Hi,

I'm going to build a brand new computer dedicated for gaming, crysis, Farcry 2, BF2 etc. Going to need all the graphic power I can get, but GPU budget is only around $400. I see 8800GT score very high in SLI, and it will cost just under $400. But 9800GTX in SLI will also cost about $400...so which one is the better choice?

8800GT SLI @ $400
or
9800GTX SLI @ $400?

The 8800GT SLI beats gtx260, 280, everything AMD, and ...so, am I overlooking some other choice for the same price point?






Also, I'm happy to take comments on the rest of the setup:


ASUS 20X DVD±R DVD Burner Black SATA Model DRW-2014S1T

Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD3200AAKS 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply

Logitech G15 2-Tone USB Wired Standard Gaming Keyboard

Logitech G9 Black 5 Buttons Tilt Wheel USB Wired Laser Gaming Mouse

CORSAIR DOMINATOR 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit

EVGA 132-CK-NF78-A1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 780i SLI ATX

Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 Yorkfield 2.66GHz LGA 775 95W Quad-Core

Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate SP1 64-bit

ZALMAN CNPS9700 LED 110mm 2 Ball CPU Cooler

about $1,450.00 without graphics card...with it, it'll be $1900, and I'm getting a Dell 24" 2408WFP.

Well, my understanding was that the 9800GTX is better than the 8800GT, so I'd get that if they were the same price. One thing I'm confused on though, You should be able to get 2 8800GTs for a lot less than 2 9800GTXs. I thought the GTs should be in the $300 range.

$174 on newegg.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814130319

How about two 4850's in Crossfire?

If I remember correctly they should beat 9800GTX in SLI.

I would strongly urge you to reconsider buying Nvidia. 2 4850's in crossfire would outperform either the 8800 or 9800 and would run you $400. Add to that that the 780i has issues especially with Quads and you would be much better off with an Intel chipset. This is slightly cheaper than the 780i and is more stable, overclocks better and runs faster. The 780i is nothing more than a 680i with an additional PCI-E controller for 3 way 16x. The 680i was released in Oct. 06 so your paying premium prices for a 21 month old product that still doesn't work quite right.

As far as NVIDIA goes I guess a 9800GTX would be your best bet, maybe a nice overclocked model. Also the 55nm 9800GTX+ should be released in a couple of weeks and it should overclock better and stay cooler than its 65nm counterpart. The GTX 200 series is WAY overpriced, so fuhgetaboutit.

Now I'll give you some real advice: get a P45 motherboard and an HD4870 (or 2 ). NVIDIA motherboards aren't as bad as some claim them to be, but they aren't on the same level as the Intel boards.

Other than that I think you have a great looking build.

Agreed with above. Nvidia boards have some issues. They're not terrible, but Intel's chipsets are better. Same story with Nvidia's cards right now, they hold their own but ATI's latest lineup simply came out on top in terms of value.

4850 or 4870 in xfire is a better choice, you'll get better performance and DX10.1 support (which is pretty useless for now but who knows... ) and better mobos.

I would either get 4870 of 2x 4850 in CF. Honestly, 9800GTX and 4850 trade wins in single mode, but in SLi and CF, it's different. I'd still get the 4850 SLi for easier PSU requirements.

Get g92 8800gts instead. At $119.99 after mir, you don't have to spend nearly as much as $400 for sli.
http://fxvideocards.com/ZOTAC-GeFo [...] 16280.html

It performs better than 8800gt, and about the same as 9800gtx and 4850.
http://en.expreview.com/2008/04/03 [...] review/12/

I agree with Dagger. Grab the opportunity.

yeah, if you absolutely have to get nvidia, then get 2 8800GTS 512MB.

And then your still stuck with a poor performing motherboard

Great prices on those gts's. Only thing is theyre going eol. But for the price/performance, its hard to turn down