How much is too much for a video card?

LOOP · 03-21-2006, 09:49 PM

How much is too much for a video card?

Curious what everyone thinks "too much" would be, when buying a video card.

madmat · 03-21-2006, 10:44 PM

Obviously it's more than you can afford. If you can afford a pair of 7900GTXs then it's not too much but if you can't it is. Same goes for any other cards.

fussnfeathers · 03-21-2006, 11:33 PM

I'll agree, then throw in the "what do you need it for" part. If you're a generic home user, that might play the Sims and surf the web, a high-dollar vid card is a waste of your cash. TBH, unless you're a hardcore gamer, SLI is a waste of money, you will NEVER touch two cards worth of bandwidth.

I look at it this way...........if you live in the US, and need a car, you can certainly buy a Ferrari F40. But if all you do is drive to work and the grocery store, do you NEED it? Nah.........a VW Beetle will do you just fine, and more than exceed your needs. Anything more is simply a waste of cash.

Rob Williams · 03-22-2006, 12:29 AM

When I had the choice of buying a 7800GT or 7800GTX, it was a matter of did I really need the GTX? I didn't care about paying the extra, but it would have been wasted because I don't game on anything above 1280*1024, so the GT suited me fine.

Like other things in life.. if it makes you happy, it's worth the money.

SqueekyClean · 03-22-2006, 12:45 AM

Around $150 is the most I pay for a video card. You may of guessed, that I'm not that hi-tech here. I have a decent machine that serves my needs, but thats about it.

ducarti · 03-22-2006, 02:38 AM

I'm willing to spend as much as $300 for a card. Not willing to go over that much. Also, I expect and demand to get a few good years of game use out of a card when I spend that much.

Jakal · 03-22-2006, 01:27 PM

What resolution do you normally run games? Like Rob mentioned, the 7800GTX is best suited for resolutions above 1280x1024. You can pick up a new 7900GT which is a good bit better than the 7800GT for under $300.

Rob Williams · 03-22-2006, 01:48 PM

Well at the time the GTX was just overkill for my needs. A 7900GT is a wicked choice right now though, because games are pushing the GPU harder than ever.

PUTALE · 03-22-2006, 01:49 PM

I think it's how much you are willing to spend on a vid card and how much you are wiling to sacrifice the performance.

Cool Barn · 03-22-2006, 04:41 PM

I normally get a starting price in my head of the card I would like to purchase, and then I imagine my wife's face and how much a divorce would end up costing me, and work downwards from there

fussnfeathers · 03-22-2006, 07:19 PM

I did the same as Rob. I never play over 1280x1024, and I really don't care about articulated shadows and resurfaced sprites. *grin* As long as it looks halfway decent, and plays smooth, I can live without all the eye candy..........for my eyes, anyway, I find that all the super-quality effects distract me from the game too much. My $160 X800GT works just fine for me.

sbrehm72255 · 03-23-2006, 12:34 AM

Same here, 1280x1024 is all I ever do, my X800XL does just fine at all games at standard settings. I'm to busy trying to stay alive to worry about the pretty suroundings to even notice how they look...............

I would say $300 is about tops for me, but I haven't paid cash for a card in a while now, the last 2 I got in trades and had the cooling systems broke on them, so I got some great deals.

xstatic · 03-28-2006, 05:57 PM

How much is too much depends a lot on how long you can get out of the video card before needing to upgrade. If I only can get 2 years out of the card before needing to upgrade again in order to play the latest games, then I would not want to spend more then $300. If I could get 4 years out of a video card, then I would easily spend $500.

It all depends on how long you can get out of the card for playing the latest games.

fullpicture · 03-29-2006, 01:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xstatic

How much is too much depends a lot on how long you can get out of the video card before needing to upgrade. If I only can get 2 years out of the card before needing to upgrade again in order to play the latest games, then I would not want to spend more then $300. If I could get 4 years out of a video card, then I would easily spend $500.

It all depends on how long you can get out of the card for playing the latest games.

