Next-gen graphics cards?

Geeky1Geeky1 University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA, USA)
edited June 2003 in Hardware
So I've got a Radeon 8500 64MB... I can get 318MHz Core/294Mhz RAM on it w/o a problem, and with those settings, I get ~11,000+ in 3dmark2001se... the question is whether an upgrade to a FX5900 Ultra or 9800 Pro 256mb in a few weeks/months would be worth it, or if I should wait for the next generation of cards... I mean, the 8500 is actually fast enough for everything out there right now except UT2K3 and MS FlightSim 2000 and 2003 (or was it 2002?) at high resolutions and detail settings... and I don't play games very often any more anyhow because I don't have time usually. So what do you think?

Comments

  • SpinnerSpinner Birmingham, UK
    edited June 2003
    I would wait, especially if you are thinking about going the Nvidia way. The new FX series is in its first generation (the 1st 0.13-micron cards by Nivida) and has problems which hopefully will be worked out by their next chips, the NV31 and the NV34. As far as ATI are concerned, the performance increase you would get from buying a 9800Pro I don't really consider being a large enough gain to warrant an upgrade from your current card. So like I said, in both cases, I would wait.

    Cheers
  • csimoncsimon Acadiana Icrontian
    edited June 2003
    wait for pci-express ...of course you'll need to upgrade the motherboard also!
  • Geeky1Geeky1 University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA, USA)
    edited June 2003
    Waiting for PCI Express would be pointless in this case... the 760MPX doesn't support PCI Express, and I doubt any dual athlon boards ever will... the opteron probably will, but I'm not planning on getting rid of my K7D anytime soon...
  • SimGuySimGuy Ottawa, Canada
    edited June 2003
    Pick up a Radeon 9700 Pro when either Newegg.com or another online retailer is having a sale.

    The 9700 Pro has enough horsepower to push Doom 3 & Half Life 2 and more than enough power to run all of today's games.

    The Radeon 8500 is still a great card and as you have said, can still play most of today's games. However, if you are planning to play the major software titles of this year (Doom 3 & HL2), your going to want to retire the 8500 for the 9700 Pro.

    I DON'T recommend the 9800/9800 Pro yet, as they are insanely expensive for the subtle increase in power over the 9700 Pro.
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