8500GT -> 8600GTS worth it?

eddd · Post by **eddd** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 6:33 pm

I have an Asus 8500GT fanless at the moment but was looking for something with a bit more beef. I don't want to run Crisis or anything, but maybe something at Bioshock (without any AA/AF) sort of level?

One card I saw was the MSI 8600GTS fanless, would it offer much of an improvement over my 8500GT? Thanks in advance!

Vicotnik · Post by **Vicotnik** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 7:22 pm

Have you considered the HD3850? Here in Sweden the fanless MSI 8600GTS cost about the same as the cheapest among the HD3850. Add a few bucks for a S1 and you have a fanless card with a lower power draw (in idle at least) and much better performance.

Nvidias whole 8600 line was a failure imho. Not enough performance and too high power consumption.

Blue_Sky · Post by **Blue_Sky** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 7:42 pm

My 8600GT ran Bioshock just fine with everything maxed except for the AA and AF. I was pretty impressed - I was certain that it would have trouble (I guess based on reviews...).

I don't think it is worth your money to get a 8600GTS over a GT because they are basically the same card, except overclocked. You can do that yourself. You won't see that much of a difference over a 8500GT with either card.

Vicotnik is right in suggesting the 3850. I really think that it is the best bang for your buck in the midrange section (the 8800GT has an unrivaled cost/benefit ratio overall).

eddd · Post by **eddd** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 8:15 pm

Blue_Sky wrote:My 8600GT ran Bioshock just fine with everything maxed except for the AA and AF. I was pretty impressed - I was certain that it would have trouble (I guess based on reviews...).

I don't think it is worth your money to get a 8600GTS over a GT because they are basically the same card, except overclocked. You can do that yourself. You won't see that much of a difference over a 8500GT with either card.

Vicotnik is right in suggesting the 3850. I really think that it is the best bang for your buck in the midrange section (the 8800GT has an unrivaled cost/benefit ratio overall).

I'm sorry but I won't touch an ATI card, their Linux drivers are appalling.

You say you ran Bioshock maxed on your 8600GT, what resolution was this at? My 8500 struggles at 1080p..

eddd · Post by **eddd** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 8:17 pm

Also what is an S1?

Vicotnik · Post by **Vicotnik** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 8:39 pm

Arctic Cooling Accelero S1 is a passive GPU cooler, very popular due to its high performance and low price.

About the ATI/AMD Linux drivers, isn't the future looking brighter now with at least some specifications made open? I'm a Linux user myself (or will be soon at least - the plan is to dual boot Ubuntu and WinXP and slowly phase out WinXP).

I know that nVidia has been the lesser of two evils when it comes to Linux support, but I bought my 3870 hoping that will change soon.

eddd · Post by **eddd** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 8:50 pm

Vicotnik wrote:Arctic Cooling Accelero S1 is a passive GPU cooler, very popular due to its high performance and low price.

About the ATI/AMD Linux drivers, isn't the future looking brighter now with at least some specifications made open? I'm a Linux user myself (or will be soon at least - the plan is to dual boot Ubuntu and WinXP and slowly phase out WinXP). :)
I know that nVidia has been the lesser of two evils when it comes to Linux support, but I bought my 3870 hoping that will change soon.

Thanks for this. ATI has improved but still nowhere near the Nvidia stuff (especially OpenGL). When then bring it round then I'll happily go back to ATI, I loved my 9800XT (even though it was horribly loud).

KenAF · Post by **KenAF** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 11:03 pm

Note Nvidia will release the 9600GT in two weeks.

It should run cooler than the 8600GT, with double the performance, but it will cost $150-$175.

Blue_Sky · Post by **Blue_Sky** » Mon Feb 11, 2008 7:42 am

My monitor is 1280x1024. I think is is safe to assume that an 8600GT isn't playing a recent game maxed out at 1900x1080.

Should the 9600GT be released on time, it sounds like the way to go. Most of the reviews so far have been a bit sketchy (one put the 9600GT on par with an 8800GTS 512 MB), but from the specs, it sounds like it will be worth the money.

thejamppa · Post by **thejamppa** » Mon Feb 11, 2008 12:25 pm

9600GT seems to be way to go if HD 3850 is not good for you. But before jumping on the gun I suggest to wait at least few reviews of its performance and price. At the worse same happends with 9600GT that happened with 8800GT no stock and prices soared into sky, which are still more in Finland average than they should have been.

Wibla · Post by **Wibla** » Mon Feb 11, 2008 3:19 pm

its a small step up, and you'll probably notice it (going from "seriously crappy" to "just a bit crappy")

My 8600GT 256MB runs CoD4 @ 1680x1050 just fine...

Luminair · Post by **Luminair** » Tue Feb 12, 2008 11:03 pm

The latest video card "best of" list at toms hardware always has a ranking of video cards and a recommendation of how far up the rankings you need to go to find a good upgrade.

http://www.tomshardware.com/2008/02/04/ ... page7.html

"I don't recommend upgrading your graphics card unless the replacement card is at least three tiers higher."

While a 8600GTS is better than an 8500GT, I think you would do yourself a disservice buying a slightly upgraded version of the same thing. An 8800GT 512mb is $200...