I totally agree. Would be worth spending $500 for a graphics card that would last 4 years and STILL be able to play all the newest games at the highest frame rates after 4 years. However, what are the odds of that happening? With the rapid development of new graphic cards, the current generation cards will always become obsolete within a couple years. Thats why I like to spend under two hundred bucks when I buy a card because I know I will have to do it again within a couple years.

chillout · 03-29-2006, 04:02 PM

Over $200 is too much for a video card. Think about it! You can get a 19" LCD monitor for as low as $200. You can get a good processor for $200. You can get a good motherboard for $200. Why shouldn't you be able to get a good video card for $200 or less?

03-21-2006, 09:49 PM	#1
LOOP Obliviot Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 25	How much is too much for a video card? How much is too much for a video card? Curious what everyone thinks "too much" would be, when buying a video card.

03-21-2006, 10:44 PM	#2
madmat Soup Nazi Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: No soup for you! Posts: 1,636	Obviously it's more than you can afford. If you can afford a pair of 7900GTXs then it's not too much but if you can't it is. Same goes for any other cards. __________________ M4N82 Deluxe Phenom II 940 Black Edition quad core @ 3.5Ghz 2x1 gig OCZ PC26400 Platinum, 2x1gig GSkill PC26400 EVGA GTX260 Buncha drives, Some other stuff, Even more stuff, If the automobile had followed the same development cycle as the computer, a Rolls-Royce would today cost $100, get a million miles per gallon, and explode once a year, killing everyone inside. --Robert X. Cringely, InfoWorld magazine Sign Me!

03-22-2006, 12:29 AM	#4
Rob Williams Editor-in-Chief Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Atlantic Canada Posts: 13,231	When I had the choice of buying a 7800GT or 7800GTX, it was a matter of did I really need the GTX? I didn't care about paying the extra, but it would have been wasted because I don't game on anything above 1280*1024, so the GT suited me fine. Like other things in life.. if it makes you happy, it's worth the money. __________________ Intel Core i7-990X EE @ 3.43GHz, GIGABYTE X58A-UD5, Kingston 12GB DDR3-1333, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 2GB Kingston HyperX 3K 240GB SSD, WD VR 1TB, WD 2TB, Seagate 2TB, LG BD-ROM, ASUS DVD-RW, Corsair 1000HX, Corsair H60 Cooler Corsair 800D, Dell 2408WFP 24", ASUS Xonar Essence STX, Gentoo (KDE 4.10, 3.7 Kernel) "Take care to get what you like, or you will be forced to like what you get!" - H.P. Baxxter <Toad772> I don't always drink alcohol, but when I do, I take it too far.

03-22-2006, 01:27 PM	#7
Jakal Tech Monkey Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Missiskippy Posts: 634	What resolution do you normally run games? Like Rob mentioned, the 7800GTX is best suited for resolutions above 1280x1024. You can pick up a new 7900GT which is a good bit better than the 7800GT for under $300. __________________ Intel C2Quad Q9400 @3.6Ghz \| Asus PM5Q Deluxe \| OCZ Reaper HPC PC2-8500 8GB \| XFX Black Edition 260/216\| knobs are great for twisting, turning, squeezing and pulling... especially your own..... that's how doors open \| Chaos Havok: grrrr im lagging me \| <@Deathspawner> I wish I was in Windows :-/ Last edited by Jakal; 03-23-2006 at 11:46 PM. Reason: fix link

03-22-2006, 01:48 PM	#8
Rob Williams Editor-in-Chief Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Atlantic Canada Posts: 13,231	Well at the time the GTX was just overkill for my needs. A 7900GT is a wicked choice right now though, because games are pushing the GPU harder than ever. __________________ Intel Core i7-990X EE @ 3.43GHz, GIGABYTE X58A-UD5, Kingston 12GB DDR3-1333, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 2GB Kingston HyperX 3K 240GB SSD, WD VR 1TB, WD 2TB, Seagate 2TB, LG BD-ROM, ASUS DVD-RW, Corsair 1000HX, Corsair H60 Cooler Corsair 800D, Dell 2408WFP 24", ASUS Xonar Essence STX, Gentoo (KDE 4.10, 3.7 Kernel) "Take care to get what you like, or you will be forced to like what you get!" - H.P. Baxxter <Toad772> I don't always drink alcohol, but when I do, I take it too far.

