SPCR

I am considering upgrading from onboard graphics. I dont game much, i play Counter Strike Source often and others here and there. I dont need anything top of the line.

I was considering getting a 8600 but am not sure if I will need that much performance and will I need to pay nearly twice as much just to get it.

I gusse what im asking how big of a diffrance is there between the 2. And will the 8500 suit me well...

what resolution do you have? if you stay with 1024x768, a 8500GT will be fine, but if you play at 1280x1024 and higher, i would consider a 8600GT. The jump from 8500GT to 8600GT is actually a relatively big difference - you double the stream processors from 16 to 32, DDR2 to DDR3, and higher clock speeds.

http://www.vr-zone.com/articles/Mainstr ... 02-11.html

There are tons of other benchmarks, but in general, the 8600GT has a pretty decent lead over the 8500GT. if you aren't especially interested in antialiasing, high details, etc. the 8500GT will probably be okay as well on 1280x1024, since i know CS:Source isn't exactly a graphics intense game.

i would just get this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814130085
as it is only about $40 more than the 8500GTs, but the performance difference is well worth it...

I personally would get a 8600GT, but my 7600GT is pretty much the same thing, only w/o DX10, which i don't really need at this point (i can play 1280x1024 battlefield 2 high settings, no AA, pretty much flawlessly)

laguz1 wrote:i would just get this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814130085
as it is only about $40 more than the 8500GTs, but the performance difference is well worth it...

That fan will be really loud. How about a passive version instead? Only a bit more expensive after rebates.

angelkiller wrote:That fan will be really loud. How about a passive version instead? Only a bit more expensive after rebates.

Actually, that fan is not loud at all. I rarely found that it sped up at all, when playing games, or running rthdribl. My temperatures went between 52 and 75 with the stock cooling, and the fan was at minimum speed at all times (~650RPM).

The 8500 series cards are pretty much garbage.

http://www23.tomshardware.com/graphics_2007.html

http://futuremark.yougamers.com/forum/s ... .php?t=164

http://www.anandtech.com/video/showdoc.aspx?i=3047&p=3

You might want to look at these options, though be sure you have enough room for the big heatsink on the back. If not Gigabyte has a passive 8600GT with a heatsink that should fit just about anywhere.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814127293

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814127287

I'd go with an 8600 for your needs. You might look at some of ATI's offerings too, I've read the 1950XT is a good buy as far as bang for the buck goes.

You're only saving 20$ or so from a 8500GT to an 8600GT.