The Official Graphics Card and PC gaming Thread

Do you have recommendations for a new card that you think would be good for my PC around the £80 - 100 pound mark?

I would like to install another compatiable gfx card into my system.

Thanks for all your help

 

You said 3dmark06 before, not Vantage.
SM2.0 and SM3.0 are the two shader model versions 3dmark06 tests are run in. The first two tests (Return to Proxycon, Firefly Forest) are SM2 and the latter two (Canyon Flight, Deep Freeze) are SM3.

singh127: best buy is probably the 8800GT, unless you can afford £120 for a Radeon HD4850 (which is definitely worth it, a much better card)

 

Oh i see. I wasn't sure if there was a difference as it is still 3dMark.

I have 3DMark Vantage Professional, release date: 01.05.2008
...so I guess it can't be 3dMark06 haha silly me, I will have to download it.
My graphics tests are: Jane Nash and New Calico
With 2 CPU tests, and 6 features tests.

Anyways, after I run it, I get two scores, one for my CPU and for my graphics.

 

3DMark Vantage Professional? I'll download it and check my score.

 

Keep in mind that Vantage is Vista and Dx10 only. I don't really trust any of the Futuremark products except as a way to see if your hardware is performing within spec. They are heavily biased toward nvidia cards and take way too much stock in processor speed and number of cores.

In 3Dmark 06, I've seen 13,000 with my 8800GTS but that was with all my background processes turned off and my CPU at 3.6GHz. I usually score around a 12,500 which is what sam got with his 4870. I know that's absolute rubbish because the 4870 is a way faster card.

As to those benchmarks. The GTX280 setup is faster about about twice as expensive as the 4870X2 setup. The benchmarks are pretty close in most cases, so if it were my money being spent, I knowq I'd take the 4870X2. But, alas, that's way outside of my price range. So I'll have to settle for a plain old 4870

 

Yeah I only got 14k with my Q6600 at 3.6Ghz and 4850 Overclocked to 675/1100.

SCREW YOU 3DMark! lol My 4850 is much faster than a 8800GT and I got 16k with that!

 

3dmark is very pro-quad core and pro-nvidia, which in the real world, neither have much of an advantage for games.
However, the 'super graphics' systems are actually quite similar in cost. As it stands right now, three GTX280s, albeit cheap naff Leadtek ones, will set you back £750 delivered from overclockers, versus the £770 for the two HD4870X2s.

 

actually its 740

IMO leadtek are noot cheap, they even have a 2 year waranty, also they are using reference cards.

sam if you would like to, checll this out.

more improvements now: http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=17908438

 

No, it's £751. You forgot we don't get free delivery. I hope this isn't going to be a common ocurrance...

Deny it as they might, the users are correct, that was always the case with shop-related threads before, just because I'm not a registered member of the OcUK forums (and refuse to be) doesn't mean I don't look on it sometimes.

 

lol sorry i do keep forgetting, but one can use me to buy items, i can add other shipping adress's

 

but they are improving. they allow forum shop talk, free dellivery, for people who havent shopped in a year are getting 10% disccount vouchers, and this trial is going so well for them, yewen has been telling me they will be doing a 4 dayfree shipping if the trial goes as good as this,a nd loyal customers will be getting much better deals, if customers who havent shopped in a year get 10% off, the loyal ones will be getting a much better deal.

 

You know what I think?

Newegg is better.

 

Lmao, I think newegg > any UK store to be honest, but between them Aria and Ebuyer do as best they can. Ebuyer and Scan are the UK's newegg and tigerdirect methinks. Tigerdirect have a UK store, Misco, but realistically their terms of service and product range mean they rarely get used.

 

if only we had rebates with this new CS, OcUK, are even better, but then im a fanboy

 

About as fanboy as they come really, restricting yourself to products OcUK sell since you never recommend anywhere else...
Rather than look for what you can get from OcUK specifcially, I look for the product first, then where to buy it. This is rarely an issue, as what I'm after can usually be found from no more than 2 stores, and since ebuyer offer free delivery to all customers, and Aria offer low cost shipping on smaller items with royal mail, your options are far more open if you're more open minded with where you shop.

OcUK are still out to mislead the customer to boost themselves, and this is another good example:
HIS ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2 2048MB GDDR5 TV-Out/Dual DVI/HDMI (PCI-Express) - Retail

The worlds fastest graphics card - The HIS 4870 X2 features 2x 4870 Cores, 2048MB GDDR5 Memory, 1600 Stream Processors resulting in unrivalled speed.
was £349.99 ex vat

10+ in stock
£319.99 ex vat

It was never £349.99+VAT.

 

Also, don't forget tekheads:
http://www.tekheads.co.uk/s/product?product=609172

 

no i do not restrict my self to OcUK. they were 349.99 on release day, their proce fluctuated that day ALOT.

i have used scan, ebuyer and tekheads aswell as OcUK. OcUK have a MASSIVE range of items, that you cannot deny. their prices are competitive (bar gouging) and CS is absolutely brilliant.

 

I never saw them go for that much. Even on release day the highest price I saw was the one they quote now.

OcUK's range is good, there's no denying that. Like all shops they lack a few items but on the whole there's little they don't sell. Their prices are competitive on some items, but are pretty pathetic for specialist items like watercooling parts. Customer service, perhaps until the last couple of months is obviously the letdown as their past ineptitude has delayed not only a build of mine, but also a couple of friends, all by significant margins. Customer service from Ebuyer and Aria is uniformly excellent - I'd have to say that despite all the 'improvements' to OcUK's service, I would still rate Ebuyer #1, even if I didn't have my past misgivings about OcUK.

 

Is anyone interested in an HD4870X2 for £255 + postage? I have been contacted by the same person who sold me my 4870 and he's selling on an HD4870X2, which I can blag for the above price. That's a full £100 less than you're likely to find one for currently.

Send me a PM if you're interested,

Low price is, as before, due to it being an engineering sample.

 

their W/c parts overpriced?

i didnt know, but i havent seen others stock such an extensive W/c section, if the shop isnt specifically targeted towards water.

the CS is turnign around. yewen was talking and said since spring last year they have tujned it around amssively, and are trying to become number one on all fronts. and its was £411 inc VAT, we were attackign them for that, and they lowered the price.

could you put up some comparrison w/c parts prices?

having msn talk to their manager is the best CS haha.

I WANT THAT CARD... its a shame this 4850 i got was duff, and now OcUK gave me the refund, and im going to get he his ICEQ 4850 as soon as its in stock:http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-102-HT