03-21-2006, 11:33 PM	#3
fussnfeathers E.M.I. Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: The Fourth Level Of Heck, first house on the right. Posts: 82	I'll agree, then throw in the "what do you need it for" part. If you're a generic home user, that might play the Sims and surf the web, a high-dollar vid card is a waste of your cash. TBH, unless you're a hardcore gamer, SLI is a waste of money, you will NEVER touch two cards worth of bandwidth. I look at it this way...........if you live in the US, and need a car, you can certainly buy a Ferrari F40. But if all you do is drive to work and the grocery store, do you NEED it? Nah.........a VW Beetle will do you just fine, and more than exceed your needs. Anything more is simply a waste of cash.

03-22-2006, 12:45 AM	#5
SqueekyClean Obliviot Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 21	Around $150 is the most I pay for a video card. You may of guessed, that I'm not that hi-tech here. I have a decent machine that serves my needs, but thats about it.

03-22-2006, 02:38 AM	#6
ducarti Obliviot Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 21	I'm willing to spend as much as $300 for a card. Not willing to go over that much. Also, I expect and demand to get a few good years of game use out of a card when I spend that much.

03-22-2006, 01:49 PM	#9
PUTALE E.M.I. Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 68	I think it's how much you are willing to spend on a vid card and how much you are wiling to sacrifice the performance.

03-22-2006, 04:41 PM	#10
Cool Barn Obliviot Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 30	I normally get a starting price in my head of the card I would like to purchase, and then I imagine my wife's face and how much a divorce would end up costing me, and work downwards from there

03-22-2006, 07:19 PM	#11
fussnfeathers E.M.I. Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: The Fourth Level Of Heck, first house on the right. Posts: 82	I did the same as Rob. I never play over 1280x1024, and I really don't care about articulated shadows and resurfaced sprites. grin As long as it looks halfway decent, and plays smooth, I can live without all the eye candy..........for my eyes, anyway, I find that all the super-quality effects distract me from the game too much. My $160 X800GT works just fine for me.

03-23-2006, 12:34 AM	#12
sbrehm72255 Tech Monkey Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Back Woods of MO Posts: 785	Same here, 1280x1024 is all I ever do, my X800XL does just fine at all games at standard settings. I'm to busy trying to stay alive to worry about the pretty suroundings to even notice how they look............... I would say $300 is about tops for me, but I haven't paid cash for a card in a while now, the last 2 I got in trades and had the cooling systems broke on them, so I got some great deals.

03-28-2006, 05:57 PM	#13
xstatic Obliviot Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 22	How much is too much depends a lot on how long you can get out of the video card before needing to upgrade. If I only can get 2 years out of the card before needing to upgrade again in order to play the latest games, then I would not want to spend more then $300. If I could get 4 years out of a video card, then I would easily spend $500. It all depends on how long you can get out of the card for playing the latest games.

03-29-2006, 04:02 PM	#15
chillout Obliviot Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 13	Over $200 is too much for a video card. Think about it! You can get a 19" LCD monitor for as low as $200. You can get a good processor for $200. You can get a good motherboard for $200. Why shouldn't you be able to get a good video card for $200 or less?

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
New video card recommendations?	zacharyt1122	Video Cards and Displays	18	03-19-2012 04:13 PM
Video card processing for Videos	softblushcom	Video Cards and Displays	4	11-03-2010 02:34 AM
Video Card Help	Jen McPherson	Video Cards and Displays	6	09-24-2006 11:25 PM
Upgrading my video card.	leecho7	Video Cards and Displays	6	07-11-2006 11:43 PM
Show off your video card!	Rob Williams	Video Cards and Displays	49	03-24-2006 11:57 PM