 2 years from now when new/better cards are out or when the current cards GTX 280 are much cheaper.
 
here is a sample system for $3180
 
 
that's withGTX 280 ($614) video card.  What's if i cut $400 off that and get a 4850 or the 9800 GTX+  (or whatever) and I can put into a quicker HD such as the VR for my first HD.
 
this is a similar build $3178 with a much cheaper video card the 9800 GTX+ but with the money saved I was able to go for a 300GB VR and a second 500GB HD..
 
 
 
And if so which mother board to go with keeping in mind I want to upgrade my video card in 2 or 3 years?   Also what's a good lower price video card that is decent but I will see benifit from replacing it in 2 years?

Also how hard is it to swap out the video cards?  I have never done that.  Most I have ever done to a computer was add an extra drive or add ram.  I never changed something like the video card.



Edited by rai-zero - 04 Sep 2008 at 11:16am
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Kliebor2 View Drop Down
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Posts: 659 		  Quote Kliebor2 Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 04 Sep 2008 at 11:36am
Honestly, two years from now you could likely benefit from replacing a 280 or a 4870x2... pretty much any card on the market today could benefit from replacement in 2 years.

2 years from now we will be looking back fondly on when the 280 could kick any game in the face on the playground and walk away unscathed.

By then there will be a 380 or some such nonsense and the brand new 5870x6 or some nonsense like that. Technology marches ever forward.

Far as bang for buck in most graphical games, I would put my eggs in the following baskets in this order :)

Get the best you can afford weighting toward the top of this list and you should do ok

1. Processor - This should be a big chunk of your change

2. Video Card - Pick the best you can afford

3. Hard Drive - Get Something fast, if budget is tight this is where I would start to skimp

4. Memory - For pure gaming 2 - 4 Gigs of the 1066 is likely fine. We have those that spring for faster but it really is not needed

These are just my opinions, but I think they will get you a pretty darn nice rig.

Dave
Digital Storm 950Si - Q9450 Quad Core @ 3 Ghz
Dual PNY OC2 GTX 560Ti
8 Gigabytes DDR2/800
2 Western Digital 500 GB SATAII 7200 RPM HD
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TomD View Drop Down
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Posts: 289 		  Quote TomD Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 04 Sep 2008 at 11:41am
Rai-zero:
 
Here is a roundup of Videocards in lower price ranges that may help you make your decision:
 
 
And another more recent article with tons of benchmarks across different games at different resolutions and AA setting, so you can pick the card that plays best on the current games you like:
 
 
Two years is forever in technology, so specific advice on what will be best two years from now is a crapshoot. Today it looks like NVidia is better positioned going forward, but things can change alot in two years.
 
Hard Drive technology is also advancing and in two years SSD technology should be much more cost effective.
 
A system with 7200 drives and better videocard will perform much better today and is a better bang-for-the buck. For a two year time horizon you will have a better machine, and you can always upgrade the hard drives later instead of the videocards.
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workingman View Drop Down
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Posts: 411 		  Quote workingman Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 04 Sep 2008 at 12:16pm
swapping vid cards is pretty easy..as long as they arent water cooled..i guess...dont really know much about those systems..but if it isnt...its as easy as pie...just remove old drivers..make sure your grounded..open case ..usually just a clip holding the card in..put new card in..close case..download new drivers..and presto..PS...make sure your  other hardware can handle an upgraded card..call DSO first...
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Tyler Lowe View Drop Down
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Posts: 0 		  Quote Tyler Lowe Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 04 Sep 2008 at 12:25pm
You'd be better off with an X48 and DDR2. The processors that will fit into a LGA Socket 775 will never take full benefit from the bandwidth present in DDR3. You are looking at spending a large percentage of your budget for incremental gain IMO.
 
With this config, all you'd have to do down the road, is install a single graphics card (a second 4870) and that is only if you feel you need to.
 
 
I also agree with KB2 about the HDD. That is the first place I would trim budget. Your GPU isn't an "add-on" if you are planning on gaming *at all*. You could easily swap priority to call the GPU #1 and CPU #2 on the list for a pure gaming rig. It's that important. Yours isn't a pure gaming build, so I would go for the best CPU possible for your video editing tasks. If anything, I would drop the VR drive and double up on my GPU's straight away to just enjoy the system as it is shipped to me, rather than thinking about upgrade before I even recieved the system.
 
something like this config


Edited by Tyler Lowe - 04 Sep 2008 at 11:04pm
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widdlecat View Drop Down
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Posts: 840 		  Quote widdlecat Quote  Post ReplyReply bullet Posted: 04 Sep 2008 at 6:36pm
I like Tyler's second choice... buy me one!  Wink
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