What Graphics Card to Snuggle up with for the Holidays
by Anand Lal Shimpi on November 21, 2007 12:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Anand
When we reviewed NVIDIA's GeForce 8800 GT we called it the only card that matters, after all, we were reviewing a potentially $250 card that was faster than just about everything under $500. It made most of NVIDIA's product line obsolete, and made anything AMD could release seem hopeless. Oh how things can change in a couple of weeks.
The 8800 GTs sold out almost immediately, driving prices up well beyond the $249 maximum that NVIDIA originally told us. While I can't get anyone to go on record telling me exactly what quantities to expect, NVIDIA has promised lots before the end of the year. Needless to say, the 8800 GT (512MB) is no longer a $200 - $250 part, these days it is more of a $270 - $310 card.
So much power, so little availability
So much power, so little availability
Shortly after NVIDIA's 8800 GT launch, AMD released its Radeon HD 3800 series, which it promised to have available in two flavors for $179 and $219. Neither was faster than the 8800 GT, but neither cost as much as the now $279 card. Both cards were actually available at launch for the advertised prices (albeit a little later in the day than I would've expected). AMD rightfully deserves kudos for delivering on its promise of launch day availability at reasonable prices.
Even today, you can still buy the Radeon HD 3850 at its $179.99 MSRP from a number of vendors. It's not all peachy over there though, the Radeon 3870 is much harder to find in stock and not always selling for $219. I expected as much given that the majority of 3800 series cards being shipped were the cheaper 3850s. Regardless, at $179 the Radeon HD 3850 is the best you can get at anywhere near that price point.
So if you want some recommendations here you go: if you're spending close to $300 on a graphics card this holiday season, the 8800 GT is the way to go. Given how tight supplies are of 512MB cards, I just can't see the 256MB version of the 8800 GT (due out very soon) to be priced anywhere below $200. Honestly, I'm expecting to see those closer to $250.
At $219 the Radeon HD 3870 is a great buy, but we'll have to see how long it takes them to get back in stock. I have a feeling that it'll be a race between the 3870 and the 256MB 8800 GT whenever that thing hits.
The Radeon HD 3850, so much better than this summer's mid-range DX10 crap
The Radeon HD 3850, so much better than this summer's mid-range DX10 crap
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mrgq912 - Wednesday, November 21, 2007 - link
I just upgraded to a 8800gt. It is a really good card. I bought it from Bestbuy.com for $250 and picked it up at the store the very same day. Its not often I am satisfied with bestbuys pricing but in this case they offered a fair price for BFG 8800gt factory overclocked. The funny thing is I checked bestbuy.com for the card 2 days ago and they were sold out, I check yesterday and its in stock. So if you want a 8800gt keep checking everyday.On a sidenote, crysis runs beautifully on my PC, and i only have a AMD x2 at 2.4ghz with 2 gigs of ram and running in DX10 on Vista x32. I am not sure why everyone was so upset at the games performance and its hardware requirements. I only upgraded the video card and I am running the game on 1200x800 on High settigns, I am going to try out Very high tonight to see how the performance is.
jmke - Wednesday, November 21, 2007 - link
Available from Jetway and Sparkle at €229 in Euroland, no other card comes close price/performance wise:)http://www.dollarshops.eu/product_info.php/cPath/1...">http://www.dollarshops.eu/product_info.php/cPath/1...
jpmills - Wednesday, November 21, 2007 - link
229 Euros equals $339, as of today. Not as cheap as they hoped.Christoph Katzer - Thursday, November 22, 2007 - link
But that's because of the exchange rate... 230 is quite alright if you get your salary in EUR.